Prince Wolf by A. Katie Rose

Author:A. Katie Rose
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, blood, love, fantasy, magic, battle, wolves, wizards, princess, epic fantasy, swords, wolf, sorcery, kings, warriors, romantic adventure, fantasy novel, princes
Publisher: A. Katie Rose

“I’m worried about Rygel.”

Using the same techniques of the day before, I laced Arianne into the stiff brocade gown using both hands and my mouth. I dropped a string from my teeth when I asked her, “Er, why?”

She shrugged, a combination of both a gesture of puzzlement and a shoulder roll to get the gown more comfortable on her back. “He seems very tense, withdrawn even. It’s not like him to not talk to me.”

“He’s not talking to you?”

That was indeed worrisome. I used my wrist to regain the string I dropped, gazing past Arianne’s dark head at Rygel under the thick fall of my snarled hair. Like Kel’Ratan and my boys, he curried Shardon in preparation for saddling him. But unlike them, the two stood apart from the others, almost out of the boundaries of our camp. His back turned toward us, he groomed Shardon’s coat as though his very life depended upon it. Shardon stood quiet, his ears back, and the one eye I could see fixed on Rygel at his shoulder. Did he look worried? I bit my lip. Shardon would know if Rygel were troubled, but as he owed his loyalty to Rygel, he wouldn’t speak of it.

“Maybe it’s just the tension,” Arianne went on. “We’re all feeling it.”

As I laced her into the gown, I surveyed the activity of the others. Tor, still acting as camp cook, went round with offers of food. He’d already fed Arianne and Rygel, Arianne slipping me half of her generous fare. The twins ate as they saddled their horses, their collars glinting under the newly risen sun. Concerned, I watched as Witraz waved Tor away impatiently, refusing food. Yuri and Yuras accepted theirs as they packed the patient black gelding, munching the cold roast, bread and cheese with one hand as they worked.

Alun saddled Mikk. I clenched my jaw as he tightened the girth too tight. Mikk pinned his ears in disgusted irritation. I’d no way of knowing if Alun had already eaten or refused food out of worry, since Tor didn’t offer him any. Rannon took down the tent, folding it away neatly for travel.

My eyes wandered to Kel’Ratan. He, too, groomed his bay stallion, the horse still nibbling on stalks of the thin grass that thrust upward from the sand. He shot occasional glances toward Rygel, his red mustache bristling. More obvious, Corwyn stood beside his packed and saddled roan gelding, and watched Rygel openly, his arms across his chest. Ah, so they, too, worried. Arianne’s sight, or instinct, was true.

Tuatha ate his breakfast from Arianne’s lap while I fixed her hair.

“Talk to him, if you can,” I murmured.

Her face turned toward me, her right eye cast over her shoulder. “I’ll try. But he’s been so – “

“What?”

“Cold.”

Rygel offered Arianne the cold shoulder? Unease dropped its heavy, obstinate load in my gut. I didn’t need any more information to know that something was wrong. Very wrong.

With Arianne dressed, fed and ready for travel, I couldn’t speak to her any longer.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.