Lydia Dare - Wolf Next Door

"There's only one thing left that we can do," Simon said as he surveyed the iron bed frame.

?" Will grumbled.

Simon scratched his chin. "It would take weeks to heal from something like that."

Will's mouth fell open. His brother was actually considering it?

"Maybe the baby?" Oliver pitched in quietly.

"Do be quiet," Simon snapped. "We'll not ask the unborn to grow new hands for Will." Suddenly, he stood and jerked the foot of the bed, until it slid several feet from the wall. "And I had so many wonderful memories of this bed. Lily will have your head for forcing me to dismantle it."

Will found it hard to keep his mouth shut as Simon slid his hands beneath his body and then lifted him in one smooth motion and flipped him so that he stood behind the iron headboard.

"I hate it when you do that," Will mumbled.

"Of course you do," Simon said blandly as he tore the mattress from the bed and swiftly broke the slats that held the mattress up from the floor.

"It'll be a bit of a hindrance carrying the headboard back," Simon said. "Can you manage it?" He arched one dark eyebrow.

"No, perhaps you should carry me

and

the headboard," Will growled. Of course, he could handle it. Why was Simon suddenly treating him like an invalid?

"Let's go then. We have a wild Lycan to catch."

***

Prisca paced back and forth in the entryway, waiting for Will to return.

"You said you loved Will when you were talking with Mother. Did you mean it?" Ben asked.

"How did you know?" He raised an eyebrow at her. Of course, he'd heard her. She stared at her hands, avoiding Ben's gaze. "I suppose."

"Try not to sound so happy about it, will you?" Ben said as he lightly squeezed her shoulder. "When he comes back, talk to him. I wish I had talked more to Ellie. I wasted some time I could have spent loving her, hiding from myself."

A clatter arose on the front steps. It was followed by a clank, a curse, and some mad shuffling. Prisca held her breath until Will was inside, followed by Blackmoor and Oliver. Yet, above Will's head was the oddest contraption.

"If you hit me with that thing one more time…" the duke growled.

"I'm very sorry to burden you with my anchor," Will spat back. "The next time someone chains me to a bed, I'll be sure and have the madman leave a key, just for

your

convenience."

"What is he holding?" Prisca asked under her breath.

"It looks like a headboard," Ben answered, sounding just as surprised as Prisca felt.

Not just any headboard. She'd recognize it anywhere. It was from the same bed the two of them had shared in Blackmoor's crofter's cottage. The same cottage she doubted Lily knew a thing about. Someone had chained him to that bed?

Her mouth fell open in astonishment, and a squeak escaped. How dare he? She'd just spent the better part of an hour worrying about Will's whereabouts. She'd just finished telling Ben how much she loved the rogue. She'd fretted over him, for God's sake. And all that time he'd been chained to a

bed?

"Is she all right?" Will asked, his voice full of concern.

She couldn't even form a sentence she was so furious. He'd kissed her and caressed her, and he'd gone off on some quickly remembered assignation?

"She will be," Ben said softly.

"Prisca?" Will asked. "What is it?" He turned toward Ben 's voice, forcing Simon to duck to avoid being decapitated by the spinning headboard. "Has Brimsworth been here?" He spun again, this time bumping into Maberley, who wasn't quite as fast to evade the blow. The boy fell to his knees as he clutched his head.

"Sorry, Oliver," Will grunted.

"No harm done," the boy said graciously as he regained his footing.

"Perhaps you should stand still until that thing is removed, William," the duke growled.

"Priss?" Will asked again, a question certainly in his gaze, though she hadn't enough control of her thoughts to figure out what it was.

"Yes, Will?" she asked, wishing him to the devil.

"Oh, God, Priss," Will said as he closed his eyes tightly. "I'm so glad you're safe."

She tried to suppress a snort, failing miserably. She turned to address Benjamin. "Would you ask Billings to ready a carriage, please. I'd very much like to go home now."

Then she escaped back into the parlor and slammed the door shut, ignoring Will's call for her to stop.

***

"Ben, get out of my way," Will grumbled as he tried to get past his younger brother into the green parlor after Prisca. In the process he clocked Simon in the head again with the top of the iron headboard.

"For God's sake," the duke grumbled.

"Sorry," Will offered and then turned his attention to Ben. "What's wrong with her?"

"She hasn't had an easy time of it, Will. You may want to leave her be for the moment."

Like hell. Will reached for the handle again, but Simon's arm on his shoulder halted him. "Billings!" the duke barked.

When the butler appeared, his eyes grew round as they landed on Will. "My lord?" The old man's mouth dropped open.

"Summon Mr. James," Simon ordered.

"The blacksmith?" Billings asked, still in awe.

"Do you have a better suggestion of how to get this off him?"

Billings shook his head. "You're right, of course, Your Grace." Then he started down the hallway at a spirited clip.

Will paid them very little attention, his gaze focused on Ben. "What do you mean she hasn't had an easy time of it?"

"She's figured out what you are, what we all are."

Will's shoulders slumped from both the weight of the iron headboard and Ben's words. "She figured it out?" he snarled menacingly.

Prisca couldn't possibly have figured it out! The word

Lycan

didn't simply pop up in one's mind if someone else hadn't planted the seeds. Benjamin would be wise to hide until the end of time for his own safety. The dolt would need both Elspeth's healing power and that of their daughter to put himself back together.

His younger brother gulped. "She came right out and asked me where my mark was."

Will purposely bumped Ben with the headboard. "And did you show her?"

"Of course not!" Ben pushed at Will's chest. "That's your place, not mine. Though I did tell Ellie right from the very beginning, and I'm not quite sure what you're waiting for."

"She's not ready," Will said, but he recognized the growl in his own voice and softened his tone. "She's not ready for this."

Prisca stepped out of the parlor, a book clutched in her arms and pressed tightly against her chest. Will recognized it immediately.

Lycans and Lore.

What the devil was she doing with that?

Will's fingers twitched to touch her, but Prisca stayed just out of reach. She turned her violet eyes on him as both of his brothers and Oliver all seemed to disappear into one room or another. "Priss," he began.

But she slipped past him. "Save it, William. I've heard all of your lies I intend to."

"Lies?" he echoed and tried to reach for her, but the blasted headboard got in the way.

"Yes, lies." She glared at him. "How long have I known you, William?"

What kind of question was that? "Forever."

She nodded in agreement. "I've known you my whole life, and just today found out you're not really a man."

"I'm not quite sure how to respond to that. You can take my word for it that my masculinity has never been called into question before."

Her glare darkened. "Don't feign ignorance. Everyone in this house knew what you were but me. Even that snooty Scottish witch. She referred to you as a beast earlier. I had no idea that she meant it in earnest."

The air whooshed out of Will. He expected that she'd be afraid or skittish when she found out, but… angry? "Priss, I was going to tell you."