This was going to scare the life out of Lucinda and her mother. I had to make an act showing that I was grieving over Sapphire 'being dead'. I told Brimley to send the guests home. This wasn't going to work unless Lucinda and her family were alone. Sapphire's uncle and his family were moved to another room. I entered the room, acting upset; James had his head in his hands, Stephanie was still crying, but there was no remorse in Lucinda and her mother. When I closed the door, James raised his head and looked at me.

"She's gone, isn't she?" He asked.

"Yes." I lied, knowing that was going to devastate him and Stephanie.

"This is all your fault!" Stephanie yelled at Lucinda as she got up from her seat.

"His highness doesn't deserve a monster like her!" Lucinda said to her. Hearing that made me very furious, but James beat me to going after her.

"Never call your cousin a monster!" James boomed, scaring Lucinda into the wall.

"Don't yell at our daughter!" Olivia said.

"You're the one who encouraged this!" He shouted at her. I decided to wait until they're done arguing with each other. "Ever since I took Sapphire in, you and Lucinda have done nothing to let Sapphire be in the family! Sapphire was all I had of my family!"

"We're your family now!" Olivia shouted, "You never saw that! You now have us!"

"I always saw that! I always made sure that all of were comfortable! You could never accept what happened to my mother, my sister and to Sapphire! They were human just as much as anyone else! None of them deserved this stupid curse, but that didn't mean I was going to exclude them out of my life because I had a family of my own!" While James continued to chew out his wife, Stephanie looked at me.

"I'm sorry, your highness." She told me. "I shouldn't have let her push me out of the way. Is...there a chance that...we can see her again...at least...her body?"

"That's why I came in." I said, "I came to bring all of you to see her...before she's buried."

"Let me and Stephanie see her first." James said as he turned back to me. "Once we see her," he turned turned back to his wife and Lucinda, "I'll force the two of you to pay your respects!"

"But father..." Lucinda started to whine, but James put his foot down.

"That whine will never again work on me, Lucinda!" He boomed and Lucinda pushed herself against the wall again.

After that, I showed James and his family to the room where Sapphire was lying inside a special casket. Of course, Sapphire was still alive after her family spell broke, but we decided to pull off a trick on Lucinda and her mother...as punishment of all the hell that Sapphire went through. I was going to let James and Stephanie see Sapphire in the casket first. It turns out that Sapphire was good at 'playing dead' because Stephanie and her father couldn't tell that she was alive. Sapphire and I also found out about something interesting, but I wasn't going to give it away to her cousin and uncle. The two of them stayed in the room for about an hour while I made sure that Lucinda and her mother didn't go anywhere.

"You know, your majesty," Olivia said, "you're going to need a new bride after this. Lucinda would make a perfect princess." I just ignored what she said. I was too angry and furious about the two of them. I didn't say one word to them the whole time...at least until James and Stephanie came out.

"Your turn." I told them; the two of them argued that they weren't going to pay respects to Sapphire, but James grabbed his wife and Stephanie grabbed her sister and the two of them pushed Olivia and Lucinda into the room. They closed the door behind them and James leaned his back against it.

"I hope she'll rest peacefully." James said, "It's the least she deserves."

"I think she will, father." Stephanie said...and then looked at me. "Considering the...his handsome highness took Sapphire as his bride. How are...you handling, sire?"

"Handling it." I answered with a still face, but I was laughing inside my heart...and gut. The thought of Olivia and Lucinda's reactions is making me laugh. I had to keep a still face for the trick, but the thought was still making me want to smile.

Just then, the three of us heard screams coming inside the room. James and Stephanie believed that it their way to get out quickly, so he didn't get off the door. I knew exactly the reason why the two of them were screaming about. Sapphire released the trick on them. We could hear the banging on the door, like someone hitting the door, hoping that it would open.

"Those two are desperate." Stephanie said.

"Yes, they are." James said as he nodded his head. Suddenly, the door swung open and James fell down on the carpet. I saw the fear on Olivia and Lucinda's faces.

"Close the door!" Olivia screamed and Lucinda slammed the door closed. "Let's get out of here."

"Do what she says, mama!" Lucinda yelled out as she ran down the hall, "We'll never come back here again! Let's get home!" The two of them disappeared and we didn't see them again after that.

"What was that about?" James asked as Stephanie helped him back up. That's when I released my laughter. It was so funny seeing Olivia and Lucinda run off with their tails in between their legs.

"What's so funny, your highness?" Stephanie asked me, but I couldn't answer. I was laughing too hard to say anything.

"They fell for it!" We all heard. I knew it was Sapphire's voice, but James and Stephanie didn't want to believe it. I saw Stephanie turn around and look back at the room. Sapphire was standing in the doorway, with the clothes I provided for her and black make-up on her face. "Even you two fell for my dead act."

"How are you freaking still alive?" Stephanie asked her. "I saw that knife go into your chest!"

"Do you believe in miracles, my dear cousin?" Sapphire asked giggling. "You were right: I did die, but I came back. You wouldn't believe how."

"I'll believe anything at this point!" Stephanie said, "You're standing right in front of me and the two of you are laughing from scaring Lucinda and my mother off."

"Sapphire!" James said as he got up; all of us stopped laughing after that. "That...was a cruel trick you pulled on us!"

"I didn't want to risk that the two of you would ruin the trick." Sapphire answered.

"Don't do it again." He said, "You and his highness were up to this."

"He saw me come back to life, so forgive me if you're still upset about that."

"Hmm," James sort of groaned as he shook his head, "you're just like your mother."

"Don't tell me that's a bad thing." Sapphire said, "You know...I'm going to leave it at that! Come on, Sagittarius, I'm going to need your help getting everything off."

"Very well." I said as I followed her. Something was telling me that she wasn't happy with her uncle at the moment, but she wasn't going to argue with him. Considering the way Lucinda acted everytime James boomed his voice...I wouldn't blame her. While I was following Sapphire, I noticed that we weren't going to her room...we were going to my room. "Sapphire, do you realize...?"

"Yes, I do." She answered, "Don't tell me you're bothered by that."

"Nope." I answered, but I still wondered why she wanted to go to my room. When we reached the door, Sapphire went to the side.

"Your room, you go inside first, not me." She said; I shrugged my shoulders and opened the door and went inside. Sapphire came in and closed the door behind her. "Care to help me get out of these clothes?"

"Of course, my dear Sapphire." I told her. She removed the very fluffy gloves off her hands as I untied the ribbon on her back. After removing the ribbon, her long skirt fell to the ground. I helped her remove the shirt, that I let her borrow. "Sapphire, something's on your mind, care to tell me what it is?"

"I rather not." She said after we removed the shirt. "I thought...they would be happy knowing I was alive and understood why I pulled that trick. I can't help but be upset about it."

"I think...they did understand...they just...didn't know how else to react." I told her.

"I suppose you're right." Sapphire said, "I guess another thing that's bugging me is...something I found out...while I was waiting on you."

"What might that be?" I asked and she raised her hands up. They and her face began to shine. Her fingers got thin and longer and, when the shining stopped, her hands went back to her needle hands and her black markings returned on her face. "Oh my!" I said, but before I said anything, her hands and the markings shined again and they returned back to the way they were.

"I found out while lying in that casket." She said bring her hands down next to her. "It seems that I can switch back and forth between forms."

"You're not...upset about that...are you?" I cautiously asked.

"No, I'm not. I just wanted to see your reaction and hear what you have to say."

"I see," I said, "now I have to ask: why...did you choose to undress in my room?" Just then, this weird smile came across her face. It took a while on why the smile...but when I realized it, I tried to resist. "Ah-ha-ah, Sapphire," I stammered, "I don't think...I mean this...is a bad idea."

"Don't tell me that my strong wolf...is chicken?" She said, with a sheepish voice. "Cluck, cluck, cluck." When she called me 'chicken', my adrenaline started to flare up.

"Sapphire, you realize what might happen?"

"You don't want me?" She asked with her hands on my chest.

"I want you more than anything else!" I pushed.

"Prove it to me, my wolf prince." Sapphire said as she pushed me onto the bed. I struggled not to be tempted, but her heart was set on me and my heart was set on hers. There was only one person who had me under her spell tonight...and she's sleeping next to me in our bed.

THE END! I hope you guys like the story. Keep your eyes open for my next story. I haven't thought of a title yet, but I will tell you that it involves the daughter of Adam and Belle.