“Let’s walk,” he suggested, both his voice and his expression oozing friendliness.
“Oh, I can’t,” she demurred. “I really have a lot to do before we ride out.”
He grabbed her arm. This time, his grip felt more forceful than friendly. “I think we should.”
Futilely, she tried to pull away. “Chad—”
“I saw you last night.”
She froze, though her heart skipped a beat. “I see.” How much had he seen? No doubt enough to break their tentative betrothal. She couldn’t blame him, either. If the situation were reversed, she’d do exactly the same thing.
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
“I think we have something to talk about, don’t you?” he asked, flashing his teeth in what appeared more grimace than smile.
Of course she went with him. After all, what choice did she have? She had to find out what exactly Chad had seen and worse, what he intended to do with that knowledge.
For a moment, they walked without speaking. Surrounded by birdsong and the sounds of the morning forest, to anyone watching they would have appeared simply as a young couple out for a stroll.
Only the tension that had Willow holding herself stiffly would have told an astute observer a different story.
Finally, Chad broke the silence. “I saw you playing with a giant wolf.”
Swallowing hard, Willow nodded. “I have an affinity for wild animals. I always have.”
This time, when he flashed a smile, he didn’t bother to hide his ferocity. “And wild men? Do you have an affinity for them, as well?”
Had he seen Ruben change from wolf to human? Worse, had he been watching as they made love? If he had, it would be more than an appalling intrusion of privacy. It would be...desecration of something sacred.
“What exactly do you mean?” she asked carefully.
“Ruben,” he said, still smiling that same fierce smile. “I mean Ruben. When I said I saw you, I meant I saw you with him.”
“Really?” She cocked her head, as though it didn’t matter to her. Even though her heart had begun pounding, she took a strange sense of pride in the way she managed to keep her voice level. “What exactly did you see?”
“I saw the wolf and felt you use your magic,” he told her. “They told me you had none and in truth, I don’t sense any in you. But you must be very strong, to do such a thing.”
Though she wasn’t sure what exactly he thought she had done, she kept silent.
“You calmed the wild beast,” he raved. “Amazing. And then I blinked and when I looked again, the wolf was gone. And Ruben stood in its place.”
And then... She couldn’t help but reveal the shudder of revulsion that came over her. Disgusted that he’d dared to remain hidden and watched. And anger, she felt that, too.
“How dare you,” she breathed, her voice full of scorn. “That was a private moment.”
“How dare you,” he snarled right back, his grip on her arm tightening, turning painful. “You belong to me. You and I were supposed to marry.”
Jerking away, she took a step back. Then another. Something glinted in his eyes, something frightening. Suddenly afraid, she knew instinctively not to show it.
“Were. Past tense.” She stood taller. “I release you from any obligation.” Relief flooded her. Good that she’d be free of this one.
“Your actions with the human already did that,” he sneered. “Whore.”
He raised his hand as if to slap her. Instinctively, she braced herself, while at the same time stumbling backward, trying to put as much distance between herself and him as possible.
“Is there a problem here?” Ruben’s voice, hard as steel.
Thankful, Willow crossed to him without a second thought. Perfect because, she knew that with Chad, the action would indicate that she’d made her choice. And, judging from the Bright prince’s enraged expression, he viewed this as an incentive for war.
* * *
Ruben didn’t know what he’d interrupted, but damned if it hadn’t seemed like Chad was about to physically abuse Willow. While he wasn’t familiar with the customs of these people, in his opinion, women and children were to be protected at all times.
And Willow wasn’t just any woman. No way in hell would he let that fool hurt her.
Without hesitation, Ruben crossed the clearing and stepped in. When he asked if there was a problem, he really hadn’t expected Chad to answer.
And Chad didn’t. Instead, the Bright prince began to turn, craning his neck as though looking for something. “Don’t you feel