The Royal Shifters Complete Series Boxed Set

by Alice Wilde

  “Just this past year, we were compelled to give up more than half of our own crops and goods,” the man continues. “I thought that when Bjarke became lord, it would mean more excursions, raids, and wealth for our people, but it’s been years since we’ve set out, and most of us have been forced to take up farming or some other trade to keep our families fed.”

  “You make it sound like farming is dishonorable,” I say.

  “It is when you’re no good at it. I was born and raised a fighter, and we were well provided for from our raids and trade excursions.”

  “I see.”

  “There’s something else,” one of the other men says, stepping forward. “It’s not just our crops and wares that we have to give up. It’s our daughters as well.”

  “What?”

  “As soon as our daughters come of age, we’re supposed to bring them here to the Great Hall.”

  I press my fingers against the skin between my eyebrows, guessing what the man is about to say next. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “It didn’t start until a few years ago, and we would never have agreed to it, but those who refused always seemed to end up disappearing or otherwise destitute and their daughters even worse off.”

  I’d half-hoped that Bjarke’s only offense was against me and that he was just a minor pain in the ass, but this new information means I can’t let him off easy. That young woman here earlier was definitely one of his real daughters or she has a far more sinister connection to him.

  “I’m going to need testimonies,” I say. “Can you gather anyone willing to speak up against Bjarke and his men and gather them in the town center at noon?”

  The men nod, their mood far more friendly toward me than when they had first entered the room.

  “Good. We’ll hold a trial then. Thank you.”

  The men turn and leave, and I call the errand boy over.

  “Fetch a scribe and the executioner. Oh, and a priest.”

  “We have a priestess,” the boy says nervously. “Will she do?”

  I nod absentmindedly and wave him off. It’s going to be one hell of a day.

  It’s almost noon when Li joins me once again in the Great Hall.

  “The others are rising,” Li says.

  I close my eyes as my heart skips uncomfortably in my chest. The thought of seeing Annalise excites me until I realize she’ll be with Roan. I need to remember not to interfere anymore, no matter how much I want to, and I need to keep my heart hard. I can’t afford to let emotion interfere with today’s duties.

  “Bjarke is about to stand trial,” I say. “Join me?”

  “I doubt I’ll be much help, but of course.”

  Together Li and I head out of the building and down to the village square. Bjarke and his men are tied up and kneeling in a line in front of a massive crowd of people, even more than there had been the night before if I had to guess.

  As soon as the people see me, a great cheer rises from them. Li and I draw closer and the errand boy runs up to me.

  “This way, my lord.”

  He guides me over to a raised platform where a man is seated cross-legged on the ground, scribbling away on a parchment. Beside him stands a tall brunette. It’s the same woman who had approached me earlier in the day claiming to be his daughter. She’s the priestess. This is going to be good.

  Li and I greet them with a nod, and the woman gives me a smug smile. It makes more sense now why Bjarke would be able to get so much out of his people. If the gods always seemed to be on his side, who was going to disobey?

  The woman isn’t wearing the same dress as she had been earlier. She may have been able to pass for the daughter of a Viking lord earlier, but not now. Her body is barely covered, the deep V of her dress falling to her navel, the thin strips of cloth joining together at the waist of a long skirt in both the front and back. The red of the dress is as dark as blood. She steps forward toward the crowd, raising her arms to the heavens, revealing slits in her dress that rise almost all the way to her waist. Every inch of skin on her back and torso is etched with small black tattoos.

  In another time and place, I might have wanted to bed her. Okay, it isn’t even a question whether I would, but all I can think of doing to her now is shoving her over a cliff. We’re about to play a game I had no idea I was supposed to prepare for.

  “Welcome, children of Odin,” the woman calls out over the crowd. “Today, we will see the gods perform a true miracle.”

  The people cheer, but the sound is forced and seems to be more out of fear than excitement.

  “There’s something about her I don’t like,” Li whispers to me.

  “You’re not alone in that.”

  “As you can see,” the priestess continues, her voice changing to elicit compassion, “your lord and protector is bowed before you. A mortal, not unlike yourselves, but chosen by the gods to lead!”

  The people don’t respond to this, instead remaining silent as the witch continues.

  “And, just as you have been, tricked by the most devilish of gods to fall from grace…by that man!”

  She screams this last part as she points a condemning finger at me, and my mouth falls open at the sudden accusation. I can feel anger rising in me, and I move to step toward her, but Li’s hand on my shoulder stops me.

  “Remain calm,” Li says quietly. “I may not be able to understand what she’s saying, but I’m sure she’s going to do her best to make you look like the bad guy here. Don’t let her get under your skin.”

  “This man…this man was driven away many years ago, forbidden from returning under penalty of death. Knowing this, he devised a way to escape the fate of the gods by fooling you with magic and trickery. That woman you saw last night is nothing more than a foreign witch!”

  “Look who’s talking,” I mumble to myself.

  “She bewitched you with her body and cast a spell on the minds of men,” the priestess continues. “These poor men kneeling before you are not guilty of these murderous accusations. No, they are merely guilty of the temptations of the flesh!”

  I stare at her in astonishment and disbelief. This can’t be going where I think it is.

  “For you see, it was she who lured them to her room. She who tempted them with her flesh. She who seduced these poor, mortal men to succumb to her. And what did she do in return? Made it appear as though they were attempting an assassination! Has your lord not banned raiding and excursions? Has he not bade you to throw down the sword and take up the plow? Ridding us of our violent ways and bringing us peace?”

  The crowd is beginning to murmur among themselves in confusion.

  “Your lord has only ever done as the gods themselves willed,” the woman says. “Do not punish him for his obedience!”

  I stand frozen in place. I had underestimated her. She’s far more cunning than I had anticipated, and the crowd is starting to sway in her favor.

  The woman in red looks at me with a knowing smile, gesturing for me to say my peace as she steps out of the way.

  I walk forward and look out over the people. My people. Their faces are full of confusion, and some are already shaking their heads at me.

  “I never intended to usurp your lord,” I say, my voice calm. “My only intention was to seek help from the people I thought most capable. You. When I arrived, I had no malice, no ill-intent, and I made no claims. Still, I was sentenced to execution by fire, and yet, I survived. I cannot begin to understand how or why, but the woman you saw is no witch.”

  “How do you know?” someone shouts.

  The question stumps me. I’d never had to prove someone not to be a witch.

  “I just know she’s not,” I say, the words sounding even worse out loud.

  The woman in red laughs cruelly. “He just knows,” she says, her voice carrying over the crowd. “It’s almost as if he believes he can hear from the gods himself. Insanity.”

  This is worse than I thought it would be. No matter what I say, this woman will
find some way to discredit or undermine me. I am an unknown, whereas this woman has manipulated the people’s hearts and minds for years in her favor. I clear my throat.

  “I never admitted to hearing from the gods,” I say, “but I am a descendant of Jarl Einar.”

  The crowd goes quiet, and I hear the priestess suck air through her teeth.

  “As many of you probably know, or have heard, he was believed to be one of the few surviving descendants of Loki. So, no, I don’t believe I hear from the gods. But I do believe I have a greater claim to knowing what they want than this woman,” I say with venom, turning slowly to glare at the priestess. “It seems she can’t even sense the blood of a god when it’s right under her own nose.”

  The priestess’s lips curl into a snarl as she strides toward me.

  “Prove it!” she screams in my face. “Do not blaspheme the gods in front of me, you lying beast.”

  I glance toward Li before turning back to smile in the woman’s face.

  “Very well,” I say, and I shift into my leopard form.

  Twenty-Three

  Annalise

  Ero and Li are nowhere to be found when we enter the Great Hall, but then we hear a commotion coming from somewhere outside. Roan’s pace is too fast for me, and I have to jog to keep up. As nervous as I am, I can’t help but be thrilled by how much easier it is to walk without the fear of tripping over my skirts. The soft leather boots I’ve been given are a godsend as well.

  Roan shoves the heavy entrance doors open and we step out into the sunlight. It is just after midday, judging by the position of the sun. We stop only for a moment before I follow Roan down toward the center of the town where a large crowd has gathered not unlike the night before, but the people appear to be far more riled up than they were previously.

  My heart feels like it’s about to pound out of my chest, and not just because I have to run to keep up with Roan’s stride.

  “Gods,” I gasp as the scene begins to make sense below me and I come to an abrupt halt halfway down the hill.

  Roan continues on without me, but I remain standing where I am as I try to comprehend what’s going on below.

  Ero and Li are standing on a rise, looking out over the crowd as people shout insults, jeers, and various vulgarities. But they don’t seem to be directing them toward Ero—and then I see them.

  In the open space below the rise in front of the mass of people are the men from the night before. At least, I think it’s them. Their bodies are lying motionless on the ground, headless. Did Ero do this? Did he give them a trial?

  A woman shouts and my attention is suddenly turned toward Ero once again. I realize he’s holding a woman down in a way that sends pains of empathy shooting through me. It’s hard for me to make any sense of the scene, and it only gets worse as Roan approaches Ero with a vengeance. I watch in horror as Roan takes a swing at Ero, but Li reacts quickly enough to throw Roan off balance and away from Ero before the blow can land.

  Everyone is watching in shock and excitement as the drama continues to unfold around us. Roan is shouting at Ero as Li keeps him at bay.

  I start moving, running toward them as escalate between Roan and Ero even though Ero hasn’t moved from his place on the small rise. The woman is still pinned in place.

  “You bastard,” Roan roars at Ero. “You thieving prick. Why couldn’t you leave well enough alone? Haven’t you ruined enough people’s lives already?”

  “Stop it, Roan,” I shout as soon as I’m near enough for him to hear me over the din. “This isn’t the time or place.”

  “I’ll talk to you later,” Roan says, sending me a look that pierces me to the core. “Right now, this is between me and Ero.”

  “This is in no way the place or time,” Ero says. “Li, would you please take Roan somewhere to calm down while I finish dealing with things.”

  “Come on, Roan,” Li says, stepping back toward the path up the hill.

  “I’m not finished with him,” Roan says, trying to pull himself out of Li’s grasp but failing.

  “Don’t make this harder than it has to be,” Li says, but Roan only lashes out at him as well. “Fine, if that’s the way it has to be.”

  I almost scream as I watch Li suddenly and purposefully dig his fingers into various points on Roan’s body. Almost instantly, Roan calms down, his eyes rolling back in his head as he collapses into Li’s arms. I start forward toward them, but Li shakes his head at me.

  “He’s fine, only sleeping. I’ll take him back up to the house. I think you’d better stay here with Ero.”

  I watch as Li throws Roan over his shoulder and makes his way back up the hill, and I want nothing more than to follow and make sure he’s really okay.

  “Annalise,” Ero says, and I turn back to face him. He looks like he wants to say something to me, but decides against it. Instead, Ero gives me a halfhearted smile before looking back over the crowd.

  “I think it’s only fitting,” Ero says, his voice loud and commanding, “that this witch be given the same sentence she gave me. What say you?”

  The cheer is deafening.

  “Prepare the pyre,” Ero orders.

  A bunch of men fall into place, quickly setting up a pyre just like the one I’d seen the night before.

  “Ero,” I say nervously. “Do you mean to burn this woman at the stake?”

  “Yes.”

  I look down at the bloody spots on the ground below and will myself not to vomit. The bodies have been dragged away, but someone has placed the heads on spikes.

  “Do you not think there’s been enough bloodshed for one day?” I ask softly.

  Ero looks over his shoulder at me, his brow furrowed.

  “You don’t know what this woman has done.”

  “You’re right, but do you not have any room for mercy?”

  “She deserves no mercy.”

  “That’s the very definition of mercy,” I say as firmly and loudly as I can manage. “No one deserves it.”

  We look at each other for a long moment before Ero lets out a sigh and turns back to address the crowd.

  “This goddess of a woman,” Ero says, pointing toward me, “wants me to grant mercy to this witch.”

  The crowd goes quiet as they wait to hear Ero’s judgment.

  “You know what this so-called priestess has done and is capable of. It is you and your families whom she has tortured over the years. So, I will leave it up to you to decide her fate.”

  There are shouts almost immediately calling for her to burn.

  “You have until morning to decide,” Ero says, and I am somewhat relieved by his decision to wait. “Finish building the pyre.”

  A buzz spreads through the crowd as they begin to whisper and discuss their own thoughts about the judgment. Ero calls several ferocious men to him and asks them to escort the woman to a cell.

  I close the remaining distance between Ero and myself, but he holds up a hand once I’m within a few feet of him.

  “There’s another matter I need to discuss with you,” Ero says firmly, and the noise of the crowd dies down almost immediately. “I intend to sail out in a few days. There are wars to be won overseas and lands I’ve sworn to take back. As I will be leaving, I need to appoint a jarl to rule in my stead.”

  Excited murmurs ripple from person to person.

  “All eligible men who wish to be considered for the position should report to me at noon tomorrow,” Ero says before raising his hands toward the people, which seems to be a signal that today’s events are over.

  Ero turns and walks quickly toward me, taking me by one arm.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I say, but as soon as the words leave my mouth, I know they’re not true.

  “Roan knows, doesn’t he?”

  “Yes,” I say, turning my face away in shame.

  “Damn. All right, I’ll handle him. Have you eaten?”

  I shake my head, not that I’d particularly felt like eating
recently. Ero clears his throat uncomfortably and then starts up the hill, letting go of my arm. I follow him, but keep a small distance between us.

  I’ll never admit it, but as soon as I’d seen Ero standing on the rise, I wanted him again. The confidence with which he spoke to his people, commanding but fair, I’d seen the same spark that had drawn me to him the night before. But I couldn’t tell if he really felt anything for me or if I’d simply fallen into his trap.

  And then there was Roan. How could I feel so strongly for two completely different people? Roan is good, kind, and sweet. Ero is hardly any of those things. He does things out of need or selfishness with little thought for those around him. How could I possibly fall for someone like that?

  I have to push him from my mind. Roan needs me more than ever right now…and it’s not possible to love two men, is it?

  Love.

  I chuckle audibly to myself at the ridiculousness of the idea, but the laughter dies away as it dawns on me that I do love them. I don’t know if I can honestly say that I’m in love with them, but I do love them.

  All of them.

  Gods, I’m in trouble.

  I spend the remainder of the afternoon following Ero and several of Bjarke’s old servants around the storehouses and the jarl’s house as Ero inspects everything. He’s planning something big, and he’s asked me to stay close by while Li tends to Roan. This is the first time in a long while that I haven’t felt threatened by outside forces, and it’s nice to have nothing to do but watch and listen. I just wish it wasn’t tainted by my constant stress over Roan and Ero. I can’t imagine how this is going to play out, but the waiting is only making the not knowing worse.

  With Bjarke gone, we soon find out that he’d had no real family, and I am horrified to discover he’d been keeping a number of young women locked away in several of the bedrooms.

  Once we return to the Great Hall, Ero makes quick work of what he’s seen, instructing the servants to gather men to help divvy out the excess stores of food and seed among the people. I notice he’s set aside a large enough portion of the stored goods to keep the village going in case of hard times, and I can’t help but feel proud of him. As hardhearted as he might be, at least he tries to keep a good head on his shoulders.