This is the end of the crossover with Shattered Bonds. If you haven't read that book, this chapter may seem strange, but I didn't want to rewrite those events for those who have read that book.
I really wanted to catch up with Leana, but when Aolis told me that the fae councilman was not the one he had appointed to cover for him, I knew that I had to be by his side. I still made a point of saying hi to Drake. I don’t know what’s going on with him and his father, but King Lance seems to have made a decision about which side of the Guardian battle he wants to be on. I’m hoping this is a positive thing for Leana. When Aolis and I pull Phiren into the council chambers, I can tell he’s terrified. “I’m going to ask you questions and your life expectancy depends on the honesty of your answers.” Aolis says and I don't think I've ever heard this level of menace in my mate's voice. “Yes, Your Majesty.” “Where is Illithor?” “Lorelai has him in the same place she has the other family members that she captured.” “And where is that?” I ask. I know Aolis has had warriors out looking for the missing families. They haven't yet been able to find them. “They are in NightStar. The last I
After arriving back in Araphyra, I went to see my father to let him know what had happened at the council and my conversation with Phiren. He immediately sent out scouts to go see what we could find out about any hostages in NightStar. “Aolis, depending on what we find, I will need you to lead this attack on Lorelai and get our people back.” “I know father. This time, I won’t leave Lily behind. I agreed that we wouldn’t be separated again and as much as I hate the idea of putting her in harm’s way, I know that we are stronger together." We agree to meet again at breakfast to see what information has been gained from our scouts and I go in search of Lily. Even though we have a lot going on, I know Hera enjoys our nightly runs, and I do as well. It will also give us a chance to check the borders and make sure they are secure. When I walk outside, I see my mate standing beside the sword. I can feel a mix of excitement and confusion coming from her. I walk up, wrapping my arms around
I spent the next several days helping to heal the fae who had been held captive by Lorelai. It wasn’t just the physical pain that they had to heal from. Many of them had lost their loved ones in the fae war when Lorelai had attacked Araphyra. At the end of the day, I’d fall into bed, exhausted. Then wake the next day, getting whatever news there was of Aolis before heading back to the hospital. A couple days after he left, another group of survivors was brought in and my days continued to be long and arduous. By the end of the week, I’m exhausted but I need to get outside. I’ve barely seen the sun over the past week, because I’ve been so busy helping those that needed me. I decide to go for a walk in the forest. I need to breathe the fresh air, smell the forest and hear the sounds of the fae. As I walk, I close my eyes, letting Hera’s senses guide me, as I soak in the calm around me. I find myself taking the same deep breaths that I take when Aolis and I are mating, feeling the wor
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
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
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
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
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
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