Before Midnight (4 page)

The smooth cut of his snug trousers revealed thick muscles and the jacket he wore cradled his broad shoulders nicely before fastening firmly down his stomach. The wind was so soft here in the middle of the trees that there was hardly a breeze to stir the tails of his coat. Sunlight pierced the trees just enough to reflect off the sword he held at the ready. He tracked the wolf swimming around her, his body tense as if prepared to leap in and defend her.

An irrational surge of anger rose inside Loupe. She squashed it immediately. Anger was not an emotion she could afford to have, not when the wolf inside her constantly waited for an opportunity to escape. Thus far, Loupe had been able to hold it inside except during the full moon, but she was certain that too much of the wrong emotion could tip the scales in the monster’s favor.

“Not all wolves are dangerous,” she said, finally managing to get herself under control. “It’s only when they’ve been mistreated, or threatened, that they are forced to defend themselves.” The irony of her words was not lost on her.

The man’s eyebrows shot up and he looked at her with renewed interest. He glanced back at the wolf swimming around her, seeming to contemplate the beast for a moment. Finally, he sheathed the sword at his side. “You’re right,” he agreed. “Wolves are not dangerous by nature. Forgive my assumption.” His gaze moved to something behind her and Loupe couldn’t help but grin as she heard three splashes. Apparently the pups had decided to join her after all.

“You have quite a family going here,” the man commented.

Loupe started to nod, but the poke of a tiny claw in the middle of her back startled her. She yelped and almost stood up. Remembering her nudity just in time to keep from baring herself to the stranger, she stayed low in the water.

“Um, if you wouldn’t mind turning around?” she asked lightly, trying to ignore the increasing heat in her cheeks.

Her embarrassment was mollified as the man’s cheeks also flushed.

“Oh! My apologies, yes, of course.” He gave her his back.

After only a second of hesitation, Loupe climbed out of the lake and went to where her clean clothes were bundled. Drying herself quickly with the small towel she’d brought, she kept her eyes firmly on the ground. Only when she was dressed did she raise her gaze to the stranger.

“Thank you,
monsieur
…?”

The man turned around. “
Mon dieu
, forgive my manners.” He strode over to her. “I am Etienne. Etienne Philippe.”

Loupe’s lips parted in a little ‘O’ of surprise, her eyes widening. “Y-you…you’re Prince Etienne.”

Smiling in what was likely meant to be a reassuring manner, he took her hand in his and bent to kiss it. “At your service,
mademoiselle
.”

 She nearly fainted. The prince of Sanguenay had caught her bathing in the woods, swimming with wolves. She struggled to think of something intelligent to say.

“And your name,
mon belle
?”

“Loupe,” she answered immediately. She blushed, mentally kicking herself. He raised his eyebrows.

“Loupe?” She straightened her spine, prepared to defend herself, but he quickly added, “What a beautiful name.”

“Thank you,” she mumbled. She started to back away. “I must be going home now. My stepmother will worry.”

“Allow me to walk you home.”

“No!”

Etienne’s eyebrows shot up. Loupe shuffled around, her gaze looking anywhere but at his face. “I’m sorry, I have to go. Forgive me, your highness.”

She turned, trying to force her heart to slow its racing. She eyed the wolf pups still swimming around in the lake then walked around to the part of the bank closest to them.

Trying to ignore the way Etienne was staring at her, she leaned over and patted her thighs.

“All right, that’s enough bathtime. Come on, let’s get you tucked in.”

The larger wolf once again took her hint, herding the pups out of the water. Loupe smiled and ruffled their fur as they trotted past her. Even as she pet the little furballs, she couldn’t help but be aware of the prince watching her every move. She was so distracted by Etienne’s presence that she forgot what came next.

“Oh!”

She raised her hands as all four wolves shook their fur dry. Water flew through the air, soaking her skirts. Loupe sighed as they finished, staring down at her wet garments in resignation.

“I suppose I deserved that.”

A chuckle drew her attention and she was surprised when she looked up to find Etienne standing right next to her.

“How long have you been caring for these pups? They are quite fond of you.”

Loupe looked away, not wanting Etienne to see the guilt in her eyes. “Since they lost their mother a few months ago.”

If Etienne noticed the dull tone in her voice, he didn’t show it. “It pleases me to see such care. Unfortunately, there are those among my subjects who disagree with my family’s protection of wolves. It’s refreshing to see someone who not only brings them no harm, but actively cares for them as well.”

Loupe couldn’t meet his eyes. She scratched at her arms, trying to rid herself of the lingering sensation of dried blood. The water had washed it away, but she swore she could still feel it. The prince would not be treating her so kindly if he knew what she’d been doing this morning.

Shaking off that unpleasant thought, Loupe concentrated on herding the pups back under the bushes. Etienne’s arm brushed hers as he helped her hide their den with leaves and branches. The simple touch of his body against hers sent a jolt of heat up her arm and Loupe jerked away.

“I’m sorry,” Etienne said softly, his brow furrowed. “I was only trying to help.”

“No, I’m sorry,” Loupe murmured. “I just…I guess I’m just a little jumpy.”

“Please let me walk you home,” Etienne coaxed. “I would be remiss if I did not give a kind maiden like yourself a proper escort through the woods.”

Loupe had never wanted to say yes more in her life. Any woman in the kingdom would have sacrificed her right arm to have the prince walk her home. To perhaps curry his favor, garner more attention. Loupe closed her eyes. But then, she wasn’t like most women.

You can’t have a relationship like that, she scolded herself. How would you explain to your husband that you had to vanish for an entire night once a month? Her skin grew cold. Worse, what if you changed while in bed with your husband? You could kill him. Or he could discover your secret and kill you.

And then there was her stepfamily. She daren’t bring Etienne anywhere near her conniving stepmother, to say nothing of the evidence of their crimes—all hidden in Loupe’s room.

As if the prince would have reason to enter my room…

“Loupe?”

The prince’s voice ripped her out of her thoughts. Loupe offered him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, I really can’t impose. Goodbye.”

She dashed off before he could stop her.

Chapter 2

“Is everything all right, Your Grace?”

Etienne raised his head to face his coachman. “Everything is just fine, Maurice,” he assured his driver. “The sound was just a bird.”

“You were gone a long time.” Maurice lifted his cap and rubbed a hand over his balding head. “It sure sounded like a woman, sire.”

Gesturing at his muddied trousers, Etienne offered his coachmen a smooth, rueful grin. “You don’t have to tell me, Maurice. But take it from the man who traipsed into the woods in defense of a bird—there was no woman.”

Maurice chuckled. “Would you like me to take you back to the palace, sire?”

“No,” Etienne said, waving him off. “I’m sure the shopkeeper won’t mind a slightly disheveled prince. After all, if her shop were any more remote, she would be in the midst of the forest instead of merely at its edge. She must be used to her customers being somewhat less than tidy. Wait here, I’m sure I won’t be long.”

As he turned away from his coachman, Etienne couldn’t help thinking about Loupe. There wasn’t any real reason for him to lie to Maurice about the woman, but something inside him had pushed him to do it. Obviously that lake was private to the young woman. Not only did she feel safe bathing there, she had a small family of wolf pups she was keeping hidden. It would have been wrong to betray her confidence.

And, perhaps, you wanted to keep her spot a secret in case you decide to pay her a return visit.

Etienne’s mind drifted back to the moment he’d first seen her. For a second, he’d been certain he was imagining it. Surely no woman could be that beautiful? Her hair had trailed into the water behind her in a heavenly flow of golden yellow. Her skin had seemed so pale as to be made of ivory. With that golden blonde hair and those sparkling green eyes, she easily could have passed for a fey. Though, she wasn’t really tall enough for a member of the high court. He’d studied her after she’d gotten dressed and noted that she stood a good half a foot lower than his own five foot ten frame. So small, with such a delicate body.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he remembered the way the blood in his body had turned to molten lava as it flowed south below his belt. He should have averted his eyes as soon as he’d realized she was naked in the lake, should have allowed her the privacy to dress instead of carrying on a conversation with her while she huddled, nude, in the water. Though she had been even more beautiful when she blushed…

Someone bumped into him and Etienne turned. “Pardon me,
monsieur
,” he said politely.

The villager turned his face up and Etienne muffled a smile at the look of shock that passed over his face. Most of the village knew that the prince often came into town, but that didn’t appear to lessen their surprise if they actually ran into him. The man glanced from Etienne to the plain wooden coach beside them. The coach Etienne took into the village when he wished to be among his people was polished, but plain. Unlike some royal families, Etienne and his father believed that a fancy coach only presented a more appealing target for thieves and assassins. The same logic applied to the coachman, and Etienne knew that the older man was happier wearing his plain brown pants and shirt instead of the bright red uniforms of other royal coachmen.

Maurice offered the villager a smile, but the man still seemed to be fretting over trampling royalty.

“Your Majesty, I’m sorry,” the man breathed as he turned back to Etienne. “I didn’t—”

“Please do not apologize for being busy,” Etienne insisted, smiling. “It’s quite all right.”

The man returned Etienne’s smile. “A pleasant day to you, Your Highness.”

“And to you as well.”

His attention finally torn from the woman in the lake, Etienne returned his focus to the reason for today’s trip into the village. The bell over the door jingled merrily as he entered the shop. The scents of a hundred herbs and spices tickled his nose and Etienne sneezed. He took a handkerchief from his waistcoat, fully expecting a second sneeze.

“Welcome, your highness. I’ve been expecting you.”

Following the sound of the voice, Etienne found an old woman sitting in the corner of the shop, half hidden behind a gargantuan plant. Her silver hair fell just past her shoulders, framing a face worn with time. Her pale blue eyes seemed to glow from the slight shadow of her plant. She was a small woman, so frail that Etienne took a step forward, his lips parting to ask if she was well.

She waved a hand at him before he could speak. “Such a look of concern on your face. More concern, I dare say, than I deserve from you.”

Etienne held his breath through the swell of rage that flowed through him. It sizzled over his nerves, pushing a flood of adrenaline through his veins. The power of the emotion never failed to unnerve him. He was still able to keep a lid on it, but he would have been lying if he’d claimed it didn’t disturb him. And it was only growing worse. Ever since the witch’s…blessing.

When he was certain he could speak without growling, he let out the breath he’d been holding. “I have long since given up blaming you.” He swallowed hard and cleared his throat. “You were only trying to help.”

Judging by the witch’s wince, the tightness in his voice had not gone unnoticed. “I’ve been a witch longer than your father has been alive,” the old woman argued ruefully. “I should have known better than to cast a spell on someone without his permission, even if I did believe I was doing right.” She pressed her fingertips to her temples. “Your family is not from Sanguenay. I should have learned more about the land you came from before interfering.” She shrugged helplessly. “I had no idea that there were such fundamental differences between the
loup garou
of my homeland and the
lycanthropes
of yours.”

There was such guilt in her voice already that Etienne hated to add to it. But he’d come here for a reason and putting it off wouldn’t change anything.

“It’s getting worse,” he admitted quietly. “I’m all but human now. My senses have dulled, my strength has waned, and look.” He pulled up his sleeve to reveal a cut on his forearm. “This cut should have healed days ago, and yet it remains.” He pulled his sleeve back down, trying to keep the majority of his frustration off his face. “I cannot even change my form at will anymore, only during the full moon. Is there nothing you can do?”