Before Midnight (8 page)

Etienne flushed and cursed himself for it. “I—”

“No, Maurice,” the king interrupted. “It is getting dark and we cannot let the young lady travel home alone in total blackness. She will be our guest tonight.”

The blush grew hotter and Etienne walked away before his father could see. He didn’t know why the thought of Loupe staying at the palace affected him, but he was annoyed. And he would be more so if his father discovered him blushing like a teenager.

He pushed open the door to one of the sitting rooms and found Loupe sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace playing with the two wolf pups. His mother sat in an overstuffed chair beside her, watching Loupe and the pups and knitting. His irritation vanished as he surveyed the cozy scene.

“And if an eagle ever tries to scoop you up, I want you to claw and bite!”

Etienne froze, his eyebrows meeting his hairline as Loupe proceeded to demonstrate what she meant to the wolf pups, clawing the air and snapping her teeth. The queen laughed and dropped her knitting to clap.

“Well done, yes, that is precisely the way,” she said, her voice echoing her mirth. “Loupe, you will make a wonderful mother someday.”

For a second Etienne cursed his timing and the fact that his mother had unwittingly echoed his father’s sentiment. The moment didn’t last long though. He noticed a tightening around Loupe’s eyes and a sudden tension in her shoulders. She swallowed hard and looked away. Etienne stepped forward, wanting to ask Loupe what had suddenly made her so sad. Before he could say anything, Loupe’s gaze snapped up.

“You found him!”

Etienne couldn’t help the huge grin that split his face as Loupe leapt off the floor and dashed across the room to snatch the muddy pup from his arms. He laughed as she clutched the pup to her chest, cooing and snuggling him as if he were a human child.

“Oh, don’t you ever scare me like that again! I was so worried, what happened to you?”

Etienne rubbed the back of his head, unsure if he should answer her question. She seemed to be talking to the pup.

“The little devil was tail deep in a mud puddle at the foot of a large tree.”

Etienne turned to find his father standing right behind him. He narrowed his eyes as his father looked at Loupe with a giant smile and then glanced at Etienne with raised eyebrows. Etienne scowled.

“Father, this is Loupe,” he said, his voice tight. “Loupe, this is my father.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Loupe,” his father said smoothly.

“Your highness, I don’t know what to say,” Loupe said, still cuddling the pup. “I can’t believe you went out looking for my—for this little guy.”

“I am only glad that I could help. My son was quite insistent that we provide you with anything you may need.”

Etienne’s lips parted as he stared at his father. His father smirked at him.

“Oh, I, uh,” Loupe stammered, her cheeks flaming red. “Thank you,” she mumbled.

“Etienne will show you to a guest room now, so that you can get settled in. Your horse and cart will be ready for you in the morning whenever you’re ready to leave.”

Loupe snapped her head around and stared at Etienne. He gritted his teeth and gave her a polite smile. “Of course, if you’ll just follow me.”

“I, um, I can’t stay. I need to get home.”

“Oh?” The king frowned. “I do not want to cause trouble with your family. If you must return tonight, Etienne will escort you.”

Loupe’s eyes grew so wide, Etienne would have laughed if he hadn’t been so perturbed. The very thought of him escorting her home had drained all the blood from Loupe’s face. Why?

“I’ll stay,” she squeaked finally. She cleared her throat. “I mean, thank you for your hospitality. I would love to stay, if you’re certain it’s no trouble?”

“Not at all,” the queen assured her with a pat on the shoulder. “Etienne will show you to your room. Sleep well, Loupe.”

“And you, Your Highness,” Loupe returned softly.

After his mother and father left the room, Etienne turned to Loupe. She was holding the muddy pup so tightly the poor little mudball was scrabbling at her chest. He cleared his throat and she jumped. The pup yipped and she finally realized she was holding it too tightly. Her blush deepened and despite himself Etienne found himself smiling. She really was radiant.

“If you’ll follow me,
mademoiselle
, I will show you to your room.”

Loupe’s eyes grew wider. Etienne gave her a moment to compose herself, striding across the room and scooping up the remaining pups. The sight of him holding the little wolves seemed to snap Loupe out of her daze.

“Etienne, thank you,” she said earnestly, following him out of the room. “I feel so silly for overreacting.” She forced a laugh. “I can’t believe I barged right up to the palace gates with two wolf pups in the back of my cart and demanded the prince and king go off in search of their missing brother.”

Etienne chuckled. “Please stop worrying, Loupe. I dare say this is the most fun my father has had in a long time. And my mother seemed to enjoy your company.”

“Your mother is wonderful.”

There was a wistful, almost sad tone in Loupe’s voice now. Etienne glanced back at her. “Forgive my boldness, but you sound sad.”

Loupe shrugged, her eyes staring blankly ahead of her. “My mother died giving birth to me. My father remarried, but…” She swallowed and offered him a weak smile. “Let us just say, it’s not the same.”

Etienne had the strange urge to gather her to him and hold her as she was holding the pup. There was something very vulnerable in her posture right now, the way she hunched her shoulders and kept her gaze down. He didn’t like to see her sad.

They arrived at her room and Etienne fumbled the door open, balancing the two pups. Warm, moist air kissed his skin and the scent of bath oils tickled his nose.

“Ah, it seems that my mother had the servants prepare a bath,” he observed.

“Oh thank goodness!” Loupe trudged over and dunked the muddy wolf pup into the large tub, holding him with one hand while she used the other to scrub his fur. The wolf yipped and struggled, but she held him firmly. Etienne stood in the doorway, staring in frank amusement.

When he didn’t speak for a minute, Loupe looked up.

“You look like you’re trying not to laugh.” She furrowed her eyebrows and briefly halted her scrubbing. “What’s so funny?”

Etienne cleared his throat. “Ah, I believe the bath was meant for you.” He gestured to the clean nightgown lying folded on a chair.

Loupe turned red from her neck to the tips of her ears. “Oh. I see.”

Etienne couldn’t help it. He laughed, a booming sound that set the pups in his arms to barking. Loupe frowned.

“No, it’s all right, Loupe, truly,” Etienne assured her, reining in his amusement. “I’ll have the servants bring up another bath.”

“No, don’t be silly, I don’t need another bath.” She pulled the pup out of the tub and wrapped him in the large towel that had been provided. The pup’s growls were muffled as she vigorously rubbed him dry. Amusement tugged up the corner of Etienne’s mouth as the pup staggered out from under the towel and across the floor. She grabbed the sponge that had also been by the tub and dipped it in the bathwater.

Loupe looked down at her dress. The bodice wasn’t terribly low-cut, but it did give a hint of cleavage. Loupe scrubbed the mud from her skin. The smile died on his face. Etienne’s blood heated as her motions drew his attention to the smooth mounds of her breasts. Every vigorous scrub made the tempting globes of flesh bounce in the most mouthwatering display. He took a step forward.

“There,” Loupe announced. “My dress is a bit damp, but I’m sure it will be dry by morning…” she trailed off as she turned to find him staring. He took another step and her eyes widened.

Something of his less than pure thoughts must have shown on his face because her blush returned with reinforcements and her gaze bounced around the room like a bee in a field of tempting flowers.

The wolf pups hopped around on the floor, tumbling around Loupe’s skirts. An image hit Etienne so hard he swayed on his feet. Loupe sitting in a chair in his bedroom, wolf pups playing on the rug at her feet and a baby in her arms…

He shook his head, struggling to gather his thoughts. No one in his family had the gift of future-sight. The image wasn’t a premonition, it couldn’t have been. He was just tired, under too much stress from the witch’s blessing.

Without meaning to, he’d crossed the room and now stood only an inch or so away. Despite his brain’s ramblings, his body seemed to be perfectly clear in its goals. Loupe titled her face up, her wide green eyes locked on his like a frightened deer watching a predator.

And he did feel like a predator. For the first time since the witch’s blessing had cursed him, Etienne felt primal, animalistic. His body moved on instinct instead of rational thought as he raised his hands, slowly sliding them around Loupe’s waist. The desire to grab her and throw her down on the floor filled him with tension and he had just enough sense to grit his teeth against the urge. He didn’t want to scare her. He just had to taste her.

The first touch of her delicate lips against his stole his breath. He slid his mouth over hers, teasing and coaxing her to relax into the kiss. She sighed, her lips parting in what he took for an invitation. He caressed her full bottom lip with his tongue, reveling in the clean taste of lemon and tea.

Loupe moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck. The sound of her voice and the press of her body against his sent a fresh wave of heat through his veins. Etienne groaned and crushed her against his chest, delving his tongue into her mouth to taste as much of her as he could. The hard length of his cock strained his pants. She was so warm, so willing…

With the last ounce of his self-control, Etienne pulled away. He held her in his arms, not quite willing to let her go yet. Her green eyes had glazed over and the flushed skin of her chest rose and fell with each rapid breath. He wanted to tear that clothing off of her, see her entire body with that delicate brush of pink.

One of the pups whined and Loupe tore her gaze from his. She cleared her throat and dropped her arms. Etienne reluctantly let her go, fighting the urge to reach down and adjust himself.

“I’ll wish you a good evening and leave you to dress for bed,” he forced out, ignoring the hoarseness of his voice. He gave her a slight bow. “If you need anything, just tell the girls who come to take your bath away.”

Loupe nodded, not quite meeting his eyes. “Thank you.”

Etienne left the room. Closing the door behind him was one of the hardest things he’d ever done in his life. The blood that had rushed below his belt throbbed in time with his madly beating heart, and the adrenaline it was pulsing through his system made it difficult to keep his calm. It would be only too easy for him to rush back into the room like a bull in a china shop and carry Loupe to his bed…

Clenching his hands into fists, Etienne forced himself to turn away from the guest room. He would not frighten Loupe and he certainly would not do anything to show her disrespect. She was a guest, not a tart, and he would treat her with the dignity she deserved.

His body howled in objection and Etienne snarled as he whirled around and took off down the hallway. Every step grew heavier, every stride quicker. Soon he was running full out in a mad dash to his chambers. He burst through his doorway and checked quickly to make sure his manservant wasn’t in the room. Assured that he was alone, he darted over to a secret door and jerked it open.

The breeze flowing down the secret passageway did little to cool his heated skin, but it was better than the stifling warmth of Loupe’s room. At least here he didn’t have to worry about the look in his eyes, or what sort of impression he gave. A shiver ran over his body, a faint memory of the change that he was no longer capable of without the aid of the full moon. Pain twisted his stomach as he mourned his loss and cursed the witch that had done this to him.

“Etienne?”

The king’s voice rose with surprise. He was standing, naked, in the center of the small room at the end of the passageway, the last stop before the hidden, doorless exit. The queen stood next to him and Etienne fought not to squirm under his mother’s vigilant eye. She paused with her hand poised to remove the last of her undergarments. He’d interrupted them changing for the evening patrol. Etienne flexed his hands into fists at the sight of his mother down here in the cold stone room.

“This isn’t right, Mother. You shouldn’t be going out on patrol, you should be up in your rooms, safe and comfortable.”

The queen raised an imperious eyebrow and straightened her spine. She fixed Etienne with a look that would have shriveled a lesser man.

“Do not underestimate me, young man,” she said calmly. “I appreciate your tenderness toward the fairer sex, but do not make the mistake of thinking I am some meek maiden in need of protection. I am queen here, and it is just as much my duty to protect our people as it is yours.”

Etienne crossed his arms. He wasn’t quite ready to argue with her, but he still wasn’t happy. Seeing his mother down here stripping in preparation for the change was just another reminder about what his curse was costing his family.

“Etienne, what are you doing here?” she asked. Her voice was gentler now, her expression softer.