by C. J. Pinard
Her teeth clicked together as she growled. Anger grew hot as a fireplace poker in her belly. When she was as angry and as fueled up as she could get, she waved her pale hand and astral-projected to Castle West Haven to confront the filthy ex of hers once and for all.
Gaylen was nowhere to be found. Whatever sinister deed he had done earlier, was done. He was long gone, and all Hecate could see was the castle looming high in front of her, its turrets still and lights burning quietly from the windows. She flew into one of the windows of the largest turret.
“Where are you taking me?” she heard Mariselle’s sweet, high-pitched voice ask.
Hecate grinned when she saw Zackary carrying a very sleepy Mariselle into his royal bedchamber.
Hecate watched the two lovers being pleasured by each other in the king’s massive bed. This made her happy. She knew Zackary had listened to her dream suggestion about keeping Mariselle close in his bed. She didn’t care one bit about what kind of sexual contact they had, just as long as the redhead had copulated with the second-to-youngest Rothhaven.
Leaving the young lovers behind, she floated through the walls and on the air in search of the evil wizard.
“I know what you were trying to do, and it didn’t work,” Hecate said, her arms folded over her chest.
Gaylen, now looking his hundred-plus years and more, glanced up from the bed he sat on in the bedroom of the small house he inhabited in the forest. He narrowed his eyes at the purple-clad witch.
“You have no idea of which you speak,” he said through gritted teeth, just wishing his annoying ex would fuck off back to whence she came.
“Oh, but I do,” Hecate said, a knowing smile on her perfect lips. “You tried to overthrow the West Haven and get Zackary to send Mariselle away. But he didn’t. The two are doing it like rabbits in his bedchamber as we speak.”
Gaylen rolled his eyes and plopped down on his back onto the bed. With a forced chuckle, he said, “That’s all good and well for them, but she isn’t going to be fucking the youngest Rothhaven. I’ll ensure that.”
Hecate looked at the thin and old wizard and grimaced. She wondered how she’d ever found him even remotely attractive and had to remind herself it was at a time decades ago when she hadn’t known about his evil, sinister ways. She lifted her chin and said, “Challenge accepted, you evil old goat. If I win, you go and disappear until you die. If you win, I’ll become a sex slave to one of the Rothhaven kings. What say you, Wizard Gaylen?” she asked.
He lifted his head from the bed and narrowed his beady brown eyes at her. “It doesn’t sound as if you’re giving up much for this wager.”
She laughed, her eyes twinkling. “Do you know how much energy it takes for me to go whole? To be a solid human female? A lot. Like, weeks of regenerating and spells and all of that. Being a sex slave to one of them would be mere torture to me.” She was, of course, completely lying, but had to keep up the ruse in order for the disgusting old wizard to agree.
He regarded her carefully, wondering what kind of game she was playing at. When she kept her even-keeled and serious stare measured at him, he finally blew out a breath. “You have a deal, Hecate. But just so you know, I will be winning this wager, and will thoroughly enjoy watching you get fucked by every man in the kingdom.” He pursed his lips and lifted his chin. “Including me.” He sneered at her.
She resisted the urge to shudder at his lascivious look and grinned. “It’s a deal.”
Chapter 25
Almost two weeks later, Mariselle woke up in her bed to pain. A cramping low in her belly she was all-too familiar with. She groaned, pressing the flat of her hand to her lower stomach. She was sure a trip to the latrine would surely confirm what she already knew to be true.
Deciding not to delay the inevitable, she shoved the bedclothes aside and slogged out of bed. On her way to the chamber pot, she stopped, doubled over in pain. The cramps were damn near unbearable, and she cried out as she fell to her knees, tucking her head into her chest.
A sharp rap on the door to her bedchamber had her head lifting up.
“Miss, are you all right?”
She recognized the voice, and whimpered, “Serina, a little help, please?”
Immediately, the door opened and the pretty young brunette came in. She lifted Mariselle to her feet and helped her to the pot.
Serina saw the blood and frowned. “Your monthly, miss?”
Mariselle saw the blood, too. Tears formed in her eyes and she nodded. “Yes. I just don’t understand why I have to endure this…”
Serina smoothed her wild red hair back from her face and then rubbed her back. “I don’t, either, madam. But I know in my heart of hearts that there really is a reason for it, and that you the one to save our country from this horrid curse.”
Mariselle cried as she sat on the chamber pot with her head down. “I’m glad you feel that way, but I just feel like ending my life. This pain and all these feelings for these beautiful princes—I mean, these kings—it seems all for naught. I don’t know how much more of this I can endure, Serina. I just feel… I feel broken.”
Without saying anything more, Serina helped her clean up, secured some cloth for Mariselle to use for the next few days, and put her into bed. While the redhead lay there looking crumpled and worn out, Serina smoothed her hair back from her friend’s brow.
Before she could speak, there was a knock on the door, and Shawna’s voice echoed through the wood. “May I come in, Milady—er, Mariselle?”
“Come in,” Serina called, as Mariselle had just simply nodded as if she hadn’t wanted to speak.
Shawna looked at Serina and then to Mariselle, who was crying softly, tears floating down her pale, freckled cheeks.
“Oh, sweetheart, did your monthly arrive?” Shawna asked, taking a seat on the other side of the bed.
“Yes, it did,” Serina replied when Mariselle didn’t speak.
“Are you going to tell the king?” Shawna asked.
Mariselle turned her head to the maidservant and considered her with a long pause.
Shawna tried not to squirm under her gaze and waited for a response.
“What do you think I should do?” Mariselle asked the older woman.
“Honesty is the best policy, sweet Mariselle,” Shawna replied. “You can’t hide this.”
“Why do I have to keep going through this? Why?” she cried, burying her face in the pillow.
“Shhh,” Serina soothed, still smoothing back her hair from her face and using her other hand to rub the redhead’s arm.
“Nobody knows why. It is what it is… but it has to mean something. There has to be a reason you’re getting your monthly and nobody else is,” Shawna said, parroting what Serina had told her in a soothing and motherly tone.
Marielle blinked up at the woman and tilted her head to the side. “So I’m just to have relations with every male in Syracuse until the curse breaks?”
Taken aback by Mariselle’s bitter tone and the anguish in her gaze, Shawna shook her head. “Absolutely not, miss. Nobody in their right mind would expect that. I don’t know what the answer is, but once all the Rothhaven families die out, you may be the only one who can help Syracuse.”
Mariselle turned away from the chambermaid and onto her side, bringing her knees up to her belly and curling into a ball to stay the pain in her womb. She thought about what Shawna had said about the Rothhavens dying out, and she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she was going to have to visit the South Haven and meet Mathias and try to bear him a child. The thought made her sick. She had already become so attached to Zackary. He was cute, and witty, and oh-so-good in the bedroom. She had spent almost every single night for the past two weeks in his chamber. If she had to choose a Rothhaven at this very moment, he would win, hands-down.
But apparently, that was not to be her lot in life.
With a sigh, she closed her eyes as Serina continued to stroke her hair, and fell asleep.
With a yawn, Marisel
le opened her eyes. Her distraught state had caused her to sleep hard most of the night. She looked around her bedchamber to see she was alone, and got up. She noticed the blood from her monthly wasn’t as bad as the day before, and went to relieve her aching bladder. Once she was done, she ambled to the chamber’s doorway and crossed the hall. She knocked on Shawna’s door to see if she could help draw her a bath, when the door swung open rather suddenly.
A tall, dark-haired man with olive skin and a five o’clock shadow answered the door. He peered down at Mariselle with his brow furrowed. “Can I help you?”
Mariselle swallowed hard, confused. “I’m looking for Shawna. Is she here?”
The man stared at her for a good, long minute and nodded. “Yes. Hold on.”
Quickly, Shawna arrived at the door. Normally the woman was neat and put together, but today she looked disheveled and out of sorts, her soft brown hair sticking up in some places, the rest cascading down her back.
“Shawna?” Mariselle asked.
Realizing how she looked, Shawna smoothed down her hair and smiled. “Yes, milady? Is everything all right?”
Flicking a glance at the dark-haired man who’d answered the door—and who she hoped to God was Oscar—she looked once again to Shawna. “Yes, everything’s fine. If you could come help me I’d be most appreciative.”
“Of course, miss. I’ll be there shortly.”
Mariselle turned to walk back to her bedchamber, when she heard Shawna’s voice once more. “Mariselle, this is my husband Oscar.”
“Pleasure to make your acquaintance, ma’am,” he said with a shy smile and dimples in his cheeks.
Mariselle dipped her head. “Likewise.”
She returned to her chamber and not long after, Shawna and Serina both showed up to help her bathe. They chatted her ear off about castle gossip, the angry mob, and Oscar’s arrival at the West Haven. Both ladies seemed to be happy and have not a care in the world—and Mariselle was grateful for the laughs and the distraction. Once the maids left her chamber, her hair tied up perfectly in a neat bun, and her dark blue-green gown fitting her perfectly, Mariselle stared out the window of the castle. To her right, she saw the forest, and to the left, she could barely make out two of the stable buildings. She wished she’d chosen another room with a better view of the horses when she’d been told to pick one out.
Not that it really mattered now, as she was sure she would be sent away soon.
With a sigh, she left her chambers with sadness that she would have to inform King Zackary of the news. It was so embarrassing to talk about anyway, but having to deliver bad news along with it was doubly shameful.
She made her way to the stairwell and began to climb, trying to figure out how to word it diplomatically. She decided she would just be very businesslike about it, and then ask him what was next for her. If he insisted she go to the South Haven and meet Mathias, she was going to tell him no. She didn’t want that. She wanted to stay there with her new friends and get to know Zackary some more.
With her head held high, she went up to the king’s chambers, but he wasn’t there. Seeing the door to the solar room closed, she put her ear to it and could hear male voices inside. She stood and wondered if she should interrupt what was going on. With a shrug, she lifted her hand and knocked.
A knight opened the door and Mariselle could see the king and Lord Francis standing around the massive table, a large map spread out on it.
Zackary’s face brightened. “Good morning, beautiful. Are you feeling all right? Your ladies told me you were ill. I’m sorry I couldn’t come see you.”
“It’s all right, I wouldn’t have wanted you to.”
“Why not?” he asked, brushing a piece of hair from her face.
Mariselle glanced at Francis and then said, “May I speak with you in private?”
Zackary looked at Francis and nodded.
She watched Francis leave the room and looked at the knights. “Them too.”
He chuckled and looked at the two guarding the door. “You heard the lady.”
“Yes, sire,” they said in unison, leaving the room, their armor clanking.
“What’s going on?” he asked, looking down at her with concern in his hazel eyes.
“My monthly arrived. I’m sorry.”
He smiled down at her. “Don’t apologize. I can wait a few days before we resume our fun. And you still have a mouth, you know.”
She giggled and slapped his chest. “Zackary!” She was so relieved that he didn’t care that she wasn’t pregnant. “But you do have a point.” She licked her lips.
Just then, a young man with dark hair came out of the solar room’s latrine. He was looking down, adjusting his trousers as he walked. “So, if you want my opinion, you should definitely dig a deeper moat, and maybe get—”
He looked up and stopped when he realized someone else was in the room. “Mariselle?” the man breathed, his eyes wide. He rushed over to her and lifted her in a huge hug.
She was utterly confused by this behavior until he pulled back and looked down into her face. She’d recognize those ocean-blue eyes and that mischievous smile anywhere.
She squealed, “Mathias!”
To be continued…
Four Heirs is the next and final book in the Rothhaven Trilogy. It will be released January 2019! Watch our social media pages and newsletters for preorder information and updates!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cassie Alexandra (pen name of NY Times Bestselling Author, Kristen Middleton) is the USA Today bestselling author of The Biker Series. She also writes romance under K.L. Middleton and horror under Kristen Middleton. Since 2011, she has written and published over forty stories in different genres including romance, mystery, horror, and fantasy.
Visit her website at www.cassiealexandrabooks.com or www.kristenmiddleton.com
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The Biker Series in order:
Resisting the Biker FREE
Surviving the Biker
Fearing the Biker
Breaking the Biker
Taming the Biker
Loving the Biker
Luring the Biker
Christmas With The Biker
Phoenix Rising
Destroying the Biker
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C.J. is a USA Today Bestselling author living in Colorado. Lover of red wine, wearer of fabulous shoes, and a die-hard Niner fan, she’s also an editor at heart. She’s written over thirty novels and short stories that contain both contemporary/new adult and paranormal romance that are a little bit badass, a little heart-wrenching, and sorta funny (to her, anyway). Almost all of her books usually contain law enforcement or military undertones, since strong, brave, alpha men and women are her weaknesses. When she’s not writing, she can be found working at a very strange day job, which may or may not have some mild influences on her gripping stories—so strange, in fact, she may just write a book about it one day.
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OTHER BOOKS BY C.J. PINARD:
Paranormal Fantasy:
Enchanted Immortals 1
Enchanted Immortals 2: The Vortex
Enchanted Immortals 3: The Vampyre
Enchanted Immortals 4: The Vixen
BSI: Bureau of Supernatural Investigation
Enchanted Immortals Box Set: 4 Books + Novella
New Adult Contemporary Romance:
Patriotic Duty (Duty & Desire, #1) FREE
Tour of Duty (Duty & Desire #2)
Boots Beneath My Bed (Duty & Desire #3)
Playing the Field (Duty & Desire #4)
Romantic Suspense:
Antihero (Imperfect Heroes, #1) FREE
Above Protection (Imperfect Heroes, #2)
Beneath Broken (Imperfect Heroes, #3)
Beyond Love (Imperfect Heroes, #4)
Paranormal Romance:
Unscathed (A paranormal romance novel with Tim O’Rourke)
Soul Rebel (Death’s Kiss #1) FREE
Soul Redemption (Death’s Kiss #2)
Soul Release (Death’s Kiss #3)
Kovah: Soul Seeker (Death’s Kiss #4 - A Novel)
Lotus (Daughter of Darkness) Lotus’s Journey Part I FREE
Watcher (Daughter of Darkness) Lotus’s Journey, Part II
Guardian (Daughter of Darkness) Lotus’s Journey, Part III
The Lunar Effect (The Ayla St. John Chronicles, #1) FREE
The Lunar Curse (The Ayla St. John Chronicles, #2)
The Lunar Secret (The Ayla St. John Chronicles, #3)
The Lunar Magic (The Ayla St. John Chronicles, #4)
Reverse Harem Fantasy Romance:
Four Princes (The Rothhaven Trilogy, #1)
Four Kings (The Rothhaven Trilogy, #2)
Four Heirs (The Rothhaven Trilogy, #3)—coming January 2019
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