Vampire Girl

A growl diverts Dean's attention from me, as Baron approaches us. He nudges against my side and my hand falls on his head. His presence clears my mind, saving me from whatever fog of desire Dean casts by mere proximity.

"Actually, that is incorrect," Fenris says, joining us. "The council chose me as her first escort, so she'll be coming to my realm."

Dean scowls at Fenris. "You relinquished your rights to being first. I believe your exact words were, 'I'll not be a pawn in this game you are all playing, so sod off and have at her.'"

"Have at her?" I ask, fire burning in my stomach. "I'm not a thing to be had at by any of you! Not by charm," I say, looking at Asher, "or brute force," that was for Fen, "or by a pretty face." I glare at Dean who looks as shocked as Fen did when his wolf snuggled up to me. "You lot have got to stop acting like asses and start behaving like reasonably intelligent men, or I have no idea how I'll fulfill my contract of picking any of you!"

"Well, brother," Asher says to Fen through a smirk, "looks like you have an interesting month ahead of you."

"Wait a second now, I haven't agreed to relinquish my turn," Dean says.

Asher shrugs. "You don't have to. Fen is right. The council chose him and he has the right to reclaim her."

Dean turns to Fen, his face in a scowl. "You're an ass, you know that? There's a reason no one likes you."

Asher laughs as Dean storms out of the room, but Fen's face is all serious. I think his brother's words bothered him. Or maybe he's regretting his 'claim' to me already.

When Dean is out of earshot, Asher calms himself and turns to Fen. "What's going on? This isn't like you."

"It's my job to keep her safe," Fen says.

"And you've done an admirable job," Asher says. "But despite Dean's arrogance and frivolous life, he's as capable as any at fighting. No harm will come to her in his realm."

Fen sighs. "Have you not pieced it together yet? How did the Fae get all the way to Envy's realm to attempt another kidnapping? For that matter, how did the Fae reach the High Castle to assassinate our father? Have you not wondered?"

Asher frowns. "Of course I have but—" his eyes widen. "You're not suggesting what I think you are?"

Fen nods. "The only way is if one of us let them in."

"Fenris, this is a serious accusation. You're suggesting that one of our brothers not only plots to kidnap Arianna, but also helped aid in our father's murder?"

"I'm not suggesting it," Fen says. "I'm saying that's exactly what happened."

"If you're right, then why share your suspicions with me? How do you know I'm not the guilty party?" Asher asks. "For that matter, how do I know it's not you?"

"You know it's not me because I don't want to be High King. And I'm pretty sure it's not you because I trust you more than most. That and you had plenty of time with Arianna in her world and never made a move. You could have made it much easier to kidnap her, but you didn't. So it must be one of the others."

The princes lock eyes with each other. I might as well not be here but for Baron standing by my side. The ramifications of what they are saying slowly sinks into my mind. I have to spend a month with each brother. If one of them is a traitor, then like it or not, I will eventually be kidnapped. And I still don't know why the princes wanted me here to begin with.

"I get why the Fae are after me. Basically you put a target on my head when you decided I, and only I, could decide the fate of this kingdom. But you still haven't explained why you chose me.  Why am I so important to you?"

Asher frowns. "To answer that would require bringing our father back from the dead. He dictated the terms of the ascension in his will. He is the one who negotiated the contract for your mother's soul. And he is the one who demanded you be brought here to marry one of us before a new reign could occur. We don't know why, and it has caused a considerable amount of unrest amongst our brothers, who are not happy their fate—and this kingdom's fate—rests in the hands of a human girl."

"Which is why," Fen says, "we must leave this place. I need to get you to my realm, where you will be safe while we sort this out and figure out who has betrayed us."

Fenris nods to Asher and turns to leave the room. Asher reaches for my hand. "Be safe, Arianna. I will see you again soon."

I follow Fen out, his wolf trailing by my side, and he takes me to the castle's entrance. A chandelier hangs overhead, made of crystal branches and glowing leaves casting shadows against the walls. The doors are tall, wide, made from thick wood and carved with a tree symbol. Fenris opens them and Baron nudges me through.

It's still dark, well past midnight, and the sky is bright with the moons and stars. Once again I'm taken to a boat. "Is this really the fastest mode of transportation you have?"

"Yes. Get in."

It's a lot easier in pants and boots than a dress and heels. The wolf leaps in next to me and lays his large head on my lap as the boat begins to magically move through the water. It's a warm night, which I wasn't expecting. I slip off my black cloak and lay it by my side. "The air smells different here," I say. "More... dry than your realm did."

Fen raises an eyebrow. "You have a tracker's nose. That could be useful. We are about to enter Niam's land. The Prince of Greed, as you might know him. It's a desert land that doesn't provide much in the way of export, but does manage all the commerce in our kingdom."