Page 4 of To Steal the Sun

Charlotte’s cheeks turned slowly pink. “According to his godmother, the enchantment did need a royal wedding to be broken, but it also took love. He said…” She paused before rushing on. “He said the enchantment would be broken when he looked into his wife’s eyes in his human form and felt nothing but love.”

The count ran a hand over his head. “Well.” He shot a surreptitious glance at Gwen and Easton, who still sat too close together. “Well, then.”

It was Gwen’s turn to flush, but she resolutely ignored it. “The queen must know that’s how the enchantment is broken. She mentioned Prince Henry’s godmother to me—about hearing what she said to him—so she must have found a way to overhear when his godmother told him how to break the enchantment.” She looked at Charlotte, feeling embarrassed, although she knew she wasn’t responsible for the queen’s actions. “She was monitoring you somehow. I went into her rooms once, and she had a giant portrait of you and Henry as a bear. She seemed to know he would be returning here soon as well.”

Charlotte paled, pressing her hands to her face. “She knew I would…”

She trailed off and went silent, not explaining to the rest of them the terms of the second enchantment—the one that had transported Henry back to the queen. Although the two had broken the original enchantment, they hadn’t succeeded in breaking the second one due to Charlotte seeing Henry’s human face before the necessary three months had elapsed. Charlotte’s visible anguish sent a shaft of pain through Gwen’s heart. It hadn’t been Charlotte’s idea to use that candle, it had been Gwen’s. And she still hadn’t found the courage to confess it to her friend.

Gwen spoke quickly, trying to distract the others from Charlotte’s state. “So the queen’s followers believe—”

“Get back!” The count spoke sharply, his words overlapping the sudden itchy sensation that had sprung up beneath Gwen’s skin.

She sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes jumping to Easton.

“No. No, no, no,” she breathed, frantic but unable to work out what she should do. Should she run out of the basement? Where would she go?

The count surged to his feet, not showing any inclination to scratch the tingling itchiness that must also be sweeping through him. “You all need to stand back.” He spoke forcefully, gesturing to the other side of the basement.

Natalie glanced toward the window. “The glass is so dirty, it’s hard to tell if it’s day or night.” She sounded disapproving but unafraid.

Unlike Charlotte and Easton, she showed no bemusement at the count’s sudden actions. She must know what was happening. Standing, she stretched out her arms and swept the other two along with her toward the far wall.

“There’s no need to be concerned,” she said, perhaps in response to their expressions. “They’re not actually turning into wild animals. They’re just going to become a lot bigger. But they don’t always have full control of their movements during the change. If we’re too close, we might get hurt.”

“You’ve seen it before?” Charlotte gasped, and it took Gwen a moment to place the emotion in her voice. Was it envy?

“Henry never let me see him change,” she added, confirming Gwen’s impression.

Gwen’s eyes went to Easton again, but the tearing feeling—as if she were coming apart all the way up the center of her body—had already begun, and she couldn’t stomach seeing his expression as she changed. She lowered her head, squeezing her eyes shut as she dropped to all fours and waited for the dizziness to pass.

When she opened them again, she saw white fur.

She stared at the other bear across from her. The count had moved back from the chairs, putting space between them, and she was grateful for it because he was huge. Even larger than she was. The sight of his bear form made her instincts twang, shouting at her to run and hide. Her instincts kept forgetting she was a bear as well.

“Gwen?” Easton’s tentative question made her wince and turn further away from him. He moved with her, though, circling until he could see her face. “Is that really you?”

He sounded unnerved. How could he not?

Gwen wished she could hide her face in her hands, but she didn’t have hands. She had paws. And her face was not her own. The princess Easton loved was gone, replaced by a bear.

CHARLOTTE

“That was amazing!” Charlotte breathed. “I can’t believe Henry never gave me the chance to watch!”

“I can,” Gwen said in a muffled voice, angling her face away.

Charlotte frowned, moving slowly toward her friend. Easton stood close beside Gwen, but Gwen appeared to be straining away from him.

Charlotte realized the issue and rushed the rest of the way forward. Throwing her arms around Gwen’s large, furry neck, she put her mouth near her ear.

“Don’t worry,” she whispered. “Once I got over the first surprise, I never had trouble with Henry’s bear form. I always knew it was him, whatever body he was in. I still loved the man inside. Easton will be the same. I’m sure of it.”

Gwen stiffened at first, but the longer Charlotte talked, the more she relaxed. When Charlotte finally stepped back with a last squeeze of Gwen’s neck, Gwen shifted, facing them all without flinching.

Easton offered her a smile and tentatively extended his hand. Gwen glanced at Charlotte before looking back at him and visibly swallowing. Only when she nodded her head, did he reach gently forward and placed a hand on her large shoulder.

“It’s so soft,” he murmured, and Charlotte nodded enthusiastically.

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