She didn’t hear the muffled footsteps that crept into the garage. She didn’t see the crowbar that raised before it cracked down on her head, knocking her into the wall before she crumpled into a heap of limbs on the floor.
The sound of Lady Tremaine’s cold hatred rang in her ears. “I hope you enjoyed your time as lady of the house. You’ve seduced Remus Johnstone long enough. You’ll not audition to take your chance with the prince.”
With that, consciousness slipped through Ella’s fingers, leaving her at the mercy of her wicked stepmother.
40
Locked in the Dark
Ella came to in the dark, waking to the thrumming of a pounding in her cranium. She bit down on her lip as a bleat of agony shot through her shoulder. She shifted as she tried to orient herself in the black. The sting of bleach and floor polish nipped at her nose. Without needing her sight, Ella finally understood where she was.
Tears threatened to spill from her, but she held them back as she renewed her promise to herself that she would never let Lady Tremaine make her cry. The tiny space made her stomach roil, and she searched frantically in the dark for the bucket, in case the contents of her stomach revolted. The moment her fingers alighted on the plastic rim, she hefted it up and clutched it to her chest, letting the fumes from the floor cleaner blast her in the face. She searched her pocket for her cell phone, but knew with a sinking dread that it was gone. If Lady Tremaine had stolen it, Royal Watch would have its top story in no time at all. Remus Johnstone’s secret lover, pledging herself to Prince Henry via too many damning texts.
Ella leaned her forehead against the closet door, hugging the bucket as she willed herself not to throw up. It took her a few moments to suck her terror back inside of herself and gather together enough scraps of hope to assemble her bearings.
A few steadying breaths was all it took for Ella to send out her Hearing, listening for any signs of the security she’d put so much faith in. She sent her Hearing out beyond her street, and stretched it further than she was sure she could control. Too many conversations swirled in her mind, too many horns blasting as everyone fought for purchase on the same road that led to the palace. Ella was frantic to get to Henry, to let him know that she wouldn’t bail on him during his vulnerable moment where he was patiently waiting only for her.
It wasn’t until she heard steady panting that she pressed her palms to the closet door and closed her eyes, making the darkness her choice, rather than something that was inflicted upon her. She knew sending out her Sight wouldn’t do anything to get them back to her sooner, so she leaned into Remus’ sense of exploration when it came to new twists of magic, and tried her hand at sending out her Voice, calling to them in a low command. “Guadalupe,” she whispered, focusing on the brown-spotted wolf in her mind. “Come home.”
Ella couldn’t tell if the wolf had heard her, but that didn’t stop her from trying again and again. “Errol,” she whispered. “Come home.”
She dropped the bucket and palmed the door as she began to sweat. She trusted the deep breathing Remus had taught her. She trusted the magic she’d taken great care not to exploit, hoping that it would be there to call upon in her hour of need.
She could picture Henry sitting on his throne next to his father, his face rising and then falling when each new woman was brought in to meet him. With every time the door opened, she knew she was breaking his heart when it wasn’t her come to stand by him when he needed her. If she couldn’t manage to free herself from the closet, he would assume she’d turned him away, and that he should look elsewhere for someone with whom he could share his dreams. He would assume she didn’t deem him worthy of risking it all.
But he was. Oh, how much she would throw away if it would lessen the distance between their two beating hearts.
Ella pushed against the door with all her might, crying out with fervency for anyone to help her. “Connor!” she called, desperate for her Voice to make it to their ears. She’d given them a place to stay to keep them from being hunted, and in exchange they’d offered to protect her from Lady Tremaine, the Baron, and anyone else that might come to take her away when her abilities came to light. “Connor, help me!”
She knew it was futile, but she called out to Remus, hoping he could hear her from miles away. The dress he’d bought her was covered in something sticky, and the left cap sleeve was torn clean off. The full skirt had been lovely, but now she felt cramped in the narrow space with too much material crowding her legs. The black around her felt suffocating—a thing she knew Remus understood all too well, and would free her from if he knew. “Remus!” she screamed, sending out her Voice to the man who had taught her to trust in abilities she hadn’t been able to control or quantify.
Ella dug grooves into the wooden door over and over again until her fingernails splintered, panic choking her around the throat.
Ten minutes later felt like an eternity, but that was all it took for the Lupine to burst in through the doggy door she’d had installed for them. “Help! Help! I’m in here!”
Guadalupe’s voice came back perplexed. “Ella? How did you lock yourself in the closet? Where’s the key?”
“Lady Tremaine attacked me and locked me in here. She’s got the key, and I can’t get out!”
“Stand back!” Several of them pummeled the door, but in the tight hallway space, there wasn’t much room for them to get a decent running start. “Is there another key?”
“No, and I need to get out! This is my one chance to talk to the king, and I’m wasting it locked inside of here!”
The wolves were talking amongst themselves, then Ella heard one of them go back outside. “We’ll get you out, my queen,” Connor assured her.
Ella was too worked up to calm herself. She clawed at the door until her fingertips bled, finally breaking down in hysterics as the tight walls that didn’t even leave room for her to bend her knees finally gripped her psyche and shook her insides until she was trembling with panic. “Help! Help!” She thrashed in the tight space, knocking into everything and banging up her body. Too much anxiety broke something precious inside of her, and she sobbed through the pain that radiated through her entire being.
She felt Connor’s paws on the other side of the door, mirroring where hers were. She could feel his words coming from just a few inches away from her own mouth. “Listen to me, Ella. Close your eyes and send out your Sight. Can you see me?”
Ella gulped, trying to maintain a steady grip on reality as she sent her Sight the few inches necessary to give her hope that she wasn’t alone. “Connor, I don’t like it in here!”
“I know, honey. I’ll get you out. Say, ‘I trust you, Connor.’”
Ella leaned her cheek to the door. “I trust you, Connor.”
“Guadalupe went out with Errol to find Remus. They’ll crash the royal ball if they have to. We’ll get you out.”
“No! If they’re seen, people might attack them. Call them back!”
“It’s done. We know the risks. We can be stealthy.”
It was then she realized that the risks they were willing to take on for her weren’t as great as the risks she was ready to take on for them. They’d had trackers inserted under their skin, but aside from telling Remus, she hadn’t been able to truly help them or make their cause known. “I can do better,” she pledged to Connor. “I can protect you better than this.”
Connor shushed her self-flagellation. “We can protect you better than this,” he countered.
Ella’s lower lip trembled as she placed her blooded fingers against the door to center herself when the world wouldn’t stop spinning in all of its blackness. “Please don’t leave me.”
She heard Connor’s voice soften with affection. “Never. We did all the hunting we needed to do, so I’m here until you’re free. I’ll watch the house for you. There’s nothing to worry about if I’m here. Sit on down and rest while you wait. You’ll be freed in no time at all.”
“I can’t sit! I can’t move mu
ch. It’s so narrow, I can’t even turn sideways!” Ella’s chest heaved, and she felt another wave of panic creep up her spine. The utility closet had always seemed like a coffin to her, and the darkness felt like she was being slowly buried alive.
“What kind of sick person would… Ella, find the back wall and lean your shoulders against it.”
Ella complied, her breath coming in rapid gulps that made her lightheaded. “Lady Tremaine used to lock me in here for hours, but I always knew she’d release me eventually when she needed something done. But now? Now there’s no one to let me out!” Ella let out a terrified bleat and started clawing at the door again.
Connor did his best to soothe her but it wasn’t until Remus’ voice broke through her fright more than an hour later that Ella finally was able to pull in full breaths. “Ella? Ella, where are you?”
“Remus?” She hated how hoarse and scared her voice sounded, but she pounded on the door with her bloody fist. “I’m in the closet!”
Remus swore as he bolted toward her. “Ella? No! How did… Don’t you worry. I’ll get you out.”
“Lady Tremaine has the only key. You have to break the door down somehow!”
After several failed attempts at ramming the door with his shoulder, Remus ordered the wolves out of the house. Then he lowered his voice, pressing his cheek to the door. “I can get you out of there without a key. Promise you’ll keep another of my many secrets.”
“Yes! Anything, just please hurry!” She bit down on her lower lip before letting loose the root of her fear. “I’m trapped in the dark!”
“Step back!”
Ella complied, sending out her Sight so she could comfort herself with the image of Remus. She watched him glance down both hallways to confirm they were alone, and then he pressed his palm to the keyhole. She saw him take a deep breath in, and then let it slowly out. With a quick turn of the knob, the door popped open.
Ella lost her footing and tumbled out, smashing against the opposite hallway wall. Remus threw his arms around her, gasping when he saw her bloody fingers and the red-streaked claw marks she’d left on the inside of the closet door.
Remus brushed a few stray strands of hair from her tear-stained face so he could kiss her forehead. “Oh, darling. It’s alright. Never again, okay? I should’ve seen to tearing this door off its hinges when you first moved in. It’ll be gone tomorrow.”
Ella heaved in his arms, barely upright as she tried to orient herself in the moonlight that shone through the window. She floundered around for a few seconds before clutching Remus’ shoulders, her chest heaving against his. “Tell me I didn’t miss the ball. Tell me Henry doesn’t think I stood him up!”
Remus made a show of taking in a handful of deep breaths to remind Ella to steady herself. His thumb traced the well of her dimple, and then kissed it for good measure. “No, you didn’t miss the ball yet. And yes, Henry’s afraid of exactly that. I’ll call him, but I doubt he has his phone on. Go upstairs and change. We’ll be to the palace before you know it. There’s still time. The king said he’ll hold the invitational until midnight.”
Ella glanced down at her gown and grimaced. “I’m sorry I ruined your dress!” There was motor oil splashed over her frock, and it was torn in several places.
Remus tsked her worry. “Don’t think on it another second. Hop in the shower and get some of this grime off you. I’ll have the car ready for you when you come down. Hurry, now.”
Ella stumbled up the steps and flung herself into the shower to wash the car grease and dried blood off her. It was the fastest shower of her life.
She hurriedly dried herself on the way from the en suite bathroom into her father’s old bedroom. She threw on her jeans and a flannel, knowing that she wouldn’t impress anyone with her clothing. She decided she couldn’t care about that. She looked like herself, and knew that would be enough for the man who truly loved her.
Ella ran back down the stairs, her damp curls flying out behind her. She paused only to greet the wolves who had been let back inside the house, leaning over to let them lick her face. “Thank you. Thank you for risking so much to get Remus for me.”
She looked into their eyes and knew that no matter how heartfelt her plea to the king might be, nothing was better than firsthand accounts. Perhaps she couldn’t solve all the Lupine’s problems, but she could tap into her courage even more than she had. They deserved more from her—especially after risking being seen and hunted when they went out to find Remus.
She kissed them each on the maw and stood, beckoning them to follow her, even if it was scary, even if it was hard, even if it was dangerous. “Nothing will change until we make them see there’s a problem.”
Remus didn’t question her more than a raised eyebrow when she slid into the front passenger’s seat of the town car after letting the three wolves take up residence in his backseat. “I trust you have a plan?”
Ella shrugged, her eyes wide as the reality of what she was about to do slapped her across the face. “I have hope,” she countered.
Remus nodded, reaching over to squeeze her hand after he pulled out and started down her street. “That’s good enough for me.”
41
Remus’ Date to the Ball
Ella had never been inside the palace, but she’d driven by it enough times to feel intimidated by its splendor. The tall parapets stretched too many stories for her to make sense of, and the light-colored stone exterior looked like a welcoming, yet impenetrable, fort.
Remus’ face was relaxed but his tone was firm. “Stay with me, all of you. And if anyone wants to back out, this is your one shot. Once we get in there, you’re in, which means you can’t change your mind. I can protect you, but only if you stay by my side.”
The wolves nodded, lowering their heads in obeisance.
Remus pulled into the circular drive Ella first met Henry in, and parked, handing his keys to the valet. He got out of the car and walked around, offering Ella his hand like a true gentleman. “Miss Ella,” he greeted her, taking her shaking fingers in his steady grip.
Her blonde hair had dried in a waterfall of curls that she’d swept into a harried ponytail on the way there. When she heard a camera’s click the moment she got out of his car, and then two more, her nerves began to rattle around in her chest. Her eyes widened as she looked down at her flannel and jeans, knowing she wasn’t the belle of the ball by any means. “Why are they taking my picture?”
Remus tucked her under his arm to shelter her body, bringing her hand to wrap around his abdomen to keep them glued together. The partial embrace soothed them both as they began to breathe in harmony. “Haven’t you heard the gossip? You’re my young secret lover, and this is the first time we’ve been spotted together in weeks. Can you imagine the scandal?” He smirked at the camera, keeping her tight to his side as he opened the car’s backdoor to address the Lupine. “Come on out, and remember, stay close to us.”
The cameras multiplied, and were soon joined by shouts of terror as Errol, Guadalupe and Connor emerged from Remus’ town car. Ella’s hand dropped from Remus’ stomach to rest atop Connor’s head. Errol stayed tight to Remus’ side, and Guadalupe took the lead, her head raised high as if to tell them all that she belonged at the ball every bit as much as the gawkers did.
The five moved forward as a unit, turning a deaf ear to the many who shouted at them to get the Lupine out, as well as asking Ella how Remus Johnstone fared in bed. The guards at the front moved to block the way, but Remus waved them off with a flick of his wrist. “I’m hand-delivering an eligible maiden to Prince Henry. Do step aside.”
“I’m afraid we can’t allow that. Lupine are dangerous, Mr. Johnstone.”
Remus’ eyes narrowed but he held tight to Ella. He pulled out his phone and called his first speed dial. “Hello, Stefan. The guards won’t let me inside without authorization. Can you come out and tell them that I and my guests are to be let inside the castle?”
Ella moved the wolves to stand
between herself and the door, in case anyone in the gathering crowd behind them decided they were brave enough to attack her friends. Though they could handle themselves in a fight, Ella knew that even if they didn’t instigate a brawl, they would be blamed for it nonetheless. The three oversized wolves sat like gargoyles, perfect and statuesque, until the front doors opened and the Chancellor himself strolled out. He smiled at his brother but then stopped short, recoiling when his eyes fell on the wolves. His fists tightened as he glowered at his younger sibling. “Remus? Explain.”
Remus beamed at his older brother as if there was nothing tense at all in the moment. “Ah, Stefan. How are you? I brought a few guests to see the king.”
“I see that. I trust you can control your escorts?”
“Actually, they belong to Miss Ella, here. She’s my secret lover.”
Ella flushed crimson and buried her face in her palm. “Would you knock it off with that? Pleased to meet you, Chancellor, sir.”
The Chancellor studied Ella, and then light dawned in his eyes. “Ah, yes. Rory’s little friend. Quite the entrance you’re making, young lady.” He studied his brother with a wary expression, and then sighed. “Well, it’s not as if I’m going to stop you. Come on in.” He held open the grand double doors that stretched two stories high, shooting the guards a look of apology. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Remus.”
Remus kept Ella on his arm with a grin. “Oh, Stefan. I rarely know what I’m doing, only that it’ll be an adventure. Won’t you join us?”
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