MasukI yawned as I set my files down on my desk before massaging my throbbing temples. I was exhausted. Our parents had left us a total disaster to cope with. Our territory’s finances were a mess. There was no structure to my Empire, and it was completely up to me to fix it. I hated chaos. And that was all that had been left for me. I shoved a pile of folders off my desk, sending papers flying all over my office floor.
Raising The BetJillI stood still in my defensive position as Landon sized me up. Today was our 11th training session, and I had been practicing in secret. Aunt Tawnie had given me videos of some of hers and Storm’s training sessions, and I was eager to show him my new favorite move. I knew he was probably going to be shocked because even though we sparred together almost on a daily basis, he never really touched me. He treated me just like my father did. Like I was a piece of porcelain that he had to protect. I wasn’t. I was grown. I was an adult that had needs, and I had grown very interested in him. The only problem was that I was anxious about how he would perceive any flirtation that came from me.I didn’t want him to just brush me off just because I was his junior by like 12 years. Maybe if I showed him that I could handle myself and knew what I wanted, he would give me a chance. But first, I wanted to feel his body against mine. And that meant I had to put him on his ass, whic
Playing Their Cards RightAlexAt about 5 AM, I gave up trying to sleep. I was sick of tossing and turning, which is all I did during the night. It drove me crazy, but I couldn’t help it. I kept wondering what Osirus was doing in the cabin with his chosen mate, and it drove me crazy. I didn’t want him to be touching her, making love to her, or spooning her while they slept. All I wanted to do was go over there and drag her out by her hair before crawling into his bed to let him spoon me. I threw my blankets off me so I could jump up and throw on some running clothes. Once I was dressed, I jogged out of the cabin, needing to burn off some of my anger. I was so focused on the trees in front of me that I didn’t see the person sleeping less than five feet in front of me. I bit back a cry of surprise as I landed on top of them, which I had to do again when strong arms wrapped around my waist. I drew in a breath, almost moaning in delight when his scent filled my nose. I let both my heartbe
Tawnie– 14 years laterLandon knocked on the door before pushing it open, stepping in, and shutting it behind him. “Madame Tawnie, Prince Osirus is here for your meeting.”I smiled at him as I nodded. “You’re late today. Where were you?”“I was on patrol.”“Uh-huh! Patrol doesn’t usually take you so long. Did something happen while you were out?”He groaned. “Okay, fine. I was late to start patrolling. Jill was too tired to deal with Sarah this morning, so I got her up, dressed, fed, and took her to her grandparents’ house before I started patrol.”I laughed heartily as I nodded. “Toddlers are a handful. Is she ready to give birth to y’all’s next daughter yet?”“Very much so. She’s already cursing me for doing this to her,” he chuckled.“Mhmm, you’re saying that like you aren’t enjoying every second of it.”“Oh, trust me, I am! She only lets me dote on her while she’s pregnant.”“That’s my girl. Alright, I’ve made Osirus wait long enough. Please show him in,” I instructed.I stood up a
3 Years LaterI was sitting in my office, tapping my fingers on the desk in front of me as I spoke to a clearly agitated Osirus via mindlink. He had sounded so stressed that I hadn’t had the heart to tell him that I was busy at the moment.‘Can you fucking believe it, Tawnie? My father is sending me to Europe to handle a major conflict! First, it was hunting down all the rogues who hurt anyone in our kingdom. Now, it’s going across the sea to fight in a war that I don’t approve of, and find a solution to everyone’s problems. I hate that every time I want to come visit you, my parents find something for me to do instead. And we both know that if I were to tell them no, they wouldn’t give me my throne!’ he grumbled.‘They really do hate me now, don’t they?’‘Of course they do, and you know why! You said it yourself that if you were in their shoes, you would hate you, too.’I groaned. I had said that. It had been the truth. I had lied to them to get a pardon for things I was already plan
The next day, after feeding my kids and making love with Alek, I made my way down to Storm’s apartment, where I knocked once before letting myself in. I smiled softly when I saw Galen sitting on the couch with his arm around Storm’s shoulders, while she held Elijah. They really did make a beautiful family. As soon as Storm saw me, she broke into a big smile, kissed Galen’s cheek, and got up to come over to me. She immediately gave me a careful one-armed hug before depositing Elijah in my arms.“Thank the Goddess you’re here, Tawnie. I really need a shower,” she told me.Over her shoulder, Galen’s face fell before it turned furious. He got up, his muscles coiling threateningly as he stormed past us.“Galen? Where are you going? I didn’t know you were going anywhere today,” Storm said.“Out,” he seethed as he was reaching for the door handle.“I see that, but where?”“Anywhere but here,” he snarled before glaring at her over his shoulder. “Enjoy your time with your son, Tawnie!”Before
TawnieAfter Landon left, I quickly gathered all of the reports I had left to review before making my way upstairs to my penthouse, where I gave Charlene and Nina a bright smile. I hadn’t wanted to interrupt Alek’s time with his brother. They didn’t get to spend a lot of time together, and we all knew that it was going to get harder now that we all had kids, but I was determined to make sure they got to see each other as much as they could, just like he made sure I had time for myself.“Hey, I hope you don’t mind that I came back early today. I sent Landon away on business and would rather be here than alone in my office,” I told them.“Of course not, Tawnie! They’re your kids, and this is your penthouse! You don’t need our permission to come and go as you please,” Charlene laughed.“Thank you so much for your kind words,” I laughed. “I only need another hour or so, and then I’ll be done with my work for the day. You guys will be more than welcome to go home when I am.”“Or we can stay
Five days later, after we escorted the girls to ChyAnn’s house on the outskirts of the city, I headed to my office, while Storm went off to do her own thing. I didn’t ask. I didn’t have to. I knew that whatever she was going to do was exactly what I would be doing. It didn’t matter that she was onl
7 hours later, I pulled into a McDonald’s parking lot, groaning as I rolled my shoulders back. It wasn’t that I was sore. None of those motherfuckers had been skilled enough to sense me coming, let alone land a blow on me. After putting the van in park, I got up to check on the still terrified girl
HiddenI stood outside my rival’s apartment with another’s scent wrapped around like a baby swaddled in their blue or pink blanket. Unseen. Undetected. Just like I had spent the last two decades. Hiding in plain sight. I had purposely planted a man inside of Andresky’s organization specifically for
I paced back and forth in my living room in front of my open door while I waited to see what Tawnie's decision would be. It was too late in the night for me to go to her. Even in Talon’s body, it would take me a little over an hour and a half to get to her. That plus the run back would have only gi







