“Why not?” He asks, and I can sense his mild disappointment. “Because!” I say, slapping his shoulder playfully. “We’re in my mom’s house – there are people that live here! We’re not just going to like, throw down here in the back of the temple –“ “Why the hell not?” he asks, looking at me like I
Ella I get tenser and tenser as the minutes pass, and I can feel Sinclair behind me likewise desperate to know what’s going on behind that closed door. A priestess comes by after a little while, offering us tea or seats, but we decline both because we’re very aware that we’re definitely not going
Thrilled, my sister nods and then takes her hand from mine, stepping back with her mate. “I do. We both do.” And then she puts a hand on her stomach, still smiling at me. “The baby does too.” “WHAT!” I shout again, laughing and stumbling forward, putting my hand on her stomach as if I could feel t
Ella That night, again around the fire, Henry leans forward in his chair and rests his elbows on his knees, smiling around at us. “So, tell me if I’ve got this right,” he says, clearly tickled by it. “My two sons are mated to two sisters, who each have the Goddess’ blood in their veins, which me
“Worth a try,” she says, shrugging. “Do you want to…give it a shot?” “Sure,” I say, reaching for her hands. And then, quite quickly, I run my power through and over her body. Her wolf raises her nose to the gift as it passes her, giving it a warm little nudge, and I smile as I sense her. Such a pr
Ella Cora glares at Roger, her arms crossed, as he almost literally rolls with laughter inside of the RV, doubling over so hard he has to lay back on the white leather cushions of the kitchenette. “I still don’t see what’s so funny about this,” Cora snaps. I wrap my arm around Sinclair’s waist, gr
“I think that you probablycando ice,” I continue, cocking my head. “Do you remember when, that awful night, the faux priestess froze me to the floor? Well, when mom unlocked my gift, I was able to melt the ice. And that hasnothingto do with healing powers, so,” I give a little shrug, looking up at S
Ella “No more road trips,” I grumble under my breath, trying to rock my little baby in my arms and distract him from the rumbling of the road, “ever again.” “Don’t be so sore about it,” Cora says, moving one of her checkers forward a space. “At least we got the information we were coming for.” “
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