*Isla*Maddox went back to the dance.I don’t blame him. I understand he needs to be there, and I understand a bit more why he didn’t tell me about Trinity, too. I have never lost someone like that before—someone I loved with all of my heart, a spouse, a mate, but I can imagine how painful it would be not only to have lost them, but to also blame myself for their death, and then to see them again.I put myself in Maddox’s position. How would I feel if I had watched him die, thought it was probably my fault, and then saw him again in the face of his cousin?It’s hard to say what a person would do in those circumstances, but it is easy for me to understand that it would be difficult.For the next few weeks, I am hyperfocused on every movement Maddox makes. Which woman is he talking to? When is he talking to them? How does he approach them, and how do they approach him?But he doesn’t disappoint men.After the pomp and circumstance of the ball was over, and all of the families went home,
*Isla*“Everything looks wonderful,” Mystica says as she finishes examining me. “The baby is a bit small for when we think the child was conceived, but other than that, the heartbeat is strong, everything is proportionate, the rest of the organs are developing on track as well, and movement is right on track. I think we shall have a healthy child in a few months, despite my apprehension earlier. Congratulations to the pair of you!” She stands at the foot of the examination table with her hands clasped together and a big grin on her face.“Thank you,” I tell her. “Do you have any indication yet of the sex of the baby?”Mystica looks from me to the king, and Maddox nods. He wants to know, too.“Well, I do,” she says. “Let me show you on the machine. I think that will be better.”She’s already done an ultrasound to measure everything, but while she was doing all of that, she looked like she was concentrating so hard, I didn’t even want to interrupt her to ask this question. Also, she is
*Maddox*“I understand the significance, Alpha, but I don’t think now is the best time to make the announcement.”Seth is sitting across from me in my office, helping me decide whether or not we should let the other Alphas know about the baby. Now that I’ve seen his tiny, wiggly body for myself, seen that he appears to be healthy, and even heard his heartbeat, I feel more confident that Isla will proceed through the rest of her pregnancy without problems, and we will have a son soon enough. It seems like it’s time to let the other Alphas know the situation, to proclaim Isla “the winner” of this ridiculous contest, and then start preparing the castle for the arrival of the next Alpha King.Seth disagrees with this idea. He is about to tell me why, and this had better be good.“Why not?” I scrutinize him, my hands folded on my desk, wondering what his reasoning could possibly be.“The other Alphas have been complaining all along that their daughters aren’t getting to spend any time with
*Isla*“Well, who was it from?”Poppy’s voice is too chipper for me. I’ve only just woken up from a long nap, and blinking a few times, I try to get my bearings, wondering what the hell she is talking about. Where is Maddox? I glance at the clock and see it’s almost 6:00. He’s usually done working by now.“Isla?” Poppy is fluffing the pillows on the bed next to my head. Why is she in here? Did she wake me up? “You can’t sleep all day! I know you’re growing a human, but that requires food, too. You didn’t eat any lunch before you went to sleep. So why don’t you eat the snack I had the cook prepare while you tell me about the letter? I heard that King Maddox has had Seth in his office for a few hours, so who knows when he’ll be done.”I sit up, feeling groggy. Whenever I don’t wake up naturally from a nap, I am always a grump. My stomach is rumbling, though, and when I glance over at the table, I see that Poppy has brought some of my favorites, including toast with cheese and sliced gre
*Isla*The content of the letter continues to play through my mind for the next several days as I try to concentrate on other matters.More important matters.Like… whether or not Maddox is going to go ahead and announce the baby’s existence to the world. I have only asked him once, though, and when he practically growled at me that he hadn’t made a decision yet, I knew I just needed to wait and let him tell me.For the most part, the two of us have been getting together very well since the appointment with Mystica, so I don’t want to irritate him. He just doesn’t know how to speak to me sometimes.I often wonder how Rebecca would’ve responded if he’d growled at her, but I probably don’t want to know. From what I know about his wife, she didn’t take shit from anyone, whereas, even my own mother will tell me I am often a doormat.Wonder whose fault that is….Other more important matters include trying to decide on a name for this little one. I would like to know what to call him. Maddo
*Isla*The six girls standing between me and the exit to the library swivel around at the sound of Trinity’s voice, their mouths dropping open when they saw the woman standing there that they all revere as the front runner in this stupid contest.The blonde who had been such a bitch to me immediately changes her tune. “Oh, Trinity. Hi,” she says, stammering a little. “We were just… playing around with Iris here.”“Isla,” Trinity corrects her. “And I don’t think that’s true, Veronica. I think the six of you were going to try to hurt her. Do you honestly think that would be a good idea? Do you think that Alpha King Maddox will even let you stay in the castle now? You’ve threatened to hurt another contestant, you stupid bitches.”All of the girls stare at her wide-eyed, and it seems evident to me that Trinity knows all of their names and can identify them for Maddox.“I didn’t do anything!” a dark-haired girl standing near the bag blurts out. “All I did was stand here! Iris can attest to
*Maddox*I’m at my desk going over a few reports, trying to decide whether or not to continue to take Beta Seth’s advice when what I really want to do is plan a huge festival and announce to the entire kingdom that I’m having a child with the woman I love when a knock at the door interrupts my thoughts.“Yes?” This had better be important. The guards usually steer away anyone who is just a nuisance.Trinity pokes her head in, and like most times when I first see her, I forget, and confusion washes over me for a millisecond before I recognize the girl fully. “So sorry, Your Majesty, but I have something important to talk to you about.”“Of course.” I set the files aside. I know that Trinity wouldn’t barge in to talk to me if it wasn’t something that needed my attention right away. The look on her face tells me that whatever it is, she’s distressed.Sitting down across from me, she takes a deep breath. “I ran into Isla in the library. She wasn’t alone.”My immediate reaction is to becom
*Isla*Lying in bed next to Maddox, my fingers trailing over his bare arm, I try to catch my breath. We’d made love so ferociously, it reminded me of that first night, when he came into my room, and I thought he was going to claim me, but he didn’t. It was so animalistic and raw. If I wasn’t pregnant, who knows how much more wild it might’ve gotten.But I think somewhere within the thoughtless thrusting, it occurred to Maddox that he needed to be more careful with me, and he slowed down a bit. Now, we are lying here, glistening in the moonlight, looking into each other’s eyes, and I want to know what has motivated him to become so fierce tonight.Does he know about what happened in the library?I think I saw little flecks of red on his clothing when I was peeling it off of him earlier. I wasn’t sure, but it looked like it might’ve been blood.Is it possible Trinity told him already?Maddox lifts a hand and smooths my cheek. “You should’ve told me.” His voice is soft, just above a whis
BrieI open my eyes as I’m falling through thin air. I don’t even have time to scream before my body drops into water. Deep, rough water that drags me under the second I suck in a salty breath. I flail against the waves, trying to find the surface, but the undercurrent drags me down again, pulling me by my dress and tossing me upside down. My head hits something hard, and I screech, but the sound is empty. I suck in water, choking, and realize quite suddenly that I’m drowning. I go as still as possible, using the last of my energy to start moving with the current instead of against it, which turns out to be the best idea I’ve ever had, especially under duress. I open my eyes underwater, staring down at the shallows. It’s sunny. Daytime. And below, seaweed waves between large, gray rocks. Pockets of sunshine dance through the water, illuminating seashells in shades I’ve never seen before. Another wave crashes over the top of me, sending me rolling into even shallower water, and fina
MaeveCole and Misty have a beautiful suburban home in Shadowcrest. It’s always the same–always smells like freshly baked cookies and the flowers she keeps in vases all over the house. Tonight, as my toes brush the ground, and my powers funnel back into my body, it smells like… popcorn. “You pig! You’re not going to eat all of that.” Josie’s voice, so similar to her mother’s, drifts down the hallway. I landed in the foyer, which is dark, soft moonlight drifting in through the windows and casting the stairs and framed photos of the family in silver shadows. “If you wanted more, you should have added it to the order,” Adrian argues then yelps after a smacking sound reverberates toward me in the gloom. “Give me one of your tacos–”“Or what?”“I’ll tell Mom.”“She’s in Eastonia, dumbass. Hey!” A scuffle ensures. I have two seconds to jump into the shadow of Misty’s study just off the foyer when Cole walks down the stairs, still wearing his hospital scrubs. The sound of a shower running
LoganRyatt and Evander walk out of sight across the bridge connecting the barracks to the main streets of the city. I look out of my old bedroom window at the sunny glare casting shadows over the valley. The shadows move as the clouds dart across the sky toward the castle, toward my wife, who I’d much rather be with right now than here. I… I don’t have anything to pack. Anything that meant anything to me–my laptop, my fucking glasses–were lost in the shipwreck. I have the clothes on my back, and even those were borrowed from who-knows-where, left on the dresser in Brie’s bedroom by the ghost that haunts her house. She’s all I have, and it’s not like I can pack her in my duffle bag and take her with me. I crank open the window to let in some fresh air to cut through the overwhelmingly male smell of the barracks. I turn to my empty duffle bag with a sigh, bracing my hands on either side of it on the bed, and hang my head, but a whoosh of air rushes out behind me, and I turn in time
BrieThe moment my bedroom door closes behind us, Logan’s mouth is on mine. The lock slides into place with a soft click, and an even softer groan leaves his mouth when I reach up to run my fingers through his damp curls. He smells like rain and leather. Like the promise of warmth and comfort through another stormy night. And now this man–this loud, obnoxious, opinionated man… he’s mine. He presses a kiss to the ring he bought today on a whim. It’s a simple band of gold–that’s it. “I'll give you a better one when I return,” he promises, kissing the palm of my hand before his lips find mine again. “A ring with a diamond the old gods can see from the heavens.”“I don’t care about that.” I giggle as his hands glide down my sides, pulling me close. Outside, thunder booms, the room lighting in ribbons of blue as lightning splits the clouds, but in here, it’s warm. It’s private. It’s just us. He removes my cloak. It falls to the ground in a heap at my feet. He’s careful with the dress,
MaeveBrie is… radiant. She glows in her simple white dress of lace and satin, her hair falling loose over her back and shoulders as Logan slowly, tenderly, lowers the hood of her dark blue cloak. The temple is quiet and dim, moonlight flooding the altar. Logan knits his fingers in Brie’s and brings her knuckles to his lips, pressing a kiss against them. They’re bathed in silver, the windows behind them dancing in starlight. It’s beautiful, really. It’s what I envisioned for her, one day, what I thought would be… years from now. I watch my sister–the person I love the most in all of the world–intertwine her soul with someone else, forcing myself to unravel the ribbons binding my heart to hers. She doesn’t belong to me anymore. Logan looks at her as they kneel before the priestess in her silver robes. They lean into each other like being inches away is too far apart. And the look on his face as he brushes his lips over her temple… he loves her. He’s devoted–body, and soul. My heart
Brie“Tonight?”“Yes, tonight.”“How?” I laugh, taking a step away from him. “We-we can’t.”“We can,” he says breathlessly, shaking his head. “The temple stays open all night. We’d just need to find a priestess.”“We’d need a witness,” I whisper as the cogs in my mind start turning. “I’d need a dress–”“I’d marry you like this,” he says, taking my hands. “But please, for the love of the Goddess, marry me before I go.”I blink up at Logan, my heart swelling and squeezing simultaneously. There’s still a whisper in my mind that warns me that he could change his mind, that he can’t really want me, but I… banish it, giving myself to him fully. “Are you sure?” I ask, scanning his eyes. “I’ve never been more sure of anything. I want you to be my wife, Brie.”“I’m already your mate.”“It’s not enough.” He brushes my hair out of my face and kisses me, but a rush of air alerts us to a visitor making their way up the stairs to the tower. I pull away as a soft knock sounds on the door. Neither
BrieLogan steps into my dad’s office. All eyes turn to him as he scans the men–Sydney, Grandpa Ryatt, my father, a few others that serve both my father and grandfather as generals, captains, and commanders. Logan’s eyes are like polished, imperfect emeralds as he eyes my grandpa wearily, like he’s not entirely sure he understands what Ryatt just said to everyone in the room. “Brie, you don’t need to be here for this,” Aviva whispers behind me, knitting her fingers in mine. But Logan growls, “She stays.”A silent, heavy, creeping hint of tension scatters around the room. The entire castle would explode if someone lit a match right now, I’m sure. My spine tingles as Logan turns to Ryatt and says, calmly despite the bite in his voice, “There’s nothing in Emberfyll.”“Quite the contrary,” my grandfather replies immediately, rounding my father’s desk, his shadow powers simmering and coiling around his fingers, “Debris has been washing up on the southern shore of Tarsian for decades now.
LoganBrie looks exhausted, but otherwise… happy, thank the Goddess, as she sits between her mother and Misty, listening to their conversation and picking at a sandwich. I lean my elbows on the table across the room where I’m sitting in silence, alone, still waiting for my mind to catch up with my body after Maeve jumped with us from the middle of the ocean to Veiled Valley. A shadow moves into view, crossing through the doorway before a shadow breaches the informal living area. Ryan looks around before turning the corner, beelining for me, waving away several rushed questions coming from the group of women on the couches nearby. He braces his hands on the table beside me, leaning down to whisper into my ear, “I need to speak to you in private before Ryatt returns. Can you come with me?”I glance at Brie, who’s watching us with her brows furrowed in worry. I suck my teeth before nodding, and Ryan moves back a step so I can stand. Brie and I have been using the mind-link as much as
BrieI pull the stool out from under my vanity, sinking down and facing Blake. I’m older than him by a few months. We’ve always been close, even when we were younger, and he tended to want to play rowdy boy games with Aris. He always sat quietly and played tea-party with me, though, without fail. He’s also the pariah of the family and knows it. His powers rival Ryatt’s, which is a terrifying thought. In fact, I often question who’s more powerful–him or Maeve? But that’s not a fair question at the moment, given that Maeve’s powers aren’t even fully developed yet. Blake, however… he exudes energy that makes my skin tingle as he sits in my desk chair, resting his elbows on his knees. “You found us, didn’t you?” He nods, a flash of guilt darkening his irises. “I admit I didn’t even look until Maeve cornered me. She felt you, she said. Sensed your arrival back in our waters.”I wonder how much Logan told the family. Probably everything, I’m sure. That man can talk, and I love that abou