We paused, and Annabelle lingered behind as well. Benedict didn’t mind; he almost seemed to expect it.
“Now that Seth is dead, I’m concerned that we aren’t going to find out the identity of the rogue wolf,” he said.
“What about Seth’s men?” I asked.
“They’ve maintained the same story as Seth, that they have no idea who we’re talking about.”
Jasper cleared his throat. “I spoke to Seth the other day. He staunchly maintained that he was baffled. It makes me wonder if he was trying to protect someone, which in itself is strange because I’ve never known Seth to protect anyone but himself.”
Adam glanced at me, his face hesitant. I nudged him. “What is it?”
He turned to Benedict. “What if Hazel and I went to talk to them?”
I swallowed. “What?”
“I was thinking that perhaps bringing a beautiful woman down to implore them might gain us more answers.”
I flushed. Adam was too kind, but at the same time he was suggesting something that made me want to vomit.
Jasper turned to me. “Hazel, are you all right with that?”
I paused before responding. “I want this wolf out of our lives. If you think this will help, I’m happy to participate.”
Benedict looked at all of us. “Shall we go now?”
My heart began to pound like thunder in my chest, and Adam laced his fingers through mine. I gave a small nod.
With Adam’s hand still entwined with mine, we followed Benedict down a back staircase. The air grew heavy and cold, the scent of mold and dirt reaching our noses. We reached the lowest level of the castle. Here the walls were of a darker stone, the floor simply packed dirt. We crossed a dirt cavern to a side hallway, Benedict nodding at the guards. We passed under an arched door into a room of cells and cages.
“Listen up,” Benedict said. “All those who worked with Seth Wolfric, please step to the bars.”
Four men stepped forward.
“Is it true?” one of the men asked. “He’s dead?”
“Yes,” Benedict said. “He was shot last night by Christine.”
Several of the men snickered. One said, “Good riddance.”
“I know many of you are not happy with where you ended up thanks to Seth, so we are hoping you will continue to give us information.”
“What do you want to know?” one asked.
Benedict looked over at me and gave me a slight nod. I took a deep breath and stepped forward. The light in here was dim so I couldn’t see faces, only shadows. “When your group ambushed us on the road from Ashford Castle, one of you attacked me. He was a brown and black wolf with yellow eyes. He hasn’t been caught yet. Please, tell us what you know so that we can put him away.”
“We don’t know nothin’,” one of the men said.
“Nothin’,” another agreed.
My heart was pounding, and I knew they could hear it. Tears sprang to my eyes. “Please,” I said, “he’s attacked me in my home. I don’t feel safe.”
“Sorry, girlie. We don’t know,” said one of the men.
Annabelle stepped from the shadows, where she had been silently watching so far. “You’re in prison,” she said to the men. “How is it fair that this other man is still free? Your lives are over while he gets to live his.”
The men were silent for a moment before one came closer to the bars. I could see his face in the flickering light of the sconces—he had a crooked nose and dark eyes.
“When we were sent to attack your group, we were waiting on the side of the road for about an hour. When your group arrived and we attacked, another wolf came from the forest.”
“Bridget, we know,” said Jasper.
“No,” the man said, shaking his head. “The brown and black wolf. None of us knew him. When we began to attack, he came out of hiding. We thought he was going to fight against us, but instead he tried to get at the carriage. We were too preoccupied to try to fight him.”
“Let me see if I’m understanding this,” Jasper said. “You’re saying that another wolf happened to be in the vicinity and attacked them at the same time you did, but you have no idea who it was?”
“It might sound far-fetched, but it’s the truth,” the man said.
“I believe him,” Annabelle said.
Benedict looked at her in surprise.
“Let’s go back upstairs and I’ll explain,” she said.
“All right. Thank you, Theodore,” Benedict said. Confused, we followed everyone upstairs to Benedict’s office. Adam and I sat down in chairs; though Adam had offered his seat to Annabelle, she refused. Benedict sat in the chair on the other side of his desk. Jasper glanced over at Annabelle.
“All right,” he said, “you’ve clearly got something on your mind. What is it?”
“It’s just a working theory.”
Jasper rubbed his temples. “Let’s hear it.”
She exhaled. “You’ve been attacked three times, right, Hazel? Once during the ambush, once at Wolf’s Peak, and once at your home, yes?”
I nodded.
“But no one else has been attacked by this wolf.”
“That’s right,” I said, swallowing. “Are you thinking I’ve made this up?”
“No, actually. In fact, I want to add a few other instances for thought. First, when you went into the village near Ashford Castle and you were shot at.”
I shook my head. “I nearly forgot about that.”
“Second, the pastry.”
I stared at her. “What are you talking about?”
“When we were staying at Wolf’s Peak, a pastry was delivered to you, remember?”
“Yes, from the bakery where we’re getting our wedding cake.”
“But you dropped it when Daniel ran into you. The next day, we found it in the paws of a dead racoon.”
“So?” I glanced between the others, who had clearly grasped the situation before I did.
“You think it was poisoned?” Adam asked her.
“I’m almost certain,” she said.
“Wait,” I said, putting a hand up. “Why on earth would anyone want to poison me? That’s ridiculous.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time someone has tried to kill you,” Adam pointed out.
I rolled my eyes. “Lillian was an exception. No one else could possibly want to kill me. I’m fairly innocuous.”
“Lillian hates you, though,” Annabelle said.
“Lillian is locked up in an asylum,” I pointed out.
Jasper and Adam exchanged a look.
“We should verify that as soon as we return to England,” Jasper said.
“Oh, come on,” I said, “you can’t seriously think that Lillian is trying to kill me.”
The three glanced at each other.
“You’re kidding me,” I said.
“It’s an interesting theory,” Benedict said. “I would like you to check and make sure that Lillian is still locked away.”
“You’re forgetting something important,” I said. “I’ve seen Lillian in wolf form. She isn’t brown and black.”
“That is true,” Adam mused. “I’ve seen her as well.”
“Could it be one of her family members?” Benedict asked.
“I suppose, although they’ve left Weylyn,” Jasper said. “Either way, until this wolf is caught, I want guards on Hazel 24/7.”
I rolled my eyes. “You can’t be serious. How am I supposed to explain to my parents why there’s councilmen guarding my home?”
“We can talk to Harry,” Adam said. “If you’re not with me, Harry can watch you.”
“Oh, he’ll love that, me interfering with his philandering.”
“I think he’ll be fine.”
“For the record, I think this is insane,” I said. “But clearly I won’t sway you. A few uneventful nights should prove my point.”
We wouldn’t have a chance to find out for several more days. We stayed at the elders’ castle for almost another w
eek as Jasper finished up paperwork and arranged to have Seth’s body transported back to Wolf’s Peak, where it would be interred in the family cemetery.
The night before we left, Adam took me in his arms beside the fireplace.
“Two more weeks and we’ll be married,” he said. “Are you ready?”
I scoffed. “No.”
“No?”
“Am I ready to spend my life with you?” I asked, lifting his hand with mine and threading my fingers through his before looking into his green eyes, “Absolutely. But am I ready for the wedding? Not even close. I’ve still got so much to do.”
“You’ll pull it off. I know you will.”
“You have far more faith than I do.”
He leaned down to kiss me, our lips meeting softly. “Because I know you’re amazing,” he said.
Our lips met again as I wrapped my arms around his neck. I threaded my hands in his hair, pulling him toward me. Adam wrapped his arms around my waist as mine slid down his shoulders, tugging at the buttons on his shirt. Likewise, with one hand still on the small of my back, his other hand unhooked my buttons until my dress fell to the floor.
When were had stripped all our clothes off, we collapsed onto the bed, a tangle of naked flesh and limbs. Adam kissed down my neck, his mouth surrounding one of my nipples, tongue dancing over the hardening nub. One of his hands found its way between my legs, a finger sliding inside me, my back arching. He kissed his way back up until he found my lips.
“You’re so wet already,” he murmured.
“I need you,” I gasped.
He didn’t hesitate. Once he’d slid a condom on, he hovered at my entrance until I gave him the smallest of nods. With my permission he thrust inside me, filling me, hitting the perfect spot. I cried out as the pleasure filled me. I reached back, my nails digging into his ass, pulling him as far into me as I could. His lips met mine as our bodies moved in synch, the ecstasy growing with each thrust.
As the warmth blossomed through my stomach, I moaned into his mouth and he only kissed me harder. Fireworks exploded behind my eyes as the pleasure hit its peak. He followed soon after, crying out my name.
We fell asleep together. In the morning, we’d be headed back to England and back to the lair of the wolf.
Chapter Twenty–Seven
“I may actually miss this place a bit,” I said with a sigh as I looked out the window in my bedroom. The sun was beaming over the backyard, birds flying across the yellow orb. The Swedish landscape was positively charming.
“You don’t want to go home?” Adam asked.
“It’s not that. It’s that now that Seth is gone, it’s almost peaceful here, and I know when we return home it will be chaos.”
“Chaos?”
“We have two weeks until the wedding. There’s so much to do, I’m hardly going to be sleeping.”
“Well, we’ll never get home if you don’t finish packing,” Adam said with a smirk.
“I know.” I turned from the window and crossed to the wardrobe, clearing out the last few pairs of shoes and undergarments and tossing them into the trunk. I sat down at the dressing table and ran the hairbrush through my golden brown hair and pinned my hair back. When that was done, I gathered everything and added it to the trunk, kneeling down and organizing it so that I could still find things for our journey home.
I paused and checked my reflection in the mirror, smoothing down the fabric of my blue dress. I was so plain, so ordinary. My face had a smattering of freckles, and my eyes were a soft blue-green. I wasn’t threatening to anyone, and it was still hard for me to accept that there was someone out there who wanted me dead.
Going back home, we would be facing that wolf head-on. He hadn’t followed us to Sweden, or if he did, he’d been scared off by the elders. He certainly would have reached Weylyn by now, and he’d be waiting for us. While I still didn’t think that he was really after me, it still made me nervous knowing that we’d be going back while he lay in wait.
“Are you all right, Hazel?” Adam asked me, studying my frown.
“Yes,” I said, clearing my throat. “Shouldn’t you get to packing?”
“I packed yesterday,” he said.
“Of course you did,” I said with a roll of my eyes.
I gathered the last few things from the bathroom and added them to the trunk as well. Everything packed, I shut the trunk and latched it. “I guess that’s it.”
There was a knock on the door, and Adam answered. Jasper stood there.
“We’re having lunch,” he said. “Are you ready?”
Adam glanced at me and I nodded. He took my trunk and we descended the stairs, and when we reached the bottom he added my trunk to the pile by the door.
Our lunch in the dining room was full of excitement and a little sorrow. We were all anxious for the journey ahead, but also sad to leave the opulence of the castle.
Benedict rang a little bell and we all turned to him. “Hello, everyone. We want to thank you so much for joining us these last few weeks.”
“You did summon us here,” Jasper pointed out.
Benedict smiled. “Fair enough. But I greatly appreciate that you were all able to make it to help with our court case. Once again, I deeply apologize to any that were hurt by Seth’s escape. I hope that next time any of you come to visit us, that it is under much better circumstances. Please have a safe journey home.”
We left the table, loading into our carriages. I turned to look out the window as we pulled away, watching the massive waterfront castle grow smaller as we traveled farther away. Once I couldn’t see it anymore, I snuggled into Adam’s arms.
The station in Stockholm was bustling today, unlike when we had arrived in the dead of night. We stretched our legs on the platform until it was time to board. I stashed my trunk in my compartment and pulled out a few gowns for the couple nights we’d be spending on the train. Once I felt organized, I left my compartment and joined the others in the dining car.
I sat at a table with Annabelle, Christine, and Bridget. Daniel and Ingrid’s daughter, Alice, sat on the floor next to us, playing with toys. Christine let me hold Lowell as we chatted.
I looked down at the sleepy baby in my arms. He had dark hair just like his mother and father, and it was beginning to curl at the ends. For all the hours he had been taken by Seth, it didn’t seem to have affected him at all. He slept comfortably in my arms.
“Aw, Hazel, you’re a natural,” Christine said.
“It’s just because he’s so well-behaved,” I said with a smile.
“You’re going to be a wonderful mother,” Annabelle said.
“I’d better be, for how many children Adam wants to have,” I said, and the girls laughed.
Unlike our trip to Sweden, our journey back to France was uneventful, no snow and no stops. We relaxed together, the weight of the trial lifted off our shoulders. I had almost begun to enjoy our time on the train when we pulled into the station at Calais.
Our ferry ride back to England was a little less fun. Dark clouds had gathered for spring rain, and so we had to stay inside, not on the deck. Still, seeing all the rain drizzling down the ferry windows made us feel like we were finally home.
We unloaded from the boat and reloaded to the train that would take us from the coast to London. I relaxed with the girls again, and once we reached the London station we gathered together for dinner.
Once again, we spent the night at a hotel. We’d take the train back to Ervine in the morning. Our last big dinner together was a fun one, lots of talking and drinking before we retired to our rooms.
The next morning was an early one. We ate breakfast on the train, and I sat in the train car with the girls again. We chatted about the wedding, planning everything we’d have to get done over the next few weeks in order to have everything completed in time.
We separated again when we arrived in Ervine, splitting into separate carriages for our journey back to Wolf’s Peak. I fell asleep on Adam’s shoulder
and didn’t wake until we arrived, the big, imposing manor looming as we pulled through the gates.
Stretching and yawning, I sat in the parlor watching the rain as the men unloaded the carriages and began separating luggage out so that everyone could return to their homes. There were so many people to take care of, the men stood for ages trying to decide the best way to go about things. Finally they seemed to have come to a decision and Adam came to join me in the parlor.
“Are you all right with waiting about a half hour to return home?” he asked.
“That’s fine by me.”
“Wonderful. Jasper will be coming with us, but he wants to make sure Christine and the baby are settled in first.”
“All right, then,” I said with a yawn. I was too tired to argue. The carriages left and returned, and soon it was our turn to travel home. We loaded Adam and my luggage up, then took off toward our houses.
As soon as we pulled up to my home, my mother ran outside to greet me despite the rain. “You’re home!” she cried out, wrapping me in a hug. “Oh, I’ve missed you! I feel I’ve scarcely seen you the last few months.”
“I missed you too, Mum,” I told her, though truth be told I’d hardly thought of her at all.
“I have something to show you,” she said. Then she turned to the men. “Oh, do come in, will you? I’ll have Rose make up some tea.”
We all hurried through the rain to make it into the house, Adam and Jasper carrying my trunk between them. I left them in the parlor as my mum led me upstairs, excited for whatever it was that she was going to show me.
“Close your eyes,” she said, pausing just outside my door.
“All right,” I said, squeezing them shut. I heard the click of the doorknob and the creak of the hinges as she opened the door.
“Ta-da!” she cried out proudly.
“Oh, Mum, it’s beautiful,” I gasped. Hanging on the front of the wardrobe was my wedding gown, just the way I had designed it, a soft, flowing lace and long sleeves.
“It came last week. I couldn’t wait for you to arrive so I could show you!”
I ran the lace of one of the sleeves through my fingers. “Oh, it’s so perfect. I can’t wait.”
The Wolf's Betrothed (The Wolf's Peak Saga Book 5) Page 21
