Sample: A Stolen Kiss (Book #1 in A Stolen Royals series)

Chapter 5: Who Do You Love?

Humphrey's kiss found its mark just as Sarah spun around to Derric, her mouth open in silent horror.

Did she just say my name?

As though it dawned on the prince in the same moment, he jerked back, halting the kiss.

"I'm sorry, but did you say—"

There was a loud popping noise and Maria vanished. Sarah let out a soft scream, her hands flying to her mouth.

Where the princess had been standing, a large, beautiful, sleek black swan sat, shaking its feathers out. All attention fixated on the swan, which bobbled its head and blinked several times before looking up at them.

"Well, that was unexpected," the swan said with Maria's voice. "How'd you all get up there?" Maria the swan dropped her gaze to her feathered body and screeched. "A swan? No! Not again! I'm not supposed to be a swan!"

Her cries turned into panicked honking as Sarah tried to calm her down. If the two of them weren't in such hysterics, it might have been funny—a girl chasing a swan around the room with cries of "Oh, my lady" every few seconds.

"A swan! A swan!" Maria screeched, flapping her wings and rising into the air. Humphrey and Derric ducked low, and the prince reached into his pocket and drew out a watch on a chain.

"How odd, it's not midnight yet."

"That's what's odd?" Derric asked, losing his battle with laughter and snorting helplessly.

"Did you hear what she said? I don't think it was 'Humphrey.'"

"We'll figure this out. Sarah! Hang on, I have an idea. Princess, you need to calm down."

The swan, now spouting glorious silver tears, dropped back down to the ground and curled into herself, tucking her head back behind her wings.

"Excuse me, Maria?" Humphrey approached his future bride with tentative steps, and she peeked out from behind her wing. "Who did you say you loved?"

With alarming speed, Maria reared up and launched herself at Humphrey, pecking at him as he ducked for cover.

"You turned me into a swan! You did this and you ask me what I said? I AM A SWAN!"

"Whoa!" Derric launched forward, scooping Maria away from the prince. All at once she grew heavier, and Derric found his arms wrapped around the princess, human once again.

"What on earth?" Derric released Maria at once.

From where he still crouched a few feet away, Humphrey peered through his arms, still raised, guarding his face. "Maria?"

"Does this mean the spell's broken?" Sarah asked, stepping up to Maria's side and guiding her back to the chaise. "Was that it?"

Derric watched Maria's face as she followed his sister. The pale and pinched expression suggested fear, not relief. Something wasn't right.

"Let's find out." Humphrey said, ever optimistic, dropping down to one knee before Maria again. "Marry me, Maria, because I love you."

"I will marry you, Derric. Because I—wait a minute."

"Who is Derric?" Humphrey cried, throwing his hands in the air and rising. "I'm going mad. I know it! Is my name Derric? No. No, it isn't!"

"Well, it isn't my fault!" Maria snapped, facing off with her prince. "I don't know who Derric is. Maybe your name should be Derric!"

Their argument continued as Sarah shoved Derric from the room, her face livid.

"What did you do?" she hissed as soon as they were out of earshot of the princess's chambers. "Why is she saying your name in there?"

"Is she saying Derricus? No, I think not. For all we know there are hundreds of Derrics in the kingdom."

"You know she's saying your name. Now spill! What did you do? What's going on?"

"I didn't do anything!" Derric lied, his heart beating so fast he was sure Sarah could hear it. "This can't be my fault. It can't!"

Sarah squeezed her eyelids shut and pressed her fists against her temple. "There has to be a precedent of something like this in the histories."

"Sarah!" Maria's call drew their attention back to the chambers they'd left. "Sarah, I need you now!"

The two siblings returned to the royals, both of whom were red in the face and fuming.

"Tell him I don't know anyone named Derric. Tell him!"

"His name is Daniel," Sarah said, pointing at Derric, her eyes wide in panic.

"I don't care what his name is." Humphrey threw his arms into the air. "I want to know who Derric is."

"Why can I only say I'll marry Derricus Harver when I—" Maria stopped midsentence and rested her hand above her heart. "Oh dear heavens."

"What is it?" Humphrey's anger evaporated as Maria stumbled. Sarah rushed to her side and supported her.

"Harver. That's the name of the one who cursed me."

Derric's blood ran cold, and he stood still as Sarah shot him a warning look.

"You mean the sorcerer cursed you so you would only be able to marry him?" Humphrey gave a great sigh of disgust. "What a lowly devil."

"No, a sorceress." Maria frowned down at her hands. "But I think she had a son, if I remember right. They fled after she cursed me and were never allowed to come back."

"Aha! She made it so you'd have to marry her son as a way to usurp the power of the kingdom!" Humphrey slapped his knee and nodded while Derric's world crumbled around him.

Had she done that? Or was it his mistake that had led them to this.

If it had been a Standard Kissing Clause, Derric's kiss when they were children would have broken Maria's curse, but it wouldn't have bound her to him. Had his mother planned on using him to obtain control over the kingdom?

"It's a binding, then," Sarah said, not meeting Derric's eye. "Daniel, my brother here...Daniel is his name...he's told me all about them."

Derric gritted his teeth, but Maria and Humphrey didn't seem to notice Sarah's odd behavior.

"A binding is the reason I'm turning into a swan?" Maria asked. The room grew quiet as all attention turned to her.

"Don't you always turn into a swan?"

At Sarah's question, Maria's face flushed and she didn't make eye contact with any of them. "Of course. Yes. I've always turned into a swan. I just meant, is it a binding or a curse?"

"It's kind of like a clause," Sarah explained, as Derric watched Maria fidget with the sleeves of her dress.

"A binding is a curse that ties you to another person. It's much harder to break. In fact, it's nearly impossible."

"Nearly, but not completely impossible?" Humphrey resumed pacing the room. "What do we have to do? Find this Derric Harver and kill him?"

"No!" Sarah and Maria said together.

"That's a method that sometimes works," Derric said, feeling honesty might be his only option. "But the sorceress probably thought of it. If the person you're bound to fulfills the Happily Ever After Clause, you'd be set free."

"That means he'd have to fall in love and get married to someone else," Sarah clarified.

"Neither of those things seem like options." Maria rubbed her temples and sighed.

"Well, there are always loopholes."

Maria looked up, hope shining in her eyes. "Loopholes?" At his hesitation she pressed him. "Maste—Daniel, whatever it is we need to do, I'll do it."

"You'll need to find the sorceress and have her remove the curse."    

Uh oh! Think that will be easy? So what's your guess on WHY she's saying Derric's name? Binding? Did his mother do it or is it a result of him kissing her?

Let me know in the comments after you star this chapter!