Wolf Prince Page 5

  Ms. Elizabeth sighed like a teenager in love, bringing my attention back to her. Returning to her task, she tossed the chopped-up vegetables into a pan. The butter sizzled as she began to stir them.

  “You can if you want,” I added, stealing Zelin’s water and taking a swig. “He’s throwing a party for us in his house tomorrow night. You can come with us,” I offered.

  “Oh, honey, no.” She laughed nervously. “I’m just the chef here, not part of the family. He didn’t invite ‘us’, he invited you, the prince,” she clarified.

  My brows gathered in confusion at her response, and it made me pause. “That’s your work, not who you are.”

  I paused again, there had never been such a clear line drawn between people back in the castle. Was that the way it was here?

  “We have a staff back home. People who work in the palace, helping us, but they are part of the family,” I explained shrugging. “That is just their job. I can’t recall a time when they haven’t shared a meal with us, or when we didn’t celebrate something together. They were all our friends, our family.”

  I reached for her shoulder, squeezing it affectionally.

  “You are part of my family now, Elizabeth,” I reassured, addressing her casually. “And you are going to the party with us. End of discussion.”

  Lifting Zelin by the waist, I placed her beside me and jumped down from the counter, standing next to her. Zelin smiled sweetly at Ms. Elizabeth, confirming my words and her eyes widened seeing Zelin’s smile, her gaze bouncing between us.

  “Are you sure, my prince?”

  “Gustav,” I reminded. “Of course, I’m sure. Don’t be silly.”

  She grinned, squealing, and pulled me into her arms for a tight hug, surprising me. I chuckled as she squeezed the life out of me.

  “Okay. We get it. You are happy,” Zelin stated peeling Ms. Elizabeth’s arms from around my torso. “No need for all this touching.”

  Ms. Elizabeth’s eyes widened for a moment, and she stepped back smiling. “I’m sorry. I got a tad over excited.”

  “Clearly,” Zelin frowned.

  And she was back. “Stop, it” I warned, repressing my amusement, then my attention shifted to the sweet woman before us. Her personality reminded me a bit of Grandma Vanda. I smiled. “Let Audrick know if you need something to wear, he can take you shopping if you want. My gift.” Placing a kiss on her cheek, I took Zelin’s hand in mine, pulling her out of the kitchen as she mumbled something unintelligible in German.

  Cute.

  Once we entered my room, I pulled the shirt over my head, kicking off my shoes, and walking into the bathroom with Zelin on my heel. She turned on the hot water of the shower for me while I continued to undress, and then returned to the door, standing guard as usual.

  Setting my clothes in the dirty bin in the other corner, I crossed the length of the room butt naked in front of her, as I had done a million times. For us shifters, being naked among each other was as natural as breathing. It was simply another form of who we were, not taboo or something of which to be ashamed.

  It only became intimate among couples, when shared by two people that held romantic feelings for each other.

  Walking into the shower, I began lathering my hair with shampoo. “What should we wear tonight?” I asked, instantly feeling like a woman preparing for a date. I chuckled inwardly.

  “Nervous about meeting your new boyfriend?” Zelin answered, catching up to my thoughts since our mental link was always open to each other.

  I snorted, opening the glass door and peaking my head outside to look at her—my hair spiked up every which way with the shampoo foam. “Smartass.”

  A cheeky grin began to curve her lips, but it died before it could fully form, and she narrowed her eyes at me. I grinned at her.

  Closing the door again, I rinsed my hair and began to lather my body, dragging the honey soap over my chest and abs.

  “Are you sure we have to go out tonight?” she asked, obvious hesitation in her voice.

  “Stop being an old lady, Z. It will be fun,” I called over the water. “We made new friends today, and that is what we are here for. To have new experiences.”

  “Right,” she sighed. The one word filled with hesitation.

  “Why don’t you like them? Kevin and Zack seem nice.”

  Zelin remained silent for a few beats, until I peaked out the door again. She made a face, her nose wrinkling as she crossed her arms over her chest. “The brown haired one keeps looking at me funny.”

  Kevin. She was talking about Kevin. “Of course he’s looking at you. You may not realize this, but you are beautiful, Z. Sexy even.”

  Her gasp resounded in the bathroom, echoing in the space so loudly you’d think I had insulted her. “Take it back,” she fumed, eyes wide as she glared at me, appalled.

  I repressed a laugh. “Nope.”

  “I’m a royal knight. The Eisen Ritter, for Goddess’ sake. I wasn’t born to be sexy.”

  “Kevin wants you,” I taunted, finishing to rinse off the soap from my legs and back. “He wants to kiss you, and put his hands all over your body,” I teased, loving the growl that erupted from her, bouncing off the walls.

  “I’m not a piece of meat!” she shouted, fisting her hands at each side, and I lost it.

  My abs and shoulders shook with laughter as I stepped out, pulling the towel from the wall hook, and patting my face and chest. “Come on. Give the poor guy a chance, Z.”

  “Guardians don’t date,” she not so graciously reminded.

  I sighed, wrapping the towel around my hips, and walked towards her. “You can date, Z. There is nothing wrong with that.”

  “Everything is wrong with that. I’m your Iron Knight.” She scowled.

  “No, you are not,” I replied caressing her cheek. “Not while you are here. We are not in the castle anymore. We don’t have to be the prince and his fierce guardian. We can be normal, Z. We can be anything we want.”

  Her expression softened as she looked up into my eyes, and the flow of emotion growing inside me travelled into her. I needed this. I wanted to be normal, if only for a bit.

  “Let’s be anyone we want,” I pleaded. “You can get to know Kevin, and if you like him, just date him. It doesn’t mean you have to mate with him or get married. You can just have a boyfriend without it leading to anything else. Like humans do.”

  An uneasy emotion awoke in me, pressure building in my chest even as I said the words to her. I didn’t like the feeling, but I didn’t know what to do with it, so I pushed it away.

  “Are you going to date?” she asked in a hesitant voice, looking up at me without breaking eye contact, and a mist of sadness spread over her eyes, but it disappeared instantly.

  Why was she sad?

  “I don’t know,” I answered honestly, but the image of the girl with green eyes from this morning returned to me. “Maybe. I really don’t know.”

  She made a face, and I brought her into my arms, holding her tightly.

  Zelin instantly yelped, pulling away from me, and fanning her shirt. “You got me all wet!”

  My lips quivered as I tried to keep a straight face, and I arched a challenging brow at her. “I did what now?”

  “Oh, shut up! You know what I meant.”

  “I knew you liked me, but I didn’t know you liked me that much. I mean—”

  Her hands connected with my chest as she pushed me, her wolf strength kicking in, and I crashed against the wall behind me. Ouch. Laughter erupted out of me and I held my stomach, wiping tears from my eyes as she stormed out of the bathroom.

  “Save some for Kevin!” I shouted after her, rushing into the room just as she opened the door.

  “Stop it, or I swear I will kill you, dead,” she warned, and I lifted my hands in surrender.

  “I’m sorry,” I cleared my throat. “I’ll try not to be so sexy next time.”

  “Ugh!” the walls quaked as she slammed the door behind her.

  I w
alked towards the closet, still chuckling.

  “Wait!” I shouted after her as I took in the million pants and shirts in the dressing room. “Z, you didn’t tell me what I should wear…”

  “Got to hell!”

  I sighed.

  “Women…”

  3

  The pub came into view the moment Rod turned the corner. Gold letters adorned the wooden restaurant sign, which consisted of a black beam across the top of the entrance. A massive glass door with red wood panels invited people in, and the head of a stone lion was placed at the top of the brick building—just underneath an arched red window that matched the door.

  We stopped right in front, giving the keys of the three cars to the valet service, and after Rod, Egon, and Ivo received their tickets, we made our way inside. My intrigued gaze roamed the space as the upbeat ambience greeted us. Live music drifted through our ears, accompanied by light spirits engaged in conversation and laughter.

  My lips stretched into a smile filled with excitement. The place was your typical British pub—not that I was an expert, I had only been to the tavern in my town with my father, his knights, Zelin and our knights. You know, “the guys”.

  Zack’s caramel blond head popped up from the bar then, and he waved us over, just as Zelin stopped next to me. Her tension rolled through my chest.

  My eyes wandered over her face. Her expression was set in harsh lines, but it wasn’t her signature scowl. I knew then she was scanning the crowd, and she was not happy about it.

  “What is it?” I asked through our private link, instinctively reaching for her hand.

  “I can’t pinpoint them yet…” she answered, doing yet another sweep of the place, “but there are people here who are making my skin crawl. I don’t like it.”

  As shifters our senses were heightened, giving us each a particularly extra enhanced gift, yet as the Iron Knight Zelin had all of the abilities, plus a keen intuition. She could read people a mile away, knowing instantly if they could be trusted or not, if they meant us harm or could be allies.

  She could also sense the innate energies of people simply by entering a room. It only took one second for her instinct to kick in, and she was never wrong.

  “Do you want to leave?”

  “No,” she answered promptly, and the hunting flame ignited in her onyx eyes.

  Damn it. Now she wouldn’t stop until she found whoever “they” were, and made sure they weren’t a threat.

  I sighed, nodding. “Okay, guys. Remember what we spoke about,” I sent to the knights’ minds. “Act normal. No formation, no formality, you are college guys from here on out. No flanking Zelin and I at any time, spread out, talk to people, have a beer, enjoy yourselves.”

  Holding Zelin’s hand, I half dragged her into the bar, in the direction Zack had waved at us from a few moments ago, while her eyes continued to search through the multitude.

  “Glad you could make it!” Zack greeted, clasping my hand, and he pulled me in as we half hugged.

  “Thanks for inviting us,” I answered, raising my voice over the music. Someone patted my back as the knights gathered behind us, trying to get to the bar, and I turned around to find Kevin just returning from the stage.

  “Hey! You came.”

  “Your friends are good.” I nodded towards the band as we half hugged.

  “Right? I’ll get you their iTunes link. Let’s get a beer.”

  The words left his lips a moment before he turned towards the wooden counter, where a guy who could be his double worked the beer tap. The man was definitely older than my friend, probably around twenty-six years old, had chocolate brown hair, like Kevin, but instead of gray eyes his were black.

  “That’s my brother, Josh,” Kevin introduced, turning to the guy. “This is my friend Gustav, his sister, Zelin, and their cousins—with too many names I can’t yet remember.”

  His brother’s eyes widened at the number of people with me, and he chuckled. The knights shouted their hellos from behind me, while Zelin’s neck craned as she insistently looked at the crowd, trying to find the cause of her unease.

  “Nice to meet you all.” Josh grinned. “Anyone able to put up with my little brother, deserves a treat. What do you what to drink?”

  I chuckled as Kevin punched him on the shoulder playfully. “What do you recommend?” I asked in turn.

  “Samuel Smith Extra Stout,” both Kevin and Josh answered in unison.

  “Cool. I’ll have one.”

  “Do your sister and cousins drink?” Josh asked.

  “I guess. Just get my cousins the same thing as me, please.” I looked behind me to see the guys nod in approval. They were easy to please.

  “And the lady?” Kevin asked, his voice softening as his eyes settled on Zelin, who hadn’t even noticed him beside her.

  I sighed. Tugging her hand I forced her to look at me. “What does the lady want to drink?” I repeated Kevin’s question.

  “What lady?” Zelin asked startled, finally looking at us.

  “You,” Kevin answered amused. “Would you like a cocktail?”

  “Sure, whatever,” she mumbled, and looked away from him.

  “Zelinda…” I warned. “Remember what we talked about. Be nice.”

  She glared at me and faced Kevin, placing a fake smile on her face that made her look more like serial killer than anything else. “Yes, Kevin. That’d be nice. Thank you.”

  Kevin’s eyes light up at her words and he straightened excitedly. Even though Zelin’s smile was kind of freaking me out, he seemed encouraged by it. “Anything you want.”

  Josh motioned him to help, and Kevin walked around the counter, assisting with the drinks. The pub was full, and our order was huge. There was a girl bartender on the other end of the bar, but she was as busy as Josh was.

  Josh put a beer bottle in front of me, while Kevin began passing the rest to the guys, who were now taking a few seats next to us. “Two max,” Josh warned. “One for whoever is driving.”

  I liked him. He took safety seriously, it didn’t apply for us, but still. It showed me they were good guys.

  Rod, Egon, and Ivo raised their hands, receiving a beer from Josh while I nodded. “You got it. Thanks.”

  “Sweet or citrusy?” Kevin asked Zelin, as he began taking out ingredients for her cocktail.

  She growled, and I squeezed her hand, hard. The fake smile returned. “Surprise me.”

  Kevin smirked at Zelin and set out to sweep her off her feet with the drink. I frowned when the pressure returned to my chest. The unease making me want to growl. WTH. Pushing it away, for the second time that day, I sighed. Kevin had no idea what he was in for with my guardian.

  He was going to need a miracle, but he definitely got an “A” for effort.

  A fancy cocktail was placed in front of her a few minutes later. The wide mouth, champagne glass contained a dark amber liquid, with an orange curl and a cinnamon stick on the edge. Its surface was set aflame with blue fire.

  “Playing with fire,” Kevin announced the drink, calling Zelin’s attention back to him. “Cognac flavored with spiced dates, cinnamon, cloves, and star anise.”

  Zelin’s gaze dropped to the drink, and an air of intrigue and wonder danced across her face, softening her expression. The blue flames illuminated her onyx eyes in a beautiful yet eerie way.

  “The perfect drink, for the perfect girl. Strong, spicy but sweet, and dangerous.” He held her gaze and my attention shifted to him.

  A low growl originated deep within my chest, but I stopped it the second it began, and mentally slapped myself. Startled by my unexpected reaction, I blinked and glanced at Zelin. Shock rendered me speechless as I saw the corner of her lips begin to curl up with a smile—an honest smile—but it disappeared too fast to enjoy fully.

  Kevin’s lips stretched into a triumphant grin, and he leaned closer, blowing the fire out, then handed the drink to her.

  “Thank you,” she took it from my friend, narrowing her eyes at
him, and finally took a sip. Savoring it on her tongue, her gaze went to him again. “It’s okay.” She took another sip, repressing a second smile, and turned her back to him, resuming her scrutiny of the people around us—drink in hand.

  Had hell frozen over?

  My gaze shifted to the bar to find the knights all starting at her as surprised as I was, mouth-hanging open. At least I wasn’t the only one. Josh bumped elbows with his brother, smirking at him in an obvious “at a boy”, and Kevin’s grin widened while he walked back to our side.

  “That didn’t go as badly as I thought it would,” he stated taking a sip of his beer.

  “You have no idea.” I shook my head, unsure how I felt about that. Kevin was right about one thing though. Whoever dared to love my guardian, was definitely playing with fire.

  Tonight was going to be interesting.

  * * *

  “Be right back. Restroom.” I told the knights during the band’s third set, handing what was left of my second my beer to Dale. The guys were successfully relaxed, a few of them talking to girls, others enjoying the music, while a few just talked among themselves.

  I made my way through the people, glancing at the crowd to see if I could spot Zelin. She was now on a physical hunt through the bar, unable to shake the feeling that there was a threat close. Not necessarily a threat to us, or to me, but one nonetheless.

  Reaching the back of the place, I took the hallway to the restrooms, feeling the draft of cold wind seeping in through the open door that led to the back alley.

  “No. Stop!”

  My hand halted on the restroom door, my whole body tensing when the female voice coming from the alley reached me.

  “Get off me. No!” she sobbed.

  Before I could form any thoughts about who could see me, my body shot forwards with my enhanced speed, and the next second, I was outside. My gaze immediately connected with familiar green eyes, and my whole body clenched.

  Sarah, the sweet girl I’d met that morning, was pressed against the wall close to the dumpster, while a burly guy leaned over her slim form. Rage exploded through me, while her hands desperately tried to push him off her, and black tears marbled her cheeks.