Chapter Eleven

 

 

The brothers were fully recuperated by the next day. We woke happy and warm, in a big puppy pile. The men helped me to my feet and then headed to their bedrooms to change their clothes and freshen up. They hadn't showered since I left either. Before I went up to see to my own morning needs, I made sure to check on Bertrand. He'd played a big part in my rescue, and I wanted to make sure that he knew how grateful I was and that he was comfortable.

The castle had a massive stables, but Bertrand was the only horse in them. He had been brushed down and led into a stall by the invisible castle staff, and was munching contentedly on a trough of grain when I went in. He lifted his head and whinnied when he saw me.

“Hey, you.” I stroked his forelock. “Thank you for bringing me help.”

He nuzzled my face.

“You know that I could have beaten Fabien on my own, though.”

Bertrand gave me a dubious look.

“I could have,” I insisted. “Never mind.” I kissed his cheek. “I love you, horse. But I've got to get back to the other beasts now.”

Bertrand huffed and went back to eating his grain. I headed inside the castle and up to my room. After a hot bath, I put on the simplest gown I could find; a blue cotton dress with a ruffled hem. Then I opened my door to find the three brothers waiting for me.

“You three look ready for the next part of my plan,” I said with a smile.

“I assume this involves learning to share,” Lance muttered.

“In a way,” I agreed. “But it's not really sharing that's your problem. It's the jealousy that comes from seeing another man have what you cherish. So, we're going to work on that jealousy.”

“How are we going to do that?” Blaise asked.

“By proving that you have nothing to be jealous of,” I said. “I love you, each of you, and I know that you love me.”

“Damn it, woman,” Lance growled. “Can you not at least allow us to proclaim our love for you first? Must you always take control?”

“I can't help it, I'm an alpha, and we don't have time to let you buffoons work up to professing your undying love,” I huffed. “I looked in on the rose before I returned to my room this morning. I saw that we're down to three petals. This is the time for action, and not your type of bumbling about awkwardness.”

“What kind of action do you propose?” Audric smiled wickedly at me.

“The very kind you're implying,” I said calmly.

Audric's wicked look fell with his jaw. He gaped at me along with his brothers.

“You can't possibly mean...” Lance trailed off.

“Why are you hesitating now?” I teased Lance. “You had intended to bed me from the start.”

“You did what now?” Audric glared at Lance.

“As if you didn't try,” Lance scoffed.

“I didn't,” Audric protested. “I enjoy the chase, not just the catch.”

“Lancelot always had women tossing their skirts up for him,” Blaise said with a shrug. “I'm not surprised that he thought Sylvie would be the same.”

“You do have a mirror in your chambers, right?” Audric asked Lance. “Did you honestly think she would bed you immediately?”

“She would have,” Lance growled, “if she wasn't such a lady.”

“Gentlemen!” I snapped my fingers in their faces. “We are halfway to ending the curse. Did you not hear the part where I said that I love you idiots?”

“Yes,” they all muttered, looking chastised.

“Now, we must take this love further, to a place where it becomes obvious that we love each other beyond limitations. So obvious that even the magic cannot deny it. We need to become intimate.”

“I can't even believe this is happening,” Blaise whispered. “Have either of you ever had a woman speak to you in such a manner?”

The other two shook their heads.

“Do not be insulted by what I'm about to ask,” Lance said. “I don't care if you're not; but are you a maiden, Sylvaine?”

“I am a country girl,” I growled. “I know about sexual intercourse. I've seen it often enough with the farm animals. I don't need personal experience to make me an expert on it.”

The men burst into laughter.

“What's so damn funny?”

“She's probably read a book about it too,” Blaise said to his brothers. “That would definitely make her feel like an expert.”

“No doubt,” Lance agreed.

“The book says that you put that here,” Audric mimicked me. “Then you move this way.”

They all chortled.

“And I suppose that you three think you're a bunch of Cassanovas?” I lifted a brow as they preened. “How long has it been since you've even touched a woman?” When I saw Audric open his mouth, I quickly added, “Besides me.”

The men looked at each other morosely.

“That's what I thought.” I nodded.

“We cannot ...” Lance cleared his throat. “That is, we should not... oh, blast it all. I won't make love to you in this form, Sylvaine.”

“You seemed perfectly fine with it before,” I pointed out.

“That was different.” Lance looked away.

“You kissed me and put yourself between my–”

“Sylvaine!” Lance shouted.

“Well, I'm just saying,” I huffed. “I don't see why–”

“That was before I loved you!” Lancelot roared. “That was before I cared about your feelings or your well-being. I don't want to hurt you or degrade you.”

“How would it be harmful or degrading?” I asked him.

“Look at us, Sylvaine”–Lance waved a hand between him and his brothers–“it would be bestiality.”

“You are not animals,” I snapped. “How many times must I say that?”

“You're wrong, Sylvie,” Blaise whispered. “You saw what we did to that man. None of us were in control of our base instincts. We were weakened by starvation, yet we still tore him apart. We are monsters, and you deserve so much better than us.”

“Especially for your first time, mon cherie.” Audric laid his clawed hand gently against my cheek. “This is not right, not noble, and you know how important that is to me.”

“I say what is or isn't right for me.” I lifted my chin. “Bestiality is a profane act done on an animal. A beast who cannot fight back or say no. You are neither incapable of defending yourself or of speech. You are not animals; you are men with fur and claws. You may look unusual, but beneath this exterior, you have human bodies, I've seen it for myself. You are more than capable of copulating as a man.”

“She may be lacking in subtlety, but she makes a good point,” Audric said.

“All right, Sylvaine,” Lance gave in. “We shall try this intimacy slowly, but if you are uncomfortable at any time, we will stop.”

“Agreed.” I nodded and headed back into my bedroom.

The men followed after me, looking back and forth to each other as if they still couldn't believe that we were doing this. As the door shut, something occurred to Blaise.

“Hey, which of you scoundrels showed her your dick?”