The Royal Shifters Complete Series Boxed Set

by Alice Wilde

  Roan looks at me in bewilderment. “Of course.”

  “It was so nice to meet you, Isla,” I say.

  “Of course, miss. It was nice to see you again, Roan,” Isla says with a smile as we leave.

  “For me as well,” Roan says, although I can tell from his voice he could have done without the reunion.

  Roan and I walk silently for a few minutes before he pulls me to a stop.

  “What was that all about?”

  “Don’t you see, Roan? She doesn’t have a daughter.”

  “How do you know?”

  “If you really had run off on her while she was pregnant with your child, do you honestly believe she would have been so easy on you?”

  “I doubt it. But then, what was all this for?”

  “You never had a daughter. Somehow, Fiona must have found out about your escapade with Isla and made up the story about your daughter to try to scare me off.”

  Roan’s face turns icy. “Come, lass. It appears we have some things to sort out with my family.”

  Twenty-Two

  Roan

  I send Annalise to her room with one of the guards as soon as we return to the castle and then make my way to Fiona’s rooms. She is still awake when I pound at her doors.

  “Fiona, let me in. We need to talk.”

  The door opens and Fiona steps back to let me in, her eyes rimmed with worry. “What is it, Roan?”

  “Why the hell did you tell Annalise I had a daughter? And now that I think of it, why wouldn’t you tell me that first?”

  “She told you?”

  “Of course she told me. She’s my wife.”

  “Oh no, she is not,” Fiona snaps, slamming the door shut.

  “Why are you so set against her?”

  “She’s not Scottish, Roan! You’ve been lost to us for so many years, and here you are, finally returned home. The land is reaping a harvest once again and we finally have some semblance of peace. But you want to marry this woman none of us has ever seen or heard of and run away again?”

  “I am married to her. She is my wife. You will learn to accept that.”

  “Roan, you don’t understand.”

  “What is there to understand?”

  “It’s politics.”

  I shake my head but don’t say anything, waiting for her to expound on her meaning.

  “Brother,” Fiona says cautiously. “Scotland is not the same as it once was. We’ve been having a great deal of trouble with Vikings. Their invasions are becoming harder to fend off, and I’m afraid that without you here, we’ll be lost.”

  “You’ve got to be joking,” I say. “You’ll make up any excuse to keep me from being with Annalise, won’t you?”

  “No, I swear it on our parents’ graves,” Fiona says. “I just thought if I could get Annalise to give you up, you’d have an easier time staying. Or perhaps you’d even be able to use that anger to help defeat the Viking invaders.”

  I shake my head at her.

  “Please, Roan, I swear this is the truth. You can ask my husband. Saints alive, you can ask anyone you meet. Scotland is in trouble and we could use a good leader, especially one with training right now.”

  “I’m marrying Annalise. You can’t dissuade me.”

  “I was wrong to lie about a child, Roan. I’m sorry about that. But I can’t let you leave, and I had hoped it would persuade her to leave without telling you. I’m sorry I lied, but I’m not sorry for doing whatever it takes to get you to stay—not when we need you here.”

  “I don’t think you understand, Fiona,” I say, my words icy. “I’m leaving with Annalise whether or not you want me to, and whether or not you accept her as my wife.”

  Fiona looks at me, fiery anger burning in her eyes. “I can’t think of a single circumstance in which we’ll ever be able to accept her as the lady of this house. You need to marry a Scottish girl! Your roots are here, not out chasing some foreign girl and her dreams of ruling some far-off kingdom.”

  I snort, turn, and storm out of the room, slamming the door behind me.

  I should probably tell the others to prepare to leave, and soon.

  I knock at Annalise’s door and she lets me in almost immediately.

  “We need to get ready to leave.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’ve refused my sister’s attempts to trap me here. Hurry, pack what you can.”

  “Did she tell you why she was trying so hard to separate us?”

  “Some idiotic story about Vikings.”

  Annalise slowly turns from where she’s putting together a small bundle. “Roan, don’t be upset, but I remember hearing about these attacks.”

  I look at her curiously.

  “There are a number of countries seeking help to keep the Vikings at bay, but Scotland is having a hard time dealing with the invasions. It’s quite possible your sister isn’t lying about this.”

  I hang my head. This is the last thing I want to hear. “Even if she is telling the truth, why should I care after what she tried to do?”

  “I hate it as much as you do, perhaps even more, but she is your family and this is your land. We should try to come to some kind of agreement instead of running off on them. You may be all that stands between what remains of your family and a Viking invasion.”

  She’s right, but I wish she weren’t.

  “Perhaps we should sleep on the idea of running away,” Annalise says. “We may have a better solution in the morning. At the very least, we can try to leave on good terms.”

  I can’t help but chuckle. “A couple of hours ago you’d have jumped at the chance of running away from this place. Now, here you are, convincing me to stay and work things out with my family.”

  “I know, but family is important.”

  “You’re absolutely right, little wife.”

  Twenty-Three

  Annalise

  I’m woken by a soft kiss to the cheek and open my eyes to find Roan leaning over me.

  “Good morning, lass. Ready to go to battle?”

  I yawn and sit up, stretching. “Battle?”

  “Yes, battle, in a manner of sorts. A battle for ourselves as well as our kingdoms. I think I’ve come up with an idea that may sort out a number of our problems. Now, hurry,” Roan says, excitement written all over his face.

  “I will, but you need to turn around so I can get dressed.”

  Roan turns around and I get out of bed and pull on my dress only to realize I need help.

  “You can look now, but only if you promise to help with the laces.”

  Roan turns and walks over to me. He kisses my shoulder, pushing the fabric aside.

  “That’s not helping.”

  “It’s helping me.”

  “Stop. I thought we had things to do.”

  Roan groans in pretend annoyance. “You’re right. Now, how do I lace this thing up?”

  “Get the lady’s maid.”

  Roan grins and bounds from the room, returning a few moments later with the maid, who quickly helps me fix my dress. I check my reflection in a mirror and ask her to put my hair up as well, which she does, tying it in a long red ribbon to help keep my curls under control.

  As soon as she finishes, Roan grabs my hand and we race through the halls, or at least I do to keep up with his long strides.

  Bursting through the doors to the Great Hall, Roan leads me up to the front of the room where Fiona and Neil are conducting the day’s business.

  “I’m surprised to see you here,” Fiona says.

  I’m not entirely sure which of us she is addressing, but Roan disregards the comment.

  “My laird,” Roan starts, “I have a proposal to make. I hope you will hear me out before making your decision.”

  Neil looks at us, slightly dumbfounded by the morning’s interruption. “I’m listening.”

  “I’ve been made aware of the issue Scotland has been having with the Vikings.”

  “Yes, this is true.”
>
  “What if I were to say that I can help you, and perhaps all of Scotland, make peace with those same Vikings?”

  “I’d say you were crazy, but I’d want to know more.”

  “Well, I just so happen to be traveling with one of the most powerful Viking lord’s sons, and he holds a great deal of influence among their people.”

  “Why would you intentionally bring a Viking into our land?”

  “You have to remember that I was young and had no idea what was happening with the Vikings when I was taken. Ero was stolen by the same man who took me several years later. Our next voyage will be to Norway, but now that I know what’s happening in Scotland, perhaps I can put our journey to even greater use.”

  “How so?” Neil asks.

  “If I, or Ero, can convince the Vikings to join us rather than invade, we can build not one, but two powerful armies. We could free the Scottish from the rule of Viking law, creating a unified Scotland once again, as well as gaining a powerful ally.”

  “And what makes you think Scotland will accept Vikings as allies?”

  “You said yourself that it isn’t just our clan being tormented by both Fae and Viking alike. Perhaps, as future laird of Clan Artair and ally to Ero and the Vikings, we can put down any Fae rebellions in other parts of the country as well as bring peace to our lands. But I can only do this on one condition.”

  “What condition?”

  “I need you to accept my marriage to Annalise, no questions asked. I need her to show my trustworthiness to Fae and foreigner alike.”

  “Absolutely not,” Fiona says, leaping from her chair, fuming.

  “I was asking the laird,” Roan says, giving Fiona a hard look.

  Fiona sits, her face red with embarrassment.

  Neil looks from Roan to Fiona and then to me and back again.

  “Is what you say true?”

  “Yes. You can ask Ero yourself if you’d like.”

  Neil thinks for a moment. “I believe you. There’s no reason for you to lie to me about this. But I will need some assurance of your promise.”

  Roan rubs his eyes. It seems he hadn’t thought this far.

  “If Roan is untrustworthy, or fails in his duties, I swear to all the gods, old and new, to renounce him and release him from any and all vows he’s made to me and allow him to return to Scotland, a free and single man.”

  The whole room looks at me in shocked silence.

  “That’s a powerful oath,” Neil says. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  “Very well. You have my blessing to wed. But these are merely words. I’ll require something else to solidify our agreement, but I need time to think on what that will be.”

  Fiona’s nostrils flare as she gets to her feet and sweeps angrily from the room.

  “You’ll be wed tonight. All are welcome as guests. Begin preparations at once!”

  “You didn’t need to do that, lass,” Roan whispers to me as we leave the hall.

  “I did. We’re in this together, aren’t we?”

  “We should probably let Li and Ero in on all of this.”

  “They don’t know?”

  “Not yet,” Roan says with a laugh as we go to find our other two companions.

  Perhaps I shouldn’t have made that vow. I wonder how much of that speech of Roan’s was a bluff. Come to think of it, I don’t know anything about Ero’s family.

  What have I gotten myself into?

  We find Ero and Li fighting with each other outside on the training grounds. They move fluidly together, almost as if they were one blur. Li stops when he notices us and Ero lands an elbow in his side, making him double over. I let go of Roan’s hand to rush over and check on him.

  “Ah, sorry, Li,” Ero says. “Didn’t realize we were stopping.”

  “No, it was my fault for not saying anything.”

  “Are you okay?” I ask.

  “Just need a moment,” Li says, sitting down on the ground.

  “What brings you here anyway?” Ero asks.

  “We may have figured out a way to leave,” I say.

  “Oh, really? Does it still involve the two of you getting married?”

  “Yes, but that doesn’t really matter seeing as we’re already married,” I say.

  Ero rolls his eyes in disbelief.

  “Ero, we’re going to need your help,” Roan says.

  “There’s absolutely no way I’m going to help you get married,” Ero says.

  “I don’t expect you to help me get married. I can do that on my own.”

  Ero looks like he’s about to leap at Roan—again.

  “Stop arguing with each other,” I say. “It’s not as if it’s a real marriage, not by societal standards anyways.”

  “Whatever,” Ero growls.

  “Ero, I’m trying to tell you that I care about all three of you. Marrying Roan won’t change that. I won’t abandon you just because my title has changed.”

  “Sorry to burst your happy little bubble, princess, but it’s not the fact that you’re becoming Roan’s wife that bothers me. It’s what you’ll have to do to legalize your marriage.”

  “What?”

  “You may have married Damien, and you may be legally bound to him, but you have yet to consummate a marriage. Here, in Scotland—hell, in most of the world, the only way to make a marriage lawful is to lose your maidenhood to your husband.”

  I had forgotten about that until now. It hadn’t been an issue with the Fae, when mere words sufficed, but words won’t be good enough for human law. They probably wouldn’t even take my vow to Roan and Scotland seriously without the shedding of blood, be it by hand or by bed.

  “I…I hadn’t thought about that,” I say, looking at Roan nervously. “Roan, what will your family expect from our marriage?”

  “If we’re lucky, nothing. They’ll all get too drunk off the wine and cider and we will just appear to go off to bed. Otherwise, they’ll bring us to the bedchambers themselves. In some cases, I’ve heard of witnesses to the shedding of blood, but I can’t imagine that being true.”

  I stare at him wide-eyed. “Witnesses?”

  “It’s possible.”

  “So, you see, there is very good reason to be concerned by what may happen with this wedding the two of you have been so adamant about, princess,” Ero says.

  “I didn’t know. I haven’t really been married to anyone before, aside from public ceremonies.”

  “I think you’ll find there’s a bit more to marriage than just words and parties,” Ero says.

  “I need to go for a walk,” I say, trying to process all that’s been said and done in the past few hours.

  “I’ll come with you,” Roan offers.

  “No, thank you,” I say. I start walking toward the archway that leads out to the main courtyard and then turn back to my men.

  “Ero, would you mind accompanying me?”

  Roan tries not to show his emotions, but I can tell from the split-second look on his face that the invitation to have Ero join me bothers him. But I need Ero’s blunt advice right now, and I think he’s the one most able to help me.

  Ero walks beside me but doesn’t say anything. I miss Roan’s touch and the comfort of his hand in mine. He’s been the easiest to warm up to, but Ero is a whole different matter.

  I know he cares about me, in his own aloof, don’t-be-an-idiot kind of way. As harsh as he may come off at times, he’s the only one completely willing to do whatever it takes to make things move forward…even if it makes someone else cringe.

  “Ero?”

  “Yes, princess.”

  “You know I hate when you call me that.”

  “Yes, I do. Get used to it—especially the more often you do things that annoy me.”

  “I didn’t ask you to join me just so that you could continue to lecture me.”

  “Then why did you ask me, princess? To annoy your future husband or to make Li moodier than he already is? Perhaps to try to seduce me to yo
ur ways?”

  “Seduce you?”

  “You know what I mean,” Ero says, not looking at me.

  “Ero, I’m not trying to seduce any of you. I can’t help what I feel.”

  Ero shrugs but doesn’t say anything. I can’t tell if it’s because he’s genuinely jealous of Roan or if it’s something else that’s bothering him.

  “I asked you to walk with me because I need you to do something that has to remain a secret between us until we leave this place.”

  Ero stops and turns to look at me, intrigue written across his face. “Now things are getting interesting,” he says.

  I play with my hands nervously for a moment, trying to think how best to tell him.

  “I need fresh blood.”

  Ero blinks at me, his expression one of confusion. “What do you mean you need fresh blood?”

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, Ero. But I think you’re the only one capable of killing out of need and necessity. And right now, I need a vile of fresh blood.”

  “Can I ask what for?”

  “I used to read about this in books and found it quite fascinating. I’m sure you know how much a woman’s maidenhood so sought after and concerned about in society, especially in royal bloodlines.”

  “I couldn’t care less about that,” Ero says.

  “That would make you one of few,” I say. “But most families do. Anyway, I’ve read that women who have had trouble or are no longer maidens have, on occasion, taken small amounts of blood with them to bed on their wedding night to fake virginity.”

  Ero looks at me for a long moment. “But, you are a virgin. Why would you have to fake it?”

  “Ero,” I say, shifting uncomfortably. “I mean to fake the consummation. If I can stain the sheets with blood, without Roan having to actually touch me, then we should be able to get out of this situation with all things intact.”

  “Are you trying to be funny?”

  “No.”

  “Well, that was pretty funny,” Ero says his face brightening for the first time in days. “This may be the most intelligent thing you’ve said to me since I’ve met you.”