The Wolf Prince

by Karen Kelley

  “Then come to the party. If for no other reason than it will be great for your business. You can network.”

  Annette seemed to be thinking it over. “That’s not a bad idea.” She nodded. “Okay, I’ll come, but you have to show me what to wear. I know my taste tends to run a little on the discount side. Maybe you could give me some suggestions.”

  “I’ll do even better than that. I have a closet full of costumes. We can see what I have that would look great on you.” She eyed Annette’s figure. “We’re about the same size, so I bet I have something that will fit.”

  “Oh, I couldn’t wear anything of yours. I’d be afraid I might spill something on it.”

  “It won’t matter if you do. There’s a good dry cleaner in town. But won’t it be fun trying on costumes? You can help me decide what to wear. I want to look nice for Surlock.”

  “I don’t think you have to worry about him. He’s a man in love.”

  “You think so?”

  “I’ve seen that look before. He’s definitely taken with you.”

  The thought of Surlock’s being in love with her made butterflies flutter in Darcy’s stomach. Then it hit her. How did she feel about him?

  He was her client, sort of. What did she really know about him? Absolutely nothing except he might come from some place called Symtaria that just happened to not be on any map whatsoever.

  He could have an obnoxious family.

  No, she really couldn’t picture that. He was too nice.

  Okay, what if he had a wife and half a dozen kids running around? Her spirits plummeted. She hadn’t thought he might have a family somewhere. A wife who wondered where her super-sexy husband had gone.

  A wife who believed in revenge and knew karate.

  Annette lathered Darcy’s hair. Usually, getting her hair washed was very relaxing, but right now her stomach was filled with knots. Maybe she had started to care for Surlock a little too much.

  There was only one way to discover if he did have a wife somewhere. Find out who he was and where he came from. Trouble was, she kept running into roadblocks. Did other P.I.’s have this much trouble?

  Peter’s party could be the break she was looking for. If she knew Peter, he would invite everyone he knew and they would probably bring along their friends. Most of his parties were so big, they spilled out into the yard. Maybe, just maybe, someone would recognize Surlock.

  A few more days and the mystery could be solved. She should feel elated that she might have found the solution to their problem, but her gut rumbled uncomfortably, telling her to run away as fast as she could. Her gut was almost always right.

  CHAPTER 12

  Surlock closed his eyes and concentrated. The humming in his ears worsened. He refused to give in this time and gritted his teeth. Sweat dampened his skin. He didn’t move, but continued to sit on the floor of his bedroom trying to break through the barriers that kept him from his memories.

  Darcy had shown him how to work the computer and while she was getting her hair fixed, he’d done his own research. He read almost everything there was on memory loss. Meditation had helped in some instances.

  With legs crossed, he attempted to empty his mind. Breathing in, then out, and concentrating on each breath and not the noise inside his head.

  It wasn’t working. The noise only grew louder.

  Concentrate! Who am I? Where do I come from?

  “Argh!” He grabbed his head, closing his eyes tight against the pain, and rolled to his side, willing the noise to go away. “Stop!” He gasped for air, drawing breath into his body as the sounds eventually subsided, and he could breathe a little easier. He lay there, curled on his side on the hard floor waiting to see if the noise would return. It didn’t. Slowly, he eased his eyes open. The noise had escalated over the last few days, but it hadn’t been quite so bad this time. Maybe he would eventually conquer it.

  At that thought, the sounds inside his head returned with a vengence. He put his hands over his ears again as he tried to block the noise. The intense screaming slowly subsided.

  Surlock felt as though something lived inside him. A shudder wracked his body. He’d also read about demon possession. Maybe that’s what was wrong. He was possessed by a devil who wanted to take over his body.

  A knock on the door drew him out of his thoughts. He slowly came to his feet. Relief filled him when he opened the door and saw Darcy. Every bit of the tension inside him drained away. He knew she would help him find his path.

  “You look like death warmed over,” she said. “What have you been doing?”

  “Meditating.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “Do you do that often?”

  “No. I just started.”

  “And the reason being?”

  “I read about it on your computer. I was trying to get in touch with my inner self.”

  “Did you find it?”

  “What?”

  “Your inner self.”

  He opened his mouth, but saw the twinkle in her eyes. She was teasing him. He scooped her up in his arms and twirled her around. She screamed, then laughed.

  “I think you’re making fun of me.”

  She grinned. “I think you’re right.”

  He carried her over to the bed, then pretended he was going to drop her.

  Her arms encircled his neck and held tight. “No!”

  “You’re right, the pool would be much better.”

  “You wouldn’t!”

  “I wouldn’t?” He carried her toward the doorway.

  “No, Surlock, you can’t. I just had my hair done. Annette is dropping by later. Do you want to tell her you messed up my hair?”

  “You don’t think she would understand?”

  “Surlock!”

  He laughed and eased her down to the side of the bed. Once she was out of his arms, she stood and moved to the door, walking through to the other room. He supposed they wouldn’t be having sex so he followed.

  “I’ve had this brilliant thought,” she told him.

  He grinned, enjoying the way she paced around the room. He crossed his arms in front of him and leaned against the door jamb. “I think all your thoughts are brilliant.”

  She stopped and stared at him. “You do?”

  “Exceedingly so.”

  “Now you’re teasing me, but I don’t mind because this one actually is brilliant. Peter’s party.”

  His spirits plummeted. He had managed to go all day without thinking about Peter.

  “You’re not getting it, are you?” she asked.

  “Apparently not. I can see nothing good about going to this party. No matter what you say, the guy is in love with you.”

  “Forget about Peter for a moment.”

  Not easily done since Peter was in love with Darcy. They had had a talk about her in the back of the limo, though. Surlock was pretty certain Peter wouldn’t bother her again. At least, not while Surlock was around.

  “I know Peter and his parties. He invites everyone. There will be a lot of people there.”

  He still didn’t understand where she was going with her new idea to discover who he was.

  “Someone might recognize you,” she continued.

  “You’re a good P.I.”

  She beamed. “Yeah, I think I might be.”

  “But if there are a lot of people around, won’t that put you in more danger?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Believe me, I’m not in danger.”

  “You’ll stay close to me.”

  She opened her mouth to argue, but then seemed to change her mind. “Yes, I’ll stay close to you, but only because I don’t want you wandering off alone.”

  She glanced at her wrist, where she wore some kind of device that told her what time it was. For some odd reason it seemed very antiquated.

  “Annette will be here any time. You’ll be okay on your own?”

  “I think I can manage to stay out of trouble for a while.”

  She eyed him. “Yeah, well, jus
t don’t step out from behind any trees.”

  He deliberately widened his eyes. “Do you have a sister?”

  She stuck her tongue out at him. “That was not funny.”

  He pulled her against him and kissed her long and hard. When he let go of her, she stumbled. He caught her.

  “You might just be a secret agent because your kisses are lethal,” she said.

  “I see you’ve found your man.” The sound of a feminine voice interrupted them.

  They both turned, Darcy stepping from his arms. There were far too many interruptions around here. He looked at the woman. She was tall, with black hair that was cut short. If he had one word to describe her, he would say stunning.

  “What, aren’t you going to say hello?” the woman drawled.

  “Jennifer!” Darcy screamed and ran to the other woman, throwing her arms around her. She hugged her tight, then stepped back. “What are you doing in the country?”

  “Peter’s party, of course. I’d never miss it. Didn’t you get the message I left for you?”

  “I’ve been at the beauty shop. I guess I didn’t hear my phone.”

  Jennifer studied Darcy. “New hairdo.” She smiled. “I love it.”

  He studied Darcy, but couldn’t see anything different. She was beautiful and had been since the moment he saw her.

  “Surlock, this is Jennifer, my very best friend who rarely comes to the country. Jennifer, this is Surlock.”

  Jennifer’s eyes trailed over him before coming back to his face. “I think I’m going to have to come to the country more often. Exactly how did you two meet?”

  Darcy looked at him, then back at Jennifer, clearly trying to come up with something plausible.

  “We met in the woods,” he said. “I stepped from behind a tree and saw her. One look and I felt as though I’d been hit over the head with a heavy branch. After that, I couldn’t think of anything except her.” He remembered the gesture Darcy had shown him and walked forward, sticking out his hand. Jennifer took it. Her hands were soft, but her handshake was firm.

  Darcy frowned, but quickly pasted a smile on her face when Jennifer looked her way. He hadn’t lied about how they’d met; he’d just worded it differently.

  “You always have the best luck,” Jennifer told her.

  “You know me.” Darcy shrugged. “You’ll be staying, right?”

  Jennifer nodded. “For a few days.”

  “Good, then let’s get you settled in. Surlock, we’ll meet up later.” She turned and tugged Jennifer along with her as she went back to the main house.

  Surlock watched as Darcy hurried away. Damn, she was beautiful, and not a bad kisser herself. He was smiling when he went back inside, but just as quickly, the smile vanished.

  But she was in danger. Yes, they had watched the James Bond movie, and maybe it had given him some ideas that might have mixed with his thoughts. Still, everything was telling him that he was right about this. He had been sent to protect her for some reason. Anger rose swiftly to the surface. If anyone dared harm her, he would strangle them with his bare hands.

  It was time he did a little investigating of his own. There had to be a clue somewhere that would bring back his memories. He would start at the beginning. He and Darcy might have overlooked something when they’d reenacted their first meeting. Maybe he would be able to find something on his own that they had missed. He headed out the door.

  As he walked down the well-worn path, he looked around. Tall trees dotted the landscape. There was a small lake surrounded by lush plants and flowers. He could understand why Darcy loved to walk through the meadow. There was serenity here.

  He slowed his steps when he came to the spot where he’d stepped out. There were footprints—his and Darcy’s. He knelt down, noticing there was another set of prints, smaller, like Darcy’s, but they left a different print. Who was the other person?

  Was this the danger she faced? This unknown person? Frustration rose inside him. It could be anyone. One of the maids even. How could he protect her when he didn’t know who he was?

  No, Surlock wouldn’t let this situation beat him. Maybe they hadn’t looked far enough. He moved through the brambles. They scratched his arms, but he didn’t stop.

  Why had he been out here? The underbrush was thick and hard to fight his way past.

  He stumbled into a clearing. For a moment, he stood there looking around. It felt familiar. He slowly turned in a circle, then closed his eyes.

  Thoughts rushed toward him all at once. Jumbled, hard to decipher. He’d been in an aircraft of sorts.

  He stilled, could feel the blood coursing through his veins. Had he crashed? No, he didn’t think so. Or were all these memories because he’d watched the James Bond movie? He raked his fingers though his hair. He didn’t know what might or might not be real anymore.

  “Who am I?” he called out as he walked across the clearing.

  Silence was his answer.

  The pig watched him leave, then cautiously stepped into the open, sniffing and grunting. A thick fog rolled in and the pig shifted into a woman. She strolled across the clearing, uncaring that she was completely naked.

  Laughter bubbled out of her. “Surlock, what have you done that you no longer remember who you are?” This should prove very amusing. The great and mighty Surlock brought to his knees because he didn’t know who or what he was … and with no way to guard his little impure.

  Greed filled her. What worth would the king place on his youngest son if he was captured? She expected it would be a huge treasure, maybe his entire kingdom.

  Surlock had once rejected her. Her lip curled in a sneer. She knew he’d slept with women of lower class, but he’d dismissed her advances. And now, he wanted to protect the impures, who were nothing at all. Maybe he had even slept with the one she knew he’d been sent to protect.

  Revulsion washed over her. The impures were part Earthling and part Symtarian. She didn’t care about them one way or the other, but she disliked the idea one might have been chosen above her.

  Not that any of it really mattered now. The impure no longer seemed as important. She would be destroyed eventually. No, Surlock would be the bigger prize. Finally fortune smiled on Excoria.

  CHAPTER 13

  “So, who is he?” Jennifer asked as she looked out the bedroom window.

  “I told you his name is Surlock.” Darcy shrugged, smoothing her hand across the satin bedspread. Maybe she shouldn’t have put Jennifer in the bedroom next to hers. It was a nicely decorated room with clean straight lines, done in yellow and soft white. Still, she’d have to warn Surlock about coming to her room late at night. What if Jennifer heard him? Darcy’s relationship with Surlock was new and she wasn’t sure if she was ready to share it yet.

  Jennifer turned, capturing Darcy’s gaze. “We’ve been best friends since college and we’ve always kept each other’s secrets. Remember when I was thrown in jail for breaking and entering? You bailed me out and we didn’t tell a soul.” She visibly shivered. “My father would’ve had a stroke, right after he cut off my allowance, if he’d found out.”

  “But once you were inside Jack’s apartment, you were able to destroy the naked pictures before you were caught, so it was worth it.”

  Jennifer laughed. “And almost burned down Jack’s apartment in the process, which was why I was caught. He was such a jerk. If he hadn’t gotten me drunk, I wouldn’t have let him take the damned pictures.” She took a deep breath and exhaled. “But the thing is, you bailed me out and you never said a word. We’ve always had each other’s back. Except this time you’re not talking.”

  Jennifer was right. They had shared a lot, and Jennifer always kept her word. “Okay, but you have to swear not to say anything, no matter how bizarre or strange any of this sounds.”

  “That good?”

  Darcy planted her hands on her hips. “Swear.”

  “Cross my heart.” Jennifer made a motion of crossing her finger over the center of her chest, t
hen hurried to the bed, kicked off her heels and piled in the middle of it. “Tell me everything,” she said, patting the other side of the mattress.

  Darcy had to wonder if she was doing the right thing. But then, they had been friends for a long time, and she could always threaten to tell about the pictures if Jennifer breathed a word.

  She climbed up in the middle of the bed and sat across from Jennifer. “Remember when I was talking to you the other morning?”

  “You mean when you called at some ungodly hour and woke me up?”

  “Yeah, whatever.”

  “I remember.”

  “I saw a wolf, so I picked up this big branch to protect myself.”

  “Ohmygod, a wolf?” Jennifer’s gaze quickly scanned Darcy. “Did it hurt you?”

  “No, now let me finish.”

  “Okay, just don’t leave me in suspense.”

  “While I was standing there grasping the branch, this really dense fog rolled in and I couldn’t see a thing. When it finally cleared, Surlock stepped out from behind a tree completely naked. He startled me, so I sort of hit him over the head. Now he has amnesia.”

  Jennifer pursed her lips. “If you didn’t want to tell me, all you had to do was just say so.” She started to scoot off the bed, but Darcy grabbed her arm and stopped her.

  “No, that’s really what happened. I swear.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “The truth?”

  Darcy nodded. “Swear to God.”

  Jennifer’s mouth dropped open, then snapped shut. “Darcy! He could be a vagrant, a serial killer. God, you are so damned gullible.”

  “I beg your pardon.” She squared her shoulders.

  “You are. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but you fall for everything.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Yes, you do.”

  She shook her head. Now was not the time to get into a did too, did not argument. “There’s more.”

  “More. Oh goody. I can’t wait to hear the rest.” She plumped a pillow behind her and lay back. “Please, go on.”

  “We have the same birthmark.”

  Jennifer’s eyebrows shot up. “The rose?”