The Royal Shifters Complete Series Boxed Set

by Alice Wilde

  He's right, from where we stand, the top of the top of the mountain is hidden by clouds.

  "It's just because of the rainy weather," Li says softly.

  "Or maybe those clouds are really dragon's breath," Ero says with a scoff. "I don't know about you, but I am not up for climbing that today."

  "We really should press on," Li says, but I can tell he's travel weary as well.

  "Li," I say softly, "I think we should rest, even if it's just for tonight. We've already come so far, so fast."

  Li takes a deep breath as if he wants to disagree with me, but then exhales slowly.

  "You're absolutely right, Little Bird. I'm just eager to get this over with, but we'll be far better off if we get some rest."

  "Saints alive, finally," Roan says, dropping to the ground. "How long have we been running? We must have set a new record with that one."

  "Perhaps for you," Ero mumbles.

  "Sorry, not all of us were dumb enough to try to go back and challenge Damien," says Roan with obvious annoyance. "Besides, you had the Silk Road to follow and only yourself to worry about."

  "That's not true," Ero growls, his eyes briefly flickering toward me.

  "Enough," Li snaps before I have a chance to open my mouth. "It's obvious that we need a break, but fighting with one another certainly won’t help any of us.”

  Roan and Ero roll their eyes but don't argue with him.

  "Do you think there's a village nearby?" I ask Li.

  "I’m not sure, but I can scout the area if you want," Li says. I can hear the exhaustion in his voice.

  "Not right now," I say with an appreciative smile. "Perhaps later, let's eat and rest for a while first."

  Li cocks his head to the side as I say this as if trying to decide whether or not he should agree, but then turns away from me and starts setting up camp. I move to help, but Roan and Ero immediately jump to their feet.

  "Rest, lass," Roan says. "We can take care of things."

  "I can help and I haven’t been the one running this whole time."

  "No one is doubting that," Ero says. "It'll just be faster if we handle things. Besides, you shouldn’t be exerting more energy than necessary right now."

  I frown but then raise my hands in defeat and find a comfortable place to sit and watch while they work.

  The weather has been strange ever since we left the palace. The farther south we travel, the more unpredictable it seems to get from day to day. We might be sweating rivers one day and shivering in our boots the next. From the way my breath hangs in the air, today's weather is definitely the latter, but I don’t feel particularly cold. At least, I feel no colder than usual.

  “The fire will be ready soon,” Li says.

  “Good thing, the lass has probably already caught a chill by now.”

  “I’m fine,” I say absentmindedly as I stare up into the clouds and wonder what really lies beyond. I know I shouldn’t doubt the existence of dragons after all the things I’ve seen, but it’s hard not to. Why are they not spoken of or seen more often? You’d think of all the magical beasts, dragons would be the most unforgettable.

  “Here, lass,” Roan says, holding a hand out toward me. “Come sit by the fire and keep warm.”

  “Okay, but I’m really not that cold,” I say, taking his hand and allowing him to help me to my feet.

  Roan frowns. “You’re right about that.”

  “What?”

  “Your skin… it might as well be boiling for how hot it feels.”

  Li quickly crosses over to us and presses the back of his hand against my forehead. “Annalise, why didn’t you say something earlier?”

  “Say something?” I ask, pulling away from them. “I told you, I feel fine.”

  “You’re burning up.”

  I raise my own hand to my forehead and furrow my brow. “I don’t know what you two are on about, I don’t feel any hotter than normal.”

  Li eyes me warily.

  “Alright, lass,” Roan finally sighs. “We’ll leave you be for now, but you better let us know if you feel any symptoms. We all need you at your healthiest.”

  “Probably shouldn’t sit out in the rain,” Ero mutters.

  “Ero’s right,” Li says. “You two start building a small shelter while I check for herbs nearby.”

  “No,” I say. “Please, just rest for a bit first. We can deal with the shelter a little later.”

  Li’s jaw tightens as he tries to resist his urge to finish the camp first, but then he finally gives a little nod and we all seat ourselves around the fire to rest.

  “So, what’s next?” Ero asks.

  “Thought the mountain would clue you in,” Roan says.

  “If there is a town or village nearby,” I start, “wouldn’t it be a good idea to find out what they know? Perhaps they’ve heard tales about the dragon and could give us some useful information.”

  “Hmm, that’s not a bad idea,” Li muses. “I suppose I can ask around, assuming I’m able to find a town somewhere nearby. We should gather more supplies anyway.”

  “Then it’s settled,” I say. “Tomorrow we’ll look for a nearby settlement and see what we can discover.”

  “All of us?” Li asks.

  I look around the campfire at my men. “Maybe one or two of us should stay behind…just in case.”

  “Just in case? In case of what?” Roan asks, his eyes narrowing. “I don’t suppose you’re considering yourself as one of the ones to stay behind?”

  “No,” I admit. “I was hoping to go with Li.”

  “Then I’ll be right by your side, lass. Dinna try to stop me.”

  “Ero?”

  “I’ll stay behind,” Ero says, staring into the flames as he breaks apart a twig and throws bits of it into fire. “I doubt I’d make a good impression on the locals, better not scare them off before they have a chance to help.”

  There’s an uncomfortable silence between us as we try to think of something to say. I know Ero is talking about his scarred face. Of course, I wish he’d never gone through the pain, but I don’t think any less of his physical appearance for it. Besides, what he went through to get it only makes me think even more fondly of him overall.

  I open my mouth to say as much.

  “Unfortunately, Ero is right,” Li says before I can speak. “He’s already as pale as a ghost and with his face marked the way it is, I can’t be certain the villagers will trust us if they see him. If I could have my way, I’d ask all of you to stay here.”

  “As long as Annalise is going, so am I,” Roan says.

  “I don’t suppose I can persuade you to stay?” Li asks, turning toward me.

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  “Very well, then at the very least, I must ask that you listen and obey what I tell you…if things don’t go quite as planned.”

  “I’ll try.”

  Roan tries to hide a chuckle but even Ero lets out a snort. Li sighs and rubs his temples.

  They all know me too well by now. My stomach suddenly lets out a loud rumble.

  “I think that’s a sign,” Li says, standing. “One of you stay here with Annalise and start a shelter, we need to find food and water before nightfall if we’re really going to rest for the night.”

  “I’ll build the shelter,” Roan volunteers.

  Li shifts uncomfortably, his brow furrowing as if he’s trying to decide what to say.

  “No, you should go with Li,” Ero says in a low voice. “I’ll build the shelter. Better to have full sight while hunting.”

  Roan’s jaw tightens but then he nods and gets to his feet. “Just shout if you need me.”

  “It won’t be necessary.”

  “I was talking to the lass.”

  “We’ll be fine,” I say quickly, diffusing the tension before hunger makes fools of us all, “just hurry back.”

  Roan leans down and kisses my forehead, giving me a half-smile before following Li out of the clearing. As soon as they're out of si
ght, Ero gets up and begins searching the surrounding area for materials to make a shelter. I watch him quietly, trying to think of something to strike up a conversation.

  "How can I help?"

  Ero glances over his shoulder at me with his good eye, but turns away just as quickly. "I don't need help."

  "I didn't mean..." I trail off for a moment. "I mean, I want something to do besides just sitting here."

  "You can gather leaves or anything that would work as thatching," Ero says with his back to me. "Maybe some vines for tying things together..."

  "Okay."

  I get to my feet, glad to have something to do and begin searching for the materials Ero has described. There's not much nearby, so I push through a clump of bushes and further away from the camp.

  "Don't wander too far," Ero says from behind me almost as soon as I step out of sight.

  "I wasn't going to."

  "We don't know these forests or what might lurk here."

  "Ero, I'm fine. I've survived this long; I think I can handle looking for some leaves."

  Ero presses his lips together and then nods and turns back toward camp. "Just...don't go too far, okay? This awful cold dampness makes it hard for me to distinguish scents."

  Before I can answer Ero pushes through the wet foliage and out of sight. Part of me wants to hurry after him, but the rest of me just wants to prove to him that I can take care of the task I've been given. After all, it's not as if it's a daunting one...not in comparison to many of the other things we've been through over the past weeks and months. I return my focus to my task and continue my search, keeping my back to the camp so I'll be able to retrace my steps.

  My spine begins to ache from my bent position and I straighten and press my hands into my lower back, leaning back to stretch and look up into the tall, pole-like trees.

  Something moves in the trees above me, and I freeze as I a dark shadow moves among the leaves and then suddenly pushes through the foliage.

  I scream, taking a startled step backwards and toppling over onto the ground.

  Two

  Annalise

  Heavy footsteps crash through the foliage behind me and I'm lifted into Ero's arms before the dampness of the earth can seep into my clothes.

  "What happened, are you alright?"

  I'm shaking, and all I can do is point up into the trees. Ero turns his face toward where I'm pointing and then begins to laugh. I haven't heard him laugh in so long I'm completely taken aback by the reaction.

  "What's so funny?" I ask, finding my voice.

  "I don't know," Ero says. "I guess I wasn't expecting the first thing to scare you to be quite so harmless."

  "Harmless, how can you call that thing harmless?"

  "That is a panda. They're mostly vegetarian, and generally harmless unless they see you as a threat, which I doubt this one does, since he’s just watching us while he eats his supper."

  "How do you know what it is?"

  "Li mentioned them a few times," Ero says with a shrug. "Frankly, now that I've seen one, they're even less terrifying than I had imagined. Come, let's go back to camp before he decides we are a threat."

  Ero lifts me to my feet and I grab the armful of leaves I'd collected before we walk back to camp where I find he's already managed to build a decent shelter.

  "I suppose you don't need these," I say with a huff, dropping the leaves and brushing dirt off my clothes.

  "No, but I'll find a use for them," Ero says, gathering the leaves and crossing over to the shelter. He crouches down and builds them into a little pile inside. "There, now you have a pillow."

  I know he's just trying to make me feel better for assigning me a task that was simply meant to give me something to do, but I can't help feeling frustrated. Sometimes it feels like no matter what I do, I'm the least useful among us. Now I know that I can't even gather leaves quick enough to help build a shelter.

  I sit down near the fire, overwhelmed with frustration and pity for myself. Ero looks at me uncomfortably for a long moment, and then walks over to sit down beside me.

  "I didn't mean to make you feel bad," Ero says quietly. "I just didn't know what to do when you asked to help."

  "You could have at least let me try to be useful."

  "You're right."

  I look up at him in surprise. "What?"

  "You're right," Ero repeats. "I could have, but I didn't want to. I wanted to do this on my own. Ever since I returned, I've just felt like everyone pities me...and I don't want that. I've lost an eye, but I'm still capable of doing the same things I always have. I just want everyone to treat me the same...like nothing happened. Like I don't look like this."

  "Look like what?" I ask tentatively.

  "Like a deformed demon."

  I can't help laughing at Ero's description of himself, but I quiet myself as soon as I notice the pain on his face.

  "Ero?"

  "What?"

  "You know I don't think any less of you because of your injury, right?"

  Ero scoffs and turns his face away from me. "You don't have to lie to make me feel better, princess."

  "I'm not lying," I say firmly, reaching up and placing my hand on his cheek and turning his face back toward me. I search his scarred face, still as beautiful as ever, for any sign that he's listening to me. "Ero, this scar only proves to me how much you care. I wish you didn't have to go through what you did to get it, but it only makes me think even more highly of you."

  "Well, you shouldn't," Ero growls pulling away from my touch. "Everything I've done has only made things worse for us all."

  "It's not your fault."

  "It is my fault! Roan gets it, why don't you?"

  "Because I love you."

  Ero freezes, staring into the fire for a long moment. "What did you just say?"

  "You know I love you," I answer quietly, looking down into my lap.

  It's Ero's turn to turn my face toward his. "Annalise..."

  "Yes?"

  "I'd hoped...No, I'd be lying to say that I'd ever thought you could love me after everything that’s happened,” Ero says, his brow furrowing as he looks at me. Then he shakes his head, dropping his hand from my face. "I don't deserve to be loved."

  "Do any of us deserve love?"

  "Yes, you do," Ero says. "Li does...I suppose even Roan deserves some, he is your husband after all."

  "Yes, but that doesn't mean I can't love you, too."

  "It doesn't make sense."

  "Would you stop arguing with me and just accept what I'm telling you," I say with a loud sigh.

  Ero's eye narrows and then he grabs either side of my head with both of his large hands and pulls me into a kiss. Every ounce of frustration that had been welling up inside me vanishes, but just as one form of frustration disappears a new one surges through me. Ero's lips move expertly against my own as his hands trail down my neck and over my collarbone. He presses one hand against my breast, cupping it and squeezing through my shirt.

  “Touch me,” Ero growls between kisses.

  I’d forgotten what it was like to be alone with him. As much as I dislike being told what to do, something about the way Ero demands action sends my heart racing and my hands searching. I run my hands along his thighs, even the rough thickness of his pants unable to disguise his excitement. Ero shifts his weight slightly as I find him, pressing his arousal against my hand as his kisses grow fiercer, and his own grip on my breast tightens.

  I let out a small yelp of pain, and Ero instantly pulls away. He searches my face, his own full of distress. “Damn it! Did I hurt you?”

  “I’m fine,” I say, unintentionally raising a hand to gently massage the pain from my own breast. “Ero?”

  “I did hurt you,” Ero sighs, shaking his head and rubbing his temples.

  “Please, it was just…unexpected.”

  “See, I can’t even love you without finding some way to hurt you.”

  "Just kiss me already!"

  Ero looks at m
e in shock and then pulls me into another kiss, this one even more fierce and hungry than the first. But almost as soon as our lips find each other we pull away and look up into the sky.

  "Damn it! Hurry get to the shelter," Ero says, jumping to his feet and pulling me up with him. We race across the clearing just as the sky bursts open, dosing our fire and soaking through our clothes just seconds before we duck into the little lean-to.

  Ero's done a good job, but even the most well-crafted roof wouldn't be enough to keep the torrential downpour of water from slowly seeping into the ground beneath us. I shiver, the chill of the air finally penetrating my wet clothes. Ero looks down at me just as another shiver runs through me.

  "Undress."

  "What?"

  "Undress," Ero orders again. "You'll catch cold if you sit around in wet clothes, especially ones as tight as yours."

  "And you won't?”

  Before the words are barely out of my mouth, Ero has yanked his shirt off over his head.

  "Hurry up, princess," Ero says, his torso bare and glowing in the dimming light. "Or do you need my help?"

  "I am more than capable of--"

  Ero flattens me against the ground, his hands positioned on either side of my head as he looks down at me from above. "You were saying?"

  "I..."

  Ero gives me a roguish grin, which, paired with his scar, makes him even more devilishly handsome than before and my blood runs hot in my veins. My mind is still trying to catch up with my body when Ero sits back and effortlessly pulls my clothes from my body, somehow managing not to utterly destroy them in the process...not that I'd mind if he did, at least not at this moment in time.

  I already feel warmer, much to my own surprise. Ero hangs my clothes wherever he can find a branch nub large enough to hold them. As soon as he's finished, Ero turns his attention back to me. I've pulled my legs up slightly, clenching them together and crossed my arms both for the added warmth and in an effort to cover modesty.

  Ero's eyes rove over my body, which instinctively makes me clutch myself tighter. The corner of his mouth turns up ever so slightly at my behavior, and then he drops down on all fours over me once again.

  "Let me see."

  I furrow my brow at his blunt crudeness.