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Waving at them, Ruben again went looking for his father. Usually the king handled press conferences, though Ruben would do so if needed.
The Captain of the Royal Guard, a large, dark skinned Pack member named Drake, informed him that the king would indeed deal with the press. He’d asked Ruben to tie up any loose ends before he did so.
Though it was nearly morning and he was weary to his bones, Ruben took care of business. While he conferred with palace guards and picked his way through the rubble that had once been the enormous foyer and receiving room of the palace, Willow’s image hovered in the back of his mind. Not the beautiful woman in the beautiful ball gown, but the grimy, soot-covered one who’d so selflessly helped him. Who was she? Where had she come from? And why had she run away?
Had she been frightened, or had her fleeing been something else entirely? He froze as an awful thought occurred to him. Had she known something about the bomb or who had planted it? Had she seen something or was she much more intimately involved? Did she know something about the extremists?
As much as he tried, he couldn’t immediately dismiss the idea. He’d thought he was familiar with every noblewoman around, not only in Teslinko but in the neighboring countries. But he had no idea who she really was, what nationality, or even who her people were.
When he’d first found her, she’d been hiding, keeping to herself, speaking to no one. She’d been practically skulking about. Had what he’d put down to shyness been in actuality an attempt to remain unnoticed?
One thing he knew for certain. When all this was over, he had to find her again.
Finally finished, he straightened his shoulders. Since the press conference would be starting in a few minutes, he turned to go in search of his parents again. As he did, he glanced down. There, among the soot and the rubble, near his feet, something shimmered. He bent, his muscles sore, and picked it up.
A woman’s earring, a dangling pearl, now sullied by ash and soot. An image flashed into his mind of the earring swinging gently as Willow turned her head. The earring was hers. She must have lost it in the craziness after the explosion.
Jaw set, he slipped the jewelry into his pocket. He’d seek Willow out, ostensibly to return her earring. While he was there, he’d ask her to explain exactly why she’d run and what she’d seen.
Kicking off her heels and lifting her sodden, ruined skirt in one hand, Willow took off. She ran, full-out, panic fueling her, grateful for the sudden spurt of energy that enabled her to go. She relished the feel of her legs pounding the earth and the wind whipping her hair, pushing away her weariness. When she reached the veil, she didn’t hesitate, leaping toward the shimmering space as though the hounds of hell followed her.
For all she knew, one of them did.
When she’d discovered the veil, she’d quickly learned not to stay overnight. If she did, too much time passed on the other side. Once she’d come home after spending eighteen hours among the humans, only to learn over a week had passed at home.
She couldn’t chance that happening again. Especially not now, when her parents had warned her that the two princes from EastWard would be arriving by the next day. One of these men—Prince Chad—was to be her betrothed. The other, Prince Eric, would wed her older sister, Tatiana.
There would be a ball—the irony of this didn’t escape her—and she would be expected to make an appearance. As a matter of fact, she’d planned to wear the dress she’d worn tonight, which was now hopelessly ruined.
Once she’d landed—this time, miraculously on her feet—she hurried home. As soon as the glistening gold of the castle came into view, she felt some of her panic subside. Judging from the way the moon still hung low in the horizon, time had remained the same, or close enough that her lateness wouldn’t matter.
Out of breath with her heart pounding from her exertion, she skidded to a stop and smoothed down her hair. There was nothing she could do about her ruined and filthy dress. At least everyone should still be asleep in their beds.
Hurrying up the glittering steps and grasping the huge handle of the castle door, she pulled the heavy door open and slipped inside.
All quiet, exactly as it should be. So far, so good.
Then, as she turned the corner that would lead toward the stairs, she heard it. Coming from down the hall, emanating from the direction of one of the receiving rooms, the sound of harp music and muted laughter.
Oh, dark. Her heart in her throat, she froze, listening. Was this a party that had continued into the predawn hours? What else could it be? Had the East-Ward group already arrived? Her stomach clenched. She hoped not. If she’d missed some kind of welcoming reception, her mother would be furious with her.
Another laugh, deep and masculine, drifted down the hall. Immediately following, her sister Tatiana’s signature giggle. If this wasn’t the EastWard group, then her older sister had been entertaining another gentleman caller for the entire night.
Blech. Though Willow wouldn’t put it past Tatiana. One last fling before settling down to a boring married life would be the way her older sister would look at it.
Hoping she was wrong, Willow gave the room a wide berth and hurried to her room to shower and change out of her ruined dress into her pajamas. Hopefully she could manage to catch a few hours of sleep before anyone came looking for her.
The next morning, full sunlight lit her room when she finally opened her eyes. The clock on the night-stand next to her bed read eleven thirty-five. Nearly noon.
Though her first instinct was to panic and jump out of bed so she could rush through her normal morning preparations, after a moment of thought, she reconsidered. Stretching, she allowed herself to wallow in the unexpected luxury of sleeping in. Since no one had bothered her or, more specifically, come to chew her out, she’d have to assume that the EastWard group hadn’t yet arrived.
As she snuggled under the covers, her door swung open. Tatiana rushed into the room, slamming the door behind her. She wore one of her most glittery dresses, the shifting colors of white, gold, silver and blue giving Willow an instant headache.
“Good, you’re here,” Tatiana gushed, her golden hair all done up in ribbons and curls. Then, as she took in the sight of Willow snuggling under the covers, she frowned. “Why are you still in bed?”
Briefly Willow entertained the thought of telling her sister that frowning made a deep furrow appear right in the middle of her perfectly shaped eyebrows, but decided against it. “Thanks for knocking,” she said. “What do you want? I was sleeping.”
“This late?” Tatiana snorted. “Right. You forget, I know you. You’re hiding, aren’t you?”
Cautiously, Willow peered up at her sister. The waist of Tati’s sparkling dress had been cinched so tightly, it was a wonder the older girl could breathe. Her full breasts threatened to spill out if she moved the wrong way. The glittering material barely covered them, though the way it had been arranged put them on blatant display.
Of course. Tatiana was getting ready to meet her fiancé. She wanted to look her best.
“Why would I need to hide?” Cautiously, Willow sat up.
Narrow-eyed, Tatiana studied her. Her painted lips finally spread into a malicious grin. “You honestly don’t know?”
“Know what?”
“I’ll bet you didn’t show up at the welcome reception last night, did you?”
“Didn’t you notice?” Willow volleyed back. What kind of sister doesn’t discern whether or not her younger sibling was in attendance? She knew the answer to that one. Unless they were in direct competition with her for attention, a completely self-absorbed person like Tatiana rarely noticed any other woman in the room. And, since Willow clearly was no competition, Tatiana rarely knew—or cared about—her whereabouts.
Shaking her head so that her waves of bright, golden hair swung about her in a glorious cloud, Tatiana moved forward and perched on the chair at the side of Willow’s bed.
“The princes are here,” she said dreamily, though her bright violet eyes remained as sharp as ever. “Prince Eric is nearly as beautiful as me. And Prince Chad …”
Tatiana laughed, the sound so high-pitched and false Willow had to fight the urge to put her hands over her ears.
Tatiana’s perfect red lips widened into a mocking smile. “He’s perfect for you.”
Since Tatiana showed no signs of leaving and hadn’t yet arrived at the reason for her visit, Willow played along. “In what way? Is he also short and dark?”
“No. Quite the opposite. As a matter of fact, in his own way he’s very … appealing.” Tatiana gave a nervous laugh that was totally unlike her normal high-pitched giggle. This, along with the fact that her sister rarely even visited her room, made Willow instantly suspicious.
Slowly, she sat up, keeping as much of herself covered as she could for protection. She wouldn’t put it past her older sister to get in a few jabs about Willow’s lack of serious cleavage. About to ask for a second time what Tatiana wanted, Willow closed her mouth as Tatiana continued speaking.
“There’s a big breakfast this morning.” The words came out in a breathless rush, again not like her. “Since you missed the welcome reception last night, they’ve arranged for you to meet your intended in a few minutes over coffee and pastries. I was sent to fetch you.”
“A few minutes?” It took every ounce of restraint not to jump from her bed. Not only would she be rushed, but she’d be late for her worst nightmare. A big breakfast with a male stranger whom she was supposed to marry.
“I’ll stall them for you,” Tatiana offered.
Since her sister never did anything without expecting payment, Willow tilted her head. “Why would you do that?”
Tatiana abruptly fell silent, her huge violet eyes filling with tears. This made Willow instantly suspicious, as she knew her sister only cried to manipulate someone.
“I’m sorry I’ve been so awful to you lately,” Tatiana said. And there it was, or at least the beginnings of it. Exploitation. Though what Willow could possibly have that Tatiana would want, was beyond her.
Instead of acknowledging the apology, Willow simply crossed her arms and waited, knowing eventually Tatiana would get to the point.
But even she was shocked when her older sister suddenly burst into tears. And not fake tears either, but gut-busting, mascara-ruining real tears.
Chapter 3
After her initial surprise wore off, Willow got out of bed and hugged Tatiana awkwardly. Years ago, Tatiana had trained her that any attempt at touching her would not only be rebuffed, but ridiculed. Apparently, that rule had been suspended, at least temporarily.
Still silent, Willow patted her sister’s shoulder and let her cry.
“I don’t want to marry Prince Eric,” Tatiana finally sobbed, raising her mascara-stained face to Willow’s.
Doubly shocked, Willow stared. Tatiana’s ruined appearance, combined with her words, proved she actually meant it.
Aware she needed to tread carefully, Willow ventured a comment. “I thought he was the golden one, the prize among all princes.”
“And the way our two kingdoms can join forces against the Shadows,” Tatiana recited, as if by rote. “I know, I know.”
“You said he was beautiful.” In the past, appearances had been all that had mattered to her gorgeous older sister.
“He is, he is,” Tatiana moaned. “Like I said, he’s almost as beautiful as me.”
What would have been extreme vanity in others was a simple statement of fact. Tatiana was the most beautiful among the Bright. And all knew it.
Again, Willow waited, knowing it would be better if she didn’t speak just yet.
“But …” Tatiana began.
And here it came. The big but. For the life of her, Willow couldn’t figure out what it might be. Prince Eric was wealthy, powerful and the heir to the East-Ward throne. Once married to him, Tatiana would be in line to become Queen of the EastWard and, if their parents’ dream came true and the SouthWard and EastWard people united, Queen of all the Brights.
A power that had never before existed.
If Willow knew her big sister—and she did—it would have to be something awful to make her want to give up that much power.
“That’s the problem,” Tatiana sniffed. “He’s too beautiful. Everyone will be looking at him. No one will even notice me.”
Willow shook her head. “That’s not possible. And think of the adorable children you’d have.”
“Children born of two good-looking parents are usually ugly. And I’d rather …” When Tatiana didn’t finish but instead dissolved into another bout of sobbing, Willow continued to pat her back and wait her out.
Meanwhile, she tried to figure out why Tatiana was acting this way. Was she drunk? Had she gone without her much vaunted beauty rest for the entire night and this breakdown was because of simple exhaustion?
Or—and darker thoughts began to arise—was Prince Eric some kind of sadist? Had he—horrified, Willow swallowed hard—had he hurt Tatiana? Abused her in some way?
Finally, as Tatiana continued weeping, Willow prodded. “But?”
“I think I could fall in love with Prince Chad.”
“Huh?” Willow blinked. “Eric’s younger brother? The one our parents promised me to?”
Tatiana’s perfect, creamy skin blushed bright red. “Yes. And I’m quite certain he could love me, too, if he were given a chance.”
Skeptical, Willow crossed her arms. “And you determined this in, what, a few hours last night?”
Tatiana shook her head so vigorously her hair whipped Willow in the face. “Don’t say it like that.” Her sorrowful expression hardened. “You’ve always treated me like I was stupid. I’m not. When I see what I want, I know it. It’s as simple as that.”
Willow’s head had begun to ache. Rubbing her eyes, she tried to make sense of her sister’s words. “And you’re telling me this because you want me to do … what?”
Tatiana snapped her head up, her tears drying instantly. “Switch with me. Seduce Prince Eric. Make him want you.”
Willow couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Switch with you? Listen to yourself. As if someone as perfect, as golden, as Bright as you’ve described would want someone like me over you.” Not to mention the outcry such a public rejection would cause. The gossip! The rumors! Tatiana would never live them down.
Which meant there had to be a catch. And because she was who she was—tigers didn’t change their stripes—Tatiana wouldn’t mention this catch until it was way too late for all involved.
In her childhood and teenage years, Willow had been down that road more times than she could count. She wouldn’t make this mistake again.
Her self-depreciating comment had pleased Tatiana. Grinning with a false modesty, she dipped her head in acknowledgment. “True, but Prince Chad has told me one something about his older brother that isn’t well known. Eric’s magic is weak, like yours. Again, I have to think of my future children.”
Since Willow’s magic was more than weak, it was nonexistent, she crossed her arms. “Prince Chad told you this why?”
“Were you not listening? I talked to them both last night. That’s how I know I can’t marry Eric. One, he’s too good-looking and two, he has inferior magic. Chad’s magic is as powerful as mine, plus he’s less beautiful than his older brother. He is much more to my liking.”
Stunned speechless, Willow considered her thoughts. Was this a simple case of Tatiana wanting whatever Willow had? No, she decided. Not possible. Especially since everyone knew Tatiana’s intended husband was every bit as beautiful as her.
“But the eldest son’s wife will be queen,” Willow said, trying another tactic.
“Of the EastWard Brights.” Tatiana shook her head. “You can have that.”
“You’d give up the throne?” This definitely meant Tatiana was up to something. Unfortunately, whatever it was wouldn’t be good for Willow.
“Only that throne,” Tatiana finally conceded. “I’d still be able to rule SouthWard once Mama and Daddy step down.”
“Which won’t be for a long time,” Willow put in.
Tatiana’s smile held a hint of darkness. “Oh, you never know. It might be sooner than you think.”
Did she plan to help things along? Willow shook her head. She didn’t really want to know. However, she’d need a mate with a lot of magical power if she planned to try and stage a coup. Which would explain her sudden desire for the younger, less handsome brother.
They were still eyeing each other when the door opened and Queen Millicent swept inside, peering at them with disapproval. “The breakfast will be in one hour and neither of you are ready? I expect this sort of behavior from Willow, but from you, Tatiana? Honestly.”
The queen had barely finished speaking when she caught sight of her first-born child’s red nose and face streaked with black. Instantly she rounded furiously on Willow.
“What have you done to your sister?” she hissed, gathering Tatiana close while her gaze shot daggers at her youngest daughter. “Today of all days she must look her absolute best and you’ve made her cry.”
Willow didn’t bother to try and form a response. She knew from experience that her mother wouldn’t believe her anyway.
Without waiting for an answer, the queen turned and shepherded Tatiana from the room. At the doorway, she paused, glaring back over her shoulder at Willow. “I’m going to take your sister and see if I can repair the damage you’ve done. As for you, get ready for the breakfast. All I ask is that you try to look decent.”
Willow nodded.
