by Chloe Cole
“Yes. Please, Connor!” I cried as the need spread in me like wildfire. My legs tensed as the pressure built, and hot tears scalded my eyes at the power of it all.
"That's it, lass, come for me,” he muttered, his warm breath against my neck as he worked me over his swollen cock.
The sound of his voice sent me over the edge and I bit my lip to keep from screaming. All at once, the torrent of tension and want and need flooded me and I crashed forward to the ground, clawing at the earth as Connor continued his greedy thrusts, stiffening behind me, whispering my name.
Stars exploded behind my eyelids and the blood rushed in my ears as my climax triggered his. With one last mighty thrust, he loosed himself inside me in hot, needy spurts.
Chapter 14
When we awoke the next morning, we were both pensive.
It had been a long and mostly sleepless night as I agonized over the future and how to ensure I was up to this momentous task, now so close at hand.
Every little sound had me on high alert--the snapping of the twigs, the rustle of the wind in the leaves--and by the time the sun rose, I was itching to go.
Connor helped me bind my breasts for the last time as we headed into Hammertown. As we grew closer, I could smell the savory aroma of pies in the air.
I scanned the line where the trees were beginning to thin, but in place of moss and natural markings, there were images nailed with the word "Wanted" scrawled beneath them in dark ink. I took a step closer, studying my own face, only capped with my previous long, auburn hair. It was a close likeness--closer than I would have imagined--even if the nose was a little off.
I nudged Connor and pointed to the sign. “Do you think it’s safe?”
"You don't look like yourself anymore, lass, remember?" he replied, touching a gentle finger to my short curls. “And it seems as if the king’s men have come and gone from here by now. Besides, we won’t be here long.”
We strode along the cobblestone street and though there were only a few people milling around on the road, we could hear the music and revelry coming from the pub on the corner. The smell of savory, buttery pie crust was stronger than ever now and it mingled with the yeasty scent of fresh-brewed ale.
When we stepped in, I took a furtive look around, knowing it was early for the others to be here, but hopeful anyway. That was going to be an interesting conversation. So much had happened since the day before.
The small wooden tables were crammed with people forking sausages and eggs into their mouths. I scanned the crowd for the faces of the other Saint John males, but it was another’s countenance that caught my eye.
She was hard to miss. Even with her flaxen hair wrapped up in a dark blue scarf, she was the most beautiful woman the likes of this tavern would ever see.
Connor’s gaze followed mine and he shot me a questioning look.
“What’s the matter?” he asked softly, touching a hand to my shoulder.
“Th-that’s my sister,” I replied, swallowing the lump in my throat. Had it only been a few weeks since I’d seen her last? And, more importantly, what was she doing here?
“Should we leave?” Connor said, sending a glance in Iris’s direction.
But there was no leaving now. Iris had either felt my gaze on her or caught my scent because her amber eyes locked with mine and her cheeks went pale.
"I'll get us all some ale," Connor said from behind me but I barely heard him as I nodded silently.
Heart in my throat, I walked over to the corner table and slid into the seat opposite her. It was only when I was settled that I noticed the tears clinging to her long eyelashes.
"Iris," I whispered, glancing around again to make sure nobody had noticed us. "What are you doing here?"
“I’ve been looking for your everywhere. I’ve been just a few miles behind for days. I had to see you," she said. Her voice broke on the last word. "But god, Anaya, you don't even look like you. Your hair..."
I ran my fingers through the short, blond locks. "I know."
"You look just like a boy." She shook her head. "I can't believe it. Does it feel different?" Iris asked.
"Well, I'm not actually a boy, so, no."
She laughed. "Right, stupid question. I'm just a little overwhelmed is all. I was afraid you were dead. To be sitting here across from you..."
I nodded. "I know. But you shouldn't be here. Iris, you need to go home. If you're seen with me, it's an act of treason."
“No one even knows it’s you, Anaya,” she shot back, toying with the ends of her scarf as Connor made his way back to us and set two ales on the table.
"I'll be at the bar if you need me," he said, then walked away again.
Iris's gaze trailed him for a long moment before she focused back in on me. "Mother and father are so worried, Anaya."
I let out a humorless laugh. "How long did it take Father to denounce and dispossess me after he learned of what I'd done?"
Iris was silent as she glanced down at her ale before taking a sip.
It was the answer I'd expected. I imagined they would have had to denounce me in order to ensure their own survival and avoid being shunned. That was fine. But now...
Now the only family I had left was sitting across from me. Her, and the Saint John brothers. The only people left who loved me in this world. And I had to send her away.
"The king sent men to the farm, you know," Iris whispered.
I frowned. “Did he hurt you?”
She shook her head. "No one was harmed, no, but the place was destroyed. They broke all our furniture, ripped up the floorboards. It was terrible. All claiming to be looking for you."
"They thought I was hiding under the floorboards?" I raised my eyebrows.
"Of course not. It was just a way of punishing you. Ensuring that you would have no home to return to. Maybe turn us against you.”
"But here you sit," I said, staring at her over the top of my mug before taking a sip. There was so much to tell her. So much she didn’t know. And every bit of it could put her at risk.
Until this quest had reached its conclusion, sharing the truth with her could only cause her pain.
“And here I sit," she echoed, a soft smile playing on her lips. “I’ve been looking for days. I haven’t asked for you by name, but I’ve been going from town to town, just hoping I’d scent you, or hear even a tidbit that would let me know you were all right. You can't imagine how relieved I am to see you."
Iris took my hand from across the table and I smiled at the way, even now, her touch could soothe me.
Still, I could sense Connor’s gaze upon me and I pulled my hand away. "Iris, you have to listen to me. It's not safe for you to be near me. You've seen that I'm well, but now you have to go. For your own sake."
Her cherry lips pulled into a frown. "That's why I'm here, though. To help figure out how to get you out of this mess.”
I glanced around the bar. A few people were watching us from the corner of their eyes, though whether they noticed me or simply appreciated Iris's beauty, it was impossible to tell.
"You can't do that. I won't let you. It's not safe."
“I don’t need to be safe, Anaya. I need to be with you. You’re the only person I can be myself with, the person who loves me unconditionally.”
Before I had the chance to answer her, Connor approached again, crouching low so only I could hear him.
“The pair of you are attracting too much attention. We need to get out of here as soon as possible, with or without her.”
I nodded. "I'll meet you out back in a minute."
He gave me a stiff nod, then disappeared through the crowded bar. When he was a few feet away, Iris turned to me again.
“What’s going on?” she asked, her brows knitted into a frown. I could see the stubborn set of her chin, the determination in those eyes, and I forced a smile.
My heart sank into my stomach as I spoke. “He said you can come with us. Stay right here, okay? I just need to go to the bathroo
m and square up with the barmaid.”
Iris nodded, her eyes suddenly wide and bright. I walked toward the back hall and, just as the crowd grew thick around me, I slipped through the back door.
I closed it behind me and pressed my forehead against it for a long moment before turning to face Connor.
“She’s not coming?” he asked, the expression on his face letting me know he understood how much this hurt.
“No.” I swallowed the tears threatening to choke me. "It's the only way I can protect her. She has to stay."
"If you're sure," Connor said.
"I'm sure. If we don’t get ki—” I cleared my throat and continued, “If we succeed, I’ll send for her. In the meantime, the safest place for her is as far from me as possible.”
For a moment, he looked as though he didn't know what to say or do, but then he hitched his chin toward the crowd of trees before us. "We'd better try to head the others off on the road then, before they go to the tavern looking for us.”
"Yes," I agreed. “Let’s."
But as we delved deeper, undressing and shifting to run, my legs felt heavier, just like my heart. I couldn't shake the image of Iris from my mind. What she looked like when I said she could come with me--what she might look like as time wore on and she finally realized what I'd done. With any luck, she might understand. But if she didn't?
Too bad.
This was my last, best chance to help my baby sister. I had to take it, no matter how deep the wound cut.
I had to stay strong. For Iris. For the Saint John brothers.
For Ironhaven.
Chapter 15
“Robert the Red, you say?” Lucian demanded, his black brows like two slashes against his forehead as he gaped at Connor.
Gatlin opened and closed his mouth before slumping back against the tree he’d been leaning against. “Fucking hell.”
Michael sat with his lips pursed and shook his head slowly.
That was about what I’d expected when we’d found them en route to Hammertown and Connor had filled them in on the past twenty-four hours. What I hadn’t expected was the smirk spreading across Lucian’s face.
“Never thought I’d get to say that I spanked a queen,” he said, shooting a glance my way as that nefarious, elusive dimple threatened to make an appearance.
I wasn't sure if he was trying to lighten the mood for my benefit or if he was doing it because the odds of us all making it to the kingdom and spreading news of the prophecy without losing at least one of us in the process were low. The bald truth was that this could be our last day together. Spending it in misery seemed like a sad waste.
“When we take the castle, I'm letting you all know now that I'm calling one of the rooms with a door attached to Anaya's," Connor said, taking up the mantel as he stood and tossed his bag around his neck.
A ghost of a smile touched my lips as Gatlin stood.
"That sounds fine to me," he shot back as he ran a hand through his damp hair. "Just so long as you know Anaya and I will be sharing a room, so if you sneak in, make sure you check what you're reaching for before you get an overflowing hand full of my c--"
"All right, all right," I said, grinning now, ear to ear and swallowing back a laugh. "Maybe we shouldn't count our chickens here before they hatch."
"She's right," Lucian said with a nod. “Who knows what might happen?” Just as the mood began to turn again, he winked. "But just in case, I call the room across the hall. That way, you bastards can't hear us when I'm busy making her scream."
I knew exactly how true all their cocky statements were and my cheeks flamed. I propped a hand on one hip, slightly embarrassed but also absurdly relieved at the moment of humorous respite. "You boys are awfully bawdy around your queen," I admonished with a disapproving snick of my tongue.
Michael's firm mouth twisted into a smile as he quickly signed back.
Connor threw his head back and laughingly translated.
"He says you should have your own chambers so we won't be sad when you sneak him in every night instead of coming to us."
We all chuckled and then Gatlin's face grew serious again.
"You'll be queen, Anaya. Of course you'll have your own chambers. You have the right to some privacy and quiet. And we will surround you in ours and guard you for all of our days, close at hand for whenever you call."
I kicked at the dirt at my feet as I worked up the courage to say what I'd been thinking of saying since we'd made the decision to go forward with the plan to overthrow the king.
"I know we are all teasing but I want to tell you something serious now." I swiped my suddenly damp palms on the thighs of my pants and cleared my throat. "I love each and every one of you dearly. So dearly, that I can't hold you to a vow that you made before even knowing who I really was."
Lucian opened his mouth to speak, eyes shooting fire, but I raised a hand and shot him a pleading glance.
"Allow me to finish. Please." He nodded and I pressed on. "I want you to know that, if by some miracle, we succeed and I become queen? While I hope you choose to stay with me, staying is your choice. Now and always. You aren't just tutors or guards or protectors. Not anymore. You're my pride and my mates. I only want you by my side until you no longer wish to be there. If you prefer to return to your estate or find mates of your own in a more traditional fashion, I would understand."
It would kill me inside, but I would understand. After a lifetime of being female in our society, which allowed me so few options, I knew the value of free will. It was priceless and I refused to withhold it from those I loved, no matter the cost.
"Are you done, then, lass?" Connor asked softly.
"I am," I replied with a nod, already feeling sick at the thought of losing any one of them. God...or what if I lost them all?
I swayed on my feet, so lost in my own fear that I didn't realize that all four of them had converged around me.
"Well, Your Highness," Lucian murmured as he dropped to one knee before me. "Let me be the first to again offer my fealty, protection and undying love, now and always."
Seeing Lucian, the strongest and gruffest of all, alpha to top all alphas, on one knee at my feet sent hot tears springing to my eyes.
"Get up. You don't have to do that--"
But before I was even done speaking, Connor dropped beside him.
"My soul, my sword and my heart belong to you, Anaya."
Gatlin followed suit, a smile tugging at his lips. "You're a willful, headstrong pain in the arse, but I can't help it. That's how I like my women and how I like my queens. I'm yours, for all eternity."
Michael took to his knee, held his hand to his heart and nodded slowly, his golden eyes gleaming.
My chest was so full of emotion, it felt like it might explode. "All right, then," I murmured, swiping at my misty eyes. "It's settled. But get up, won't you? Because I'm sure queens don't weep and I don't want to mess up before I even sit on the throne."
All four stood, and each pressed a swift kiss to my unresisting mouth.
"Now that's settled, can we go overthrow the king, Your Grace?" Gatlin asked, one brow raised, making him look every bit the gallant rake he was.
"Let's."
We shifted into lion form in preparation for the day's journey. It took only a few rugged miles for the warmth we'd forged that morning to drift away, leaving behind only nerves.
It had been a fantasy, imagining what life would be in the castle. Time would’ve been better spent choosing the position of our gravestones, and imagining that any of us had a choice in what came next was silly. When we arrived on the lands of the Ironhaven kingdom, if we even made it that far, our fates would be at the mercy of the people. We would be laughed at, stoned and then hung once our presence was made known to the king, or the shifters of Ironhaven would embrace us and our tale.
And if I was being honest with myself, I had no idea which of the two scenarios was more likely.
We continued to travel through the day, not b
reaking until the sun was high in the sky. We'd just paused to drink some water from a nearby stream when something plowed into my back and I tumbled face first into the water.
I wheeled around with a roar, pulse pounding to find my sister in lion form, her golden fur raised as she bared her teeth at me.
The Saint John lions gathered around, padding restlessly, as if unsure what to do. She came charging at me again, and I cuffed her hard on the side of the head, sending her skittering into the stream with a splash. She shook her head as if to clear it and stepped onto the grass before shifting back into human form.
I was still in lion form glaring at her when she crossed her arms over her bare breasts and scowled back at me.
"That hurt," she griped, "and I deserved a free shot. You lied to me, Anaya. And then you abandoned me."
I shifted back into human form, using the time to form my argument.
"I didn't lie, Iris. I did what I had to do to keep you safe. If you came with me, you could've gotten hurt or worse." In fact, she was still in mortal danger now, probably more than ever. I had to get rid of her and fast. "Look, please. There are things happening that you don't understand and until they come full circle, I need you to stay as far away from me as possible."
My protectors had stopped circling and padded a short distance away, clearly attempting to give us some privacy, but Iris made no attempt to keep her voice down as she scoffed.
"You're the queen, Anaya. The bloody queen and you didn't tell me.”
"Iris, look...I wasn't trying to hide it from you. I just found out myself," I said, wishing I knew what to say to make this any easier on her. Suddenly, though, I stopped short and sent her a puzzled look. "Speaking of which, how do you even know about this?" I asked.
She ran a hand through her golden tresses and lifted her chin defiantly. "When you apologize for trying to give me the slip, I'll tell you."
Behind the anger and scorn was a well of hurt. I could see it in her eyes. I stepped closer and held her gaze. "I am so very sorry. That doesn't mean I wouldn't choose to do it again if I thought it would protect you, but I never meant to hurt you."
