Four Heirs: A Reverse Harem Fantasy (The Rothhaven Trilogy Book 3) Page 3

  “No, not at all. I’m looking forward to it. Gaylen was my father’s most trusted warlock. I am not happy he’s been in hiding all these years, but am glad he’s agreed to try to help us. Even he has to see how desperate things are becoming.”

  “I would hope so,” she replied, but she wasn’t so sure. She had only met the warlock the one time, but there was something about him she didn’t trust. Even back then, in her young heart, she thought there was something sinister about him. But she kept these things to herself. She had to trust that the brothers knew what they were doing. She just hoped they weren’t making a mistake, calling on him out of pure desperation and then having to owe the creepy warlock something in return.

  She laid her head on his chest and sighed happily, listening to Zackary’s heartbeat as she fell into a deep sleep.

  But, sleep did not come as easily for Zackary. He lay there, staring down at a very contented and sleeping Mariselle. Light from the nearby candle cast her lashes in a long shadow over her cheek. His heart squeezed painfully in his chest as he realized he was in love with her, but that she would never truly be his. He had seen the way she looked at Griffin, how happy she was, and how she couldn’t let go of his hand. At the time, in order not to become a raging, jealous idiot, had consoled himself with the fact that Griffin had taken her virginity, and that of course she was always going to have some special attachment to him. And that she hadn’t seen him for months, and just missed him.

  But… it was the way Griffin looked back at her that the green monster rearing its ugly head. The eldest Rothhaven almost looked pained at the sight of her. He could see a war battling behind his big brother’s eyes at how he was looking at her. He knew that Griffin loved her, just how he knew Alexander did, too. It hurt Zackary to see Alex flogging down his feelings every time Mariselle was around. He knew his brother was fighting from reaching out to touch her. He knew the look too well because he, himself, often had to fight from touching her every minute of the day. The short nights of passion, like tonight, was all he allowed himself. Otherwise, he’d not get anything kingly done around the castle because he would be too busy touching, kissing, and making love to the beautiful maiden in all his spare time.

  And he knew if his brothers were in his position, they would want to do the same thing. There was something about Mariselle that was just absolutely irresistible, so he couldn’t blame Alexander and Griffin for wanting her.

  His mind then drifted to baby brother, Mathias. Would he also fall under her spell, being unable to resist touching her? If Zackary had his way, none of them would touch her but him. But, he told himself, that was foolish thinking. He knew, like everyone else, that in order to break the curse, all the brothers would have to try with her. The thought made him sad. He pulled Mariselle into him tighter and kissed the top of her head before closing his eyes and trying to get some sleep.

  Chapter 5

  Mariselle cowered in the corner of the solar room. The kings had insisted she leave, wanting to leave the business to the men, but she’d refused. In typical Mariselle fashion, she reminded them all that this meeting involved her, too. They had reluctantly agreed to let her stay, as long as she didn’t interfere.

  She had agreed to that, but knew she wouldn’t stick to it. No way were a bunch of men going to sit around a meeting room and decide what was best for her or her beloved homeland without her having an input.

  The four Rothhavens were seated around the table when the knight at the door announced that the wizard had arrived. Gaylen strode in wearing flowing purple robes, his white hair and beard a stark contrast to the garments. All four brothers thought he looked much older than he had when they were children. They all knew the wizard had been alive for over a century, but weren’t sure how his aging process worked.

  Griffin decided it didn’t matter. He extended his hand and said, “Welcome, Gaylen. We’re so glad you decided to join us this evening.”

  Gaylen shook his hand and took the seat offered to him.

  “May we offer you some tea or some pastries?” Zackary asked.

  Galyen shook his head. “No, thank you. I’m all right.”

  “Very well,” Griffin said. “We’ll get straight down to business. As you know, the whole of Syracuse has been debilitated by a crushing hex put on it by an evil witch named Angelique about ten years ago. True to her word, and leaving no room to wonder as to how far a woman scorned will go, the country has, indeed, become barren. We are unsure what it will take to break the curse, and we have called you here to see if you can use some magic to figure it out.”

  Gaylen regarded the four Rothhaven kings carefully. He knew they were all still so very young, ranging in ages from twenty-one to twenty-seven. He had to bite back a grin at their naivety. They knew nothing about curses or magic, and seemed just as stupid as their father, King Edward, had been. He planned to use this to his advantage. His hatred for the Rothhaven name was just intensified by having to be in the presence of four of them. His gaze flicked to the redhead sitting on a chair in the corner, watching them. He sneered at her.

  He then addressed Griffin, the eldest. “Why is there a woman, one of non-royal blood at that, present where men’s business is being conducted?”

  “Gaylen, this is Mariselle Langer, she is a family friend.”

  “I don’t give a good god damn who she is. Answer the question,” Gaylen responded.

  Taken aback by his abrasive behavior, Griffin cleared his throat and shot a glance at Mariselle when she began to make a squeak of protest. “To answer your question, this involves her, too. She’s the only menstruating woman in all of Syracuse, so we’ve taken it upon ourselves to keep her protected in case she has something to do with this.”

  Gaylen looked back over to Mariselle, his eyebrows raised. “Is that so? That’s very interesting, indeed.”

  “Why’s that?” Alexander asked, piercing the wizard with an intense look, his arms folded across his chest.

  “It’s interesting because she obviously does have something to do with this bloody curse,” Gaylen answered, getting up and walking over to Mariselle. Once he reached her, she looked up at him from her chair.

  The four kings moved instinctively toward her.

  “What is it?” she asked, suppressing a shudder at the creepy look in his beady brown eyes.

  “Did you ever meet Angelique? You obviously would have been a young child when this curse came about.”

  She flicked her gaze to Griffin, who nodded slightly, and then looked back at the white-haired wizard. “Yes, once. She helped me locate my lost kittens in the woods when I was eight.”

  Galen regarded her for a long minute, and determined she was telling the truth. “So, that’s it? She helped you find your lost cats and then went on her way?”

  Mariselle chewed the corner of her lip and then shook her head. “No, I gave her refuge for the night in my barn. There was a storm coming, and she said she usually slept outside. I took pity on her. But my father was none too happy when he discovered her in my barn.”

  “Interesting,” Galen replied, his hands behind his back. “And who is your father?”

  “Marcus Langer, the former sheriff.”

  Galen smiled and clapped his hands together. “Ah, King Edward’s right-hand man. No wonder he was alarmed to see that demon-witch in your barn. Edward despised her.”

  “That’s not what I heard,” Mathias said before he could stop the words from slipping from his lips.

  Galen turned around and looked at the youngest Rothhaven. He grinned. “You are correct. He fucked that witch ten ways ‘til Sunday. Until he met your mother, of course. Then, he was done with her.” He looked at the four brothers in turn. “It didn’t surprise me one bit when she cursed your family. Your father was a dirty dog and did very wrong by her.”

  Mathias stood up, the wooden chair legs squeaking against the stone floor. “But Angelique was not of royal blood. He was not to marry her. Our mother was a royal, and was meant for
him!”

  Mariselle frowned.

  Galen waved a hand and chuckled. “You royals and your silly traditions. Women like Angelique believe in true love, not rules. But, unfortunately for you, your father disparaged the wrong woman. As you all are paying a price for now.”

  “Well, that is neither here nor there now,” Griffin replied. “We need to fix this.”

  Galen shook his head and took his seat at the table once more. “There’s nothing to fix. Angelique set a curse and no other witch or warlock can break it.”

  “So, our country is just going to die out?” Zackary asked, incredulous.

  If I have things my way, Galen thought. But instead he replied, knowing nobody would figure it out, “Every curse comes with a clause. She may have cursed your country to barrenness, but there has to be a way to end it, and she would have put that into the incantation.”

  “But how are we to know what that was?” Griffin asked, feeling a tiny spark of hope.

  “Only someone who was there when she recited it would know what the clause was,” Galen replied, now feeling bored.

  The brothers looked at each other.

  “From what I was told, she uttered the curse from her prison cell in the dungeon of Castle Rothhaven. All fellow prisoners who were there are either dead or were released when the castle was demolished,” Griffin said.

  “We still have the jail ledgers,” Alexander said, a little excitement in his voice. “We can try to track down the prisoners who were released.”

  “There was one there you won’t have record of,” Gaylen said smugly, enjoying the looks on the filthy Rothhavens’ faces.

  The brothers looked at each other.

  “And who was that?” Zackary asked.

  “Hecate.”

  The brothers burst out laughing.

  “The legendary witch who trained Angelique? What, as a ghost? She’s long since dead,” Alexander said, sounding irritated once more.

  Gaylen got up, smoothed his robes, and looked at the four of them. “Dead? Is that what you think?” He wanted to pull out his wand and strike every single one of the brothers down at that moment, he was so annoyed by their haughtiness and the way the conversation was dragging on.

  “Yes, that’s what we think. Why are we to think anything to the contrary?” Griffin asked, getting irritated by the wizard’s smugness.

  “Witches never truly die, you dumb orcs. They go to another plane, but can visit this one when they fancy.” He made a scoffing sound and did something close to an eye roll.

  “Don’t you patronize us, witch. We know what you are, and we were simply asking for your help. Our father trusted you, but you clearly have nothing but contempt for us,” Griffin replied angrily.

  Yes, I fucking hate all of you, he wanted to say. Instead, Gaylen lifted his chin and grinned. “I didn’t like your father, either, if you must know. But it’s always in a wizard’s best interest to keep the leader of the country under his thumb. Edward did whatever I asked, and it was glorious. It’s unfortunate for you bumbling idiots that you don’t have one solid leader, or I’d have him under my control, too.” He let out a sinister chuckle.

  “Jack, escort this dirty fraud to the door and throw him out on his arse,” Zackary demanded, looking at one of the knights guarding the door.

  “With pleasure,” Jack replied, heading toward the wizard.

  “Don’t bother,” Gaylen replied, lifting his wand and disappearing in a clichéd puff of smoke.

  “Arsehole!” Griffin said, pounding his hand on the table.

  Alexander put his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “It’s all right. We’ll find another way.”

  He looked at Alexander, then to Zackary. “This filthy wizard lives in your forest. Find his home and burn it to the ground.”

  Zackary raised an eyebrow at his brother. “We don’t know that he lives in my forest. I suspect he has used magic to cloak his real location. Furthermore, I’m not in the business of pissing off magical creatures.”

  “Speaking of magical creatures, do you think what he said about Hecate was true?” Mathias asked, the wheels spinning in his mind at the witch who’d invaded his dream and his chamber.

  “It’s hard to say,” Alexander replied. “She’s definitely a spirit, and has been around, but we’re not sure that what he said about her having been there when Angelique placed the curse was the truth.”

  Mathias cleared his throat. “How do you know she’s been around?”

  Alexander pierced his baby brother with a serious look. “Because the wench visited me in my dreams.”

  Mathias’s eyes went wide.

  “What?” Alexander asked, blowing out a breath. “You don’t believe me?”

  “Um…” Mathias started. “What does she look like?”

  Alexander’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you want to know?”

  “Humor me, brother.”

  “Black hair, beautiful white skin, purple eyes, long, flowing robes. Smells like Jasmine.”

  Zackary gasped. “I saw her, too. In the woods.”

  “Me too,” Mathias said quietly. “Last night. Came to me in a dream.”

  “Wait, wait, wait!” Mariselle said, jumping from her chair. “You three are saying this witch has visited you all in dreams, and neither of you said a word about it to each other? Then—“she began to pace, the wheels in her mind seemingly spinning now—“that Gaylen creep mentions she was there at the time Angelique uttered the curse… and you all haven’t put two-and-two together yet?”

  Zackary’s lips twitched. “Creep?”

  Mariselle lifted her chin and put her hands on hips. “Well, he’s very creepy. Am I the only one who thinks so?”

  “Total creep,” Mathias said, grinning.

  Griffin sighed. “Okay, the man is very odd, I’ll give you that.”

  “So, what’s the solution here?” Alexander asked, his gaze flicking between him and his brothers.

  “You seek out Hecate, you big, dumb orcs.” Mariselle winked at them when they opened their mouths to protest.

  Zackary chuckled. “Gaylen really is an arsehole for calling us big, dumb orcs.”

  “It’s like the pot calling the kettle black,” Mariselle said, giggling.

  The whole room seemed to relax after that.

  “The question is now… how the bloody hell do we contact Hecate?” Griffin asked.

  “That is a good question. We need to find another witch in the kingdom who knows how to summon a dead witch,” Zackary replied.

  Mariselle paced. “I’ll go into the villages and find one.”

  “Absolutely not!” the four replied in unison.

  Her eyes went wide, and then she laughed. “Try to stop me!”

  Griffin rushed to her and grabbed her by the waist. He pulled her close to him. “I will tie you to your bed if I have to. You will not go into the village. The townsfolk will either burn you at the stake, or worship you for your… condition.”

  She looked up into Griffin’s silvery-blue eyes and wanted to sigh. She longed to run her fingers through his beard and press her lips to his. Instead, she said, “I suppose you’re right, but I bet my maidservants know a witch in town.”

  Zackary went over to her and pulled her from Griffin’s grip. He grabbed her by the hand and said, “Then let’s not waste another minute. Let’s go find them and see what they know!”

  Chapter 6

  Serina looked nervously at King Zackary, who stood inside Mariselle’s chambers. He was so tall, handsome, and stately, that Serina was having a hard time composing words.

  Mariselle smiled and grabbed the young woman’s hand. “You don’t have to be so nervous. Zackary is just like us. We just want the curse to end.”

  Serina flicked her eyes to the king, then back to Mariselle. “Okay. Uh, if you say so. Well, my Aunt Claire is a witch in the village. Maybe she can help?”

  Zackary clapped his hands together. “That’s perfect. Just perfect. I can give you an escort i
n the carriage, and we can bring her back here for a meeting with myself and my brothers.”

  Serina’s eyes went wide. “Oh, Your Majesty, I am not sure she would agree to that.”

  Zackary’s face went stormy, but he reined it in. He cleared his throat, and with his hands clasped behind his back, he asked, “Why not?”

  Serina bit the corner of her lip, glanced at Shawna, who stood in the corner of the room quietly, and then back to the imposing king. “Well, it’s just that… she is sort of a loner, a wanderer of sorts. She doesn’t have much love for the royals. And I mean no offense by that, sire.”

  Zackary grinned. “The townsfolk hate us right now. We’ve grown used to it. But we need a witch’s help.”

  “Not all of the townsfolk hate you,” Shawna interjected. “Lots of them love you and your brothers. They just want an end to the curse, and… with all due respect, Your Majesty, they blame your father for that curse. But the logical ones know that it isn’t your fault, nor your brothers’.”

  “Well, I appreciate that, Shawna. Thank you,” Zackary replied sincerely.

  Shawna nodded respectfully at the king.

  “What do you say, miss? Help us retrieve your aunt?” Zackary asked Serina in his most disarming way.

  She nodded slowly, knowing his question was just a courtesy. The king was going to get what he wanted regardless.

  “Of course, Your Majesty,” she replied with a curtsey.

  “Follow me,” Zackary commanded.

  Mariselle and Serina went to leave the room, and Shawna called out, “I’ll tidy up in here, miss. You be safe now.”

  Mariselle grinned. “Thank you, Shawna.”

  Zackary halted right outside her room. He looked down at the redhead. “And just where do you think you’re going?”

  Mariselle lifted her chin. “With you and Serina, into the village, of course.”

  He chuckled. “Absolutely not. You’ll stay in here safe within the confines of the castle.”

  She stomped her foot. “No, I want to go. I’ve been cooped up in here for weeks. I need a change of scenery.”