by Alice Wilde
Annalise isn’t the first royal female Damien has tried to bond the spell with, but for the first time since I became a part of this curse, I’m worried too. I think he’s finally found the one spoken of in the Dark Book of Lethe.
“As long as we don’t bond with the lass, it won’t affect our fates. Damien can’t grow more powerful on his own,” Roan says.
“Easier said than done,” Ero says, sending a look my way. “The bonding may have already started.”
“Aye, she’s certainly a bonnie lass to look at.”
“Thor’s beard, Li! Stop staring at her. Damn, we’re done for. We’ll never get our freedom if we bond and Damien finds out. Keep your head down, Roan. Don’t let her beguile you too.”
For a split second, I’m looking directly in her eyes, and then I’m back at the far end of the Great Hall, an icy pain shooting through my heart. I do my best to clear my head and see what’s happening. Damien and Annalise are standing close now, the betrothal ceremony well underway.
I notice as first Ero and then Roan in turn shake their heads, looking dazed as if they too had just shot across the room and back. She must have looked into his eyes, her first big mistake.
I hope she’ll learn before it’s too late.
A low growl sounds in my head. Damien must be listening. It’s not safe to think too freely while we’re in such close proximity.
“Did you see it too?” I ask.
“Regrettably, yes. The lass looked into his eyes. It was bound to happen sooner or later,” says Roan.
“Well, we can’t let ourselves get drawn in any further. We know what Damien is after, and if he gets it, all our lives will be on the line.”
“I know,” I growl, although I shouldn’t be angry at the warning.
“Beasts?” Roan asks.
“Beasts.” I lay down and do my best to enter my beast heart, losing as much humanity as I deem safe for both myself and those around me…at least for the next few hours. Until we are alone again.
I am awakened from my sleeping position on the floor by the handler pulling on my chains. Not much time has passed, but the sounds of feasting are well underway. The spikes in my collar dig painfully into my neck, and I am quick to rise to a standing position. Ero and Roan do the same as their collars strain against their necks, but not before Ero shakes his head clear again.
Damien must have called him out again.
Up until this point, we’ve been mostly hidden behind a number of Damien’s servants, but they’ve suddenly stepped aside and we’re being driven to walk forward. The gasps and shrieks from the crowd remind me of the beast I am. You’d think they’d seen a ghost.
To be fair, I’m at least twice the size of an ordinary snow leopard, and Ero and Roan aren’t much smaller.
I check to see if Ero and Roan are themselves. I can sense Ero shake himself from his beast as we are commanded through the Great Hall. I hadn’t expected this; none of us did. I was sure we’d be kept at a distance, just to be called out whenever Damien needed us, but now that we are being brought directly to him, we have to be focused.
I look toward the head table, trying my best not to stare at Annalise. Not that she’d know.
Damien is watching her as if she were some kind of prey he was finally about to ensnare. I’m not sure what’s about to happen. For all I know this is our sacrificial day.
I suddenly notice the white knife lying on the table before Annalise and curse to myself in my native tongue. If he’s listening, I’ll be punished, but at least I know he can’t understand. There are only three escapes from him in our present state. The first, and safest, being when we are out of proximity of his mind, the second being our native languages, and the third being our beast language, which we use most often to communicate with each other when Damien is near. For whatever reason, Damien doesn’t reprimand us for our beast language. Most likely because it’s pretty primal and what we can communicate is minimal.
As we get closer to Annalise, I notice Roan’s eyes are still glazed. He hasn’t fully shaken his beast state and is veering off toward the tables and meats. Ero and I flinch as our handler yanks him brutally back into line, and I snarl at Roan to keep in line. His eyes finally clear and I can sense he’s shaken his beast, for now.
“Hey, Roan, you okay?” I ask, once again creating a link between us.
“Yeah, just lapsed a bit too deep into my beast.”
Our handler kicks us into sitting positions in front of Damien and Annalise. Really? All he had to do was ask, but I guess they want to keep up pretenses. Make them fear us.
Ero is suddenly called from himself.
“These,” Lord Godfrey says to Annalise, “are yours to keep.”
I blink. I can’t believe what I’ve just heard. He’s actually giving us to her as pets? More like his spies.
I glance over at Ero and Roan, both of whom have the same bewildered expression that’s only recognizable between beasts. Suddenly, Roan is pulled into a daze and then back, shaking his head in frustration.
Cao, I swear vehemently to myself. I have a feeling we’re going to have to get used to being called out here. If only he knew how draining it was on our life essence.
We’ll have to see how this plays out, but perhaps this will be a blessing in disguise. After all, he can’t be—I better cut myself off before I give away too many of my thoughts.
“If only the girl would stop angering him,” Ero says.
Ero, Roan, and I are prodded to move up onto the platform and then chained to the table by Annalise’s side. I’m thankful she can’t read my thoughts as I allow myself to look her over, my eyes lingering on the curves of her body and the sweetness of her face.
Suddenly, I realize she’s staring at us too, and my face turns up to meet hers just as her soft brown eyes look deep into my eyes of violet. My heart skips a beat and blood rushes uncomfortably to my groin.
“I don’t think we’ve seen anything yet,” I say as we are prodded into place beside her. “I think she’s watching us.”
“Don’t look,” Ero warns, but we all look anyway, meeting her gaze.
I know it’s fatal to bond with her, but this is going to be hard to fight.
Roan and Ero exchange a look.
“Damn it,” Ero says.
Five
Annalise
A knock at the door startles me. My wardrobe had already been swapped out during the feast and I just manage to pull on one of my new white nightgowns before the door swings open and the leopards are ushered into my room. Damien is standing in the doorway, flanked by two of Father’s guards, overseeing the handler as he chains the leopards to the opposite side of the room. A bowl of water is laid out, along with a platter of table scraps. As soon as everything is in place, the handler rushes from the room.
Damien looks over at me, his eyes wandering over my body. I am abruptly aware of my nipples beginning to give shape beneath my gown and throw my arms around myself in an effort to maintain decency.
“Good night, Annalise.” He grins, his eyes flashing green as he turns on his heel, but then he stops. He notices the lilac gown I had been wearing earlier and snaps his fingers. He nods his head toward it as the handler once again rushes in and snatches it from my bed. Damien gives me one last glance before exiting the room, slamming the door behind him. I hear a key turn in the lock.
I’m trapped. A prisoner in my own home. Alone in a room with three gigantic leopards. Oddly enough, I feel far more comfortable alone with them than I do with Damien in a room full of people. I sit on my bed and hug my knees to my chest as I watch my new pets eat their dinner. They occasionally look over at me, but not for more than a moment, and never all at once. I wonder what they’re thinking.
“I bet you wish you could escape too,” I say, and they all look up at me as if they know I am speaking to them. I laugh, sure they were just surprised to hear me speak. One of them grabs at a piece of scrap meat but accidentally swats it just out of reach. I watch a
s he begins to strain against his collar and start to worry as I see small trickles of blood stain his white coat.
“Wait,” I say, “let me help you.”
I carefully climb off the bed and make my way over to them. They’re all watching me intently now, and I start to wonder if I have a death wish. I’m not sure if Damien meant for them to scare me or if they’ve really been trained as pets.
Reaching down, I pick up the scrap of meat and hold it out to toward the leopards, closing my eyes and praying they won’t take my hand with it, but even after a minute of standing like this none of them have moved to take it.
I look at them in bewilderment. Unsure of what to do next, I sit on the floor and watch them right back. I know they can’t quite reach me from here, but the idea of being mere feet away from these creatures is thrilling.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with you,” I say tossing the meat toward them and watching as the green-eyed leopard snaps it up. “I’ve never had so much as a kitten my entire life.”
The violet-eyed leopard lets out a low growl.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to liken you to kittens. I’m sure you could kill me in an instant if you wanted to. I just mean I don’t know how best to take care of you.”
The blue-eyed leopard tugs at his collar, and my heart aches for them. At least I’m not forced to wear a collar and chains. Not yet.
I edge closer to them without thinking. They continue to watch me curiously but make no move to hurt me. My hand reaches out without me telling it to and I gently brush the face of the violet-eyed leopard. His fur is softer than anything I’ve ever touched. My fingers press deeper in, caressing his face as I look up into his eyes. For a split second, it’s not a leopard I’m pressing my hand to, but a man.
Startled, my hand shoots back to my side, the sudden movement causing the leopards to move back toward the wall.
Great, I’ve startled them. “Sorry,” I say, unsure of how to proceed. I want them to trust me. I want to help them.
“We’ll all get out of this together, I promise, but you have to trust me,” I say, trying to reassure myself as much as them.
I stand and slowly make my way toward them again. Even sitting, the leopards are taller than me, and I’m sure far heavier. They could probably crush me with a single paw. At this point, I’m not sure it would be an altogether unwelcome death. At least I’d be free from my engagement.
I’m now standing well within the limits of their shackles, and they have moved to encircle me, but I am surprised that I feel no fear.
They are beautiful. The moon has come up, streaming through my windows and highlighting the backs of their snowy fur, forming a glowing halo around each of them. Their eyes seem to twinkle with magic, and as I look into the eyes of each one, my heart nearly jumps out of my chest.
Where a moment before I was encircled by three giant leopards, now there are no leopards, but three even more enormous men.
One with eyes like amethysts.
One with eyes of sapphire.
And one with eyes of emerald.
My back aches as I wake, the surface below me hard as rock. I peek through my lashes as I open my eyes and find myself surrounded by three large beasts, not men.
I must have fallen asleep on the floor, which would account for why my dreams had been so strange.
The door opens and a woman I’ve never seen before walks in. She’s wearing a simple dress and a bejeweled collar, not entirely unlike the ones my pets have. Noticing that I’m lying on the floor, she rushes over and helps me to my feet, brushing off a rather large amount of fur from my dressing gown.
“Good morning,” I say as I stretch my arms, my back and neck cracking from my sleeping position last night.
She doesn’t say anything in return, and I realize she may not speak my language.
“Good morning,” I try again, this time in Damien’s native tongue.
Her eyes flicker to my face in a way that confirms she can understand me, but she doesn’t respond once again. My heart sinks as I begin to grasp what Damien’s done.
He’s completely isolated me. He’s removed all familiarity and left me with no one to talk to.
Even my wardrobe has been changed. I eye the dress my new chambermaid has pulled from the closet. It’s daring, perhaps even more so than the dress I donned yesterday, but just as he had demanded, it’s all white. Almost blindingly so. I have no idea how I’ll manage to keep it that way.
The chambermaid walks over to me and motions for me to remove my nightgown. I loathe being naked in front of the mirror, let alone anyone else. Not that I think my body is anything to be ashamed of. It’s just not in my nature to enjoy being naked. My eyes flicker over to the leopards, although I’m not sure why I worry about them seeing me undressed. They are only animals, after all.
But the leopards haven’t shifted from their sleeping positions, their bodies slowly moving in the rhythm of sleep. I sigh, probably best to just get this over with as quickly as possible.
I pull the nightgown over my head and cover my nudity as best I can as I step into the gown.
Thankfully, my new maid seems to know what she’s doing and has the dress up and covering me in a moment. I breathe a sigh of relief.
Strange to think something as simple as a piece of fabric can feel like armor. It is then that I realize that the only thing between me and my surroundings is one thin piece of fabric. Not even a chemise to act as a barrier between my skin and outer garments. I make my way over to my mirror and look.
The material is exceptionally silky, with delicate, nearly invisible beadwork on every inch. It’s perhaps the loveliest material I’ve ever laid eyes on, but it caresses my skin and laps at my body in ways that send shivers along my spine, among other places. With a simple movement of my arm, my breasts have begun to peak. I’m mortified as I see their shape change in the mirror.
Damien has dressed me in as little as he can manage. Unless the dress had been see-through, I can’t imagine a dress much worse than this.
I notice my chambermaid in the mirror standing behind me. Her eyes are lowered, but I can still see a sad pain in them. It frightens me. The more I see of Lord Godfrey’s servants, gifts, and behavior, the more I worry about what his true nature is.
If I’m scared now, only one day after meeting him, what will our marriage be like? I shudder.
“Can I at least know your name,” I ask in what I believe to be her native tongue, turning to look at her. “It would help me…command you.”
I hate that word, command, but I can think of no other way that she might give me an answer.
“Miriam,” she quietly replies, her eyes lighting up ever so little.
I wonder when the last time was that someone asked her to use her name. Heavy footsteps approach in the hall, and Miriam frantically motions me toward my vanity. I rush to sit, not wanting to get her in trouble, while she begins work on my hair. She pulls a soft, silver beaded cap and a long piece of white fabric from a box I hadn’t noticed before.
Miriam starts braiding my hair tightly against my head, or as tightly as she can manage. Unlike Rosa, she hasn’t grown to understand the unruly nature of my golden tresses and I can tell she’s struggling.
The footsteps in the hall have stopped outside my door. There’s a loud knock, and a moment later the door swings open, once again revealing my betrothed flanked by guards. I’m thankful that men aren’t allowed within this wing of the castle until at least an hour after the sun has risen. Even the guards have to wait outside the various entrances to this wing through the night.
“Ah,” Damien says, “I see you are not ready. I’ll make note of your tardiness and expect that you shall do better tomorrow.”
He snaps his fingers and Miriam hastens to finish my hair as quickly as she can. Once the braids are done, she wraps them around my head, pinning them in place. The white fabric is then tied into place, tightly covering my hair in its entirety before the silver cap is fi
xed over it, firmly keeping everything in place. She moves to take a rose petal from the dressing table, crushing it in her hands.
“No,” Damien says, and she stops just before she’s about to brush it across my cheeks.
Damien has been sitting on the edge of my bed. I pray he doesn’t notice it hasn’t been slept in. I’m sure it’s just the sort of thing that would bother him.
“I prefer my women natural,” he continues. “She’s ready to go. Do not forget to freshen the bed with herbs.”
Miriam bows her head and moves to replace my bedding. I’m thankful she doesn’t say anything about the state she found me in this morning.
“Come,” Damien says, motioning toward the leopards, “and bring them with you.”
I don’t move, unsure of what I’m supposed to do next. He doesn’t snap his fingers, and no handler has come with him.
“Do as I say, Annalise,” he growls, his black eyes glistening like cauldrons of tar as he hands me a key. “I need to know you can handle them as they will be far easier to handle than I if you dare to anger me.”
My heart races and I bite my tongue, drawing blood, although I don’t think my mouth would open even if I tried to talk back.
I turn to face the leopards and find them awake and sitting up, their heads all cocked to the side. It’s rather endearing, and I can’t help but want to snuggle them, even as monstrous as they are. I slowly make my way toward them, the dress slithering around me as I walk. Their heads shift to the other side as though curious to see what I’m about to do. To my surprise, they move to make way for me as I reach to unfasten the chain with the key Damien gave me.
The chains are heavy and they slip from my fingers, clattering to the floor.
There’s a laugh behind me and I swing around to see Damien, eyes flashing green, grinning at me.
“Fool of a handler. The chains will be switched out at once.” His eyes once again go black. “No matter.”
