Ella When Sinclair and I come into the conference room hand-in-hand, the baby wrapped up and held in my other arm, my eyes go wide to see everyone waiting there. I want, immediately, to ask if this is a confrontation again – like the last time, when they all gathered first to decide how to tell me
“Yes,” Henry says, watching me from his spot down the table. “I apologize, Ella, if the news comes as a shock. But the connection is too stark for it to be a coincidence. My advice, now that we know – and now that we are closer to having a full force of men – is to move as swiftly as we can, while w
Cora Ella and I work the rest of the morning, me making the big decisions about who needs the most medical care next and taking Rafe from her when she’s working. I watch every time she heals someone, unable to tear my eyes away from it. And while I thought I would be jealous – honestly, my sister
Cora “What?” I ask, laughing a little, thinking that he’s kidding. “What are you talking about?” “Go see your mom,” Roger continues, giving a little shrug. “Like we did with Ella, in the desert. Honestly, I think it was kind of rude of your mom at that moment to focus all on Ella and pretend that
Roger growls again, snapping his teeth at me, and then he presses his lips to mine in a fierce kiss, determined to teach me a lesson. __________________________________ Ella After Sinclair and I take an hour or two alone with Rafe, we part ways so that he can get himself and his troops ready an
Ella Cora and I stand silently in the garage of the bunker, watching our mates pack their cars in preparation for their assault. Rafe is in my arms, fussing unhappily, and Henry has rolled his chair up on Cora’s other side, likewise watching tensely. “It will be finished tonight,” Henry says, nodd
“I think,” Henry says, dipping a hand into the pocket of his wheelchair and coming out with a deck of cards. “That this is a moment that calls for a distraction.” Cora perks up a little. “Nothing says distraction like a couple hands of high-stakes poker,” she quips. I smile at her, knowing that Cor
Ella As the startled men hurry out of the conference room, Henry turns to Cora and I, looking at us with a grim expression as we stare at him in terror. “I have made a grave miscalculation,” he informs us with a steady, regretful nod. “I am sorry, girls – I have failed you –“ “Wha – what?” I gasp
He shakes his head at me as tears fill his own eyes and he leans forward, pulling me against him while somehow miraculously managing not to crush our children between us as he holds me tight in his arms. “So, I guess it wouldn’t matter,” he murmurs against my hair as I sniff back my tears and nod.
“Even more than the kids!?” I gasp, my mouth falling open a bit. “I mean, the kids,” he says, shrugging as if they’re not much, which makes me laugh. But then he goes a little rigid as he realizes something, raising his eyes to glare at me a bit. “Wait, are you saying you like the kids more than m
Ella “Nope,” Sinclair says, heaving himself out of bed and grabbing his phone off the bedside table as he does. “I can’t live like this, Ella – I’m calling Roger, I’ve got to know –“ “Dominic!” I say, laughing and grabbing for him, trying to catch the edge of his pajamas and failing because I’v
She laughs and I look first at Sinclair, who shrugs, and then back at my sister. “Come on,” Roger says, nodding at the crowds of people waiting to congratulate us and at the small table of refreshments. “Let’s decide this over some champagne.” Sinclair nods at me and I sigh, moving with my famil
The last image, though, lingers. Ariel, with Rafe and Jesse on either side – as they always are – and her two mates behind her. All standing together on a battlefield with Ariel at the center, magic welling between her hands and passing to her brother, to her cousin. Their faces are serious as t
Cora The images of Ariel’s future come in quick flashes, and somehow I get the impression that the Goddess is eager to share these glimpses of her life. The ones that come first are what I sort of expected, especially after seeing some images of Rafe’s childhood and hearing about the ones that
“We are not,” Cora scoffs, gently taking Ariel into her arms as Sinclair and I laugh. Roger grins, leaning forward to kiss me on the cheek before passing Jesse to me. “You know I’m kidding, right, Ells?” he whispers. I smile at my brother-in-law and gently pat his cheek. “When in doubt, Roger,”
Ella Three weeks later – Ariel was born under a waning quarter moon, not a new moon like her brother and her cousin – I stand anxiously in the woods, my little girl held tight in my arms. “I’m sensing some anxiety,” Cora says, grinning at me with a little too much glee as she comes up to my sid
“Oh my god,” I say, the words spilling out of my mouth. “Oh my god,” I sit up straight, staring at Henry, my eyes flicking to his legs – because honestly, I don’t even notice his chair anymore, or think of him at all as someone whose abilities are hindered. Or of me as someone who is able to do an