Harlequin Nocturne May 2015 Box Set: Wolf HunterPossessed by a Wolf

by Linda Thomas-Sundstrom

  “Lexie?”

  “Faran!” Lexie slid from the table to greet him. He was holding—joy of joys—a glass bottle of iced tea. He always seemed to know what she wanted.

  He set the bottle down and folded her in his arms, all his worry present in the fierce hug he gave her before he eased his grip. He hadn’t forgotten her dislike of being held too tight. “Are you sure you’re supposed to be up?”

  She relaxed a moment, the sense of security washing back from her dream, if only for a moment. She knew Faran had found the poison, which had made it possible to administer the correct antidote. They all owed him their lives, including Princess Amelie and the young girl Lexie had been with on the bench in the infirmary waiting room. Her name was Mireille, and she was only fifteen.

  Lexie had gotten off easy. Most were still very ill, and more than a few lives hung in the balance. They’d been transferring patients to the hospital all night, including Mireille, who would recover but was badly dehydrated. Lexie silently thanked her stars one more time. Another few seconds, and she’d have swallowed the poisoned fish.

  “I hope they discharge me soon. My bed is just in another part of the palace. I want to be there, not here.” She kissed his cheek and then murmured a protest when he kissed her lips. She probably tasted like medicine.

  Faran didn’t seem to care, but shifted his arms so that she could lean against his chest. It felt so much better that she realized he was the only thing keeping her on her feet. Maybe she wasn’t as recovered as she thought.

  He was still dressed in the suit he’d been in all night, although he looked as if he’d been someplace dirty—and he’d clearly not slept. Haggard lines etched his face, making him look older. He’d spent much of the night at her side, but she knew from time to time he’d left to help Valois investigate. She wouldn’t have wanted it any other way—it would be selfish to keep him entirely for herself at a time like this.

  “Any news of Princess Amelie?” Lexie asked quietly.

  “She ate more of the fish than you did, so she’s in worse shape. But they think she’ll recover in about a week.”

  Lexie could hear worry behind the words. “I’m glad to hear she’ll get better.”

  “So am I.” Faran took a quick breath, as if commanding himself to the task at hand. “Are you sure you want to stick around after this? You’d be a lot safer if you went home.”

  Lexie blinked, confusion adding to her pounding head. “Does that mean the wedding is canceled?”

  “No,” he gave a wan smile. “At least, not yet. The more someone tries to stop this match, the more the royal families refuse to cave. Barring further misfortunes, the marriage will go ahead. But no one expects you to stick around. Prince Leo fed you rotten fish.”

  She nearly laughed. The universe was mocking her. She was good at running and Faran was holding the door open for her, but she wasn’t having any of it.

  I’m fearless. I’m the one who lives without a care. It had been her mantra for years, and now she knew how utterly false it was. Carelessness didn’t breed courage—it bred, well, nothing much at all. “I, for one, don’t want to give anyone the satisfaction of spoiling the wedding.”

  “Your welfare comes first. Bravery doesn’t count if you’re dead.”

  “I’m only brave because I care what happens. I can’t leave now.” Chloe was counting on her—and so, in their own ways, were Kyle and Amelie. And Faran deserved her loyalty most of all. He was alone on this mission without Sam or the other Company agents. She owed it to him to watch his back as best she could.

  He was hers to watch over, just as he’d spent the last night watching over her. This time when she straightened her spine, she felt the burn of conviction deep in her gut. “No, I’ll stick around. After all this, Princess Amelie deserves the best wedding pictures ever, and frankly, that’s what I deliver. You’re not rid of me yet.”

  Faran hugged her again and kissed the top of her head. “I’m glad.”

  With her face hidden against his shoulder, Lexie let down her guard. It was one thing to be brave, but she knew they were far from safe.

  Chapter 15

  Faran left around midmorning. A few hours after that Lexie was released and she returned to her room. Faran jumped up from the couch the moment she opened the door, looking scruffy and red-eyed.

  “You should have called me to come get you,” he said, taking her hands.

  “It was a five-minute walk.” She gave him a kiss, but halfway through she became uncomfortably aware that they weren’t alone.

  “Forgive my intrusion,” said Prince Kyle, rising to give her a polite bow. He looked just as tired and rumpled as Faran, and it made him look younger. “Amelie is deep asleep, and there is nowhere else I can go to speak freely about any of this.”

  Lexie shoved a hand through the rat’s nest of her hair. Kyle was reported to have plenty of friends, but he was right. Who else knew about vampires, melting spies or any of the other truly bizarre pieces of royal family history? More to the point, who could he trust?

  “Please,” he said with a sheepish smile. “Be comfortable.”

  Lexie didn’t need a second invitation. She kicked off her shoes and padded across the carpet. A pot of coffee sat on the table, and it smelled like heaven. “I need some of that.”

  Faran poured a cup and handed it to Lexie. “Black and thick the way you like it.”

  “Thank you.” Lexie took the cup, letting her knuckles brush his. As always, his skin was warm. She settled into a chair, feeling infinitely grateful to be back in her own quarters.

  “I should go and leave you in peace,” said Prince Kyle, rubbing his eyes. “But first I must apologize. I’m very sorry that you were put at risk, Ms. Haven. My brother was being difficult.”

  “But it was a fortunate incident,” said Lexie.

  Kyle’s eyes widened in surprise. “Pardon me?”

  While she’d been sitting idle in the infirmary, she’d reconstructed everything that happened at the table. Faran had picked up Leo’s dish to inspect. Leo—snide little toad—had been trying to feed her Kyle’s. “That was your portion that nearly got me.”

  The prince’s surprise turned to anger. “What?”

  Lexie took a deep swallow of the coffee. It was bitter, but it thankfully drowned out the lingering taste of the medicine. “The only two people at the head table who got bad fish were the bride and groom. Coincidence? Not likely.”

  “What about everybody else who got sick?”

  “Smoke screen,” Faran replied.

  “You cannot be serious!”

  “You’ll have to start using food tasters.”

  Kyle swore. “That’s medieval. Who uses tasters anymore?”

  “Apparently you do,” said Faran, his expression serious for once. “The poison wasn’t quite a lethal dose, but that was just luck.”

  “But you caught the poisoner?” Lexie asked.

  Faran summarized what had happened in the kitchen. “It was a sophisticated plan with a lot of players. The prisoner hasn’t said a word beyond claiming that the order for the ceviche came from the royal housekeeper. I checked his personnel file. He was a brand-new employee and should never have been hired. His qualifications weren’t up to the usual standard. Obviously a plant.”

  “What about the fact that he was hiding in the kitchen?” Lexie asked. “How did he avoid getting arrested before you found him?”

  “He probably hid in the secret passage. My guess is that he was sneaking back to retrieve his poison bottle from where he’d hidden it.”

  “I’ll find someone who knows where those passages lead,” said Kyle. “Many old palaces have them, but they’re a security nightmare.”

  Lexie pondered that. “If this was the same man who was trying to crawl up to our window, then
I don’t think this room has a secret door. I mean, why go to the trouble of climbing a wall if you can just walk in?” That was something to be thankful for.

  “But what’s the point of getting in here? Or the poisoning? At least the theft of the ring made sense.” Kyle rose and paced the tiny room.

  “Do we know anything more about the theft of the ring?” she asked.

  “Only one thing. Gillon was one of the men who searched Maurice’s rooms,” said Faran.

  “Why?” asked Lexie. “By the next day he was in possession of the ring. However he got it, at least part of that time he was just carrying it around. That seems like an unnecessary risk.”

  “Not really,” Faran replied. “Who would search the guards searching your room for the very item that was taken? He was the perfect person to hold it.”

  Kyle pressed the heels of his hands against his brow, as if staving off a headache even worse than Lexie’s. “But what has this to do with the other crimes?”

  Lexie was wondering the same thing. She couldn’t see a common thread.

  “If we forget about money,” Faran mused, sitting back on the sofa and bracing his ankle across his knee, “what does the ring get someone?”

  “It holds Vidon’s blood rubies,” Kyle said immediately. “Those are of great value to us as a national treasure. The ring itself is a symbol of unity between our countries.”

  Lexie thought about the two kings and their secret negotiations. Neither looked happy at the dinner. “What does Vidon lose through the union?”

  Kyle’s mouth pressed into a flat line. “There is a great deal of resistance to the idea of uniting with a nation that fosters an intimate relationship with nonhumans.”

  “I thought the Night World was secret knowledge,” said Lexie.

  “There are enough among the noble families and the Knights who know about the nonhumans in very general terms. Those dignitaries will not come to Marcari to witness the marriage as long as the Company is present. That is why they were asked to leave. A political union will never work if the most important Vidonese houses refuse to witness the wedding.”

  Faran glowered into his glass. “That doesn’t bode well for the future.”

  Kyle sighed heavily. “It might take time, but Amelie and I will change the attitudes of those that fear your people.”

  His firm and earnest words stirred Lexie’s sympathy, but they also pointed out his vulnerabilities. Kyle might be a reformer, but his father absolutely wasn’t. Could King Targon be fighting the future Kyle and Amelie promised? Family didn’t always fight fair.

  Lexie knew that well enough. She swallowed the rest of the coffee, feeling the heat as it slid down her throat to her stomach. I nearly died last night. Justin would have laughed.

  Her musing was interrupted by a knock on the door to the hallway. All three of them stood, clearly tense. Faran moved to answer the knock, but not before he picked up his weapon from the side table. Kyle stood to one side. It suddenly occurred to Lexie that he was on his own with no bodyguards.

  Faran opened the door a crack, but then relaxed and stood back. It was Chloe. She rushed in, a sick look on her face. “I think something new has happened.”

  “Is it Amelie?” Kyle demanded.

  “Your Royal Highness!” Chloe exclaimed softly. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “Answer me,” Kyle said, anguish beneath his hard expression.

  “No,” Chloe replied. “The princess’s health is no worse. But while she was asleep, someone crept into her room. No one can figure out how.”

  No one said a word for a moment. Secret passage. In all likelihood, the Company would have known the entrances and guarded against them, but they were gone.

  Lexie broke the silence. “What happened?”

  Chloe heaved a weary sigh. “The ring is gone again. Someone took it from the chain around the princess’s neck.”

  * * *

  Hours later, Lexie woke up with a jolt. Darkness closed in around her like a muffling pillow. Scrambling to free herself from the covers, she sat up, pushing her hair out of her eyes. She blinked, heart pounding, air cool against her sleep-flushed skin. The room resolved itself into her bedroom at the palace. A known landscape. She released her breath in a rush. She’d been having a nightmare.

  The details of the dream receded from her mind, but her body still ached with remembered fear. She took another deep breath, hunching and releasing stiff shoulders. She must have been curled into a knot while she slept. She felt as bruised as if she’d lost a battle with a two-by-four.

  The flavor of the dream came back, an elusive wisp that nagged like a forgotten name. Something she’d known once but eluded her now. Lexie slipped out of the bed, pushing her feet into slippers. She’d showered and changed before finally giving in to sleep around two in the afternoon. Faran had left with Kyle to investigate Amelie’s missing ring. She’d wanted to go with them, but a sleepless night coping with poison in her system had finally caught up. She’d barely been able to keep her eyes open.

  Lexie picked up her phone and checked the time. It was a little after eight. Dark. Night. She pushed the curtain open, feeling a flicker of apprehension as she thought about someone crawling up the outside wall. She looked down just in case, knowing it was stupid.

  And yet that’s what the dream was about. Justin had crept into her room at night, once to destroy her stuffed walrus, once to cut off half her hair. Once he’d woken her by sticking a meat skewer into her leg. After that, she’d stuck a chair under the doorknob at night.

  And now someone had tried to get in this window. And someone had got to Amelie. The theme was simple—sleep wasn’t safe. The traditional refuge of bed was a place where something bad could happen and in ways she just couldn’t anticipate. There was no way to brace for what was coming. No way to deal with it.

  Lexie stared at the fairy lights of the palace grounds. Justin was gone, but there was someone behind her present troubles. Who? Why? She’d tried to look at it analytically, the way Valois might, but she got nowhere. This time, the devil wasn’t in the details. It was in the wide-angle view, the pattern of light and shadow.

  Actions mattered, but so did effects. Justin would have loved all this chaos and panic.

  Her thoughts dissolved as the door rattled. Lexie froze, listening, and then relaxed, muscle after muscle letting go, her heart gradually slowing back to normal. It was Faran—no one else moved quite that way. The bedroom door opened quietly.

  “Hi,” he said. “You’re up.”

  Lexie leaned against the window frame, liking his long perusal of her bare legs. “Yeah. Find anything new?”

  He lifted a book. “No joy finding out who took the ring. Valois is going out of his mind, but he’s got plenty of men on the routine stuff. So I got some reading material instead.”

  “Reading material?”

  “History of the rubies. There’s got to be more reasons that ring is so important.”

  Lexie switched the bedside lamp on low, casting a comfortable glow over the room. “More reasons than a fortune in cash and the pride of a sovereign nation?”

  Faran flopped onto the bed, a pleased expression on his face. The old book was bound in faded red leather and he’d marked the pages with half a dozen scraps of torn paper. “There’s a reason Vidon had those particular stones, but the average Joe has to go digging to find out. And the average Joe doesn’t have access to an old, moldy private library stashed in the back room of the Dowager Queen’s apartments.”

  “What made you look there?” Dowager Queen Sophia, King Renault’s mother, was on a goodwill visit to Vidon, charming those who couldn’t or wouldn’t come to Marcari for the wedding. Lexie was glad the grand old queen had been safe from all the troubles.

  “Queen Sophia arranged to have the Marcari diamond
s sewn onto Amelie’s wedding dress. Jack told me once that she knows every stone of the Marcari crown jewels. It stood to reason she might know about Vidon’s collection, since once upon a time they belonged to the same treasure hoard brought back from the Crusades. The jewels are what first started the war between Marcari and Vidon.”

  Lexie pushed a hand through her hair, wishing for coffee. Her brain wasn’t quite keeping up. “And that book was in her library? You helped yourself?”

  “It was and I did.” He held the volume out for her to see.

  Lexie opened the pages. They were old, the letters dented where the type had pressed against the paper. “You read Latin?”

  He grinned. “I’m not just a pretty face. Ancient lore tends to show up in ancient languages, although I still think Demonology for Dunderheads is a surefire bestseller with the DIY crowd.”

  “I think we’re getting off topic. What useful tidbits does this book hold?” She flipped the pages, but there were no pictures. She returned the book to him.

  “I’m not sure about useful. I’ll go with suggestive. The rubies in Amelie’s ring are the same ones that were used in the ceremony that sealed the gates of the Dark Fey kingdom a thousand years ago. Presumably they could unseal them the same way.”

  “Whoa. Slow down. The ring could let all the Dark Fey out?”

  “Basically. And nobody wants that. The Dark Fey aren’t nice.”

  She sat down next to where he had flopped. She really needed that coffee. “This isn’t just more anti-supernatural propaganda put out there by the Vidonese?”

  “No, they called this one right.” He gave a huge yawn. As far as she knew, he hadn’t slept since before the banquet. “Light Fey are unpredictable. Dark Fey make vampires look like bunny rabbits. But it is logical that grumpy old Vidon had a magical implement that could shut the doors on an entire supernatural kingdom.”