Etienne stood in front of a full length mirror, staring at his reflection. He expected to see his eyes shining a golden shade of yellow, a common occurrence when his temper was fired up. Nothing but his usual grey visage stared back at him. Despair twisted his nerves and he ran a hand over his face. His wolf was fading. Fast.
Fighting the urge to give in to self-pity, Etienne fell into the plush chair in front of his fireplace. Perhaps it was time he stopped denying what was beginning to look like inevitability. Marriage to a human woman before the end of the next full moon could guarantee him a lycanthrope child. Even if he wouldn’t be wolf-enough to help the child through the change when the time came, his father would more than likely still be around. Even if his father passed, he could hire a nanny of sorts from another wolf pack to help. There were possibilities.
For some reason Etienne’s mind drifted back to Loupe and he was surprised to find the corners of his mouth lifting in a grin as he remembered her trying to coax the wolf pups out of the lake. The joy in her eyes as she’d chastised them for splashing her had been clear and he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. She’d spoken to them as if they were her own children.
The thought of Loupe pleased him and eased some of the tension that had built inside him during his unpleasant time with his parents. Etienne let his mind linger on the maiden with the golden hair. Her sweet voice drifted through his memory, her smile danced in his vision. For just a second, he could have sworn his wolf stirred inside him…
Chapter 3
“If I find one thing out of place when we return, I will personally take it out of your hide. That means the entire house must be kept spotless and dust-free, the animals must be fed and groomed, and every carcass in that cellar must be skinned, cleaned, and dried. Do you understand me?”
Loupe rubbed a hand up and down her arm absentmindedly as she nodded at her stepmother. “Yes, I understand,” she mumbled.
Maude frowned. “You have been distracted for the last few days. Have your head on straight by the time I get back.”
Images of Prince Etienne swirled around Loupe’s head like a hawk making lazy circles over its prey. She couldn’t quit thinking of him, the attraction she’d felt, the frustration of having something she desired so close and yet being unable to just reach out and grab it. For the past few days, she’d been able to think of little else, even when her stepmother stood right in front of her. It was all she could do to make her lips work. “Yes, stepmother.”
“Let’s just leave, Mother,” Danette said, exasperation thick in her tone. The black curls dangling from the complicated knot on top of her head swung as she glared at Loupe. “If we wait for her to behave like a rational human being, we’ll never get to port in time to meet Uncle Leif’s ship!”
Arabelle and Danette, dressed in pink and green silk gowns respectively, glowered at Loupe as they waited for their mother to finish giving her last minute instructions. As tight as their corsets were, it was a wonder either of them could breathe let alone huff impatiently. Arabelle’s red hair fell like little curling fountains of blood to the puffed sleeves of her dress. Her brown eyes twitched to meet her sister’s gaze as Danette crossed her arms and tapped her emerald green shoe.
With one final irritated look, Madame Tessier nodded. “You’re right, Danette.” She turned away from Loupe, flicking an invisible speck of dust from her burnished orange silk gown. “Let’s go, girls.”
She and her daughters stalked out the door, slamming it behind them. Loupe just stood there, staring at the door.
It was a good thing she hadn’t let the prince walk her home. If her stepsisters had gotten one look at Etienne, they never would have let him go. Prince Etienne, she reminded herself. A sigh escaped her lips at the memory of the handsome prince and Loupe physically shook herself.
Snap out of it. You’re only torturing yourself.
Loupe sighed and tugged on her braid, wrapping the thick length around and around her finger. It had been a week since she’d met the prince in the woods. A week since he’d caught her bathing in a lake. A week since she’d looked into the most devastating grey eyes she’d ever seen. Just thinking back on that day set her heart to racing. She hadn’t been back to the lake since, too afraid that she’d run into the prince again. It was silly, she knew, but she couldn’t bear the thought of running into him again, not when she knew nothing could ever come of it.
An image of the wolf pups sprang into her mind and Loupe bit her lip. She’d never gone this long without checking on them before. She wasn’t worried they would starve, the bigger wolf would bring them food. Still…
“Oh, quit being stupid,” she muttered. “The prince is hardly going to post a guard to watch out for your return to the lake. He probably hasn’t been back there at all.” The more she thought about it, the more ludicrous the thought became. What had she expected? Did she think that the prince would be so taken by the woman floundering in a lake that he would muddy his boots stalking through the forest in the hopes of seeing her again?
Feeling foolish for ever thinking the prince would think about her as much as she thought of him, Loupe retrieved some food and left the house to walk to the lake. It was time she stopped worrying about a fantasy and started thinking of her responsibilities.
Loupe knew something was wrong as soon as she got to the lake. Two of the wolf pups were sitting by the water’s edge, whining. The larger wolf was licking one clean and the other was shoving its head into the large wolf’s side in some kind of laughable battle. The third pup was nowhere to be seen. Loupe’s stomach turned.
“Where’s your brother?” she demanded, trying to calm her fear with the sound of her own voice. She stalked over to the bushes and checked the makeshift den. The pup wasn’t there. Frowning, Loupe backed up and looked around. She walked into the woods, making kissing sounds like she would use to call a dog. Nothing. She walked farther, circling around, calling out for the pup. Still nothing.
“Calm down, Loupe, he’s got to be here somewhere.” She ran back to where the larger wolf was with the other two pups and collapsed beside them. “Where is the other one?”
She should have felt ridiculous talking to a wolf, but she didn’t. Absentmindedly, she reached down and picked up one of the wolf pups. “Do you know where your brother is?” she begged, staring into the little pup’s eyes. She was too worried and too afraid to feel silly. The pup just stared at her and then struggled to be let down. Loupe set him down gently beside his brother and stood.
She took a deep breath. It was just a wolf pup. It had probably wandered off to play. It would be back any time now. That is, if it hadn’t been snatched up by an eagle. Or found by a coyote. Or eaten by a—
“That’s it!” Loupe reached down and snatched up the two remaining pups, ignoring the questioning way the larger wolf tilted its head at her as if she were crazy. After settling them in her arms as best she could, Loupe broke into a run. She searched the forest as she ran, her eyes peeled for any sign of her missing pup. Nothing caught her eye, no sign, no sound. Panic built inside her on a rising tide. Her heart pounded. Her third pup was gone and no one but her would care.
You didn’t care enough, a voice in her head whispered. You left them alone for a week, all because of a man. It’s a good thing you’ll never be a mother.
Loupe bit her lip, her eyes burning with the threat of tears. She’d taken them for granted. They’d been the only souls in the land that were always happy to see her and she’d just shrugged them off like they were nothing, like they would just always be there when she needed them. Now one of them was missing and it was all her fault. All because of a man…
An image of Etienne leapt into Loupe’s mind and she froze. She’d been wrong. There was one other person in the kingdom who might care. She put on a burst of speed as a plan flared to life in her mind.
Her breath was labored by the time she reached the edge of the forest and her house came into view. Loupe rushed over to the old cart beside
the stable. It was little more than a rectangular box on wheels, with a slight bench for the driver to sit on. No one used it but her, now that her father had passed. It wasn’t nearly good enough for the likes of her stepfamily.
She dropped the wolf pups into the back, wincing as one of them yelped as he fell on his brother. After whispering a hurried apology, she dashed back into the house and grabbed another link of sausage then rushed back to the cart.
“Now you two stay back there and behave yourselves,” she commanded as she tore the sausage into tiny pieces. She scattered the pieces all over the back, letting some pieces fall into the loops of the old rope curled up in the corner. The pups should keep themselves occupied hunting down bits of sausage, at least until she could get moving.
Loupe burst into the small stable and the old mare screamed and reared up. She froze, cursing herself for startling the horse. It was bad enough the beast was afraid of her, but she’d had to go and tear into the barn like a monster from an old fairy tale.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she soothed, holding her hands up in the same placating gesture she would have used with a human. “I’m sorry, I just need to harness you up to the cart. We’re going on a little ride…”
The horse was not impressed. Loupe gritted her teeth as she grabbed at the horse’s halter and dragged it out of the stall. The horse reared up and nearly lifted her off the ground. Loupe whimpered as her feet scrabbled on the dirt floor of the stable. Inch by inch, she pulled the horse outside, all the while murmuring soft sounds of encouragement. By the time she got the beast to the cart, it had calmed somewhat.
“There’s a good girl,” she said lightly. “That’s it, nice and calm. Good girl.”
She fastened the horse to the cart and warily climbed into the driver’s seat. One of the wolf pups yipped.
The mare bolted. A scream tore from Loupe’s throat as they took off like a shot, the cart lurching dangerously from side to side on the uneven ground. Loupe bit her lip and mentally cursed as she struggled to direct the wild horse to the road. She held an image of her missing wolf pup in her head, using it to give herself courage.
Loupe had never been to the palace, but it was hard to miss. Though the kingdom had many smaller roads that twisted and turned, her family home was located off one of the five main roads. Once she hit the wide main street, it was a straight shot all the way to the palace. Loupe was fairly certain the whole population was going to think she was insane by the time the day was over. It couldn’t be every day that a woman shouted at them to get out of the way as her cart barreled down the middle of the road with two wolf pups peeking their faces over the side.
The guards at the palace gate widened their eyes as she barreled closer. One of them actually started to draw his sword.
“Whoa!” Loupe yelled, yanking on the reins. The horse snorted and reared up, almost flipping the cart over. Loupe yelped as she fell off the driver’s bench and hit the ground hard. Pain burst along the left side of her body and the breath left her in a loud whoosh.
“Mademoiselle, are you all right?”
One of the guards rushed to her side and Loupe offered him an apologetic grimace. She tried to stay calm as the breath slowly came back to her body.
“I have to see the prince,” she babbled, stifling a moan of pain as she pushed herself to a sitting position. “I have to see Prince Etienne.”
The guard raised his eyebrows. “Um…”
“Are those wolf pups in your cart?” the other guard asked suspiciously.
Loupe’s brain whirred a mile a minute as she desperately tried to think of a way to get into the palace to see the prince. How stupid had she been to think a woman could just demand to see Etienne? The guards probably thought she was going to throw herself at his feet and beg to be his wife or something.
Suddenly, inspiration struck.
“Yes, they are wolf pups,” she confirmed, nodding vigorously. “Prince Etienne asked me to bring them here. Go ask him. Tell him Loupe is here with the wolf pups he wanted.”
“Loupe?” the guard repeated. “As in ‘wolf?’”
Loupe forgot herself for a moment. She glared at him. “Are you going to go get Prince Etienne or do you want to stand here and make fun of my name for the rest of the day?”
The other guard chuckled as the one who’d spoken flushed with embarrassment. “I’ll go see if the prince wants to see you,” he mumbled. He whirled around and marched through the castle gate and up the palace steps.
“I think Loupe is a fine name,” the other guard offered with a smile.
“Well I don’t like it, but that doesn’t mean other people can make fun of it,” she groused. Suddenly she remembered why she was here. “Oh! The pups! Are they okay?”
The guard held out a hand and she gratefully let him help her rise. Together they peeked into the back of the cart. The two wolf pups immediately started barking.
“Oh, there you are. It’s okay,” Loupe soothed them, reaching out to pet each one in turn. “There, there, it’s all right.”
“I believe the prince has agreed to see you,” the guard observed.
Loupe jerked her gaze toward the palace in time to see the other guard waving her in. Her nerves tightened, her entire body suddenly feeling like a tuning fork that had been struck with too much gusto. She swallowed hard. “Um, all right then, I guess I’ll just…go inside.”
“Well, he is expecting you with his wolf pups after all.”
Something about the guard’s tone sent a blush over Loupe’s cheeks. She cleared her throat and reached into the cart to scoop up the wolf pups. She frowned at the cart, glancing from the nervously shifting mare to the guard.
“I will summon the stable boy to take care of your cart and horse,” the guard assured her. “Go in and meet your prince.”
Loupe blushed harder, but turned to go to the palace. By the time she actually walked through the front door she was certain her legs were going to give out from under her. A palace servant met her in the foyer. After giving the two wolf pups in her arms a strange look, he gestured for her to follow him upstairs. She obediently trailed after him, murmuring soothing sounds to the excited wolf pups wriggling in her arms. She wished she would take her own advice to calm down.
Every step farther into the palace ratcheted her nerves up another notch. Compared with the lush furnishing of the palace, the “finery” her stepmother surrounded herself with looked cheap and tawdry. Loupe had never seen painting with such rich colors, or tapestries with such intricate work. Even the carpet was perfection, thick and plush under her feet. She gripped the pups a little tighter, painfully aware of the bits of dirt drifting off their fur to settle on the royal family’s carpet.
“Prince Etienne is waiting for you inside,” the servant said finally as he stopped beside a giant mahogany door. He gave Loupe one last look then turned away and made his way down the long hallway.
Loupe stared at the half open door. A thousand thoughts swirled in her mind, dangerous thoughts for a woman of her…circumstances to be having. Of course the prince would have a receiving room in his quarters. Each room in the palace was like a small house, it was a wonder it didn’t have its own kitchen. Still, Loupe couldn’t shake the feeling that she was about to enter the prince’s bedroom. The very handsome prince’s bedroom.
An image of her missing wolf pup sprang into her head and shattered the questionable image her traitorous brain had been sketching. She straightened her spine. Before she could lose her nerve, she pushed through the door into the prince’s chambers.
“Loupe,” the prince greeted her. The corner of his mouth quirked up even as his eyebrows betrayed his confusion. His gaze dropped to the wolf pups and his jaw dropped slightly. It only took him a second to regain his composure and he smiled. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Loupe couldn’t find her voice. The prince’s chambers were larger than the first floor of her house. The windows seemed a mile high, offering a view of the kingdom
that took her breath away. An impressive bookcase filled with thick texts covered one wall and there was a doorway to the left that gave a glimpse into what was probably his bedroom. The world tilted around her, suddenly unstable. And very warm…
“Loupe?’
Snapping back to the present, Loupe realized her grip on the pups was slipping. She crashed to her knees to keep from dropping them. The pups jumped up to lick her face, all the more bouncy with their newfound freedom. Their brother should be here too, but he wasn’t. He was out in the woods somewhere, possibly hurt, and here she was trying to peer into the prince’s bedroom. How could she for one second let her mind wander to such brazen thoughts while her defenseless pup was missing? Shame seized her chest and Loupe burst into tears.
“What on earth has happened?” Prince Etienne rushed to her side and knelt down beside her. “Loupe, talk to me,” he said softly.
Before Midnight (Book 1) (Blood Prince Series) Page 5
