AUBURON I watched anxiously as my mate and her mom made a circle around Layla’s hospital bed with salt and lit candles all around it to begin the process of breaking this sleeping curse. I was excited to see my sister again, but nervous that something would go wrong or that it wouldn’t work. I was frowning at those thoughts and before I realized Liani came and hugged me out of them. “It will be okay. I promise,” she said as I snaked my arms around her waist, embracing her back. “I trust you,” I whispered in her ear as I snuggled closer into her neck. Carro was purring at the scent of our mate and I know he is excited to meet Liani’s wolf. She looked up and smiled at me before walking back over to help her mom. After about fifteen minutes everything was finally set up and Maya stood on one side of Layla and Liani on the other. They faced each other holding hands as they held them above Layla’s body. I could feel the tension in the room as they begin to speak in Latin. Both Liani
LIANI “N-no! Of course, I don’t like him!” I say in protest. He pulls me closer to him as his eyes bore into mine. “Have you ever had a thing for him?” he asks as worry floods his eyes. I can tell that he is jealous or insecure or maybe both. I bring my hand up to his cheek and rub it gently and say “No, never. I have never had anything with anyone. I’ve always saved myself for my mate.” I say. Relief washes over him as he pulls me into a tight hug. “Good,” he says as he nuzzles his head into my neck. “Because you are MINE, Liani.” I feel my knees get weak as his comment as Iris purrs in my head. “You have nothing to worry about, my king,” I say softly into his chest. “But” I begin to say. He pulls away from me gently his hands resting on both of my arms as he looks at me with curiosity about what I’m about to say. “For the last week or so, he has been weird with me. I find his eyes watching me and he even kissed me on my forehead” I say turning away from his gaze. I hear him grow
AUBURON“Everything okay?” Asks Liani. I swallow and try to regain my composure knowing that she could see the worry and anger in my eyes. As Layla’s twin, our bond is similar to a mate bond but not as intense. So, I felt what she did the night of the attack. But, once she remained in the coma, it was harder to feel our twin bond. I was angry about what happened to her. I’m her brother, I should’ve been there to protect her.I’m worried because I know what she experienced was traumatic. I don’t know if I can bear the pain of hearing her truth. But, as future king, I know I will have to hear the troubling experiences of my people. “Hey,” Liani says grabbing my face towards her, pulling me away from my thoughts. I didn’t even realize I never answered her question. “Talk to me,” she says as she looks at me with so much concern. Her thumb was rubbing gently across my cheek. I take a deep breath and say “Layla’s ready to talk about the night of her attack.” I say searching her eyes for c
LIANIShit. With everything that’s been going on, I forgot that I was mated to a royal. A wedding! A coronation?! SHIT! I’M GOING TO BE A QUEEN! My nerves got the best of me when Layla popped her question excitedly. Both Auburon and I’s heads snapped in her direction looking at her with wide eyes. I could feel Auburon tense underneath me and I couldn’t help but feel shy. I immediately look back down and begin to play with my fingers hoping Auburon would answer this question. It’s not even something we talked about. Hell, we haven’t even mated!“Yes! When do you guys want to start planning? How soon do you guys want to have the wedding followed by the coronation?” asks Queen Emris.“How about we announce that Princess Layla is well and have her go on outings before we introduce Liani to the kingdom? That would give Liani and I some time to ourselves while assuring the kingdom that Layla is alive and well. You guys know the rumors that were swirling around as she hasn’t been seen in fi
LIANII had to get in the shower to calm myself down from that encounter with Auburon. When I walked back into my room, both my parents were standing there. I could see the worry in my mother’s eyes and my father’s discomfort.“What’s wrong?” I ask. They look at each other and it infuriates me that they’re hesitant to tell me. I cross my arms and say “Well?” “Tell her!” my mom says as she throws her arms up in the air and begins to pace. My dad sighs and says “Well, I heard from other spirits that your Aunt is only getting more powerful. Whatever weapon she is using to kill people is taking their power or their strength.” My eyes flash to their lilac color as Iris tries to push forward. “Do you know where she is?” I ask sternly. “No, I couldn’t get more information than that,” he says. “I’m assuming she’s using a form of black magic to siphon their powers right before she kills them completely,” my mom says as she stops pacing and bites her nails staring off into the distance.
AUBURONI was in and out of consciousness as my men carried me back to the palace to be treated. But, I knew that this pain wasn’t mine. It felt like a rush of energy and I knew that this was coming from my little mate. “Li-an-i, check on Li-an-i,” I say trying as I tried to catch my breath. It felt like a million bricks were placed on my chest as I tried to inhale and then speak. “Dorian is already on it, my prince. He alerted Princess Layla to check on Liani since they’re both in the palace.” says one of the guards. That’s all I needed to hear before I succumbed to the darkness once more.LIANI When I open my eyes I couldn’t help but groan. “Mhmmhm,” I said while stretching. I look around the room and I see that I’m in my bed and that it’s now nighttime. “Aella, can you come to my room?” I ask mind linking her. Before I could even turn over Aella and my mother were rushing into the room. “Liani, I’m so sorry.” says my mom. “What happened?” I ask groggily. “You are the on
LIANI After I got dressed, Auburon mind linked the king, and he told us to meet him in his study. When we walked in, both the King and Queen were there. Auburon, my mother, and I all took a seat, and it was awkward for a minute. “Auburon, what is this about honey?” asks the queen. Auburon ignores his mother’s question and gives his undivided attention to his father. “Dad, what do you know about the original witch?” asks Auburon. We all look at him in curiosity and he shifts in his seat. “I-I..” he stutters. “Your majesty with all due respect, we need to know what you know.” says my mother.“I-I don’t know much. I’m not even sure I remember the original witch. But I do remember knowing a woman with silver hair like the two of you. I can’t put my finger on it. M-my memory doesn’t remember the woman's face, I just see her silver curls as she turns away from me. Nothing else. That’s all I know. Why does the original witch have silver hair?” says the King. My mother simply nods befo
LIANIThe drive to my grandparent’s house wasn’t as long as I expected it to be. It was about three hours at most. It seems like the forest was the only thing that truly separated the city and the small town where our pack resided. But I was still fascinated nonetheless because I’d only been out of the pack lands once. When we finally pulled up to my grandparent’s house my anxiety started to creep in. I don’t know these people and I also don’t trust them. I also felt really sorry for my mom. My grandma just pushed her to the side when she heard my father was a wolf. I couldn’t even imagine my mom turning her back on me. Even when I went through that rebellious stage after my father died, she still never turned her back on me. “Okay Liani...” my mom said snapping me out of my thoughts as she began to drive slower into a neighborhood. The houses were nice and suburban. “I was going to do a spell to change your hair color, but my mother would sense the magic. So, put on this wig,” she s
LIANI The next two days Auburon and I spent figuring out ways that we can help Aella. We’ve been back and forth to the hospital and back to our hotel room. However, since we are the upcoming queen and King, we have to resume the tour and head to Moonshadow forest. Luckily, it is only twenty minutes away from the hospital. So, if anything happens with Aella and we have to get there quickly, we can. My mind has been tormenting me about the situation with my grandma Nixie. Did she want me to see it? If so, why? Did she want me to be wary of what I say and do around her so that she has nothing to report to Shannara? She’s tried calling but there’s really not much I have to say to her. I mean I’m still pissed. Whether or not she wanted to tell Shannara she did and she waited till after our training session to show me her vision. She should’ve canceled, she should’ve told me at the beginning, she should’ve— “Baby, come on,” Auburon calls out, cutting off my thoughts. I hurry out of the
LIANI I lead Demetri out into the hallway where two chairs are sitting outside the hospital room. He pulls me into a hug which catches me off guard. “I’m so happy you’re okay, Li.” He says breathing heavily. “Y-yeah… me too. I just wish Aella was okay, too.” I say as I fight back the tears that pool in my eyes. He runs his hands through his hair and he averts my gaze. I stare him down, searching his aura. Why is it tainted? Why is it black? “D-do you guys know who hit you?” he says while frantically looking around the hospital room. It’s as if he’s looking for someone. The softness of his voice lets me know he’s afraid of being heard. “No. We don’t.” I say sternly. “But, we’re looking into it. Is everything okay with you though?” I ask. “Y-yeah, I’m okay, Li... Just, ya know... Stressed about Aella.” He says weirdly. He seems more panicked than anything. I go to open my mouth and he pulls out his phone as it pings. I’m assuming he has a message with the way his eyes go wide a
LIANI I look around and I stand in white light. There’s nothing here. Is this the sky? Am I in heaven? Is this what the afterlife looks like? I feel a sense of calmness as I stand here. I close my eyes and inhale. When I open them again, I see that I’m standing in a field. There are tons of flowers and beautiful trees. As I look out I see a figure walking towards me. A woman. She has on a white gown with gold bracelets. Her hair is long and wavy, and the color of melted chocolate. Her eyes change colors as they lay on me. First brown, then red, then green, then purple. I feel a closeness with her. I feel drawn to her. “Hello, my child.” Oh, my goddess, it's her. It’s the moon goddess. She smiles and then chuckles. “Walk with me,” she says and I do. I turn to face the left and follow after her. “I see you’re in a dilemma.” “I am. Is there a way we can save Aella? I-if it’s not too much to ask. I mean, when I was in the hospital room, her aura told me that she doesn’t have a lot of
LIANI BEEP…BEEP…BEEP. “Mmmm,” I groan while wiping my eyes. My head is pounding and the light in here is too damn bright. “Lower the lights,” I hear a male voice say. When the lights are lowered my line of vision is able to focus but my ears are still ringing. I’m in a hospital room, with an IV connected to my arm. “How do you feel?” Auburon says as his voice comes into the register. “Like I’ve been hit by a truck,” I say as I try to sit up. I groan in pain from the movement. Auburon’s face pales at my joke. “What happened?” “We were quite literally hit by a truck,” Dorian says. I didn’t even realize he and Layla standing there. Layla looks at me with sadness in her eyes. They’re all puffy and red. Dorian looks extremely tired but also on alert. My eyes meet Auburon’s once again and his eyes are pleading with me like he doesn’t want me to freak out. I scan the room one more time. AELLA! KAYDEN! “WHERE ARE AELLA AND KAYDEN?” I ask as I try to rip the IV out of my arm and move. Aub
LIANI Buzzing. Everything was buzzing. “LIANI! LIANI! ARE YOU OKAY? BABY LOOK AT ME. SOMEBODY CALL AN AMBULANCE!” My vision was blurred as I tried to reach for Auburon as he panics. “Mmmmeh- A-aub” “Baby! Baby, you’re okay! Stay with me!” he says grabbing and gently smacking my face. My throat burns from the smoke inhalation that I can’t speak the way I want to. I hear a loud ripping sound, but my vision is too blurred to see it. I search my mind for Iris but I couldn’t connect with her. “I-I I can’t f-ff-find I-I-ris…” I’m able to say one last time before everything went black. “SHIT! WHERE THE FUCK IS THE AMBULANCE! HOW FAR ARE THE GUARDS?! WHY WEREN’T THEY FOLLOWING US MORE CLOSELY!” **** Ten Minutes Prior AUBURON After dinner, in the limo, I can tell that Liani wasn’t present with me. I could tell she was worried about the tour, especially meeting the higher-ups. I could feel her anxiety through the mate bond. I grab her hand and tell her “It’s okay. It's going to be oka
LIANI I take his hand and inhale one last time before I step out. Here goes nothing. I think to myself. “We got this,” Iris says. But, I can feel her anxiety too or maybe it’s mine. I’m not sure, but when I step out and grab Auburon’s hand, he smiles at me. I can’t help but feel at ease. The cameras flash as they bombard me with questions and statements. “Prince Auburon, is this your mate?” “Prince Auburon she’s gorgeous!” “Prince Auburon where is she from? Is she from a prestigious family?” The questions kept coming until the wind blew and everyone got a whiff of my scent. Everyone went quiet as they all looked at me with wide eyes. I can see the disgust on some of their faces while others look intrigued… excited even. I gulp and squeeze Auburon’s hand tighter. “It’s okay,” he says ringing through the mind link. But it wasn’t okay. Is he not seeing what I’m seeing? I swallow to hold back the bile that arises in my throat. It was so silent that it felt awkward. Is this even
LIANI Somehow Auburon’s words soothed me enough to get up and prepare for the day. Honestly, I had no choice, as today was our first outing. But, I could feel through the mate bond just how serious Auburon was about being there with me and protecting me shall the need for it arises. Cassidy and Sierra ushered in to help me with my hair and make-up. They were a little more formal and anxious than usual and I think it’s because they see me in a different light now. Aella and Layla also came to my room so that we could all get ready together for the outing. This will be Aella’s first public appearance and it makes me feel better that she’ll be there. But, I know all eyes are going to be on me. After all, I will be their future queen. I’ve also been thinking about my grandma and if she’s okay since she and my grandpa went back to their house. I wonder what her meeting with Shannara was like and if those burns ever went away. Goddess, I hope she’s okay. After about two hours of getting
LIANI I nod my head yes but he doesn’t enter me, instead, he inserts a finger into me. “Mmm, you’re so wet Liani, and so tight,” he says as he picks up the pace, angling his finger to hit me right on my g spot as he pinches and tweaks my nipples. Fuck, I love this so much. I moan as I run one of my hands down my body and begin to play with my clit. “You look so good baby, but you’re not allowed to cum yet,” He would say that as I’m literally about to go over the edge. He removes his finger from me and places his tip at my entrance. “Tell me if it hurts okay?” I nod. He enters me slowly, pumping in and out gently, allowing me some time to get used to his length and size. A sigh escapes his lips. “You okay?” he asks as he’s now all the way in me. “Y-yes,” I say. He wastes no time pumping in and out of me as he nuzzles his head into my neck. “Fuck Liani, you feel so good,” he says as he picks up the pace. The moans that escape me are wild and breathless and I couldn’t care les
LIANI I didn’t realize my eyes were wandering or that I was even gawking at him until he cleared his throat and said “Eyes up here, Liani,” My eyes immediately shoot up and I couldn’t help but blush at the fact that I got caught. I almost forgot Sierra was standing there until she said “That’s my cue to leave. Please do enjoy yourselves. Lady Liani, Prince Auburon” then bows and scurried off. As I watch her leave, Auburon pulls me into his chest, cradling his head into my neck. He then places a small smack on my ass and moves his hands slowly up my body till they’re resting on my shoulders. “You look beautiful,” I blush. “Come on,” he says as he grabs my hand and guides me into the room. I was so dumbfounded by everything that I couldn’t even say anything. “Tell our mate he looks good! Goddess!” Iris says through my mind and I can see her roll her eyes. “Oh, now you speak to me!” I say. “You look really good too,” I say to Auburon as we step into the room. He turns around and