Julian's Point of View My feet couldn't find the floor fast enough. I zipped down the corridor, my mind a raving mess. Sebastian hadn't uttered her name completely before I broke from Caspian and took off. Katharine was here. Somehow, the goddess be blessed, she was safe within our reach. The foyer quickly came to view, the big double doors opening up. In strode my men, a timid frame between them. Her chestnut hair was dirty against her head. Blue eyes wild. The small girl shook once when she looked to the side and saw Sophie. A radiant smile crossed her face but nothing compared to the one when she saw me. "Katharine!" I all but screamed and collided with the girl, wrapping my arms around my daughter. Tears prickled my eyes. She was safe. Safe and home. Dirt stained the front of my clothes as she drew even more into my arms. I couldn't care in that moment. She was home and I thanked every star in the sky for her safe return. "Pappa,"

Caspian went slack jawed, staring at my naked form, drinking in every bloodied feature. He looked tired beyond recognition, but his eyes were alive as they dipped over my body. Disbelief danced within his face, nose wrinkling up. He couldn't fathom that I was looking back at him. Lust twirled at the bottom of my stomach as his gaze went lower. For some reason, just the sight of him nearly brought me to climax. As if raising from death whet my appetite. Maybe even in more than one way. "You are alive," he breathed, barely audible. My eyes went into slits. He smelled different. Almost as if Julian had rubbed himself all over Caspian. Their scents mingled together perfectly, filling the room with the heady aroma. "And I am still waiting for you to take my hand," I mused and took a small step forward, feeling the power in my limbs coil and uncoil. Unwittingly, Caspian took a small step back, eyes now glued to my outstretched hand. I could almost see every thought

"Mommy!" Katharine squealed as she dashed towards me. Chestnut hair trailed behind her in waves. The girl had dressed herself and it was evident. Sneakers closed around her feet whilst she donned a bright green dress. Yet the smile on her face was contagious, leaking onto my own lips as she drew closer. Somehow she had grown tremendously since I had last seen her. Even her eyes held a certain intelligence within them. As if she was more aware of the world than even I was. That was what it meant to be a witch. Intune with the world, whether she wanted to be or not. "Baby girl!" I squealed and bent down a little to grab her in my arms. Her tiny body was fragile beneath my new found strength. Every muscle beneath her dress tensed within my arms, then melted into nothingness. The feeling of having her in my arms kicked in, sending tears rolling down my face. Thick and hot. When was the last time I had held her like this? When was the last time I had bathed in her presence? My li

The day before I faced my father felt like any day other day. Julian had asked for all the staff back. Even the Valkyrie had obeyed his orders and returned without a silent complaint. No questions were asked about my sudden reappearance from the staff. But the Valkyrie was another question entirely. Julian had given them a run down of the situation as best he could, without revealing our daughter. We hadn't yet told them of Katharine. Didn't intend to until it was absolutely necessary. No one liked witches and I would do anything to protect my daughter. Her state of mind was extremely important to me, and witches deteriorated much faster, mentally, than any other species on the planet. Staff members dove through the house, cleaning away the last remnants of my second birth. One as a hybrid. Buckets of red were being thrown down drains, the last time I had noticed them cleaning. The Valkyrie had decided to train for the day and I had decided that I was desperately out

The trodding of feet soon turned to an echo as I sped up. Since the transition, my powers throbbed beneath my skin. Pulsing like a live wire. They couldn't keep up, even if they wanted to. Nothing would stand in the way of what I had to do, not even my mates. All was fair in love and war. Claiming my father's life was something only I was able to do. Something that needed to be done since the first day he had splayed me open. The direction was clear within my mind. A field filled with ant nests slowly came to view. Just within the opposite tree line, an army of men stood. No more than fifty people in total, but still more than I could handle all at once. A few had guns. The other held knives and bows in hand. They wouldn't know what hit them if I caught them off guard. Upon my approach, a scout yelled out to my father, standing at the lead of his group. Lines littered his face that weren't once there. Mother stood a ways back, her eyes never finding mine. The woman w