Page 24 of Prisoner of the Lycan Prince

The flames went out, revealing the man’s charred, hairless skull. I pressed a hand over my mouth as my stomach threatened to revolt. The man wiped water from his eyes, then shook his head like a dog emerging from a swimming pool. Brilliant red hair sprouted from his head and fell down his back, the locks as glossy as if the fire never happened.

“Show off,” Goliath murmured beside me. When I turned to him, he’d folded his arms, and his expression was affectionate as he watched the man. “Phoenixes and their hair.”

As Goliath said the last, a faint pop split the air.

Everyone in the clearing focused on us.

“I beg your pardon,” the redheaded man said. “It’s plumage.” He approached us, a smile spreading on his face. Up close, his hair was threaded with long, red feathers that appeared to spring directly from his scalp. He looked at Goliath. “And you’ve been a naughty dragon, hiding yourself and our guest on the sidelines.” He plucked my hand from Goliath’s and bent over my fingers. “Enchanté, Miss Ward. I’m Leander.”

“Hello,” I said, my heart pumping faster. Wait. Was Goliath a dragon? I couldn’t help but gape at him.

Goliath gave me a mild look. “Never judge a book by its cover.”

“I…”

“Oh, leave her alone,” the woman said, crossing the clearing. She shouldered Leander out of the way. “And stop flirting, you rake.” She smiled at me as she extended a hand. “Adina Norwood, bog witch.”

I shook her hand. “I’m Harper Ward. Um, human.”

Adina turned and cupped her hands around her mouth. “It’s all right, Keir! Leander stopped bleeding.”

The man with the fiddle nodded. A second later, he winked out of sight. Another second, and he appeared next to Adina.

“I’m Keir Holland, my lady,” he said in a clipped English accent. Prominent fangs flashed as he spoke. “It’s an absolute delight to meet you.”

As I opened my mouth to respond, an enormous brown bear lumbered from the pine trees. I sucked in a breath, but Goliath put a hand on my arm.

“It’s all right. It’s just Rolfe. He always forgets to shift when he’s tired.” He raised his voice. “Hey, Rolfe! Go put some clothes on!”

The bear stopped. It blinked slowly, then looked down at its front paws. With an irritated-sounding groan, it turned and disappeared into the woods.

Goliath looked at me. “He’ll be back in a second. Fingers crossed, he’ll be wearing pants.”

“Should we have tea?” Adina asked, gesturing to the tree stump table.

Leander offered me his arm. “This way, Miss Ward. You can sit next to me.”

I placed my fingers on his elbow. “It’s just Harper.”

Five minutes later, I sat at the tree stump with a cup of tea at my elbow and a plate loaded with tiny cakes in front of me. Goliath and the others ate their cakes while Adina flitted around the table, pouring tea from a kettle she’d pulled from the fire.

A giant of a man in a pair of denim overalls trundled from the trees, yawning as he came to the table. Leander stood and shoved two chairs together.

“There you go, big guy.”

The man sat heavily. Immediately, his head drooped, and he released a loud snore. As he tilted forward, Keir snatched a teacup from his path. Just as quickly, Leander caught the man’s shoulders, then lowered the man’s upper body gently to the stump.

The man sighed, a contented look spreading over his face as he continued snoring.

Leander gave the giant’s head an affectionate pat. “It’s okay, Rolfe.” He met my gaze and dropped his voice to a stage whisper. “He’s always like this when he’s hibernating.”

“He’s a bear shifter?” I asked, unbuttoning my coat and pulling out my notebook.

“That’s right,” Leander said. “One of a handful left on the West Coast.” Leander frowned as he slipped into his own chair. “Actually, Rolfe might be the only bear shifter left on this side of the country.”

“Why?” I asked, flipping my notebook open. I wrote as fast as I could, scribbling down everything I’d experienced since entering the maze. “Did something happen?”

“War,” Adina said, placing a tumbler with a straw and a lid in front of Keir. She smiled when he murmured his thanks. Then she sat next to Leander and turned serious eyes to me. “A century ago, there were five major bear clans. Then they started fighting. Skirmishes became battles. Battles turned into full scale warfare. The clans tried to wipe each other out. And they almost succeeded. Just two clans remain, and their numbers are dangerously low. The whole race verges on extinction.”

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