“I guess that’s that,” Julian said, and snaked his arm away from me. Nicholas looked at the dark opening in the wall, a stern expression on his face. I felt powerless. There was nothing I could say to replace a father’s love. With the King’s absence, Nicholas spoke more truthfully. “This escap
In full view of the watchful cameras, Julian and I stood side by side in the kitchen, a plate of cookies on the counter before us. We’d already rolled out the dough, cut the shapes, and baked them in the oven. These were the finished results. It had been difficult to relax in front of the camera c
After bringing the cookies to Elva and spending some time with her, I set out again, this time in search of Nicholas. My intentions were dual purpose. I wanted to speak with him as Julian suggested, as well as check on his wounds. He was a fast healer, but his bruises were many. I’d rest easier wh
Fear drove all feeling from my body. Then, at once, in a wave, in all came rushing back, and I was moving. Mark had turned to lead us, but he was too slow. I already knew the way, so I started to run. My little girl was sick. I had to get back to her side as soon as I could. It didn’t make any
The doctor frowned deeper. “And I’m told the symptoms came quickly. I can’t make sense of it. There seems to have been no cause for this reaction. But that’s not possible.” For even the doctor to be confused, sent tendrils of worry shooting out in all directions inside of me. The doctor was suppos
“What do you mean, ‘dark magic?’” Nicholas demanded. I was glad he still had his voice, because mine was totally gone. I had a suspicion that I knew exactly what Veronica meant, but I wanted to hear her say the words. “I mean a curse,” Veronica said. I inhaled a shuttering breath. “It’s possib
Hours passed. Many items were brought to Veronica. Everything from necklaces to teacups to feathers and books. With only a passing glance from her, each item was quickly dismissed. The latest item, a stone found in an odd place in the hallway, was handed to Veronica. “There’s no magic in this,
By the end of the third day of searching, everyone is dead on their feet. Nicholas, Julian, and their men had searched most of the palace, with very few exceptions, like the King’s quarters. Since Veronica said the talisman had to be close, most of the places they had searched would be too far, bu
Instead, the Queen pulled me into a hug. It was uncomfortable and brief, but a hug none the less. From the Queen, this was a tremendous breach of decorum, and I froze, unsure how to react. Even Nathan, standing dutifully as his King’s side seemed shocked.“I have misjudged you dearly,” the Queen sai
I wasn’t sure what to expect when our car delivered us from the train station to the palace, but even in my wildest dreams, I wouldn’t have guessed what actually awaited us.Cheering crowds lined the outer walls of the palace. Balloons and streamers of various colors were abundant. A stage had been
At once, my heart leapt up into my throat, while simultaneously crashing down into my stomach.I pulled away from Nicholas enough to push myself up onto my hands and stare down at him.The thought of breaking the engagement had never crossed my mind! Nicholas proposing had been one of the best momen
In a war between the wolves and the bears, only the lost bear princess will be able to stop this fighting. Else, the bears will continue to fight themselves to exhaustion or to death.“It’s up to you,” Nicholas said. “I believe in you. You can do this.”I closed my eyes. Miracle was still exhausted,
Slowly, my grief subsided for now, enough for me to look up at Nicholas and feel the relief of being reunited with my fiancé.My… mate.“I love you,” Nicholas said. “I’m sorry it took so long for me to reach you.”“How are you even here? It’s impossible for you to have found me this quickly?”Nichol
Joyce, despite his best efforts, was not a fighter. He was not bred for war and battle like Hawke was, so even calling on the power of his Alpha wolf, Hawk tossed Joyce aside like he was a sack of potatoes.However, Joyce did show amazing tenacity, and stood back up time and time again. Roaring, he
Nicholas was here. I didn’t know how. I didn’t know why. But he was here, and that gave me the strength I needed to act.I ripped my arm away from Joyce’s hold and rushed into the room where Hawk was choking my sister on the ground. Using all of my strength, I plowed into Hawk.My surprise more than
We slipped into the hallway easily enough. The lights were off, so we stuck to the shadows. We didn’t go far when we started to hear raised voices.“I want to know if Piper was telling the truth.” It was Jane.“You cannot mean to trust her more than me,” that was Hawk. His cold voice sent shivers ru
A mating bond…?Yes. Even though Nicholas and I had never talked about the love between us, I had still felt it grow over these months together. Nicholas had never made a bonding bite on my neck, yet inside of me, that bond had cultivated. Our hearts were bound together, mating bite or now.There wa