by Lisa Daniels
But what stood out most, even in the darkness, were his beautiful greenish-yellow eyes. “I’m sure you could do quite a lot of damage to a human. But I doubt you could so much as touch me with it.”
Fayina gulped, knowing that she didn’t stand a chance. Still, it wasn’t in her nature to give up so easily. “Humans are no problem to hurt. I’m talking about doing a lot of damage to a bear with this. Do you really want to risk it?”
Her brain didn’t even have time to register what happened. The next thing she knew, the spoon clattered to the floor. The man stood across from her, and she saw him fold his arms across his chest.
Why didn’t I see him move? Suddenly fearful that they were not alone, she backed away, her eyes casting around her.
“It’s just the two of us.”
“What did you do?” Fayina whispered, her eyes still looking for someone else in the room.
“I was risking it.”
Fayina stopped looking around her and her gaze went back to the man. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You told me that you could take on a bear with a spoon, then asked if I was willing to risk it. Looks like you may have overestimated your abilities.”
Fayina grabbed a candlestick off the nearby table. “Oh, you think you are so smart. I doubt you could—”
Before she could finish, the man was holding the candlestick, his eyes going over it like he was appraising it. When he looked up at her, there was a half-grin on his face. “Anything else you wish to try?”
Lunging toward a knife on the table, Fayina quickly found her body being lifted off of the ground. It would be a terrible idea to scream, especially since the bandits weren’t that far away, but she also didn’t want to just be pulled away by this man.
“Calm down. I’m not going to hurt you. We came in here to get out as many prisoners as possible, with you princesses being the priority.”
“Why? So you can ransom us off to our families? Well, I have news for you, pal. I’m the sixth princess, and the 14th child. My parents couldn’t care less if you kill me. All I am to them is a pawn to build alliances. If I die here, the money they would save on my living with them and the wedding would be welcome. They hadn’t intended to have me anyway, so—”
“I’m not planning on doing anything to you. Though if what you just said is true, I’m not sure that I want to hand you over to your parents. That just seems like a terrible idea at this point.”
Fayina clenched her fists. “Well, I’m not about to run off with you so that you can try to use me for something.”
“I have no intention of using you.”
He put her down, then took a couple of steps away from her. He moved around the medium-sized table and sat down. “Why don’t you eat?”
Giving him a look like he was insane, Fayina crossed her arms. “I’m not going to eat food without knowing that it is safe.”
“I can assure you that it is safe. I made it myself.”
Fayina’s eyes moved around the table. There were eight plates with food on them, and it was clear that not much had been eaten. “You made enough food for eight people?”
“Yes. There are nine of us here, though when we heard that you ladies were making your escape, we had to stop eating. Those bandits are not always the brightest, and we didn’t want to find out if they were going to follow orders to keep harm to you to a minimum. Many of them would think that your trying to escape would make you fair game for their cruelty.”
“How could you know that?”
“We’ve been monitoring them for a while. We’ve had a couple of run-ins with them, so we decided to finally take them down. They are proving to be detrimental to what we are trying to do, and their current plan for you four would be particularly damaging.”
“You said that they were going to introduce shape shifter blood into the royal lines. What is that supposed to mean?”
“Their leader, Jake, has been selling women to the shape shifters. He has promised to bring them several women from the royal family to inject their bloodlines into the families. That will eventually give them human thrones to start building their own nations over here.”
Fayina snorted, “Are you saying that these bandits sell princesses to shape shifters, who want to impregnate us? Do they really expect anyone to believe that some child who shows up is actually related to the family?”
“No. They plan to send you back either just before or just after you have your child. They want you to feel that maternal connection so that you don’t kill the baby. Then they expect you to raise the thing. They will repeat that with as many human kingdoms as possible, and eventually they think that they will be able to take the thrones.”
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
He held up his hands, “I never said it was a good idea.”
The smell of the food was starting to get to Fayina, and she sat down, her eyes taking it in. Not willing to give in to her hunger, Fayina said, “If I were to turn up pregnant or with a bastard, my parents would kill both of us.”
“What kind of kingdom are you from?” The man looked shocked at the idea.
Fayina shrugged, “I’m from Chervil. No one has ever accused my father’s kingdom of being civilized. I think he would probably take it as an insult if someone did. And an insult to him means war.”
“That’s absolutely barbaric.” He shook his head. “Humans are just completely beyond me. Shape shifters are worse, but sometimes not by much.”
“You talk like you aren’t human.” Having dropped her guard, Fayina became more focused on the curious person across from her. Unconscious of what her hand was doing, she began to eat.
“I'm not.” He smiled at her.
“Oh please, you may be large, but it is obvious you are human.”
“Oh, it is, is it?” His smile widened as he leaned forward.
For the first time, the light from the fire shone on his face, and Fayina found herself carefully looking over his countenance. At first, she was looking for signs that the person in front of her wasn’t a man. However, it didn’t take long before she began to notice the little things about him that made this person very different from what she was accustomed to. For a start, he was remarkably attractive. He also seemed inclined to smile. And a part of her brain registered that it was a very attractive and gentle smile, something she definitely was not accustomed to seeing.
It made her uncomfortable. “Why are you smiling?”
“It’s my natural state. But at the moment, I am just pleased to see that you are feeling more relaxed.”
“What makes you think that I am at all relaxed?”
He moved his head to indicate her hand, “You are eating.”
Fayina looked down and finally noticed that she had a roll in her hand. Dropping it, she looked up at the man across from her. “What did you put in it?”
“The usual. Yeast, milk, butter, a hint of cinnamon, and egg.”
“That’s not what I meant. What poison did you put in it?”
“Are you suggesting that I would drug my friends? And myself?”
“I don’t believe that you and a bunch of other guys were planning on breaking us out. This is just a setup.”
“A setup?” He smiled at her, “You mean I set up eight plates, cooked, and made this place look clean just to trick you?”
“I have a very difficult time believing your story,” she shot back.
“Go ahead and eat. You are starving, and it will be much better in the long run for you to have a full belly before we leave. I’m not going to be able to cook again for a while, so best to enjoy while you can.” He sighed, “It’s also a waste after what I went through to make it.”
Fayina couldn’t help but look down. Everything looked and smelled good, and now that she had eaten a little, the princess found it incredibly difficult to stop. She knew it was wrong, but Fayina couldn’t just sit this close to food after three days and not eat. Deciding that it was b
etter to die of poisoning than starvation, she grabbed the chicken leg and tore into it. The princess couldn’t help but notice how the man across from her relaxed and watched her.
“Thank you. I’ll try to pack some up so you don’t have to go without food. Water will be a little more difficult to carry, but we should probably stick close to water while we travel.”
“So, what are you?” Fayina’s question was neither subtle nor well worded. That clearly took him by surprise.
But it didn’t last long. With a low laugh, he said, “I’m a bear shifter. And I just want to take this moment to say that you are so very lucky that I’m not one of the other types.”
Fayina dropped the food, her body frozen. There were legends about bear shifters, but she had not believed them for a long time. “They aren’t real,” she said in a low voice.
“Would you like to see?”
In spite of herself, Fayina nodded.
He winked at her, stood up, and moved away from the table. Placing himself between her and the door, he said, “Remember it’s just me.”
The next thing she knew, Fayina was staring at a large grizzly bear. Its fur was longer than it was in the creature’s human form, but it was a lot lighter. The bear had some light spots along the nose and chest. She had no idea how much time elapsed, but soon the bear shifted back into the shape of a man.
He smiled at her, “You took that a lot better than I had expected.”
Fayina was still frozen, and it was only the sound of his voice that caused her to stir. Trying to find the right words, she asked, “Why would you care about human princesses?”
A low rumbling let her know that he was laughing, but it was different than the last couple of times. “I will say that you are not what I am accustomed to facing when dealing with humans.” He sat down across from her. “Well, the shape shifters are a risk to everyone, but particularly the bear shifters. Since our kingdoms are so close to the humans, shape shifters are constantly trying to eradicate us. Every once in a while, they even manage to kill a couple of us, but you would think that at some point they would decide that it simply wasn’t worth the effort. They stand no chance. Even if we aren’t as strong as the dragon shifters, we have no trouble killing those unnatural creatures.” As if the subject they were discussing was unimportant, he motioned with his hand, “Please keep eating.”
Her body still largely frozen at what she had seen, Fayina continued to stare in awe at him. “I can’t believe that the myths were true.” One of her hands went to her throat, and for a moment she looked very uncomfortable.
The smile on his face faltered. “What happened to your neck?” He stood up and moved around to her. “These are old scars.”
“Yeah,” she pulled away, “I got in an argument with one of my brothers. They are as ill-tempered as my father, and almost ended up hanging me after that argument. My mother kept us apart after that incident.”
The bear shifter looked at her as if the story were unbelievable.
Fayina’s eyes returned to the food, and she picked up the chicken. “It’s all in the past now, though.” With that, she started to eat again.
“I can’t take you back to those barbarians,” her rescuer said, slipping into the seat next to her. “I'm not taking you back to such a ruthless bunch of people.”
“Yeah, then what will you do with me?” As soon as she asked, a sense of relaxation washed over her. For the first time in a long time, someone was showing her compassion. Unlike Iliya, who had bonded with Fayina over their desire to escape their families, he was showing an interest in her out of something else. Fayina knew that what he felt was pity. She should have felt insulted or unhappy to be perceived as weak, but the look in his kind eyes made her feel safe for the first time in her life. Whatever he decided, she didn’t think that she would fight with him. After all, she was only in this because she had wanted to find another life away from her family.
“I’m… not sure.” He scratched his head and his expression changed. “I’m so sorry, I never asked your name.”
“Fayina,” she said through a mouthful of food.
“I suppose I deserved that, asking just after you took a bite. It’s a pretty name.”
She shrugged. Swallowing most of the food in her mouth, Fayina said, “It was my great-great-grandma’s name.”
“It seems out of place with such a savage group of people.”
Fayina laughed into the chicken. Pulling it away from her mouth, she looked at her rescuer. “What is your name?”
“Adrik.”
“Now, that is a unique name.”
“It certainly is. I am not named after anyone.”
“How did your parents come up with the name, then?”
“It means dark. When I was born, my fur was black, which was entirely unexpected, given the kind of bear my family is. When she saw me, it was the first word out of my mother’s mouth, and they decided to make it my name.”
“That’s a strange way to name a child.”
“Not any stranger than naming someone after a long-dead relative.”
Fayina found that she had to concede the point. She realized that she was getting incredibly tired as well. “I’m starting to feel quite exhausted.”
“Yes, that tends to happen after someone who was starving gets a chance to eat. If you need to sleep, feel free. There is an area set up for bedding, and they aren’t likely to find this place for at least half a day.”
“How do you know that?”
“We’ve been here for months, and they haven’t noticed yet. It’s an area that was set up for certain types of slaves, so it is not easy to find.”
“Certain types of slaves?” Fayina felt her mind starting to get hazy. Putting down the roll, she took a drink, then stood up.
“Spies and enemies of the people who used to live here.”
“That’s a bizarre thing to construct in your castle.” Fayina yawned.
“It wasn’t like the rulers of the castle knew.” He picked up the princess and carried her to a dark area. Placing her gently on the bed, he patted her head. “Get some sleep.”
She settled down as the blanket was pulled up to her chin. “So you really do protect people?” Her voice was fading, and Fayina was only half awake.
“Yes, that has always been one of our primary purposes. We’ve had no good reason to stop over the millennia.”
“I'm going to wake up and this is going to be a strange dream, right?”
This got a low rumble from him. “No, I’ll still be here. And I might even have a plan of what to do by then.”
His words bothered her, but Fayina was all but asleep. Her brain had no other questions to ask as the sense of a full stomach and warm bed made her feel comfortable. “Thank you, Adrik,” she muttered into the room.
The only response was a pat on her head, followed by a gentle lullaby, helping her finally drift off to sleep.
Chapter 2
The Dream Continues
Fayina woke to a soft male voice whispering in her ear, “Sorry, Fayina, but we need to get moving soon.”
Rolling over, she muttered, “Not now, Jameson. We’ve got all the time in the world.”
“I wish that were true, but they have finally reached our little nook, and they sound very angry.”
Fayina laughed a little as she pulled the blanket up over herself. “Nonsense. My family has no idea about this place. No one will find us here.”
Her body was given a little shake. “Open your eyes, Fayina. This isn’t your usual hiding place. I am not Jameson.”
Annoyed, Fayina rolled over to reprimand her latest lover for such a tasteless practical joke. When she opened her eyes, though, it wasn’t the scarred face of Jameson looking back at her. Before she could scream, the man clamped his hand over her mouth. “Not a good idea, Fayina.” He watched her as the princess’ mind finally caught up with what had happened. Pulling his hand away, Adrik stood up. “There’s a back way we can use to get out
of here, but we need to be really quiet because they are close. And it will be tricky with as much clutter as there is.”
Fayina got up. “Why didn’t you clean it up earlier?”
“We didn’t have any need to. After clearing all of the clutter from the main living area and giving that space a thorough cleaning, we had more pressing problems. We came in here not to clean up the bandits’ place, but to release their prisoners.”
Fayina twisted her mouth to the side, unable to argue with that. “I guess it makes sense. Well,” she looked around, “which way?”
“Come on,” he took her hand and led her toward a small doorway. “If there is anything you need to tell me before we leave, or any questions you want to ask, get it out of your system now. Once we leave here, we’ll need to be quiet until we are outside of the walls. Maybe even out of sight of the castle.”
“What will happen to the others?” The question was out before she had time to consider it.
Adrik turned and looked at her. “That’s a surprising question coming from you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Fayina felt offended at what he seemed to be implying.
“Given the way you have acted since arriving, I was under the impression you really didn’t care for two of the women with you.” Again, there really wasn’t any point in arguing with him because that was entirely true. Adrik continued, “My friends will take care of them. Tolenka and Lyosha have already gotten two of the princesses out of here. We are next. Then Filip with take the princess he has up to our realms for a… discussion.”
“Why? What can any of us have to discuss with your people? Why would you even care what we have to say?”
Adrik spoke softly over his shoulder, “Quite a lot because this region of the human realms is problematic at best when it comes to human rights.”
