The Royal Shifters Complete Series Boxed Set

by Alice Wilde

  “Good morning, Xiaomei,” Li said, looking at her curiously. “What are you doing here?

  This was the first time Li had seen her in this part of the palace. Once Li had started to no longer be a child, he had been moved from the women’s quarters to his own, leaving many of his childhood friends behind, Xiaomei included. At the time, she had simply been a child, the daughter of one of the lady’s maids. But she was certainly not a child now. Li continued to stare at her for a long moment.

  “Master Wei is asking for you. He says you’re late for your studies again.”

  Li looked up at the sky to find the sun was almost directly overhead. He should have started his lesson with Master Wei over an hour ago.

  “How long have you been waiting to tell me?” Li questioned, running a hand through his hair to get it out of his eyes.

  “A little over an hour,” Xiaomei said, shuffling uncomfortably in place. “I didn’t want to disturb you…I was afraid he’d hit you again.”

  “I don’t think you need have worried, Little Bird,” Li said with a groan as he rolled his shoulder, feeling the large, thick welt from the pole start to sting.

  Xiaomei reached up and gently brushed her fingers against the angry red skin. Her eyes met Li’s and her face blushed pink as she dropped her hand and quickly lowered her eyes to the ground.

  “Why didn’t you just shift?” Xiaomei asked. “I’m sure he’d have a much harder time trying to defeat a snow leopard.”

  “You’re not supposed to mention that,” snapped Li, glancing around the courtyard anxiously.

  “I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” Xiaomei said hurriedly, bowing her head. “You haven’t called me Little Bird since we were children, and it brought up old memories. I forgot myself.”

  Li remained frozen in place as he watched her. It had been so long since they’d spoken so openly, and he couldn’t remember the last time anyone had touched him so gently. Most people, besides his instructors, dared not touch him at all. And even then, they were usually hitting him over the head with something. He wasn’t sure how to react to the situation—or Xiaomei. She’d always had a special place in his heart, but he knew it could never lead to anything. She was no one. The daughter of a servant while he was a prince. The heir to the dragon throne.

  “And you haven’t dared to touch me since we were children,” Li said.

  “Well, we were only children at play then,” replied Xiaomei in a soft voice.

  Clearing his throat uncomfortably, Li decided to pretend nothing had happened, though he could still feel the touch of her fingers on his skin.

  “I should be going.”

  “Of course, Your Majesty.”

  Li snatched his shirt from the ground where he’d tossed it after the fighting had become too intense to keep the sweaty fabric on. It was still wet, so he decided against wearing it and hurried from the courtyard toward his own quarters. Xiaomei stayed bowed where she was, though Li was certain he could feel her eyes on him even as he left.

  Having tossed the soiled garments onto the floor of one of his rooms, Li called for a servant to bring him a new set of clothes. Within a matter of seconds, fresh clothes were fetched. One of the servants tried to help Li dress, but he grabbed the clothes and pulled them on himself. It didn’t really matter if they were done right, he just needed to get to his lesson as quickly as possible.

  Finally dressed, Li hurried through the maze of courtyards, halls, and rooms toward the apothecary. Master Wei was waiting in the doorway, arms crossed, frowning disapprovingly. The long white strands of his mustache and goatee trembled with suppressed anger.

  While Commander Chen might be able to physically strike Li during his training, it was Master Wei who truly knew how to cut someone to the bone with the mere sharpness of his tongue.

  “Master,” Li said, bowing low.

  There was no response, and Li dared not rise until he was given permission. He might be part of the royal family, but that didn’t mean he was exempt from respecting his elders, and certainly not his instructors. A long minute passed before Li heard Master Wei sigh deeply.

  “You disrespect my time.”

  “No, Master Wei,” Li said. “I was—”

  “Silence!”

  Li closed his mouth immediately, still bent low, his position growing uncomfortable.

  “Dishonor,” Master Wei said. “You bring dishonor on us all when you neglect your duties. There is a time and place for each lesson, but one must not outweigh the other.”

  “Yes,” Li said.

  “Let’s begin.”

  Li slowly raised his head and rushed to follow as he realized Master Wei had already spun around and stepped into his quarters.

  “Today’s lesson will be on the medicinal purposes of certain herbs and hot water—”

  There was a loud commotion outside, causing Li and Master Wei to turn their heads toward it just as a group of men pushed their way through the door.

  “Make way,” one of the men shouted.

  “What is this?” Master Wei asked with a disapproving look.

  “She’s injured, badly,” the man said, snapping his fingers as the men placed the small body of a woman on one of the tabletops.

  The woman’s face was turned away from them, the side of her dress drenched in blood. Even so, Li recognized her. It was Xiaomei.

  “What happened?” Li asked, disregarding the fact that he should just be observing as he stepped to her side.

  “We still don’t know,” the man said. “She’s unconscious. We believe there might be a threat within the walls of the palace. We need to find it as soon as possible. Is there anything that can be done?”

  Master Wei looked down at the small body, running his hands over the bloodied cloth of her side, his face growing darker by the second.

  “I’m afraid she’s lost too much blood,” Master Wei said. “I doubt she’ll be alive much longer.”

  “There has to be something that we can do,” Li said, his voice shaking. “Anything.”

  “Even my skills are no match for fate.”

  Li looked down at Xiaomei’s pale face and clenched his jaw. This wasn’t going to be how she died, and he was going to make sure of that.

  Placing a hand on Master Wei’s shoulder, he gently urged him aside and laid his hands across the bloody patch of cloth. Li had no idea what he was doing, or why, just that he felt he had to.

  “Pressure will only slow her death—”

  “Quiet,” Li growled.

  The room fell silent, half out of shock at the way Li had spoken to Master Wei, and half out of curiosity at what would happen next.

  Li closed his eyes and focused, although he wasn’t sure on what…and then he just knew. It was as if the world suddenly became clear. Every scent, every sound, down to the tiny thrum of Xiaomei’s fading heartbeat was his whole world. He’d never before felt so intensely bonded to someone else or so completely himself as he did in that moment.

  “Don’t you dare let go, Little Bird,” Li whispered in a voice so low it would be impossible for anyone but her to hear.

  The next moment, Li felt a warm, tingling sensation start to build inside his body and then flow down his arms, through his fingertips, and into Xiaomei. There were gasps of surprise from the men around him, but Li forced himself to remain focused, feeling instead of seeing what was happening. It felt as though his own life energy was seeping from him and into her with each passing moment, keeping her alive.

  “Li,” Xiaomei’s voice said weakly.

  Li’s heart jumped inside his chest, but he didn’t allow himself to lose focus. He could still sense the fragility of her life, and he didn’t want to risk losing his chance to help her.

  “Li,” said Xiaomei, this time with more urgency. “You have to let me go.”

  This time Li opened his eyes to look at her. “What do you mean?” Li asked. “I can save you. I know I can.”

  “You need to run, now,” Xiaomei said, gently placing
one of her small hands on his face. “He’s here to take you.”

  “Who’s here? No one is going to hurt me. The only thing that can hurt me now is if you die. Besides, the guards are here now, we’re safe.”

  “There’s no time to argue, Li. You have to go or he’s going to—” Xiaomei’s eyes suddenly widened as she focused on the room around her. “What guards?” she asked, looking up at Li in terror.

  But before Li could turn back to look, the men who had entered the room with Xiaomei jumped him, forcing him to the ground. They smashed Li’s face into the table, slipping a leather choke around his neck. Li watched on in a daze as a tall, dark-haired man loomed up behind Master Wei and then threw him forcefully against the nearest wall.

  “I’m so sorry,” Xiaomei said. “I didn’t want to tell him.”

  “What?” Li asked, the words slurring in his mouth.

  “He tricked me…It’s my fault. I told him you are a shifter.”

  Li looked up at Xiaomei, still lying on the table as the massive stranger walked casually to the other side.

  “Don’t look,” Li said, staring into Xiaomei’s eyes as she wept. “I—”

  But before Li could speak, a blade was dragged several times across her neck, and all he could do was watch in horror as the light drained from her eyes.

  “Now, shift.”

  Li looked up at the man in disgust. The collar around his neck began to tighten and dig into his skin, and before he could do anything, without wanting to, he shifted into his leopard form.

  “There,” the dark stranger said, leaning over and wiping Xiaomei’s blood from his blade onto Li’s fur. “We won’t have any trouble getting you out of the palace like this, not when they think a vicious beast is killing people.”

  And with that, he strode out of the room, snapping his fingers as his men leashed Li to a chain and dragged him out with them. Li looked back one last time as he realized everyone was going to think that he had killed Xiaomei.

  Xiaomei, his Little Bird…

  One

  Li

  We entered Chinese waters not long ago. It didn’t take long for us to be flanked by two massive warships, their blood-red sails blowing magnificently in the wind. Vikings may be renowned for their seafaring ways, but they aren’t worth a second glance when compared to one of these ships, sitting like water dragons on the ocean.

  A twinge of pain rushes through my chest as memories of my past well up within me. I hadn’t done much sailing before I was captured, but the little I had experienced had been thrilling.

  A small hand against my back draws me from my thoughts and I turn to see Annalise.

  “What are they going to do?” she asks me.

  “Who?”

  “These men and their ships.”

  “Oh, I doubt they’ll do anything unless we appear to be a threat to them. Most likely they just want to inspect our wares and ask a few questions. Don’t worry, I’ll handle them.”

  Annalise nods but doesn’t seem convinced, stepping even closer to my side.

  “Why don’t you wait inside the cabin?” I suggest after a long quiet moment passes between us.

  “No, I want to see what happens.”

  I sigh and bow slightly in acknowledgment. I care very much for Annalise, but she hasn’t quite been herself lately. I know she’s pregnant, but I really hope she finds a way to pull herself together. She’s barely a month along, and no one knows besides me. Not even Roan…and definitely not Ero.

  Roan. I do not envy him. The whole situation makes me uncomfortable, and very few things get to me quite like this. He’s approached me on several accounts, asking if I felt like something was off with Annalise. I wish I could tell him, but that’s not my place…at least not yet. All I can do right now is hope that Annalise talks to him before things become too hard to disguise or our situation grows more dire.

  A child should be a blessing, but I don’t know how that’s going to be the case with us. It certainly won’t do us any good if she waits too long to tell Roan, or if he finds out on his own. I don’t know which would be worse…

  Either way, Roan isn’t going to be pleased, and I’m starting to worry that I’ll have to be the one to tell him and hopefully keep him from doing anything rash. We’ve already lost Ero; we can’t afford to lose Roan, too. Whether that’s physically or mentally. We’re going to need all the help we can get.

  Things have already been far more complicated than we had anticipated. That’s my fault. I should have done a better job planning our course of action. I’d spent much of my life training to lead, and yet I’d spent the majority of our present journey by the wayside, thinking…and probably overthinking at that.

  There’s a tug on my shirt, and I look down at Annalise once again.

  “Li, they’re preparing to board us.”

  I look over my shoulder toward the ships, which have edged closer to our own, the men anchoring planks to board us with.

  “Find Roan,” I say as I step away from Annalise and stroll along the deck, shouting orders to the men who are still with us. If nothing else, I’d like to appear as though we’ve got things under control. China is a powerful country, and the last thing I want them thinking, aside from us being a threat, is that we’re a people to be trifled with.

  The men gather in the middle of the deck, and I command them to stand straight and tall as I straighten my own clothing as best I can. What I’d give to be dressed in any of my old Chinese garments. As it is, this is the best I can do. Aside from my facial features, I look as Chinese as the rest of the men on this ship—which isn’t much.

  Roan and Annalise step into place beside me, Annalise standing slightly in front of the two of us.

  Two groups of men board our ship from both of the others, and it’s all I can do to keep my face straight as my heart swells with pride at the magnificence of it all.

  Even though most of the men are a fair bit shorter than the men on our own ship, they make up for it with the way they command themselves. They’re all perfectly dressed in fierce-looking armor, with each man carrying an ornate spear, and their movements are synchronized and powerful, not a man out of place. The men who board our ship first appear to be guards and form two lines along either side of the deck. Once all of the men are in place, the men hit the base of their spears against the floor as two of the men step aside to make way for a tall, impressive man to step down onto the deck. I have no doubt that this is their commander.

  The man stands still for a long moment as he takes in the scene on the deck. His sheer presence is enough to evoke complete silence.

  Slowly, he turns toward us and steps closer, two of his own men stepping into place behind him as he does so. His facial expression is nearly indecipherable, but I can see the curiosity in his eyes as he looks at Roan, Annalise, and finally myself. I’d even go as far as to say he looks shocked, as much as a commander can, when he finally notices me.

  I step forward, pushing Annalise slightly behind myself, and the commander and I remain standing in silence opposite each other for a long moment before he finally speaks.

  “Which of you is in command of this ship?” he asks in Chinese.

  “I am,” I say quickly…too quickly. I’d already made my first mistake by allowing him to know I spoke Chinese. It wasn’t unlikely that he spoke several languages, and I should have waited to see which of the others he’d use to address us. I’d given him the upper hand in knowing that I can speak and understand Chinese. All I can do now is hope that I’m overthinking things and that it won’t be cause for concern later, but a twitch at the corner of his mouth warns me otherwise.

  “You speak Chinese,” the man says. “Interesting. So, what is a man such as yourself doing commanding a ship full off…these foreign devils?”

  “We have business with the emperor,” I say calmly.

  “Do you now?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is the first I’m hearing about it,” the commander says,
stroking his chin, “and the emperor is never remiss in telling me his plans.”

  “The emperor doesn’t know of our arrival yet,” I say.

  “That’s what I thought. So, what is this business of yours?”

  “I’d prefer to speak directly to the emperor about it, but I can assure you it is of dire consequence.” I want to hit myself for talking to him so bluntly, but I can’t help but feel that something isn’t quite right.

  “Anything you have to say to the emperor, you can say to me. I am the eyes and ears of His Majesty,” the man says, his expression hard. “The emperor is under my protection. Your journey will end here and now if you don’t tell me what you are doing sailing these oceans.”

  “As I said,” I say, my voice growing harder, “what we have to discuss with the emperor is for his ears only. If you doubt our intent, you are welcome to escort us to the palace, but we will not speak without the emperor present. I can assure you, he’ll want to hear what we have to tell him. I dare say he won’t take too kindly to learning that one of the men in his command kept him from the information we have.”

  The commander’s mouth tightens into a hard line as he glares at me. I hadn’t exactly expected a warm welcome, but I hadn’t expected to make enemies with the first person I’d meet on my way back home. I just don’t trust this man enough to tell him any details. Right now, the secret information that we have may be the only thing keeping us safe. Even if it’s not really secret, he doesn’t know that. Not yet.

  “You don’t know who you’re speaking to,” the commander finally says through set teeth. “I could have you cut down here and now if I wanted to.”

  “Yes, but you won’t,” I say with far more confidence than I feel, knowing full well the ground I’m treading is wearing thin, but hoping my boldness will spark doubt within him.

  “Very well, but we’ll be escorting you back.”

  I let out a quiet breath of relief. “Thank you.”

  “And the girl will come with me.”

  “What? No!” I growl, catching myself before I shout the words at him.