57 She-Wolf

The three werewolves and two obviously-not-werewolves made quick time getting back to the inn. Rather than going through the front doors and alerting everyone of their transformed furry bodies, Cedric led them back the way they had left.

They jumped back up over the roofline and landed in the soft snowy courtyard below before making their way through the darkened interior and into the watchtower.

Cedric set Talia onto the soft bed and covered her with quilts as Cecil and Andre set the vampire onto a chair and bound him tightly with rope they found in the basement.

'I know you're cold Darling.' Cedric murmured into her mind in a soothing manner. 'Just relax and I will get a fire started in the pot belly stove. It will warm up in no time.'

'Don't worry Cedric. While you carried me, I was snuggling into your fur. You kept me very warm.' Talia said with cheer.

Cedric smiled and touched her icy cold face.

Liar, he wanted to say.

But he couldn't.

She was being so brave because she did not want to make him worry, but Cedric knew. It had to be terrifying to be completely paralyzed and unable to do anything but breathe.

He leaned down and touched his lips to her cold cheek before turned back to the pot belly stove.

Within minutes, it was crackling merrily and the room began to warm.

Cecil and Andre turned back to him.

"We will be back shortly. We need to get back into our human forms and our clothes are in our rooms." Andre informed Cedric.

Cedric nodded and let them out.

With a grimace, he slowly and with some pain, morphed back into his human form.

As he reverted back, the pain in his gut grew slightly stronger. It had not completely healed yet, and without the powers coming from the werewolf form, it would take him a little longer to heal.

Still, it was bearable, especially since it was no longer even visible.

As he threw on a white broadcloth shirt and a dark pair of slacks, Cedric's eyes continued to remain fixed on Talia.

She was quiet and her eyes were closed. There was a fluttering of a pulse at her throat and she did not look distressed.

His sharp sense of hearing could pick out her deep rhythmic breathing. She was falling into a natural sleep.

"Don't worry," the Vampire rumbled deep in his throat. "She is unharmed. She's just fallen asleep due to the dose of anesthetics I injected into her."

Cedric's hands opened and closed. He wanted to punch the vampire again, but he needed to get some information out of the man.

"Why?"

"Why what?" The vampire asked.

"Why did you try to kidnap my woman?"

"Your woman?"

The vampire shook his head with a chilly smile, his long black hair swung softly around his shoulders.

"She is no more your woman than she is mine. The woman is a virgin, and she is fair game."

"I have marked her. She is mine." Cedric growled under his breath.

The vampire looked up at Cedric, his deep dark pupils glinted red in the dim light of the flickering fire from the pot belly stove. His angular face stood out in sharp relief from the firelight.

"You can mark her all you wish. It makes no difference to me since it is not a vampire mark."

"You are in the presence of the Alpha Wolf," Andre spoke up from the entrance. "Be careful what you say."

The vampire turned his classically beautiful face towards Andre's human form and smiled.

"Andre. It is good to see you again."

Cedric turned a hostile gaze at Andre.

"You know this bastard?"

Andre chuckled. "Cedric. Look at his purple court robes. Look at the rings on his fingers and the pendant around his neck. Doesn't he look like a royal member to you?"

"I don't give a shit what he's wearing or who he is. He kidnapped my mate and now he'll have to pay for hurting her." Cedric threw a deadly glance at the vampire.

Behind Andre, Cecil reappeared, once again dressed in his fine court robes.

"Who is this person?" He asked as he closed the door to the watch tower.

Andre grimaced. "He is Prince Vander of Paradisio. What he is doing here, I have no idea."

Prince Vander smiled. The tips of his fangs could be seen peeking out of his red lips.

"I got caught in the same snowstorm you all did. I had to stop here for the same duration of time."

"The question remains, vampire. What are you doing this close to werewolf territory?" Cedric threw back at him.

"I came here to find my brother."

Cedric narrowed his eyes. "Your brother? I assume he is also a vampire."

Vander nodded. "He left Paradisio over a year ago. The last message he sent to us was from Faria."

"And what the hell was a vampire doing in my kingdom?" Cecil leaned forward, staring at the vampire.

Vander shifted his attention to Cecil.

"Your kingdom? You must be King Cecil."

"I am." Cecil cleared his throat.

"Which means this man is Cedric, the real Alpha." Vander turned back to Cedric with a lopsided smile.

Cecil's eyes narrowed. If even this bloodless vampire knew he had been deposed, then he might as well hang up his robes and go find a new place to live. There could only be one Alpha in the kingdom.

"So what is your brother doing in Faria that we have not been able to notice him amongst us for an entire year?"

Vander shrugged. "Hell if I know. He said he had found his Beloved in Faria. Maybe she is sheltering him somewhere."

Cedric bared his fangs. "No she-wolf will shelter a vampire from the pack. That would be suicide."

"This one did." Vander smiled, showing his perfect white teeth, with the long fangs of the vampire.

"Not only did she shelter him, she also bore him a child. Her name is Viviene."