Chapter 10

Ten

~ Prince Callan ~

She’s my Ahalian Touizda. The knowledge haunts me as I keep watch, crouched on the rooftop of a two-story building. We’d walked for an hour and crossed over a bridge before setting up camp in this place. The beast shifters we encountered will likely be able to track us if they are intent on doing so, but I suspect Princess Blake knows that and this is some kind of test for the alphas.

I think about the demon princess resting on the floor below me, and her phantom scent reaches my nose, the sweet honey and spicy cinnamon making my blood pound faster. I grind my teeth as I try to banish the female from my thoughts, but delicious images flash through my mind making my body tighten. I want to taste her, to feel her skin on mine and make her beg for release before I let her come apart in my arms. Fuck.

Taking a deep breath, I run a hand through my hair. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. As the oldest unbonded prince in the royal Manero line, it was my obligation to attend the ball. To present myself to the princess and keep King Dalton happy. But I hadn’t thought the half-blood princess and I would actually be fated. Nor had I anticipated that the demon king would gas us and leave us in an abandoned realm, which was a failure on my part.

My Ahalian Touizda. The truth of the statement vibrates in my bones, but it makes no difference. I can’t have her. If I bond with the female nothing would keep me from her side, and I can’t let that happen. The promise I made years ago surfaces to the forefront of my mind, a constant reminder of my duty back in Toralyn. No, I can’t make Princess Blake mine. Lady Fate made a mistake.

There’s a grunt to my left, and I turn my head as Nate climbs onto the roof and settles beside me. He’s still wearing the ridiculous outfit that’s way too small for his muscled form, and my brows slam down. “What is it, Nine Lives?”

“What’s with the hostility, brother?” he replies, baring his teeth. “We’re going to be bonded, after all.”

I turn my attention back to the street below and crack my knuckles.

Nate stares at the side of my face. “Ah, you’re not still fixated on that promise, are you? Is that why you’ve been so cold toward our queen?”

“She’s not my queen,” I argue. “She can’t be.”

“Yes, and that’s why you’re still here guardin’ over her, isn’t it?”

“And what about you?” I turn on him. “What’s your play, Nine Lives? Because we both know being a royal stuck in a stuffy palace has never been your end goal.”

His lips curve into a smile. “Maybe I finally realized that I deserve happiness. I don’t know, spendin’ the remainder of my days pleasurin’ my mate while I enjoy the luxuries of Seral doesn’t sound too bad.”

I scoff. “You’re either fooling yourself or you’re fooling her.”

His playful smile slips away. “A lot has changed since our last encounter in Toralyn, prince.”

“And I dare say not for the better seeing as your head isn’t mounted to the Toralyn palace gates,” I retort, my jaw clenching.

His expression hardens, his slitted gaze hyperfocused on me. Fangs start to peek from between his lips, but the sound of voices draws my attention to the dark shadows further up the street.

Nate cocks his head, his nostrils flaring. “It’s the alphas from earlier. They’ve found us.” He listens for a moment longer, and his features darken.

I draw my sword, careful not to make a sound. “Let me guess, they’re not here to make friends?”

“What do you think?” he answers, and his new clothes shred to pieces as he shifts, fur sprouting over his body, and his muscles rippling as his hands morph into paws.

My lips curve into a wicked smile. “I think it’s time to remind the little beasts to have some manners.”

~ Nate ~

The alphas aren”t quiet as they stalk down the street in their non-shifted forms. The bear shifter leads the way, his gaze feral and unfocused, and I stand in the middle of the road, my tail flicking in agitation as I block their path.

Prince Callan drops down beside me and folds his wings behind his back. “I’m going to assume given your current state you don’t realize how stupid you are for coming after us,” he drawls. “And with that in mind, I’ll give you one chance to go back the way you came.”

The shifters glare at him and stop where they are.

“We’re here for the medicine. We know you have more of it,” the bear shifter growls.

“And the demon princess,” one of the wolf shifters adds. “She’s the reason we’re in this mess.” The others nod in agreement, fangs already protruding from their mouths as they partially shift.

“Actually, you have the demon king to thank for your current vacation,” Prince Callan corrects them. “And there truly is no extra medicine here, so I suggest you turn around and hunker down someplace quiet before someone gets hurt.”

“That”s easy for you to say. You”ve got the girl and the medicine,” the other wolf shifter snarls. “But what about the rest of us unbonded. We”re supposed to just wait around until this little test of her father’s is over?”

Prince Callan stares at him like he’s an imbecile. “Well, yes.”

The shifters all look at each other and laugh.

“C’mon boys, let’s see what happens when the princess loses two of her precious mates. They say the bonded feel that pain for the rest of their lives,” the bear shifter growls, and his lips form a demented grin. “Maybe she’ll change her mind about us when she realizes she’s alone again.”

One of the wolf shifters lets out a howl, and then the four of them begin to shift, fur sprouting from their skin and their clothes tearing as they surrender to their beasts.

A low growl rumbles in my throat, and I lunge forward before they’ve transformed completely. In a swift move I tear the head off one of the wolf shifters before he can cry out, and his blood pools in my mouth, dribbling down my chin. The other wolf shifter finishes changing, and he snarls and slavers, his fur bristling as he stares at his fallen comrade. I let out a roar, and the wolf launches toward me. Leaping to the side, I snap my powerful jaws narrowly missing the wolf’s neck.

“We did try to warn you,” Prince Callan murmurs as he stalks casually forward, meeting the giant reptilian shifter head on. The beast has a thick body with spines running down his curved back, and an elongated snout containing rows of razor-sharp teeth. The prince grins as he confuses the shifter with his wind power and runs his sword into its side. The creature lets out a pained clicking sound and flicks his head, his teeth scraping on Prince Callan’s metal breastplate. Grunting comes from the right, and the bear shifter runs at the prince. Before the beast can barrel into him, Prince Callan lifts his hand and blows the bear back with his power.

I turn my attention to the wolf who’s watching me. His head is lowered, his yellow eyes alert and calculating. I pace, moving as he does, my tail flicking back and forth. It isn’t my first time against wolves, so when the beast lunges forward, I do the same. We clash in the air, and my paw smashes against the wolf’s face, leaving deep claw marks over his eye. He whines and twists as he tries to clamp his teeth onto my shoulder, but all he’s done is leave himself open, and my jaws lock onto his head. I bare down, crushing bone until he falls limp in my hold.

The thrill of the kill rushes through me, and I growl as I toss his body to the side. To my right, the reptilian shifter is dead on the ground, and Prince Callan battles the bear shifter, using his wind power to force the creature toward the building at his back. I move closer, drawn by my bloodlust and the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

The bear growls, lifting his head and showing his fangs as he fights against the wind and swipes at Prince Callan. The prince side steps, avoiding the hit, and I jog to the bear’s left side, ready to attack the beast while he’s distracted.

The bear grunts and swipes at Prince Callan again, his eyes tearing from the swirling wind. Seeing my opening, I lunge forward. I’m about to close my jaws onto the creature’s neck when the bear is lifted a few feet into the air. My teeth snap at empty air, and I glare at Prince Callan who’s now flapping his wings, hovering in the air as well.

He smirks at me. “Oh, did I not mention that this one’s mine? You weren’t expecting me to let you have more kills than me now, were you?”

I snarl at him, and pace agitated as he makes quick work of the flailing bear shifter. Within a matter of moments, the bear’s head thuds to the ground near my paws, crimson blood running into the cracks between the stones. The wind swirling around the creature’s suspended body stops, and the rest of the beast falls to the street. Prince Callan grins wickedly, his sword slick with blood as he flaps his wings, landing beside the fallen alpha. “Without the medicine, they were so weak it wasn’t a fair fight,” Prince Callan comments, then he smiles. “Not that the outcome would have been any different.”