How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days (The Embraced #1)

He nodded. “I still have two months before the deadline runs out. Unfortunately I cannot present you at court as Luciana. Once the king realizes you’re a twin…”

She would be killed. A chill stole down Luciana’s spine. “Then I must pretend to be my sister?”

He regarded her sadly. “I’m afraid so.”

Tatiana scoffed. “What a ridiculous notion! No one would ever believe that you’re me.”

“And if the pretense is discovered, we would both be executed for deceiving the king,” her father added.

Luciana swallowed hard. This was too much. How could she possibly do this? She started when her sister suddenly burst into laughter.

“I just realized!” Tatiana slapped her leg noiselessly as she continued to laugh. “Oh, this is too rich. Now you will have to marry the Beast of Benwick!”

Luciana gasped. A surge of panic bubbled up her throat. How could she marry a man who was referred to as a beast? Without thinking, her hands formed the sign of the moons.

Her father winced. “That gesture alone will get you killed.”

She flattened her hands against her chest. Her heart was thudding beneath her palms.

“I can see how frightened you are.” Her father patted her shoulder. “Fear not, child. I will not ask this of you. The king doesn’t know of your existence here. As long as you stay here, you will be safe.”

How could she remain, knowing her life here would cost her father his life? “I … I cannot stay here.”

“Think, Luciana.” Her father grabbed her hands. “If the king ever learns that we tricked him, we will die. One slip of your accent, one sign of the moons, one mistake, and you will die. You must remain here where it is safe.”

She blinked back tears, but they threatened to overflow. How could she say good-bye to her sisters? And if she left, she would have to give up more than her home, her sisters, and her beliefs. She would lose her identity.

But how could she send her father back alone when it would mean his execution? How could she live with herself then? “I will go with you.”

“Luciana.” Her father’s eyes glimmered with tears.

She squeezed his hands. “Together, we will succeed.” Or together, they would die.

Two deaths. The Telling Stones mocked her.

Red as blood. Black as death.





Chapter Three

FIVE DAYS LATER …

Of all the enemies of Eberon, it was the damned elves that didn’t make any sense.

As Lord Protector of the Realm, Leofric of Benwick was accustomed to fighting the three kingdoms that bordered on Eberon. To the northeast, the coastal kingdom of Tourin was easy to understand. The country was full of greedy thieves and pirates. Whether they invaded by land or sea, their aim was always the same: stealing precious metals and jewels.

To the northwest, the mountainous terrain of Norveshka extended far into the frozen north. When Norveshki warriors swept across the border, they stole livestock. Or worse.

Then to the east lay the elfin kingdom of Woodwyn. When the elves attacked, they came with no warning and left with nothing. Leo shook his head. No sense at all. As far as he could tell, the big-eared buggers simply liked to kill.

He was standing on top of a hill, surveying the Woodwyn border. Behind him, the army was making camp for the night. Next to him, a beacon tower rose from the crest of the hill. Over the years, the former Lord Protectors had developed an early warning system to stay informed of any incursions along the border. A long line of beacon towers had been erected, stretching across the thousand-mile border that began at the Great Western Ocean, then extended eastward past Tourin and Norveshka, then turned southward along Woodwyn to finally end at the Southern Sea.

Leo had allowed the army to halt its march early today, for he knew his men were still tired from a battle with the elves two days ago. Leo and his troops had inflicted some damage on the elfin army before they’d retreated across the border. After leaving some soldiers there to keep watch, he’d taken the rest of the army north, traveling close to the Woodwyn border to keep an eye on the elves.

The border was marked with a stone wall. Only waist-high, it was easily breached. It was the forest on the other side that served as more of a deterrent. Thick and impenetrable, dark and deadly, it was the inspiration for many a late-night horror tale around a campfire. Eberoni mothers used threats of the elfin forest to make sure their young ones behaved.

On this side of the border, the Eberoni had cleared away the trees to make farm-and pastureland. The process had taken a few centuries, but now the effect was startling. No trees, just rolling green farmland, then bam! A solid wall of forest.

“Hey!” a voice called behind him.

Leo glanced back to see Nevis charging up the hill.

“See anything?” Nevis yelled.

“No.” Leo shifted his gaze back to the forest. No one ever saw the elves until they crossed the wall.

Nevis caught up with him and eyed the border. “Do you think they’re there? I can’t see anything but trees.”

Leo gave his friend a wry look. “That’s a common problem with forests. You have to wonder about them, though. What do they eat?”

“The trees?”

“No, the elves. If they never clear any of their land, how do they grow crops or raise cattle? What do they eat?”

Nevis shrugged. “Never thought about it. When one of them comes at me, swinging his sword, I’m more worried about my next meal than his.”

Leo eyed his friend’s wide girth. “It wouldn’t hurt you to miss a meal.”

With a huff, Nevis thumped his stomach with a fist. “This is solid muscle.”

Leo snorted. “They’re eating something.”

“Maybe they live on acorns like a bunch of squirrels. Could explain their pointy ears.” Nevis gave the forest a wary look, then raised his voice. “No offense!”

“They can’t hear us. We’re too far away.”