Chapter 19

Tara

Blood is everywhere. It coats Rinan's body, and spreads out in a puddle on the floor. There's just so much of it. An impossible amount. A human couldn't survive this much blood loss, but he's a shifter. He'll be okay. Won't he?

"What the fuck happened? Where did they come from?" Prince Drogo shouts angrily, desperately, like he's terrified and angry all at once.

I can't pay attention to him. Not when Prince Rinan is here dying. "The bear," is all I can manage.

"How did a fucking bear get in here?" Prince Drogo sounds more frightened than angry.

"We need a healer!" Prince Arlys shouts, kneeling at my side.

Prince Rinan doesn't move. He just continues to pump out blood like this is his dying day. Please let it stop. He has to get better. Right?

Damn it. I'm not about to find out. I'm not about to just sit here and do nothing. Because healers can heal almost anything, but they can't fix death. And shifter healers? I imagine they're capable of even less.

I lean down and put my trembling hand on his face, cupping his cheek. His gaze meets mine, and he doesn't seem to know what I'm doing, but his eyes don't leave mine. Which is good. This will be easier if he's looking at me.

I've healed before. I've healed Baldemar when he's injured himself, several times in fact, but I've never been able to do it with the other witches, so I don't have a lot of faith this will work. Except, I have to have faith. I can't let Rinan die, or hurt, not any longer than he has to.

Do it. You can do it.

"Heal," slips from my lips.

Warmth flows from my hand, and his eyes widen. The cut on his face begins to heal and fade. I look down and see that the wounds on his throat and chest have stopped bleeding, and that they're knitting themselves slowly back together.

My heart races. It worked. It actually worked.

Prince Rinan blinks down at himself, his eyes wide. "Did you… heal me?" His voice sounds small and raspy.

I nod, dropping my hand. "I think… I think you're going to be okay."

Prince Arlys touches the spot where the wound was on the prince's cheek. It's gone now. Completely faded. "Remarkable."

"I-it feels so strange." Prince Rinan says softly. "I can't describe it. But one minute I felt that the gods were calling me home, and the next I felt more solid. Here again. And the pain, the pain has eased."

"That's how it is with healing magic," I tell him, surprised that he doesn't know.

"A bear shouldn't have fucking been here in the first place!" Prince Drogo says, nearly shouting.

Prince Arlys looks up at him sternly. "Get a grip, Drogo. It happened. You can't fix what's already taken place just by being angry at it." Then he turns to me. "Are you alright?"

Me? I'm not the one in a bloody pool on the floor."Yes, I'm fine, and I think he's fine now too."

Prince Arlys looks relieved, then glances down at his friend. "Can you stand?"

It takes Prince Rinan a full minute to answer. "I think so."

We help him up, while Prince Drogo stares on, looking angry and helpless. It takes Prince Rinan another long minute to find solid footing, and then he moves away from us and goes to the bed, collapsing onto the side of it.

I step around the bear, staying close to Prince Rinan for reasons I don't understand. All his wounds appear to be healed up. He has more color in his face. I don't need to be worried about him any longer, but I am. For some reason.

"Fucking bears," Prince Drogo mutters.

Speaking of which… "How did a bear get on the second story balcony?" I ask. "How is that even possible?"

"It isn't a bear," Prince Rinan says tiredly. "It was a bear shifter."

I turn and look at the bear, and to my shock, he's shifted into a man. A giant of a man, even bigger than the three princes, with torn clothes and hollow eyes that stare at nothing. Well, one hollow eye. The other has my throwing star in it.

A freaking bear shifter.I knew they existed, but I guess I'd never thought I could mistake one for an actual bear. I figured something about the bear would indicate it was a shifter, but I should have known better.

"Why? Why was it here? I don't understand." My voice sounds small and frightened even to my own ears.

Prince Drogo makes an angry little sound. "Clearly, if it was in your room, it was looking to attack you, right? Or at least that's what we're expected to believe."

I choose to ignore the last sarcastic sentence. "Me? Why me?"

None of them look at me. No one speaks.

I stare at them, getting the strangest feeling that everyone knows something that I don't know. "It attacked me. It sought me out. I need an explanation. Something."

There has to be something. Or is this something that happens here all the time? Monsters attack. Bears attack. People turn into wolves.

It's pure madness.

Prince Arlys breaks the silence, explaining, "Part of the Shifter Kingdom is ruled by bears. My only guess is that they're worried that us aligning with witches might make us strong enough to finally defeat them."

So the shifters fight with the witches, and they fight amongst themselves. Of course this place had to be worse than I ever expected. Now, do I have to spend my days being terrified of bears jumping out of the shadows?

Prince Rinan rises to his feet. "None of that matters right now. I'm fine, and we'll manage the bear shifters when the time comes." He moves slowly toward me, tenderness in his gaze as he assesses me. "You're covered in blood."

I look down at myself, realizing for the first time that I'm drenched in blood, and bile burns the back of my throat. "It's not all mine," I assure him, even though some of it is, judging by the claw marks across my chest. I put my hand near one of the cuts and say, "Heal." Of course, nothing happens. I bite my lip and look up at them. "It's harder for us to heal ourselves," I tell them, unsure if they noticed what I just tried to do.

"We need to get her to one of our healers and get her patched up and clean," Prince Rinan insists, smoothing my blood-stained hair out of my face and checking me for more injuries.

"What we fucking need are answers." Prince Drogo says, sneering at me. "We need to know exactly what happened."

It's not complicated, I want to say, but the way he's looking at me renders me paralyzed. There's such unbelievable hatred in his gaze that it makes me feel like what just happened was my fault. I feel that uncomfortable feeling, like my body wants to cry, but I won't let it. I won't. Not in front of any of these men. No matter how scary what just happened was.

Prince Drogo steps closer to me. "Do your people ever interact with the bears?"

My people? What's he talking about?I shrink away from him. His anger is too much. Too fast. I've barely processed that Prince Rinan almost died and we were attacked, and now I'm being peppered with questions I don't understand.

"Speak," he commands me like a damn dog.

Annoyance rises to the top of my emotions, and I stare him down, even though my body is shaking.

He crosses his arms over his chest. "Is it common for witches like you to associate with bear shifters? It's a fucking easy question."

My mouth moves, but no words come out. I hadn't even known bear shifters existed until this moment. What am I supposed to say to his stupid questions? I have a feeling no matter how I explain myself, he'll just get angrier.

As expected, he doesn't let up. "Why would a bear shifter target you? And how are you barely injured while Rinan got torn up?" His words drip with accusation

Everything snaps into place. He thinks I had something to do with this.

He takes a step closer, crowding my space. "Did your people also make a deal with the bear shifters?"

Okay, things are just going to get worse unless I open my damn mouth, so I take several deep breaths, which do nothing to stop my body from shaking. Then I curl my hands into fists, willing myself to feel stronger. To face Prince Drogo like the opponent he has become.

"P-Prince Drogo," I stammer, "exactly what are you saying?"

He closes the space between us until there's only a hair separating us. "Are you involved with the bear shifters in a plot against our pack?"

A plot against them? I get that they're my enemies, but does he really think I'm capable of that? My eyes sting. We're married, and there's still no trust between us. If I'm honest, not from my side, or theirs. It's sad.

I want to say that, but the words don't come out right. "I–no–what?"

Suddenly, Prince Rinan is there, shoving Drogo out of my face. "Back the fuck off, and shut the hell up!" His eyes gleam yellow, and my breath catches in my throat.

"No, we need answers from this–"

"It wasn't her plan to be attacked! She didn't know this was coming! Leave her the fuck alone"

A growl slips from Prince Drogo's throat. He advances on Prince Rinan.

Prince Arlys is between them in an instant. "Stop. We're not the enemy."

"Yeah, she is!" Prince Drogo shouts.

Prince Rinan dives around Prince Arlys, shoving Prince Drogo back.

The other man's eyes are wild, and every muscle in his body tenses. Those two are going to beat the shit out of each other, and there's nothing I can do to stop it.

Suddenly, Prince Arlys punches Prince Drogo right in the face, knocking him to the floor. He stands over the other man with fists clenched. "We good?"

I can't breathe. I don't know what to do. I'm picturing an all-out battle between the three wolves and all I want to do is get as far away from them as possible.

To my shock, Prince Drogo reaches a hand up. "We're good."

Prince Arlys helps him off the ground, while the other man rubs at his jaw. Then Prince Arlys turns to Prince Rinan. "You good?"

"If he can shut the hell up," Prince Rinan says.

Prince Drogo's anger is more under control now as he speaks. "All I'm saying is that maybe she's trying to gain our loyalties by staging all of this. We can't be fools just because she has a pretty face."

Pretty face? He thinks I'm pretty? That so shouldn't be what I'm taking from this horrible situation.

"Princess Tara," Prince Arlys says softly. "Is there anything you have to say?"

It's disappointing because I can see it in his face. He's not sure about me either. "I didn't even know bear shifters were a real thing until this moment. I was trying to figure out how the hell a bear got through a second story window. Believe me or not, but I have better things to do than argue with people who will never trust me, no matter what I say." I grab the sheet off my bed, wiping the blood off of my arms and face, then wince when I reach my neck.

Fuck. That hurts more than I thought it would.

Arlys touches my hand. "Wait, that doesn't look good," he tells me, then he yells into the hall for a servant. Taking the sheet from me, he gently wipes away more blood from my throat and shoulders and inspects the slash marks on my chest without touching them. "I thought this was his blood…"

I wince. As the adrenaline fades, the pain really kicks in. "It's not all that bad." Right?

When the servant comes, he turns to her. "Bring medical supplies. I know the healer is delivering a babe in town, but see if she can make it here. And have someone come clean this up."

The servant nods and scurries out.

Prince Arlys returns his attention to me. He takes the hand I held the sword in, and he wipes it off. He's gentle and focused, moving slowly so as to not hurt me. I hiss in pain when he shifts my forearm and my chest feels like it's being pulled. His eyes widen, and he stares into my eyes, assessing my pain.

I gaze back at him, trying to be strong. "It's fine."

"Is it?" he asks softly. He continues, slower and even more gentle this time.

When the servant returns with the supplies, Prince Arlys takes them from her. He continues tending to my wounds, but this time with a cleaning solution. A cleaning solution that burns like hell.

The pain makes me stiffen, and, again, Prince Arlys pauses. "Does that hurt?"

"No," I grind out through my teeth.

"It's okay for it to hurt. Even the bravest warriors hurt."

I think of when my mom punished me. I was always punished harder if I reacted. "It's like a butterfly's kiss. It's nothing at all."

He huffs out a gentle laugh and takes even more care while tending to my wounds.

Prince Drogo and Rinan look on quietly. The room is a mess. There's a dead bear shifter on the floor, but all eyes are locked on me like cleaning my wounds is the most fascinating thing in the world.

"I've never seen a witch fight like you did. No witch I've ever met has wielded a sword in battle, or a throwing star," Prince Rinan says softly.

The pain multiplies as Prince Arlys works.

I wince and clench my teeth as I reply. "I've always been a fan of weapons over magic." Weapons are much more reliable, for me at least, than magic.

He surveys me with surprise, and I completely understand. Most witches in my coven are completely dependent on their magic. I can't do that, but I can depend on how well I've learned to use my daggers and swords, and it saved me and Prince Rinan today.

"You fought well." Arlys pauses his movements and watches me for a spell. "You saved Prince Rinan's life. We owe you for that." There's sincerity and admiration in his gaze, and it makes me feel exposed and vulnerable.

"If she wasn't here, Rinan's life wouldn't have been in danger to begin with," Prince Drogo mutters.

Prince Arlys leaves my side and stands nose to nose with Drogo. "Shut the hell up," he growls.

A tense silence takes over the room. I feel awkward and uncomfortable. As frustrating as these three are sometimes, I don't want to see them fighting. Especially not over me.

Prince Drogo doesn't lower his head or his gaze, but he says, "Understood. For now."

The air returns to the room, and Prince Arlys returns to tending my wounds.

Prince Rinan stiffens. "Wait, if healing is that easy, Princess Tara should be able to heal King Talon!"

My heart twists as hope spreads across their faces. "I can't. It's not the same."

"How?" Prince Drogo asks, looking doubtful.

"I don't know how to explain this." I wince as Prince Arlys dabs a particularly sensitive spot. "Healing injuries is something children learn. Not necessarily injuries to the extent of Prince Rinan's, but it's something that most witches could handle. Healing illnesses is deeper, harder, like a tree with roots so far in the ground that only a few could ever hope to find them. I only know of a few healers who are that powerful, and even they might not be able to heal an illness. That's why our people, especially our men, still die from illnesses."

They're studying me, but it's Prince Drogo who responds. "Does that mean you won't be able to cure the Illness?"

I hiss, and Prince Arlys apologizes, but I shake away his words. "No, it doesn't mean that. If I can figure out the source of the Illness, that might be something I can untangle. And if I can untangle that, hopefully King Talon will heal too."

Prince Drogo doesn't look happy, but no one responds. So, I guess I won't be chucked out of the castle window today. That's something.

A minute later, four servants come in. They just stare in shock for a ridiculously long time before they launch into action, working to remove the bear shifter's body. Others come in and start cleaning up the blood. Everyone seems disturbed, which is a good thing, I guess. It means that stuff like this doesn't happen every damn day.

Prince Arlys wraps my wounds carefully, then sets the supplies down. "I think that will do, until one of our healers can do a better job."

I stretch and survey how my body feels. My chest pulls, tight and painful, and the rest of my body is sore, but it's nothing I can't manage.

One of the male servants stops cleaning and looks up at me. His eyes widen, and he stares. And stares. I know I'm a disastrous mess, but it's still awkward to have his eyes fixated on me like that.

Prince Drogo is suddenly moving across the room, so fast I can barely follow his movements. He punches the servant hard in his face, and the man thuds to the ground, unconscious. My jaw drops open. What the hell?

Before anyone can say a word, Prince Drogo turns to me, eyes flashing yellow, barely controlled rage humming beneath the surface, "Get dressed! The rest of you assholes, get out until she's done!"

The servants race out the door like dogs with their tails between their legs, and I just stare on in confusion. "What happened?"

Prince Drogo growls. "What part of ‘get dressed' don't you understand?"

I want to argue, but I'm exhausted. Going to my chest, I pull out a thick robe, since I won't be putting a nice dress on over all this blood, and then head behind the changing screen. As I go to pull off my nightgown, I really look at it for the first time and realize that the damn thing is wet from the blood and slicked to my skin. Not only are the curves of my breasts visible, but my nipples, and the dark space between my thighs.

My cheeks heat up, and I hear Prince Rinan say, "Smooth, very smooth."

Prince Drogo grumbles in return. "Shut the hell up."

My cheeks are on fire as I press my hands to my face, wishing I had the power to melt through the floor. Instead, I just pull the robe over the nightgown and hide.