Chapter 14

Clara

Prince Marcus pressed me against the wall. I struggled against his grip, but he was too strong.

“If you know what’s good for you,” he hissed, “you’ll sit still and be quiet.”

Then he leaned back and chuckled. “Oh, wait, you don’t have any choice, do you? You have to be quiet.”

I glared, but he was holding my wrists so I couldn’t sign. It didn’t matter, though. Prince Marcus didn’t understand my signs. I doubted he’d have the patience to let me write my response on his hand, either.

He leaned back a little. “I’ve been thinking it over. Maybe having a mate who can’t talk back to me wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.”

I scowled at him. I no longer cared if we were fated or not. He was cruel and I would not accept him as my mate, no matter what he said.

“You look so angry,” he said, chuckling. “Well, that hardly matters. You’ll listen to me, if you want to avoid another whipping.”

I looked down. I did not think I’d survive another punishment like the last one.

“It just so happens you are in a position to be useful to me,” Prince Marcus continued. “I want you to spy on my brother for me. Bring me certain papers from his study, and I might find it in my heart to reward you.”

What papers did he want? Why did Prince Marcus want me to spy on his own brother?

I shook my head. Even if I wanted to spy for Prince Marcus, I could not do it. I was Nora’s personal attendant, not Gideon’s. I didn’t have access to his study.

“Don’t be so quick to refuse,” Prince Marcus said. “If you do this little favor for me, I might consider accepting you as my mate. We are fated, after all.”

He grinned and leaned close. I turned my head and shoved at him as hard as I could.

He laughed at my efforts and held me even tighter against the wall. I felt his breath on my neck and the heat of his body against mine. I shivered in fear.

I wanted to refuse him. I didn’t know what was going on between him and Gideon. I didn’t care.

I didn’t want anything to do with Prince Marcus or his plans. I knew he was cruel and petty. All I wanted was to stay far away him.

I heard footsteps approach, and looked over to see Gideon approaching.

“What’s going on here?” he demanded.

“Oh, this maid and I were just flirting,” Prince Marcus said with a smug grin.

“I was asking Clara, not you,” Prince Gideon said. “Clara, what is going on?”

I could not answer. Prince Marcus still had my arms pinned.

“Let her go so she can answer me,” Prince Gideon ordered.

“You understand all that flailing about?” Prince Marcus asked.

“She’s speaking with hand signs,” Prince Gideon explained. “I use something similar on the battlefield.”

“Hm. I just shout, it works well enough,” Prince Marcus said with a shrug.

He stepped back enough that I could move my hands.

“I was not flirting,” I signed.

Both princes watched my hands.

“I don’t see that being very useful on the field of battle,” Prince Marcus said.

“Her signs are obviously more complex, since she requires more nuanced speech,” Prince Gideon said. “Please, Clara, sign slowly. Were you flirting with Marcus?”

I shook my head rapidly, and signed, “No!”

“She’s obviously lying,” Prince Marcus said. “This little maid you rescued so gallantly is an ambitious creature. She plans to make herself a prince’s Luna.” He shrugged. “Since you punished her so harshly for trying to seduce you, she’s moved on. Can you blame her?”

I shook my head again. It wasn’t true! I hadn’t seduced Prince Gideon, and I wasn’t flirting with Prince Marcus!

Prince Gideon crossed his arms and shook his head. He looked annoyed.

“All I see is my brother bullying someone who can’t even call out for help,” he said. “This behavior is beneath you, Marcus.”

Prince Marcus huffed. “Why do you care so much about this one servant, anyway?”

“It is our duty to care about everyone in our pack,” Prince Gideon said. “We are responsible for everyone, from the highest noble to the lowest ranked servant.”

Prince Marcus shook his head. “As you say, Brother, but I think you are wasting your time with this one.”

Prince Gideon reached out and took my hand. He pulled me away from Prince Marcus. I scurried to hide behind him.

“It is my time to waste,” Prince Gideon said.

He turned and walked away, pulling me by the hand. I hurried to follow. I didn’t want to be left alone with Prince Marcus.

Prince Gideon looked down at me after a few moments of walking.

“Didn’t you learn your lesson the last time?” he demanded.

Gideon

I decided to go out for a run to clear my head. For some reason I couldn’t get that scheming maid out of my thoughts.

I turned a corner and saw my brother Marcus. He had one of the palace maids trapped against the wall. The girl tried to shove him off while I watched.

“What’s going on here?” I demanded.

My brother turned to face me as I approached. When I was closer, I recognized the maid as Clara. Why was Marcus so interested in this maid?

It was obvious despite Marcus’ claim that they were flirting that he had said or done something to upset Clara. She kept trying to shove him away. I couldn’t quite follow everything she signed, but it was obvious she was unhappy.

I hated that I had to reprimand Marcus in front of a servant. He should know better. But we did have a responsibility to everyone in our pack.

Clara hid herself behind me while Marcus mocked me for wasting my time. I led Clara away by the hand.

I wondered what exactly had happened between them. Did Marcus have a reason for holding a grudge against this girl? It wasn’t like him to harass the servants.

I knew Clara was not as innocent as she liked to pretend. She had tricked me, after all. Nora claimed that Clara hadn’t drugged me on purpose. She explained that Clara must have just gotten the wrong wine somehow.

I suppose it was possible that a couple planning an exciting night had ordered wine with an aphrodisiac. And Clara could have taken the wrong bottle. She was new to her duties as a personal attendant.But Clara had still taken advantage of the situation.

“Didn’t you learn your lesson last time?” I asked Clara.

She looked up at me with a frown. Her confusion looked genuine. But I didn’t think everything my brother said was a lie. He would not bully a maid for no reason. She must have done something to get his attention.

“I’m going to have you confined,” I told her. “I want you to think about your behavior.”

Clara stopped walking. She looked shocked and upset. She signed something, but her movements were so fast and frantic that I couldn’t understand anything. I assumed she was protesting her innocence.

“You are nothing more than my mistress’ personal servant,” I reminded her. “You are here, in the royal palace, on my sufferance and Nora’s good graces. I want you to reflect on your position and your actions. I want you to think about how you can stay out of trouble in the future.”

Clara’s shoulders slumped. She bowed her head and nodded. I ignored her obvious misery. This was for her own good. She needed to learn how to behave properly before she got into real trouble.

I led her to the dungeon and gave orders to the guards to lock her up until I came to retrieve her. Hopefully when I got back to her, she would have her ambitions under control.