Before Midnight (Book 1) (Blood Prince Series) Read online

  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.

  Etienne cursed himself. He should have approached the secret room more slowly, waited for his parents to finish the change and leave before coming this way. If only he’d been thinking ahead instead of thinking about what he’d left behind…

  You didn’t need to come this way, you fool, a voice in his head screeched. You can’t turn into a wolf! You could have gone out the front door.

  “Etienne, your mother asked you a question.”

  His father’s voice was still calm, but his eyes were piercing and his mouth was set in a grim line. Etienne let out a breath and straightened his spine.

  “I’m coming out on patrol tonight.”

  “You—”

  “That’s wonderful, dear,” his mother interrupted his father. “But why didn’t you go around to the stables and have Maurice saddle a horse for you? You can’t think you’re going to patrol on foot?”

  On two feet you mean, Etienne thought glumly. He shrugged his shoulders. “A horse is too conspicuous. I’ll patrol on foot.”

  “Etienne, be reasonable,” his father protested. “You are the prince, your safety is paramount.”

  “And I’m too weak to patrol now, is that it?”

  His mother frowned and Etienne had to clench his hands into fists as he steeled himself against the urge to apologize. He hated upsetting his mother, but he couldn’t let this go. Blessing or no blessing, he still had a duty to protect his kingdom.

  “Where is all this coming from?” the king asked, bewilderment furrowing his eyebrows. “I thought we agreed—”

  “Etienne, where is Loupe?” his mother interrupted.

  Etienne scowled at the flood of heat that washed over him at the mention of Loupe’s name. An image of her flew into his mind and he swore for a second he could feel the ghost of her body against the palms of his hands…

  Frustration sizzled up his body like the wick on an explosive. Etienne growled and swept past his parents, ignoring his mother’s raised eyebrow and his father’s hanging jaw. He ducked as low as he could to pass through the tunnel carved in the stone that led out of the secret room.

  He’d never been this way in human form. The exit had existed when his family had taken over the castle, an old escape route in case the palace was ever under siege. His family used it to come and go in wolf form without raising suspicion, but what was comfortable for a wolf was awkward for a full grown man. Etienne briefly considered dropping to his knees and crawling out, but his pride wouldn’t let him. Huma
ns were not nearly as graceful as wolves on all fours.

  Holding his breath, he paused at the end of the passageway. The bushes that had been so carefully cultivated around this wall of the palace were thick and had their share of thorns. It was yet another reason it was best not to use this passageway as a human. Without thick fur to protect him, Etienne was going to have a difficult time getting through the bushes without offering a little blood to the thorns.

  Picking his way through as carefully and slowly as he could, Etienne tried to keep his mind from turning back to Loupe. He thought instead about the upcoming patrol. As a wolf, he would have covered a great deal of distance, starting around the palace and making ever widening circles toward the village. He wouldn’t be able to cover nearly the same amount of ground as a human.

  Etienne gritted his teeth as he pulled a gnarled, thorny branch from his sleeve and stepped out into the night air. His black jacket hid any droplets of blood that might be oozing out from the cuts he could feel burning on his arm. Fighting the urge to howl in annoyance, he looked around to be certain no one was near and then stalked toward the edge of the forest to begin a perimeter walk.

  Just as he reached the forest, a shadow dropped from the trees. In a flash, Etienne had his sword drawn, his body relaxed into a fighting stance. He used his peripheral vision to check for more signs of movement, but kept his gaze locked on the figure crouching in front of him. A soft laugh drifted from the cloaked figure and Etienne tensed.

  “It’s true then, is it? The prince has lost his bite?”

  “Who are you?” Etienne said, his voice tight with the effort to keep from beheading the man where he stood.

  The intruder dropped the hood on his cloak and grinned at Etienne. Etienne hissed at the sight of pale white skin and the sharp points of fangs.

  “Vampire,” he spat. “What are you doing here? You are a long way from Dacia.”

  “I’m not here to fight, Your Majesty,” the vampire drawled, straightening up and examining his fingernails. He shrugged. “I am simply here because my king was…concerned about you.”

  “If your king thinks he can take over my kingdom by attacking me now, then he is sadly mistaken. I am no human to disappear in the night never to be heard from again.” Etienne raised his sword, letting the moonlight glint off the blade.

  The vampire eyed the blade with a bored expression. “My king has no interest in your death.”

  “His reputation precedes him,” Etienne snarled. “He has an interest in everyone’s death. If they have land to claim, so much the better.”

  The vampire smiled. “You speak as if you know him. I’ve no doubt you’ll be pleased to know that recent events have excluded you from the rather long list of individuals that would suit his majesty better dead than alive. I’m here to make sure you’re not thinking of doing anything that would render that null and void.”

  “You make no sense, leech.”

  “Name calling? Juvenile.” The vampire took a step forward, not even sparing a glance for Etienne’s sword. “Word has reached as far as Dacia. You are not the wolf you once were, and people know. Already my king has been forced to maneuver our troops to block two attacks, one from the trolls and one from the goblins.”

  “I don’t need your—”

  “Shut up and listen, Your Majesty. Your secret is not safe. In fact, it is no longer a secret. Now be a good boy and get back in your palace. Stay safe, stay alive, and for the sake of the Old Religion, find some way to get your claws back before—”

  The blade was silent as it arced through the air, biting into the side of the vampire’s face in a spray of blood. Etienne’s vision had gone red with rage, and satisfaction filled him at the sight of the vampire clutching his face. He stepped back and raised his sword to prepare for another strike.

  “You are a fool, Prince Etienne,” the vampire hissed. He dropped his hands and the blood covering half his face glowed like liquid rubies in the moonlight. “For that strike I should—”

  A giant wolf crashed into the vampire, snapping its jaws in its face. The vampire shouted as he was shoved back into a tree, held there by giant paws. Etienne cursed as he recognized his father.

  “Father, it is not what it looks like.”

  The wolf whipped its head toward Etienne, its golden eyes glowing with fury. Etienne pressed his lips into a tight line as his father bared his teeth and jerked his head toward the palace.

  For a second, Etienne resisted. He was not a child to be sent to his room, or a teenager too weak to participate in a fight. But as the vampire jerked free of his father’s hold and disappeared into the forest, he couldn’t help but notice a trace of sadness in his father’s eyes, a brief flicker of fear. Etienne’s throat tightened and he turned away. He would find a way to break the curse. Nothing would distract him now.

  Chapter 5

  “Leaving us so soon?”

  Loupe cringed and shot the horse a death glare. If the beast wouldn’t have gotten so blasted riled up and had just let her climb up into the driver’s seat properly, she would have been gone by now. It was bad enough she’d slept so terribly late. She hadn’t really had a prayer of getting out of there without running into him anyway.

  Etienne’s scent reached her even before she turned around. He didn’t wear cologne like she might have expected, but rather smelled clean and fresh as if he spent most of his time outdoors. It was a scent she could see herself getting used to all too easily.

  “I didn’t want to impose on you any further,” she said lightly, trying not to flinch as the horse reared up again, snorting as if it was planning a mutiny.

  “Your horse seems disinclined to let you board,” Etienne observed, keeping his distance from the beast. He gestured to the back of the wagon. “I daresay it doesn’t appreciate hauling around predators, no matter how young they may be. And you probably smell like a predator as well, as often as you’ve been holding them lately.”

  The wolf pups yipped as if they knew they were being talked about and Loupe would have laughed if not for the lead weight sitting in her stomach. She knew it wasn’t the pups making the horse nervous—it was her.

  “I will instruct the stable boy to harness one of my horses to your cart,” Etienne said firmly.

  Loupe’s jaw dropped. “No, I couldn’t let you do that. You’ve been so kind to me already, I can’t take one of your horses.”

  Etienne smiled and held up a hand. “I insist. I believe you’ll find that our horses are much less skittish around wolves—what with them being so plentiful on the grounds,” he added quickly.

  Loupe wanted the ground to swallow her up right then. Etienne was everything she could have ever hoped for—kind, handsome, generous…human. Tears threatened to pool in her eyes and she turned away so he wouldn’t see. What were the chances of a young woman of modest wealth getting so much time with the prince? To think that he actually liked her only made it more painful that she could never accept.

  And yet you let him kiss you.

  The voice in her head grated on Loupe’s nerves. She knew she shouldn’t have let him kiss her, but she refused to be sorry. It had been the most wonderful moment in her life to date and—

  “Loupe?”

  Etienne’s soft voice was close. Loupe turned to find him mere inches away, staring down at her with concern etched into the lines around his eyes.

  “Loupe, do I make you uncomfortable?” he asked quietly.

  Seeing him so close, hearing his voice reverberating against her skin, scrambled Loupe’s brain. She backed up against the cart, practically falling against it for support. She couldn’t look away from his eyes…

  He moved closer and her breath froze. Something flickered in the grey depths of his eyes as he cleared his throat.

  “I’m sorry if my advances last night were unwanted,” he said formally, bowing his head slightly.

  “No!”

  His eyebrows shot up and Loupe’s cheeks burst into flames of embarrassment. She
cursed to herself as a smile tugged at the corner of Etienne’s mouth.

  Oh, goddess, he’s even more handsome when he smiles.

  “I mean,” she continued out loud, “I mean that it was nice.”

  Etienne smiled wider and her blush grew hotter. That had sounded much better in her head. Out loud it had sounded…loud.

  “Nice?” he repeated, a teasing tone in his voice.

  Loupe was certain she was going to faint if any more blood abandoned her heart for her cheeks. “Very nice,” she mumbled.

  “Your blush only makes you even more becoming, you know.” He raised a hand to gently stroke her cheek.