by Amy Sumida
“I will, and I'll miss you too, Father.” I kissed his cheek. “When all has been settled between me and my beasts, I will send word to you.”
“I don't like this.” He shook his head. “But if anyone can break their curse, it's you, Sylvaine.”
“Thank you, Father.” I hugged him and began to pack again.
“At least wait till the morning,” he reasoned. “You can leave at first light. Give us one more night with you.”
It was hard for me to deny my father, so I gave in, even though I felt a faint tremor in my chest. I had already been gone too long, and I knew it. I needed to get home.
I gave a start. When had I started thinking of the palace as my home? And when had a week become an eternity? I firmly pushed away my concerns and spent one more night with my family. But the next morning, I woke with a horrible ache in my chest, and I pulled out the mirror that Lance had given me.
“Lancelot,” I whispered to it.
The mirror began to glow. Then the glow faded, and I saw not only Lance but all of the brothers. They were lying on the carpet in the grand sitting room, eyes closed and hands extended to each other for comfort. Flames sparked behind them in the fireplace, and Lance moaned as if he were in pain.
“No!” I cried and jumped out of bed.
I gathered my bags quickly and rushed through my goodbyes to my family. They didn't have the chance to dissuade me this time. I took Bertrand with me. Father could buy a new horse with the gold I'd given him, and I needed to get back to the beasts as soon as possible. I raced off through the forest, and I was nearly home when another stallion crossed our path. Bertrand reared, and I fell from the saddle.
“Bertrand!” I shrieked as the horse stamped nervously. “Damn it!”
“I had heard that you returned,” Fabien said as he dismounted.
“Oh, it's you,” I huffed. “I'm sorry, but I'm in a hurry, Fabien.”
I started toward Bertrand, but Fabien grabbed me.
“What are you doing?”
“I'm tired of waiting for you, Sylvaine,” Fabien growled. “You're going to give me an answer, right now. Will you marry me?”
“No, Fabien,” I snapped. “I don't love you. I will never love you. Now, let go of me.”
“If I can't marry you, then I'll have the next best thing,” he snarled and pushed me to the ground.
Bertrand shrieked and bolted through the bushes. I screamed as Fabien pawed at me, his sloppy mouth trying to cover mine. I pounded at his chest, clawed at his face, but he only laughed and held me down. Instead of being scared, I was furious. Fabien was sure that he could restrain me and take what he wanted, but he didn't know me as well as he thought. I was just about to teach him a deadly lesson, when a roaring came through the trees, and Fabien froze.
My heart began to race as three wild beasts tore through the underbrush and knocked Fabien away from me. The sound of snarling and growling was interspersed with the gory sound of tearing flesh and the skin-crawling screams that Fabien was making. Instead of being horrified, I felt incredible joy and pride as I watched the men I loved defend me. Yes, our love became very clear in that moment of bloody vengeance. I loved the three princes, and they loved me.
When there was nothing left but bloody pieces, the four of us turned away from Fabien's remains and headed back to the palace with a satisfied air. Lance took the lead, on guard for any further attacks, as I walked between Audric and Blaise, holding their hands as if we were returning home from a picnic instead of a slaughter.
Love can be vicious when its threatened.
Chapter Ten
“Who was that man, Sylvaine?” Lancelot asked as we closed the front door behind us.
Then he stumbled to the carpet and fell onto his side.
“Lancelot!” I rushed over to him as the other two princes dropped to their knees nearby. “What's wrong with you? Are you ill?”
“We're all right,” Blaise gasped. “We just haven't eaten for awhile.”
“For how long?” I growled.
“Who was he?” Lancelot moaned. “Who did I just kill for you?”
“He was a man from my village who wanted to marry me,” I said. “I refused him, and he took it badly.”
“Badly?” Audric snarled. “Bertrand said that he was about to rape you.”
“Bertrand fetched you?” I was shocked. “You can speak to animals too?”
“Of course we can speak to animals,” Lance huffed, “we are animals.”
“You are not animals,” I chided gently as I eased his head into my lap and smoothed the fur back from his eyes. “Fabien was a terrible person, and Bertrand was right; he was about to rape me. Or attempt it, at least. I'm not sure what he had thought to do beyond that, but I can't imagine that it would have been anything redeeming. Do not feel bad about his death. You did it to save me, and I'm grateful to you.” I looked up to the others. “Thank you, all.”
“Thank you for coming back to us, Sylvie,” Blaise whispered. “You were coming back, right?”
“I said I would.”
“You took long enough,” Lance muttered.
“How long has it been since you three ate anything?” I asked again.
“We've been upset.” Blaise looked away before he slowly crumpled onto his face.
“Blaise!”
“Just give me a second and I'll be fine,” he mumbled into the carpet.
“We need some food here!” I shouted to the castle.
A clanging started coming from the kitchens, and as I was settling the men onto the rugs more comfortably (they were far too large for me to move), a platter of roasted meat came floating down the hall.
“Thank you very much,” I said to the invisible waiter. “Some water would be wonderful too, if you would?”
The men rolled their eyes at my courtesy toward people who didn't seem to exist, but a silver pitcher of water and four crystal glasses hurried out to us on a tray. I smiled smugly at them as I helped each of them with the food and water. Politeness is never a bad decision.
“I can feed myself–” Lance started to say.
“Shut up, you fool!” Audric hissed. “If Sylvie wants to fawn over us, let her.” Then he fell dramatically onto his back, a clawed hand pressed to his furry forehead, and moaned.
“You silly, stubborn siblings.” I shook my head at them as I fed each of them in turns. “Why did you stop eating?”
“I wasn't hungry,” Lance huffed.
“I merely forgot.” Audric shrugged.
“I missed you terribly,” Blaise said with simple honesty. “I couldn't think of anything else, except when you'd return to us.”
“If you'd returned to us,” Lance muttered under his breath.
“I missed all of you too.” I sighed. “Come here.”
I reached for them, and they crawled closer so that I was surrounded by starving beasts. I fed them, stroked their fur till it shone, and then we laid down together, right there in the entry hall, and slept.
Chapter Eleven
The brothers were fully recuperated by the next day. We woke happy and warm, in a big puppy pile. The men helped me to my feet and then headed to their bedrooms to change their clothes and freshen up. They hadn't showered since I left either. Before I went up to see to my own morning needs, I made sure to check on Bertrand. He'd played a big part in my rescue, and I wanted to make sure that he knew how grateful I was and that he was comfortable.
The castle had a massive stables, but Bertrand was the only horse in them. He had been brushed down and led into a stall by the invisible castle staff, and was munching contentedly on a trough of grain when I went in. He lifted his head and whinnied when he saw me.
“Hey, you.” I stroked his forelock. “Thank you for bringing me help.”
He nuzzled my face.
“You know that I could have beaten Fabien on my own, though.”
Bertrand gave me a dubious look.
“I could have,” I insisted. “Never min
d.” I kissed his cheek. “I love you, horse. But I've got to get back to the other beasts now.”
Bertrand huffed and went back to eating his grain. I headed inside the castle and up to my room. After a hot bath, I put on the simplest gown I could find; a blue cotton dress with a ruffled hem. Then I opened my door to find the three brothers waiting for me.
“You three look ready for the next part of my plan,” I said with a smile.
“I assume this involves learning to share,” Lance muttered.
“In a way,” I agreed. “But it's not really sharing that's your problem. It's the jealousy that comes from seeing another man have what you cherish. So, we're going to work on that jealousy.”
“How are we going to do that?” Blaise asked.
“By proving that you have nothing to be jealous of,” I said. “I love you, each of you, and I know that you love me.”
“Damn it, woman,” Lance growled. “Can you not at least allow us to proclaim our love for you first? Must you always take control?”
“I can't help it, I'm an alpha, and we don't have time to let you buffoons work up to professing your undying love,” I huffed. “I looked in on the rose before I returned to my room this morning. I saw that we're down to three petals. This is the time for action, and not your type of bumbling about awkwardness.”
“What kind of action do you propose?” Audric smiled wickedly at me.
“The very kind you're implying,” I said calmly.
Audric's wicked look fell with his jaw. He gaped at me along with his brothers.
“You can't possibly mean...” Lance trailed off.
“Why are you hesitating now?” I teased Lance. “You had intended to bed me from the start.”
“You did what now?” Audric glared at Lance.
“As if you didn't try,” Lance scoffed.
“I didn't,” Audric protested. “I enjoy the chase, not just the catch.”
“Lancelot always had women tossing their skirts up for him,” Blaise said with a shrug. “I'm not surprised that he thought Sylvie would be the same.”
“You do have a mirror in your chambers, right?” Audric asked Lance. “Did you honestly think she would bed you immediately?”
“She would have,” Lance growled, “if she wasn't such a lady.”
“Gentlemen!” I snapped my fingers in their faces. “We are halfway to ending the curse. Did you not hear the part where I said that I love you idiots?”
“Yes,” they all muttered, looking chastised.
“Now, we must take this love further, to a place where it becomes obvious that we love each other beyond limitations. So obvious that even the magic cannot deny it. We need to become intimate.”
“I can't even believe this is happening,” Blaise whispered. “Have either of you ever had a woman speak to you in such a manner?”
The other two shook their heads.
“Do not be insulted by what I'm about to ask,” Lance said. “I don't care if you're not; but are you a maiden, Sylvaine?”
“I am a country girl,” I growled. “I know about sexual intercourse. I've seen it often enough with the farm animals. I don't need personal experience to make me an expert on it.”
The men burst into laughter.
“What's so damn funny?”
“She's probably read a book about it too,” Blaise said to his brothers. “That would definitely make her feel like an expert.”
“No doubt,” Lance agreed.
“The book says that you put that here,” Audric mimicked me. “Then you move this way.”
They all chortled.
“And I suppose that you three think you're a bunch of Cassanovas?” I lifted a brow as they preened. “How long has it been since you've even touched a woman?” When I saw Audric open his mouth, I quickly added, “Besides me.”
The men looked at each other morosely.
“That's what I thought.” I nodded.
“We cannot ...” Lance cleared his throat. “That is, we should not... oh, blast it all. I won't make love to you in this form, Sylvaine.”
“You seemed perfectly fine with it before,” I pointed out.
“That was different.” Lance looked away.
“You kissed me and put yourself between my–”
“Sylvaine!” Lance shouted.
“Well, I'm just saying,” I huffed. “I don't see why–”
“That was before I loved you!” Lancelot roared. “That was before I cared about your feelings or your well-being. I don't want to hurt you or degrade you.”
“How would it be harmful or degrading?” I asked him.
“Look at us, Sylvaine”–Lance waved a hand between him and his brothers–“it would be bestiality.”
“You are not animals,” I snapped. “How many times must I say that?”
“You're wrong, Sylvie,” Blaise whispered. “You saw what we did to that man. None of us were in control of our base instincts. We were weakened by starvation, yet we still tore him apart. We are monsters, and you deserve so much better than us.”
“Especially for your first time, mon cherie.” Audric laid his clawed hand gently against my cheek. “This is not right, not noble, and you know how important that is to me.”
“I say what is or isn't right for me.” I lifted my chin. “Bestiality is a profane act done on an animal. A beast who cannot fight back or say no. You are neither incapable of defending yourself or of speech. You are not animals; you are men with fur and claws. You may look unusual, but beneath this exterior, you have human bodies, I've seen it for myself. You are more than capable of copulating as a man.”
“She may be lacking in subtlety, but she makes a good point,” Audric said.
“All right, Sylvaine,” Lance gave in. “We shall try this intimacy slowly, but if you are uncomfortable at any time, we will stop.”
“Agreed.” I nodded and headed back into my bedroom.
The men followed after me, looking back and forth to each other as if they still couldn't believe that we were doing this. As the door shut, something occurred to Blaise.
“Hey, which of you scoundrels showed her your dick?”
Chapter Twelve
“This was your idea, Sylvie,” Lance pointed out. “How would you like to begin?”
“I'd like to begin with all of you undressing me,” I said.
The men looked at each other in shock.
“Come here, my beastly princes.” I held my arms out to them. “I want each of you to remove one piece of my clothing. Fair is fair.”
Lance knelt before me and removed my shoes, staring up at me intensely the whole time. He was so large that even kneeling, his head was just barely below mine. When he stood, he trailed his hands up over my hips and reached for the ties of my dress.
“Uh-uh.” I pushed him away. “Only one. Audric, you're next.”
Audric smirked at Lance and came forward. Lance began to growl. I stepped back and held up my hands.
“Stop!”
They froze.
“Look at me,” I said. “I love you, Lancelot.”
“I love you too, Sylvaine.”
I turned to Audric. “And I love you, Audric.”
“I love you too, sweetheart,” he declared.
“And I love you, Blaise.” I looked to the last brother.
“I love you more than the thought of being human again, Sylvie,” Blaise said softly. “It doesn't even matter to me anymore, as long as I have you.”
Something shimmered, a tickling feeling in the air, and we all looked at each other in wonder.
“Did you guys feel that?” Blaise asked us.
We all nodded.
“It's working,” I whispered. “One down, two to go.” I looked at Audric and Lancelot. “You two need to get past your possessiveness and simply feel what we have together. There's no reason to be jealous when you shall have exactly what your brothers have. No one will go wanting here.”
Lance nodded; first to me and then
to Audric.
Audric came forward and slowly undid the ties of my dress. He lifted it over my head and left me standing before them in my shift. I looked to Blaise and held my hand out to him. He smiled widely and took it. Before he did anything else, he kissed me gently, chastely, holding my face between his dangerous hands.
“All of it was worth going through to have you, Sylvaine.” Blaise breathed in deep, then eased back.
Blaise kept his gaze on mine as he gathered the hem of my slip in his hands and pulled it over my head. Appreciative sighs came from the men as Blaise stepped away from me. I smiled and walked over to Lance on my bare feet. He watched me warily, his stare darting from my body to my eyes, as I began to undo his waistcoat.
I ran my hands teasingly over him as I removed his clothing, pressing into him as I lifted his shirt over his head, and then rubbing down his front when I knelt to undo his belt. Lance was shaking and groaning when I finally had him naked. When I stood, I brushed his turgid flesh with my cheek, and he flinched as if he were in pain.
“Sylvaine,” Lance growled.
“Wait your turn, Lance,” I chided as I headed to Audric.
Audric's eyes were round, his cavalier attitude gone as he feasted on the sight of me naked. He didn't say a word as I undressed him, just continued to watch me with those predatory eyes. His hands hovered above me a few times, but he didn't touch me. He let me undress him and move on to Blaise.
Blaise wore a bright smile as I helped him out of his clothes. He was obviously aroused, but this had become about more than mere pleasure for him. He was ready to make a connection between us, something sacred and pure. That certainty made him confident and relaxed. He was the only man not trembling with need.
I climbed onto the bed and laid back on the pillows, then, very slowly, I spread my legs. The men began to growl, their eyes roaming my body as if I were prey. I stroked a hand down my breasts and then over my belly. Three sets of eyes followed my movements anxiously. I let my fingers trail into the curls above my womanhood.
