“Hey, you.” I stroked his forelock. “Thank you for bringing me help.”
He nuzzled my face.
“You know that I could have beaten Fabien on my own, though.”
Bertrand gave me a dubious look.
“I could have,” I insisted. “Never mind.” I kissed his cheek. “I love you, horse. But I've got to get back to the other beasts now.”
Bertrand huffed and went back to eating his grain. I headed inside the castle and up to my room. After a hot bath, I put on the simplest gown I could find; a blue cotton dress with a ruffled hem. Then I opened my door to find the three brothers waiting for me.
“You three look ready for the next part of my plan,” I said with a smile.
“I assume this involves learning to share,” Lance muttered.
“In a way,” I agreed. “But it's not really sharing that's your problem. It's the jealousy that comes from seeing another man have what you cherish. So, we're going to work on that jealousy.”
“How are we going to do that?” Blaise asked.
“By proving that you have nothing to be jealous of,” I said. “I love you, each of you, and I know that you love me.”
“Damn it, woman,” Lance growled. “Can you not at least allow us to proclaim our love for you first? Must you always take control?”
“I can't help it, I'm an alpha, and we don't have time to let you buffoons work up to professing your undying love,” I huffed. “I looked in on the rose before I returned to my room this morning. I saw that we're down to three petals. This is the time for action, and not your type of bumbling about awkwardness.”
“What kind of action do you propose?” Audric smiled wickedly at me.
“The very kind you're implying,” I said calmly.
Audric's wicked look fell with his jaw. He gaped at me along with his brothers.
“You can't possibly mean...” Lance trailed off.
“Why are you hesitating now?” I teased Lance. “You had intended to bed me from the start.”
“You did what now?” Audric glared at Lance.
“As if you didn't try,” Lance scoffed.
“I didn't,” Audric protested. “I enjoy the chase, not just the catch.”
“Lancelot always had women tossing their skirts up for him,” Blaise said with a shrug. “I'm not surprised that he thought Sylvie would be the same.”
“You do have a mirror in your chambers, right?” Audric asked Lance. “Did you honestly think she would bed you immediately?”
“She would have,” Lance growled, “if she wasn't such a lady.”
“Gentlemen!” I snapped my fingers in their faces. “We are halfway to ending the curse. Did you not hear the part where I said that I love you idiots?”
“Yes,” they all muttered, looking chastised.
“Now, we must take this love further, to a place where it becomes obvious that we love each other beyond limitations. So obvious that even the magic cannot deny it. We need to become intimate.”
“I can't even believe this is happening,” Blaise whispered. “Have either of you ever had a woman speak to you in such a manner?”
The other two shook their heads.
“Do not be insulted by what I'm about to ask,” Lance said. “I don't care if you're not; but are you a maiden, Sylvaine?”
