Ella I spin around to face my mate, my hands on my hips, ready to defend myself. But he closes the distance in an instant, taking my face in his hands. “Are you all right?” he growls, looking down into my face, his eyes quickly moving over my features. My mouth falls open a bit and I blink i
I hurriedly get dressed in the soft clothing Sinclair brought in for me, twisting my hair up into a quick bun before stepping into some slippers. When I’m ready, I nod, and Sinclair and I together walk back into our bedroom. Cora sits on the couch with Jessica by her side, a tablet in her hands. R
Ella We stayed up all night working and strategizing. A flurry of aids came into the room right away as well as several guards, who worked with Sinclair to brief him and to begin to come up with a plan about how to handle the press. I trusted my mate to handle that, though, focusing my attentio
A Queen for the People, it reads. My frown deepens. What? What is this?My eyes move down a little and I blink in surprise to see that I recognize the byline: the article is written by Tempest Bowers, the woman I met last night, whose daughters just wanted some chocolate… My mouth falls open a li
Ella We’re able to see the true fallout of Xander’s death as the next few days pass, which are…more stressful than I’d like them to be. Cora, luckily, stays at my side through most of it, knowing that I need her support. “Well,” she says, lounging in bed with me and flicking through her phone “y
“I got lucky,” I mutter, looking down at the blankets and sighing, feeling guilty. “You didn’t,” Sinclair says, giving me a nudge. I look up at him, meeting his frown with my own. “It’s right, Ella. The Queen should have political and military power in the nation if the King does, and no one who t
Ella I snatch the note out of my mate’s hand, muttering “he’s not my prince,” but no one really acknowledges the words as I tear the envelope open and eagerly read the short letter inside. When I see what it says, my eyebrows arch almost to my hairline. “What is it?” Cora asks, leaning eagerly
“What’s there to think about?” I ask softly, genuinely curious. “The pros and cons,” he answers, taking a deep sniff of my scent, apparently relishing it, “of ripping him to shreds for daring to ask you out on a date.” I burst out laughing here, earning a little smile from my mate. “Dominic,” I
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