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Ben’s hand slipped into mine and he spoke in a low whisper. “Whatever happens, stay close to me.”
‘Whatever happens’ happened at just that moment as a dozen burly and hairy men leapt out of the bushes. They landed on bare, clawed feet in a circle, entrapping us. Some of them bore spears, but most had only their bare hands. That was enough as I realized their fingers were in fact long claws with very sharp points. Our captors wore rough fur skins slung across their hairy bodies, and all had long dark brown hair.
Ben held up his hands and nudged my arm with his shoulder. I took the hint and did the same with my hands.
One of the hairy men stepped forward and eyed Ben. He was a head taller than the rest and his hair was as black as night. His narrowed eyes were without pity as he studied us. Fangs stuck out the bottom of his upper lip as his wide nostrils flared.
“Who are you that you would trespass in our woods?” he questioned us.
“My name is Count Benjamin Castle,” Ben told him as he nodded at me. “And this is my fiancé, Millie Lucas. We’ve come here to find answers to our questions.”
The man’s lips curled back in a snarl. “Our words are not some playground for wealthy humans. You will return to the road or you will face our wrath.”
“We were merely hoping for an audience with your king, Eall,” Ben assured him. “Perhaps we can offer assistance to one another-”
“We don’t need the help of human filth!” the man snapped. “You will leave now or-”
“That’s no way to treat our guests, Gasric,” a voice spoke up.
Our captors parted and allowed a young man of twenty-five to step into the ring. He was less hairy than the others, with only a stubble of red hair on his chin, though he wore the same rough attire. His physique was also slimmer but nearly a head taller than the others. The man’s long red hair cascaded down his shoulders and back, giving him a look of fiery fury. His eyes, however, belied a gentleness and a mischievous spark. A sword hung at his hip via a looped piece of rope and he wore a necklace of teeth around his neck. I couldn’t help but notice they looked suspiciously like human teeth.
The newcomer folded his arms over his chest and eyed Ben with that mischievous glint. “I see you have caught quite the prize. It’s not every day a scion of the House of Rookwood comes calling.”
The mention of Ben’s maternal line caused a few murmured whispers to rise from the group. Gasric scoffed. “Whatever their lineage, the king ordered me to keep all trespassers out of the forest.”
“We kept to the Path of Fellowship and sought only to reach the glade,” Ben insisted.
Gasric scowled at him. “Whatever you sought, human, you won’t find it in these woods.”
“I’ll see to their leaving, Gasric,” the other man insisted as he clapped a hand on Ben’s shoulder. “You and your men can go back to your hunting for rabbits.”
Gasric’s eyes filled with fury and he balled his clawed hands into fists. I tensed for a fight, but he turned and marched into the brush. His men followed and soon we found ourselves alone with the stranger.
The werewolf let out a puff of air and the tension in his shoulders lifted. He turned to us and grinned. “Always the troublemaker, Ben.”
Ben grinned. “I recall getting into more than one trouble because of a certain werewolf.”
The man wagged a finger at Ben. “It was all because of your encouragement and many people haven’t forgiven me for the ‘fun’ you suggested.”
Ben let out a laugh. “Do they still call you Dangerous Deor?”
“Only the old-timers,” Deor replied as he puffed out his chest a little. “Those under me call me Blysa Deor.”
Ben crossed his arm over his chest and swept into a low bow. “Then it’s a great honor to be in such illustrious company.”
Deor playfully slammed a fist against the exposed back of Ben’s head. “Knock it off.”
Ben stumbled but caught himself before he fell face-first to the leaf-littered ground. He straightened and gave Deor a sheepish grin. “You haven’t changed a bit.”
“I’d like to think I’ve grown some,” Deor mused as he gestured to a path I hadn’t noticed before. “But shall we walk and talk? I have my guard duties to attend to, as well, and they were rudely interrupted by the stench of a dragon.”
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
I nudgedBen’s arm as we followed our guide into the dense forest. “How many people around here know about you?”
“Only Dugal and Deor. And my aunt, of course.”
“So you didn’t put an ad in the paper advertising yourself?”
