“I’mnot keeping them separate,” Isabel says, turning to me with narrowed eyes. “Theydemandedseparate accommodations.” “Oh,” I sigh, realizing that that makes sense but disappointed nonetheless. “But anyway, these wolves are all people who had their home destroyed during the war and don’t have fami
Ella There are dozens of children in this tent – maybe hundreds – and my heart breaks as I look them over. Each of the children is laying in on a medical cot, being tended to by a very tiny staff of medical and social workers who look run off their feet. “Oh my god, Isabel,” I murmur, my heart goi
The gift, in its grace, can sense when something is wrong – and it knows how to fix it. I’m really, in all things, just the conduit. But as I put the gift to work, I’m so, so grateful to my mother for letting me be the conduit forthisparticular gift. It’s almost as if she knew it would bring me a pe
Ella “Oh, Ella,” Cora sighs, her shoulders slumping as she sees my reaction to her words. She strides over to me and wraps me in a big hug. “I’m sorry,” she murmurs into my hair, “I shouldn’t have said it like that.” “No,” I sniff, “you’re right – I should have listened –“ “It’s okay. You di
I roll my eyes at myself – ofcourse.What was I thinking, that he was going to come and hang out with me and Sinclair? I wave goodbye to him and wish him a good night’s sleep, considering that I’ll just have to give my own report to Sinclair, even though I figured Conner would handle it. But stil
Ella “Dominic,” I murmur, reaching for him. “No,” he snaps, taking a step away from me and shaking his head. “You’re taking this too far, Ella – I know you want to help, but Icannothave you putting yourself at risk like this!” He sputters for a moment, turning away from me and hanging his he
He’s so handsome, I think, smiling at him over our baby, who rests between us, babbling little nonsense words and grabbing his feet as he rolls around on his back.Why wouldn’t I want to stare at him whenever I can? Perhaps intuiting my line of thinking, my mate smiles back at me and reaches out
Ella I sigh, closing my eyes for a second. “I forgot all about the Atalaxians,” I murmur. “You’ve had a long day,” Sinclair replies, even though that’s not really an excuse. Not for a Queen, who needs to balance it all. I take a moment to collect my thoughts before opening my eyes and l
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