Before Ella can come back, I slip behind the little dressing screen and take off the dress, folding it carefully and putting on the outfit that I came in. When I come out one of the stylists comes over to take the gown from me. “Um,” I say softly, glancing over at Ella, who is still consulting.
Cora As Roger drives down the dark highway, I type out a quick message to Ella on my phone: Hey! I’m going to be MIA for a couple of days. Roger and I are taking some time to ourselves. I’m sorry to leave you hanging with all the work we have to do at the camps – will you forgive me? I b
Well. I knew it was perfect. “It’s perfect,” Roger says, turning to grin at me over the roof of the car. I smile right back at him, so pleased that he feels precisely as I do. Then, without another word, we both spring into action – Roger going to the trunk to get our bags and me moving to t
Ella “Well that’s weird,” I murmur, looking through my phone as my mate sits shirtless beside me, finishing up the last of his paperwork before bed. “What’s weird,” he asks, though I can tell he’s only half paying attention. But I frown, looking at the message from Cora. “Cora says she’s
“What!” I gasp, and then I frown up at him, angry. “What are you doing!? Get off of me, Dominic!” “Not a chance, little queen,” he murmurs, glaring down at me, a little darkness in his eyes. “I’m starting to think that you need a little reminder of who is the Alpha in this relationship, and the
Cora After I dress, I surprise myself by feeling a little shy as I reach for the door to the bathroom to go back to the tiny bedroom where Roger’s waiting or me. Because, I mean, it’s no secret why we’re here. And Roger’s not stupid – he probably figured out what I was doing when I went int
A daughter, one day, getting married, in a dress like this. And suddenly, as I look up at him, I know that we’re both thinking the same thought: that we have so much life ahead of us, and so much joy, and neither of us can wait a single second longer to get started. Roger takes my face in his ha
Cora I smile up at my mate, but I shake my head a little bit, not…not knowing what to do next. “Do I…,” I say, laughing a little, “just say what you said?” “You can,” he replies, shrugging one shoulder and smiling back at me. I can feel his happiness vibrating down our bond. “Or, you can sa
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