Ellis was seated at the office desk, grinding her way through the tedious paperwork that had backed up since the attack. Logan came in, his tail swaying playfully behind his head.
“Family time!” he said. He beckoned her to rise and swept her up into his arms. He ticked her nose with the tip of his tail just to hear her giggle and then started down the hall.
This was part of Logan's continuing efforts at "family time". He insisted they take frequent breaks throughout the day to play with the babies or just spend a little while cuddling together in their nest. She knew what he was doing. Part of it was that she needed the rest but wouldn't stop working simply for herself; if he posed it in terms of her family needing her presence, she couldn't say no. And the other part was that he was building memories ... just in case.
The subject lingered in the back of their minds, shadowing every conversation, lending a desperate edge to every embrace. But they ne
Dorian made it home in time for dinner and had some news."We've been wondering why Mitch has been so quiet. My sources are telling me that he's fallen apart over losing his mate and son and Horace has taken over command of the rebels. They're keeping him locked in the palace on the Capital because he's threatening to come here alone, if necessary, to retrieve the boy if you don't return him. I hate saying something like this, but Caroline's death was very fortunate for us. Right now, the rebels are in a state of confusion. No one knows who to back as the one to take over for Mitch. Horace would seem like the obvious choice but there were others whom Mitch relied upon more heavily and they're the ones pushing forward to take the lead.""With Mitch out of the picture, perhaps we should approach the interim leaders and see if we can negotiate any sort of truce," Leo suggested.“They will not respond. They have to stick with the rebellion or they will be puni
“Ellis!” Logan shouted. “Come quickly!”Ellis was in the bathroom. She hurriedly finished and rushed out into the nest. “What is it? What’s wrong?”“Nothing. I don’t want you to miss this.” He stood and walked a few feet away from where Little Isabella was sitting on the floor.“Come to Daddy,” he said, crouching down and opening his arms. Lil Izzy pushed herself to her feet, using her tail for balance, and took a few wobbly steps forward before losing her balance and falling back onto her behind.Athena watched this turn of events with interest.Lil Izzy hauled herself upright and this time reached Logan, who swooped her up and planted kisses on her plump little cheeks.Ellis joined Logan and Izzy in their hug. Athena apparently felt left out and nonchalantly hauled herself to her feet and trotted over to them. Ellis squealed and picked them up, smothering her with kiss
Perhaps he should have been surprised, but wasn't. Nin saw more than those eyes of hers. "I saw Mitch kill Ellis. He broke her neck before I could reach them." What Logan did not describe was the look of fierce joy that had been on Mitch's face as he twisted Ellis's head to the side with a sickening snap, an expression that made his bones feel like ice when he thought of it.“You do not have the gift of prophecy," Nin noted.Logan scrubbed a hand over his face. "I think I'm glad for that. I'm not sure I want to know what the future holds for all of us.""The price of our sins is to see those we love to suffer for them," Nin said. "I must tell you that I have failed in my duties by becoming emotionally attached. I should recuse myself, but I do not have the strength."“I want you to stay with her. I trust you and only you with her safety,” Logan urged.“So be it.”Nin was silent. Logan admired her stillness. In s
“What happened?” he demanded.“A bomb. Likely a delivery this morning. Repeat what you told me,” Dorian ordered.“A package. A man brought it to the door right after breakfast. I didn’t think anything of it and left it on the table by the front door. I am so sorry!” He was terrified that the blame would fall on him.Logan placed his hand on the Koln’s shoulder. “To whom was it addressed? Don’t be scared and tell me.”The Koln’s voice was small. “The Empress.”If Ellis had opened it…“Describe the man who brought it.”“Scarred. Badly scared like he had been burned. Dark hair and average height. I don’t remember anything else.”- - - - -A few hours later, Logan returned to the temple's secret basement room and found Nin demonstrating to Ellis how to operate her staff, where to twist it in order to make
Ellis shuddered. She had no clue what money this deranged woman was talking about.“And then I thought, I had a chance with Leo. If Logan died, he would be the next king. But that didn’t happen either!”Ellis remembered the day Nadia had come down the hall to bump into Leo, stinking to high heaven. “You thought if you didn’t bathe, your scent would be stronger and he would focus on you as a match,” Ellis commented.“What? Oh, yeah. That. It’s your fault that I couldn’t get him to notice me. He was mooning over you, thinking you were his mate and whatnot.”“You should have told me,” Bella tried to keep her voice mellow. “I would have helped you. I still can. We can get Leo to notice that you are his true mate.”Nadia bit out a laugh. “You wouldn’t help me. You don’t give a fuck about anything apart from yourself. But I don’t need your help. On
When Ellis opened her eyes again, the woman was seated beside her once more. She didn't say anything and Ellis didn't either. She stared at the sketches instead.“Are you hungry?” the woman asked.“No, thank you,” Ellis said automatically.“Thirsty?”“Yes, I am.”Ellis heard liquid splash into a glass and the woman was at her side, slipping an arm beneath Ellis’s shoulders to hold her upright. “You almost died,” she said conversationally. She held the glass to Ellis’s lips and helped her take slow sips of water.Ellis almost wished she had. A black pall hung over her and she couldn't bring herself to care much either way. She understood how the Zotheans could die of grief. It was tempting just to lie back and wait for death to take her. As weak as she felt, it probably wouldn't take long.Logan… his name flitted into her mind.She could not go. If fo
"My mother and I came from a land of slave-owners, and I grew up in this galaxy where Koln slavery was an accepted part of life, so it never occurred to me to question the order of the world. I admit I was one of those shallow people who don't care about issues unless it personally affects them.”“The moment I laid eyes on my mate, I was certain I was in love, blinded by the stars in my eyes. He was handsome and sophisticated and an important man. I fancied myself fortunate.” She fell silent for a moment and reached forward to stir the stew before she continued with her tale. She tapped the spoon on the side of the pot and laid it atop the lid. “The infatuation died swiftly. I don’t think he ever loved me, either. We were too different but I really thought he was at least fond of me.”“It took a while for me to get pregnant but I had fun with all the attention I received. Those sycophants treated me well for who my husband was.
“Logan?”It was a while before Dorian's voice penetrated the thick haze of agony. He raked his claws through the ashes. Have to find her. Four days he had searched this site. Four endless days without sleep or sustenance. Four days without a reprieve from the pain that ate through him like acid."Logan?"Logan reluctantly dragged his eyes from the ash and looked at Dorian without much interest. But Dorian's eyes were shining, his tail dancing with joy behind his head. He turned his communicator around and showed Logan the image playing on the screen, a video of Ellis, speaking to a woman he did not recognize. A blazing sword of pain plunged through his chest and he looked at Dorian uncomprehendingly.Why would Dorian show him Ellis's image when he was—He froze. His eyes widened. He checked the date stamp. Checked it again. Looked up at Dorian without being able to breathe, to blink."She's alive," Dorian said. The two most