I flexed my shoulders, threw back my head, and howled.
Chapter Fifteen
The forest blurred beneath my paws as I raced toward my lovers. My pack closed in around me, my father leaping into the lead. I scented the breeze and felt the briefest sense of relief that there was no smoke upon it. But then I smelled blood, and my body shivered. I howled as we broke free of the forest. The mob froze, and then turned to look at us.
The villagers had just made it past the main doors, and they had been focused on the beasts before them. They thought they had cornered some vicious animals, never knowing that they were being herded together like cattle. They stumbled about in confusion. Half of them headed further into the castle while the rest gathered their courage to face us. It was brave of them, I'll give them that; facing down a pack of werewolves.
I shifted as I ran, transforming from pure wolf into a blend of woman and beast. I was twice my normal height in this form, muscles bulging beneath my pale, gray fur, and my paws were tipped with razor-sharp claws. I was just as terrifying as my beastly princes. Perhaps even more so.
My family shifted as well, causing the villagers to cringe in terror. We howled and then bared our teeth in warning to them. Deep inside, we knew that these were not the people we wanted to hurt, but if they did not back down, if they continued to threaten the men I loved, Iwouldhurt them... badly.
Some of them scattered in all directions. We leapt through the leftovers and sent them fleeing in fright as well. But there was still a great number within the castle, and from the sounds of it, they were already engaging my lovers. I howled in rage and barreled into the mob.
Then I saw him; Lancelot was surrounded by ten men brandishing swords. They sliced at him and stabbed at him, while he tore at the air with his paws. There were already slashes in his pelt, and the scent of his blood was strong in my nose. I growled, and Lance's gaze went to mine, his eyes widening in shock. I tore through the men surrounding him until I reached Lancelot, and then I put my back to his, and we fought off the men together.
“Sylvaine?” Lance glanced at me over his shoulder. “Is that you?”
“Hey, honey,” I growled. “Surprise.”
Lance started laughing, but then we heard a high-pitched whimper, and his mirth was cut off abruptly.
“Blaise!” Lance shouted.
Lance shoved men aside, slamming them into walls, as he cleared a path for us, straight to his brother. We found Blaise cornered by several men wielding spears, one of the weapons was already lodged in his shoulder. Blaise bared his teeth and growled, but the men just kept stabbing at him. We knocked the villagers aside as my family joined us, and then I heard another familiar voice coming from my left.
“Blaise!” Audric tossed a man over his head and then came running over to us.
The last group of men were those attacking Blaise, everyone else had picked up their unconscious friends and ran away. We surrounded these remaining men and destroyed them. There was no retreat for the spear-wielders, not after what they'd done to Blaise.
After the men were dead, I shifted into human form and raced forward, sliding beneath Blaise and pulling his head onto my chest. He moaned and reached weakly for the spear in his shoulder. There was another lodged in his hip. Blaise's brothers knelt beside us as my father looked on grimly.
“Do it,” Blaise hissed. “Just pull them out.”
Audric and Lance looked at each other, then at me. I nodded, and they each grabbed a spear. With perfect timing, they removed the spears together, and Blaise shouted in pain. I cried and put my hands tightly over the wounds.
“Get some cloth to bind these with,” I said to the brothers, but they just stared at Blaise sadly. “Go!”
“He won't survive this,” Audric said gently. “That's a gut wound, Sylvie.”
“They're right,” my father had shifted to his human form and was standing behind Lance. “It would be better to kill him quickly.”
“No,” I cried as blood seeped between my fingers. “No, he won't die. He won't. We haven't broken the curse yet.”
“Blaise, I'm so sorry,” Lance whispered brokenly as he knelt by Blaise's side. “I don't know why I was jealous of you. It was foolish. You're my brother, I love you. You deserve Sylvaine's love just as much as I or Audric. I'm so damn sorry.”
“I love you too, Lancelot,” Blaise said weakly. “I love you all.” His gaze went from Lance to Audric to me. “So much.” His eyes fixed on mine. “It was still worth it,” he whispered and then his gaze settled into place.
“No, Blaise. Please, no!” I sobbed and shook him, but he was already gone.
Audric and Lance bowed their heads over us and wept openly as my family watched in respectful silence.
Then the most amazing thing happened. A shiver trembled through the air and across our skin. We all froze as the unmistakable feeling of magic filled the room. Then it picked up in strength and speed, circling us faster and faster. It condensed around the three princes and started to glow. The light became so bright that I had to close my eyes against it, but I could feel the changes in Blaise's body.
The third heart had been opened like a blossoming rose, and the curse was broken at last.
When the glow finally faded, I opened my eyes to find two of the most handsome men I'd ever seen. One was kneeling nearby. He had oak-brown hair and eyes of the darkest blue. His face had the rugged lines of a pensive man, but his body had the build of a warrior. The man who stood beside him had sin-black hair which went well with his sensuous lips, and eyes that were a velvety soft, blue-gray with long, heavy lashes. He was slightly slimmer than his brother, but still thickly muscled.
Then I looked down.
