Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Lucian
The fire glows faintly in the darkness, softly illuminating Astra’s sleeping form.
She is curled on her side with Luna pressed against her chest, her expression defenseless.
She’s not at all worried about being around me, the most dangerous of predators.
I don’t know whether to call that foolish or brave, but she has no sense of self-preservation whatsoever.
She moves in her sleep as if seeking heat, and when her head finds my thigh, she pulls herself up onto it, mumbling something incoherently. Watching her use my thigh as a pillow should enrage me, but instead, I adjust my position to accommodate her.
If anyone were to see me like this, I would have to rip their head off.
I can feel it once she’s back in a deep and restful sleep. My wolf rumbles in appreciation, but my eyes narrow into tiny slits. I allow my hand to wrap around her neck and linger there as I ponder my options.
One snap and she’ll be dead.
It won’t be hard, and I’ll have one less problem to deal with.
But as I stare at her relaxed features, my wolf growling and snarling at me inside my head, she shifts in her sleep, her hand coming to sprawl across her stomach. Abandoning her throat, I cover her hand with mine.
She’s so tiny.
She talks endlessly, fearlessly, and yet she is utterly defenseless. Maybe she would fare better in the human world.
But as the faceless image of the man she claims to love pops into my mind, I feel a wave of irritation. A human. Someone utterly unremarkable. Why would she want to be with him when she could…
The thought trails off, and my jaw tightens as I refuse to finish it.
Unbidden, my finger wraps around a thick lock of her hair.
What am I doing? Why am I pretending to be a mercenary?
I’m the prince of this entire kingdom. I have duties to attend to, an engagement to finalize.
I have no business being out here in the middle of the forest, accompanying this crazy woman.
Without thinking, I tug at the lock of hair, and she bats my hand away, still half asleep. “Stop it.”
I blink. Did she just slap me?
I should break her fingers for daring…
Her body curls around my leg as she nestles closer. Something hot and dark stirs within me. Her presence provokes my wolf, but I don’t know why. It wants to protect her, to shield her. It wants to bathe in her scent.
Why?
What is it about her that has my animal acting so out of character? I thought if I stuck around, I’d figure it out, but I’m no closer to an answer. The only thing that has changed is that I now have no intention of killing the girl.
Astra moves her injured leg with a pained moan, and my brow furrows. Her bandages have undoubtedly loosened during our day of walking, so I slowly remove her head from my thigh and adjust my position so I can take a look. I need to check the wound’s progress.
Carefully, I lift the bottom edge of her pant leg.
The healing is remarkable—better than I’d hoped.
The red streaks are completely gone, the swelling has disappeared, and the gashes are closing with the speed of a full shifter’s recovery.
Not surprising, considering the tonic I gave her was made by one of the palace healers.
Luna opens one amber eye and fixes me with a stare that could cut glass.
“Guard her,” I order the feline.
The cat gives me the most arrogant look I’ve ever seen from any creature, but she sits up straighter, positioning herself between Astra and the forest. As if she understands exactly what I’m asking.
Smart animal.
I adjust Astra’s blanket, pulling it higher over her shoulders. She shivers slightly in her sleep, and I have to resist the urge to lie down beside her, to share my body heat. The thought appeals to me more than it should.
This woman is getting under my skin in ways I don’t understand. Every smile she gives me, every time she calls me handsome with that breathless voice, every moment she trusts me completely despite having every reason not to—it all chips away at something I thought was unbreakable.
It’s no longer just my wolf; I have never wanted to protect someone the way I want to protect Astra.
I stand up and force myself to step away from her sleeping form. Quickly, I disappear into the forest.
Seth is waiting exactly where I told him to be, hidden behind a cluster of ancient oaks about half a mile from our camp. His red hair is disheveled, and there’s dried blood on his shirt that isn’t his own.
“You look like hell,” I observe.
“Charming as always.” He pulls a small, glass vial from his pack and tosses it to me. “The healer said this should finish what the first tonic started.”
I pocket the bottle without examining it. “Did you do what I asked?”
“Yes. Your alpha friend won’t be sending any more hunting parties.” Seth’s expression darkens. “We arranged the bodies of the second batch of men he sent very artistically in front of his home. I think he got the message.”
Good. The thought of more of Gareth’s men tracking Astra through these woods makes my wolf snarl with protective fury.
“So?” My friend smiles at me as he leans back against a tree. “What are you up to?”
“None of your business.”
I turn to leave, but he swiftly blocks my way, grinning that annoying grin of his. “You know that’s a female, right?”
“I have eyes.”
“You’re looking after a woman? Of your own choice? Is she blackmailing you?”
The suspicious edge to his tone makes me want to snort. The idea of Astra blackmailing me is amusing, to say the least.
“Since when do I answer to you, Seth?” I demand.
“You don’t, but I have to answer to your father, who’s angry you’re not back yet.”
I sneer. “Tell him I’m still on the wild goose chase he sent me on.”
Seth’s smile disappears. “Really, Lucian? What are you doing?”
I don’t have an answer for him, but I do have a task. “Look into Andrew Crew. He’s a human from a town called Turnville. Get me everything you can on him.”
Seth bristles. “Is he a threat?”
“No. He’s Astra’s supposed fiancé.”
My friend looks at me as if I’ve suddenly grown a second head. “You want me to look into her fiancé? And a human, to boot?”
“Do you have a problem with that?” I take a threatening step toward him.
“Problem? Me?” Seth lifts his hands in a pacifying gesture. “Why would I have a problem with your orders?” I stare at him, and he sighs. “Fine. I just hope you know what you’re doing here, Lucian.”
What am I doing? I came here to retrieve a fugitive and drag her back to face the consequences of defying the crown. Instead, I’m protecting her, healing her, hunting for her.
“She disobeyed a royal decree,” Seth continues when I remain silent. “Even if she was manipulated, even if she’s not a full shifter, she still defied the King. Your father.”
“Her pack was sending her to die.” The words come out flat, cold. “Knowingly.”
“That doesn’t change the law.”
“Doesn’t it?” I shake my head at him. “When the law is being used to cover up an attempted murder?”
Seth runs a hand through his hair, frustration evident in every line of his body. “So, what’s your plan? Hide her from the King forever? Pretend you never found her?”
I don’t have an answer for that. I don’t know what I’m planning beyond keeping her safe until she reaches her fiancé. But the thought of her marrying Andrew Crew makes my jaw clench.
“Just find out what you can about the human,” I say.
“And what should I tell your father when he asks for an update?”
“Tell him I’m still tracking the runaway bride. And Seth?” I meet his eyes. “Start looking into Alpha Gareth, too. I want everything—his finances, his allies, every dirty secret he has ever buried. I’m going to destroy him.”
Seth stares at me for a long moment, and I can see him trying to read my expression in the moonlight. “You’re playing a dangerous game.”
“I know.”
“She’s gotten to you.”
It’s not a question, and I don’t bother denying it. There’s no point. “Just do what I asked.”
Seth nods slowly, but his expression remains troubled. “I’ll have the information on the human in a few days.”
“Good.”
The portal opens behind him with a soft whoosh of displaced air, and then he’s gone, leaving me alone with thoughts I don’t want to examine too closely.
By the time I make it back to camp, Astra has shifted in her sleep again, one hand reaching out as if searching for something. For someone.
Luna looks up at me expectantly, and I realize the cat has been waiting for my return before relaxing her guard.
“Good girl,” I murmur before crouching next to the sleeping woman.
I open the bottle of healing tonic and hold it to her lips.
She resists the same way she did last time, but she drinks it.
Tossing the bottle aside, I pull her into my arms, between my legs, as I lean against the thick oak tree.
She settles against my chest, finding comfort in the warmth.
She fits so well against me, her skin incredibly soft, her breathing deep and even.
How is that someone who has been so badly abused still smiles so readily? Why does she not hold a grudge or hatred inside her heart? Or maybe she does, and she’s just good at hiding it.
Shaking off these thoughts, I try to get some sleep. It doesn’t come easily. Every time I close my eyes, I see her bright smile, the way her eyes glitter when she laughs, the acceptance in her voice when she speaks of her own death.
The idea of it makes my wolf pace restlessly inside my mind, unsure of what it wants.
The next morning, I wake to the unfamiliar weight of someone pressed against my chest. Astra is curled against me, her head tucked under my chin, one hand fisted in my shirt. Luna is sprawled across both our legs like she owns us.
For a moment, I don’t move. My wolf rumbles with satisfaction at having her so close, so trusting.