Hello everyone! I hope you are enjoying this story so far. My current update plan is 5-7 chapters a week, with bonus chapters when the characters get chatty with me. :) If this is your first book of mine, the story of Lily's parents, Rik and Cara is told in The Broken Warrior's Daughter. As always, thank you for reading!
I called my father last night, letting him know we were staying overnight in Alpha Leonardo’s pack and explained why. He was concerned about the possibility of wolves and vampires working together against the Guardians and said he would look into it as well. Leana and I are up early, knowing we have a long run today. As we’re leaving, we can still hear the grumbling of several warriors. This pack was reminded last night that Guardians are blessed by the Moon Goddess. Even Alpha Leonardo went down. To both of us. But he and his Beta were better sports about it than some of his pack members. Apparently, in this pack, it’s optional for the females to become warriors. Personally, I think that puts the pack at a disadvantage. Why wouldn’t a werewolf be a good fighter, simply because she’s a woman? I get taking time off when you’re pregnant or nursing, but to entirely ignore half of your pack’s population simply because they are women? As a woman and a Guardian, it’s insulting. In truth, i
It’s been three days. Three days since I gave Lily my ultimatum. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so rash. It’s not like me. But the pain of knowing she was with someone else had been too much. She was always meant to be mine. Even her Moon Goddess made her mine. Women throw themselves at me all the time. But the only woman I want, doesn’t seem to want me. I’m walking through the forest around Araphyra, lost in my thoughts, listening to the magical sounds around me. Well, I don’t consider them magical, but almost everyone else does. Fairy wings gently whistling in the breeze, dryads chittering to the trees, gnomes and dwarves beneath my feet, digging around in their homes, searching for treasures in the deepest parts of the earth, and in the distance, there is the sound of leprechauns playing their harps and pipes. The sounds of the forest soothe me, calming my frustrated soul, helping to easing my aching heart. I didn’t have a destination in mind, but as I walk, I find myself on a well-w
The morning after we met with Alpha Wyatt, Leana and I grabbed an early breakfast before walking to the outskirts of the city. From there, we shifted and began running. The fastest way to Araphyra from here was through King Urien’s lands. While both Leana and I were feeling unsettled about crossing the vampire’s land, but our parents have known King Urien for years. He was the first of the vampires and other supernaturals to swear his allegiance to the Guardians, specifically to Aunt Angel. It takes us several hours again to get to the outskirts of King Urien’s lands. We stop and eat, discussing our plan. “I think we should cross. I’d rather not stay the night, do you agree?” Leana says to me. “Absolutely. I think I’d feel more comfortable sleeping outside than in a vampire’s lair.” “Who do you think will be guarding their borders?” Leana asks, as we finish our lunch, putting our garbage away to toss out later. I look up at the sky. It’s a bright, sunny day. While vampires don’t b
Ever heard the phrase ‘Up shit’s creek without a paddle’? Yeah, that’s about how I’m feeling right now. Hera pushes her aura out, feeling Kella’s as well. We need to know how many vampires are in this room and surrounding us in case we have to fight our way out. “How did he die?” Leana asks the King. “It was time for him to retire. He and I disagreed on too many things. He wasn’t willing to change his outdated and archaic ways, so I killed him and took my rightful place as king.” He comes to stand in front of us. When he hits our aura, he’s stopped in his tracks. “Is there a problem, Guardians?” I give him a fake smile. “I’m afraid I’m not feeling very welcome in your castle, King Lance. My wolf is feeling threatened and when she does, she takes a protective stance. I’m sure you understand.” He returns my fake smile. “We’ll have to change that. I wouldn’t want you to leave here feeling as if I was not a good host. Especially since this is the first time I’ve had an opportunity to
When we step out, I see that there are guards, or I’m sure King Lance would call them guides, waiting for us. Their eyes immediately go to our necks and their eyes turn red. “Custos Regni.” One whispers. “If you want to continue to live this life you seem to enjoy, I suggest you get your fucking eyes off our necks and take us to the dining hall.” I snarl at him, Hera pushing forward. “Yes Guardians. My companion meant no disrespect.” “We’re not here to be your feeders, so you can spot licking your lips like we’re dessert.” Leana and Kella snarl. When we walk into the dining hall, there is one long wooden table that is filled with vampires and their human counterparts. I notice there are a fair share of male humans willing to be feeders as well. Vampires are known for being indiscriminate when it comes to sexual partners. Well, in truth, I’ve heard that they mostly participate in feeding orgies, but that’s what I’ve heard. I’ve never actually seen one. King Lance stands from his po
As we walk out, I look at Leana. She’s stiff, rigid and Kella is shining brightly in her eyes. Is this because she just killed that vampire? I reach out and take her hand, feeling her clasp mine tightly. I give her a look, letting her know without words that we’re okay, that we’ll be okay and that I’m here. I’m not sure what’s got Leana on edge, but something is wrong. We follow Drake through the castle to a much quieter part of the castle that we haven’t been in yet. “At the risk of being forward, the safest place for you tonight is in my room. I’ll have the sheets changed and you can both sleep there. I’ll stay awake and make sure no one bothers you.” “What was your father planning to do with us?” I ask as he opens the door to his room. I feel Leana tense and watch as she takes a deep breath. Oh no. I know what this is. I turn and give Drake a closer look. He’s Leana’s mate. He steps into his room behind us and closes the door. He leans against it and runs his hands through his h
After speaking to my father, explaining what happened and talking him down from attacking King Lance, I realize today is day four. I’m halfway to the time that Aolis gave me. I thought running would be the faster way to get to him but with all the challenges we’ve come across, it’s making it difficult to meet his timeframe. I walk away from Drake and Leana and attempt to call Aolis again. It rings and rings and when it goes to voicemail, I hang up. He wouldn’t move on if I don’t make it in seven days, would he? He’s waited this long. If I’m a day late, he won’t hold it against me, right? And he wouldn’t shorten the time without telling me, I hope. He’s never, in all of my life, not answered my call. And now he hasn’t answered my call, twice. It makes my heart hurt and I realize I’ve taken Aolis for granted for too long. I need him to know that I love him, that I want him. When I return, we begin running again. Now that Drake is here, Leana is more focused on him. It gives me time to
It’s day six and no Lily. I realized a couple days ago that I left my phone at the council. In a glimmer of hope, I asked our tech guys, meaning our tinkering leprechauns, to transfer my voicemails to my new cell phone. Not one message from Lily. It’s time for me to start making plans to live my life without her. I start by packing my bags. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, long enough to ask Lorelai to marry me, have a wedding and then have a fae version of a honeymoon. So, at least a month. I pack my wedding robes. I’ve had them for years. They are the formal wear of the fae, and since I thought Lily would be my bride, I had them made in the color of her eyes, pale blue with golden hemming to include Hera. I pull the robes out of my closet, my heart aching for what will never be. I pack them away before I become too melancholy, grabbing clothing for travel and for formal dinners. Then I add some casual clothing for wherever she wants to go to seal our bond while we get to know e
Hi Everyone! Thanks for reading Enchanting the Prince. I hope you enjoyed this second book in the Guardian's Next Generation series. I saw several of you ask if Leana and Drake would get their own book. They will, but not before Xander and Maeve get their book. Look for Spellbound in early March. This story will back up in time to show you how Maeve lost her parents and how she came to work for Beta Trevor and Gwen. As with ETP, there will be some crossover with times and events from Shattered Bonds as Spellbound will cover the war from the witch's side. Leana and Drake's as yet untitled book should be out early summer. I also have plans for a novella for Malin and Cohen, Quinn and Emerson and possibly Riley and Clint's stories. Reagan, the youngest of Angel and Liam's children will have her own book late in the year and Hope, mentioned in the last epilogue will also have her own book, The Hybrid's Hope, planned for early next year. For a complete list of my books and scheduled rele
100 years later There is a price to pay when you are mated to an immortal, or near immortal. Eventually, you have to bury every member of your family. My parents and the last generation of Guardians who were gifted with a Guardian spirit have gone to be with the Moon Goddess. They all came to me when they passed away, on their way to their final resting place. My father, in particular, took his time saying goodbye to me, neither of us wanting to say our final goodbye. It was only when my mother came to get him, that he finally said goodbye. My siblings and most of the others in my generation have also gone to the Moon Goddess's realm. Now, there is only me, Leana and a handful of others. I'm thankful that my dear friend is also mated to a supernatural that lives an exceptionally long time. She and I have had each other to help us through our grieving process as we’ve said goodbye to our loved ones. In an interesting turn of events, we realized that all werewolves who are mated to a
Two years later After our coronation ceremony, I had met with Illithor. Since Lorelai had put Phiren into my council seat, I had gone back and reviewed all the decisions that were made while I was away. Illithor had voted exactly as I would have. So, it wasn’t until Phiren had been put into the seat that things had started to turn. In hindsight, it was lucky that Emlyn had come to Araphyra. If she hadn’t, it may have taken too long for me to realize that Lorelai and Phiren were going against all of the Guardians, not just Lily. Cara and Rik decided to stay in Araphyra after our coronation. Since they are no longer needed to run Canyon Ridge, it gave them time to be with Lily during her pregnancy and Alpha Christopher put Rik to work, helping him to move. As the only other permanent werewolf resident in the fae land besides Lily, Alpha Christopher decided to move to WoodLily to be closer to Dominic. We still see him and Fanella frequently, as they have multiple grandchildren here in
To say that Aolis was a proud, soon-to-be papa is an understatement. Suddenly, the floor where our bedroom is, was under construction. A nursery was being custom built. He commissioned all kinds of baby furniture from the sprites, who were more than happy to build furniture for ‘Lady Baby Princess’. Buppig grumbled because they were supposed to be making furniture for him and Hyacinth, but they put it off for our baby. In general, a leprechaun’s gestation period wouldn’t be much longer than a wolves. However, after researching the history of elf/wolf mating gestations, it appears that mine may be a bit longer than normal, six months instead of five. That puts me in the same timeframe of a birth as Hyacinth. After realizing that she and Buppig were due to deliver their child before Aolis and I, I insisted that they have their furniture made first. I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen the sprites move so fast. Hyacinth’s baby furniture was made in less than a month and then everyone was bac
It was good for Lily to be with her family. They were able to see the difference in her immediately, but even I could see that she became her daddy’s girl again while she was home. Having known Lily all my life, I know that the relationship that she shares with Rik has always been special. She’s his first child and his only daughter. I hope that one day, I’ll have the same relationship with my daughter. When she’s ready, we return home. I can tell there is something going on with her, but she’s somehow managed to tuck a piece of her mind away from me. I’m not pushing to have her share. I know she will when she’s ready. What I find most interesting is that both Hera and Lucero seem to be helping her keep the secret from me. I feel Hera rub up against me in our mind. “We love you, mate. Never doubt that.” She says. “I don’t.” I say, running my hand through her fur in our shared consciousness. It’s nice having time with her when she’s not in her form. I had asked my father about it an
It was several days before we made it back to Araphyra. As we went around to the townships, healing the land and its people, we also found others that had been imprisoned by Lorelai. While my new found power couldn’t bring back the dead, I was able to ensure that no more families lost their mates, parents or children. When we arrive in Araphyra, the atmosphere was one of celebration and happiness. Everyone surrounds us, wanting to congratulate us on Lorelai’s defeat, thanking me for eliminating the darkness in the land, and for bringing families back together. When I get to the castle steps, Ailduin is there waiting for us. Unlike everyone else, his eyes are not happy and I know something is wrong. “Lily, your father has been trying to reach you. Please call him.” I know my heart rate speeds up. Aolis wraps his arm around me, not taking his eyes off his father. “What happened?” Ailduin looks at him. “It would be best if Lily heard it from her father.” I race inside, going straigh
The next morning, I wake, wrapped up around my mate. Last night was the most incredible night of my life. I’m not sure if it was all four of us participating mentally, or if it is that Lily has finally, fully accepted her place as the future queen of Araphyra, but I’ve never had that intense of an orgasm. I had thought it couldn’t get better than our first night, but every time I’m with Lily, it gets better and better. However, this morning, we are going to war. I know that Lily is right, that it is time, but it doesn’t mean that I’m not concerned that I’m putting my mate in danger. It goes against everything in me to allow her to be on the front lines of a battle such as this one. “I will be fine, Aolis.” Lily says in my mind. I look down at her as I hear Hera echo her sentiments. “Trust us, mate.” “We are stronger than you know.” Lucero’s ancient, melodic voice floats into the conversation. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” I say, leaning down to kiss her. “It’s time. Time for a lea
The moment Aolis told me it was time to pull the sword, I felt it. It was time. And when I pulled the sword, feeling the power flow through it, through Lucero, through Hera, I felt the connection to every fae creature in the land. Every sprite, every fairy, every leprechaun, every troll, all of them are now connected to me, in my mind and in my heart. Hera, Lucero and I all agreed that the time had come for Alpha Dominic to stand again. I wasn’t sure what I needed to do, until I felt the power begin to flow from the spot on my forehead where Lucero had touched me. From there, it flowed down my body, connecting with Hera’s power, pooling them together before combining with mine and flowing into the sword and into Dominic’s body. Like before, I could feel his pain, feel his suffering, but unlike before, my strength and power pushed it aside. Instead of commanding Dominic to shift, like I had before, I quietly suggested that it was time. His body responded instantly and the power flowi
My warriors and I finally decide to trudge home after searching several dead ends to find Lorelai. While we were, at least, able to find another group of hostages that Lorelai had taken, we were not able to find her and what is left of her army. It’s been a week and I’m ready to see my mate. I miss her and while I understand her need to remain in Araphyra, I don’t want to be away from her for too long. We did that before, and now, I think we both understand that we’re stronger together. When I arrive at the castle, I’m disappointed that she isn’t there waiting for me. I know that I shouldn’t expect that she’s sitting around, pining for me, waiting for me to come home, but I did think that she would be here when I returned. My father is here and I greet him, giving him the news that we still have been unable to find Lorelai. “Lily has been wonderful this week, Aolis. You’d be proud of her. She has been in the hospital every day, all day, helping to heal our people.” My father tells