Taken By Werewolves (Lost Princess 0f Howling Sky Book 1)

by Kamryn Hart

  “Thanks for letting me stay and for teaching me,” I said. “Don’t forget you promised.”

  “I won’t,” he replied. His hands dropped to mine, clasped around his waist. He gently pried my fingers loose. “I have to go.”

  Reluctantly, I stepped back. Todd was out the door a moment later. I stared longingly at the wood for a few painful seconds. I liked Trace well enough, but I wanted Todd to come back. I wanted to understand more, like why he was so quiet. Why he didn’t seem to enjoy being around anyone. I liked to think I was the exception. And he made my body buzz. All of Phantom Fangs. Only Phantom Fangs. I didn’t know if it was “normal” for a werea to claim things, but I wanted to claim them.

  When I turned around. Trace was staring at me.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Nothing,” she replied too quickly. “Do you want to see the dress?”

  “Sure.”

  She led me to the closet where a new dress was hung in the center on full display. It was a long, elegant dress. It would trail well past my toes. The skirt was formfitting with a little-added volume. The back swooped low, exposed. The bodice, while not overly lacy, was designed with intricate stitching to give a different look and texture from the rest. It was beaded with little clear crystals. The fabric itself was a pearly white. It changed colors depending on the light.

  “As long as I don’t have to wear a corset,” I said. “It is beautiful, though.”

  “No corset needed, Princess. If you wouldn’t mind, shall we move to the bathroom and get you showered? There isn’t time for a bath I’m afraid.”

  “It would be nice to get the sweat off my skin.”

  In no time, I was undressed and in the shower, water cascading down over my body. The shower was located in the corner of the bathroom, and the curtains obscuring me from view seemed to be optional. Trace was female, but even she didn’t seem entirely comfortable with nudity. Maybe because I was the “Lost Princess.”

  “I like your brother,” I called. “He’s nice.”

  There was a brief silence before Trace replied, “He is.”

  “Do you ever see him?”

  “Maybe in glances from time to time.”

  “But you haven’t talked to him since he became tethered,” I said, filling in the void of what she didn’t say.

  “Yes.” Her voice was quiet, suddenly timid.

  “Will you be at the Full Moon Banquet? You can talk to him there. I’ll help you hunt him down.”

  “The banquet is for werewolves alone, Princess. Humans can’t absorb moonlight.”

  “And?”

  “And it isn’t done.”

  “Koren will be there, right?” I said thoughtfully.

  Something clattered onto the bathroom tiles. “Please, Princess!” There was panic in Trace’s voice now. She pulled back the shower curtain. Her blue eyes shimmered, threatening tears.

  “I won’t tell anyone.” I tucked a strand of blond hair that had drifted out of her ponytail behind her ear. “I found Aerre the other night, watching over you and your mother. I just think it’s unfair.”

  Trace’s pink lips trembled as she nodded her head and pulled the curtain back into place.

  “I like Aerre,” I said.

  “He’s a wonderful little brother,” Trace agreed.

  “I’ll tell him to talk to you instead of hiding like a coward.”

  “It’s hardly cowardice. He’s doing it to keep us safe. Just like he always has.”

  “He can sneak in at night. No one will see.”

  “He won’t take the chance. It’s not done, Princess. Werewolves and humans… there are rules.”

  “Maybe it’s time for rules to be broken. How else will you and Koren ever be together?”

  Trace came back with a towel and tugged me out of the shower, shutting off the steady flow of water in the process. She fussed over me, patting down my skin like I was a cub unable to do it myself.

  “Please be careful, Princess,” she warned. “I want to be with Koren. I don’t want to hide, but we can’t be rash. Nobody likes change, and everyone has a hard time accepting it. You could get into a lot of trouble if you spoke to the king the way you speak to me. I think you have a good heart, but you’re the Lost Princess.” She sighed. “Maybe I’ve just said more to you than I should. You need to be careful, though. For your own sake. I’m not just telling you this to try and save my own skin.”

  “Maybe nobody likes change, but change happens anyway. It needs to happen. How can you be with Koren, how can you talk to your brother again without fear unless there’s change? Something like this isn’t going to happen gradually.” I was getting fired up. I was practically growling my every word. “There’s too big of a difference between werewolves and humans, even though the king, or somebody, claims the werewolves in Wolf Bridge are shields. What do they do for humans? They don’t eat them? Well, that’s great. What about the man I saw who got his arm broken by ‘Prince Alexander’?”

  Trace stared at me with wide blue eyes. She ushered me from the bathroom after tying the towel around me and sat me down on a chair in front of the vanity mirror. She pulled out the hairdryer and worked through my sopping hair.

  After a moment, she shut it off so she wouldn’t have to speak above the noise. “I want big changes too, but it’s easier to put it off and hide in the shadows. I think there is room for change. I was telling my mother that last night.”

  “I heard,” I said.

  “As much as I want and believe that, I know this kind of change, a human and a werewolf together openly, in love, as mates, as a married couple, wouldn’t come easily. We’re all part of a fine thread that could snap under the slightest pressure. I want things to change for the better, but they could just as easily change for the worse. Talking to my mother last night reminded me why I haven’t done anything yet. I don’t want to see anyone I love die. Consider that, Princess.”

  CHAPTER 26

  SORISSA

  THE DAY WAS FADING away and night would soon set in. The last rays of sunlight came in through the bubble-glass doors leading to the balcony. Trace and I hadn’t said much of anything after what she told me to consider.

  By the time Trace was finished with me, I looked like a proper princess, similar to the ones in fairytale illustrations. She didn’t overdo my makeup, so I still looked like me. I wasn’t wearing a corset. The dress fit snuggly on my figure. I looked in the mirror and considered all of this as well as everything Trace said. I had a choice. I could take all of this lying down, or I could fight for the kind of world I wanted to see outside of my woods. Did either path lead me to Phantom Fangs or were they out of my reach? Was it selfish to want change? How could it be when I would be sticking up for the persecuted? How had the world even come to this point?

  Thoughts swirled around and around in my head like a whirlwind, and I didn’t know if they would ever stop. I was tempted to stick my hand out in the wind and grab hold of the first solution flying by that I could catch.

  My door burst open without a single knock and three boisterous and brightly dressed werewolves let themselves inside. It was half of the Princes of Wolf Bridge. I was relieved to see that the two causing trouble at the square weren’t among them, but I was disappointed to see Caspian wasn’t either. Trace bowed low to the ground, and she didn’t move from that position.

  “Ravishing,” one prince exclaimed as he drank me in with his dark eyes.

  Another prince walked forward and offered me his arm. “We’re here to escort you to the Full Moon Banquet. It’s time to begin.”

  “Too bad Alexander and Henry had to get themselves into trouble. We get dibs on the princess.”

  I hated how they talked about me as if I wasn’t standing right in front of them. I bit my tongue so I wouldn’t lash out reflexively. I also took the prince’s arm. That was good enough for them. They walked me out of the room and continued their chatter, none of it meant for me to join—not that I had any desire to anyway
. Trace was still bent over when the door clicked shut.

  The three princes walked me through the castle and out a door I had never been through. It led outside to a series of neatly trimmed gardens. The grass was cut short and each blade was fine. I was certain it would feel soft underfoot. There were walkways made of the same orange-red stones as the streets outside of the castle. There were decorative fountains of wolves, a stream, a bridge, trees, blooming flowers… it was quite beautiful, especially when the sunlight caught on the fountains and reflective water one last time before the sun disappeared from the sky and dusk painted everything a deep purple.

  A large table was set up in the middle of a courtyard near a pond holding pink waterlilies that were just starting to bloom. The courtyard had the highest concentration of werewolves. Most of them were in the process of getting seated as humans carried trays of succulent meats from the castle. The smell permeated the air and made my mouth water.

  I supposed that meant Trace could have come if she were a server. I thought it was a shame she hadn’t. I spotted Koren among the other werewolves. He seemed a little tense tonight. He wasn’t wearing that dreamy smile he had when he had escorted me to the throne room.

  My skin prickled and the fine hairs on my body stood on end as the full moon slowly appeared. My body was already thrumming with the promise of power, with the tiniest hint of restoration. It was too early in the night for me to get much out of the full moon at the moment, but I could feel it. The moonlight. It was like drops of liquid splashing intermittently down into my core and rippling out across my body, all the way to my fingertips and toes. Each time a drop fell, goosebumps covered my skin. I wanted to undress, to expose every inch of my skin to the moon so I could take in as much moonlight as possible. I didn’t because of a few things: the alignment wasn’t perfect yet, I remembered Caspian’s lecture about modesty, and because Trace took a long time getting me ready.

  I reclaimed my hand from the prince guiding me when I spotted Phantom Fangs. They were all together, standing at a spot near the long table, about to take a seat. The sight of them all together made me smile and my chest swell. I was about to run for them, but Philip barred my way.

  “A pleasure to have you, Princess Sorissa,” he said. He even gave me a tiny bow which I thought odd. The King of Paws Peak never would have done that. I couldn’t figure out the King of Wolf Bridge. His sons reminded me of the royalty in Paws Peak, but Philip had his own code of conduct—or something.

  He took my hand and kissed the back of it. His lips were soft, but his beard was coarse. He looked up at me with eyes that were almost identical to Caspian’s. But there was a void in his eyes. The sapphire flakes danced in Caspian’s eyes. In Philip’s eyes, they were frozen into place.

  “Please take your seat next to me and my sons,” Philip said. I let him lead me to the head of the table, the side nearest the castle. His sons sat at either side of him and me. Alexander and Henry were already there and seated—farthest away from me.

  I sat quietly and awkwardly, surrounded by royalty I didn’t understand, while Philip looked out at all of the werewolves gathering and taking their seats. I stared longingly at Phantom Fangs. They weren’t clear on the other end of the table, but they were several werewolves away from me. As if they could feel the weight of my gaze, they all turned to look at me. This time the shiver that racked my body wasn’t because of the moonlight I was passively intaking.

  When everyone was seated, Philip stood and said, “Your attention, please.” All chatter died, and he was given everyone’s undivided attention. “The Lost Princess of Howling Sky lives, and she is with us tonight.” The king held out his hand to me. I took a steadying breath and reminded myself to do as I was told for now. I let him help me from my chair and stood in front of countless werewolves at their king’s side. The bite I had mostly forgotten about began to itch just then for some reason, like having so many werewolf eyes looking upon me was in violation of whatever half-claim Charles tried to put on me. On the other hand, I finally did see a handful of other wereas. None of them were my age, but I wasn’t completely alone.

  “Princess Sorissa is home, here, in Wolf Bridge. We saved her from imprisonment in Paws Peak, and next we will free her from the shackles forced upon her by Prince Charles.”

  I reflexively touched that bite between my neck and right shoulder. I tried to rub away the sting, but it made me wince.

  “Tomorrow, Phantom Fangs will free our princess by assassinating Prince Charles ve Paz of Paws Peak. Lureine willing, Paws Peak will soon be ours after that. King George will see they are powerless against us when Phantom Fangs infiltrates them a second time. That, or they will call us to battle. We will win. One way or another, we will force a surrender. Soon werewolves will no longer fight against one another. It’s time to put an end to the Prime War.”

  The night was filled with howls, cheers, and clapping. I stood silently. I wondered if Philip really thought Phantom Fangs would get out of Paws Peak unscathed for a second time. I believed in their abilities. I saw what they could do. But Philip wanted to “assimilate” Paws Peak. Supposedly. It would be safer for Phantom Fangs if he sent his army with them instead of waiting to see what happened with Prince Charles. Did he really think Paws Peak would surrender after something like that? Wouldn’t it just make them angrier? Wouldn’t it just give them time to prepare an attack of their own?

  Philip raised a glass of dark red liquid. “To our princess and Phantom Fangs’ success.”

  More howls, cheers, and clapping followed. These werewolves were praising Phantom Fangs, but I also noticed there was a gap in the seats from either side of the four members, effectively isolating them from everyone else even though the table was full and two werewolves were probably sitting on top of two others in order to leave those seats empty. Wolf Bridge considered Phantom Fangs their champions, their secret weapon, but they wanted nothing to do with them?

  “I have a gift for Phantom Fangs,” I said, but nobody heard me. I closed my eyes and used the few drops of moonlight I had absorbed from the ever-growing presence of the full moon. I coated my vocal chords in the soft blue light I could see in my mind’s eye and said it again. “I HAVE A GIFT FOR PHANTOM FANGS.” I didn’t shout, but my voice rang loud and clear, powerful, like it had come straight from the mouth of a god. I released my moonlight reserves, allowing them to once again collect passively deep inside of my being.

  The silence that followed was full of tension. Philip and the princes hesitated. I didn’t wait for their permission. I moved away from my chair and walked down the table. Each member of Phantom Fangs was standing by the time I got to them. They were wearing fancy clothes like everyone else, and I decided I liked that look on them. Their facial expressions were quite different, though. Rodrick looked like he was trying to hide a smirk. Aerre’s blue eyes were wide with concern, reminding me of his sister. Todd’s face was almost as red as his hair, and he stared at the ground. Caspian stood at attention like a soldier awaiting a command.

  “Thank you,” I said. “Each of you are brave protectors, warriors. But you haven’t forgotten your kindness. You haven’t forsaken your compassion.” I paused and spoke my next words quietly. “I want you all safe, and I don’t want you to go. But if I can’t stop you, I want to at least give you this.”

  I went to Rodrick first. I was glad to see his wounds had been treated; he should be able to heal the rest of the way once his moonlight reserves were filled tonight. He was much taller than I was—and I wasn’t short. I beckoned him closer. He leaned down in compliance. It felt right to start with him. He was the one who gave me the idea after all, and he owed me. I placed my hands on either side of his face, burying my fingers in his short beard as I pressed my lips to his. The kiss he had given me on my cheek felt so nice. It seemed like a perfect way to express my fondness for them. It turned out, lips on lips was much better. A low growl rumbled in Rodrick’s throat, and he swallowed a moan of my own. I wanted to linger, to l
ick, to bite, but I didn’t have time for it. Besides, this was payback for him teasing me before.

  I smirked when I pulled away and he tried to follow me. I went to Todd. He was shaking his head, eyes darting every which way. I wrapped my arms around his neck, coaxing him down slowly. The tension faded. His arms loosened up a little, and he grabbed my waist. I kissed him too. Softly. So softly. His lips parted, and he tasted like an assortment of spices crackling on my tongue. I didn’t want to stop this kiss either, but I had two more werewolves to kiss, and I wanted to do that too. I needed to do that too. And I couldn’t let anyone stop me. That meant everything was being cut short. I didn’t know when the crowd’s shock would wear off. Todd reluctantly let me go.

  Aerre’s mouth was hanging slightly ajar. When I stepped up to him, he took a step back and said, “No.” I wasn’t sure what to do. If he didn’t want me to kiss him, I wasn’t going to force it, but Caspian nudged Aerre with his elbow and nodded to that obnoxious bite of mine. It was glowing, bright and blue with moonlight. I wasn’t actively controlling my moonlight, but now that Caspian pointed it out, I could feel it active inside of me, little drops of luminous blues fading and replenishing at the same time as the moon’s alignment drew closer. It was nothing, hardly any moonlight because the alignment wasn’t perfect yet, but it was still there. Still powerful.

  “Aerre?” I asked, feeling suddenly shy.

  He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the blue was so bright I wondered if he was using moonlight too. He leaned down and let me kiss him. His lips were soft against mine, humming with energy, but he didn’t make a move—except for when he pressed his lips a little bit more firmly into mine. He was the one to move away. His chest was bouncing up and down with heavy breaths like he had just run a marathon. The blue light streaming from my bite grew more intense. I could almost feel it burning against my skin. Moonlight was pouring more steadily into my body now. It wasn’t time for the moon to align yet, but things were moving quicker, like what we were doing drew the moon in.