EMMA I felt like I was going to puke. Tonight, was our coronation. All of Aedrul was invited to attend, but I truly hoped that not everyone did. I would be terrified to know how many individuals actually resided in this kingdom. 117 different species probably added up to quite a fucking bit. After tonight, I would begin learning about the kingdom. I just could not bring myself to ask yet because I knew tonight was coming. Ignoring the issue was working so far. Sort of. Nae massaged my shoulders, getting the tension out of them. I groaned as she expertly loosened my knots. Nae knew me better than I knew myself half the time. I supposed it was because of how long we knew one another. I was ecstatic that now she was officially part of the family and had no reason to venture off on her own. She kissed the back of my head and flitted off to get our outfits ready. She insisted that the gals got ready together while the guys got ready together. That way it would be a surprise for everyone
XANDER Emma looked like a slice of heaven in her dress. She was always the most beautiful, sexy, and breathtaking woman I had ever laid eyes on, but tonight deepened that even more. How had I ever found anyone else attractive? Nobody could ever compare to her. ‘Fuck…’ Kai trailed off through the link. ‘Right there with you,’ I chuckled. I was only half listening to Zane while he spoke to his people because I was still zoned into our girl. She had been so upset earlier when she returned from speaking with her father. She showed us a picture of her mother, Lenora, and shared with us what she learned about her. I had not seen any family resemblance between Brenda and her, but I certainly saw it between Lenora and her. Her mother had been very beautiful, but nothing compared to the beauty of her daughter. Selene murdered her mother. That knowledge infuriated her even further. Selene did plenty of damage during her reign. I could not begin to imagine how Emma was handling that knowledg
EMMA The nightmare felt more realistic than any ever had before. The white moon showed that I was still in Aedrul, but I was not sure where I was. Ropes dipped in wolfsbane were wrapped around my chest and torso, tying me to a tree. I tried to move, but I was tied tightly. The wolfsbane burned because I was only in my bra and panties because whoever was responsible wanted me to feel the pain. What they would not get was the reaction they wanted though. I was the wrong target for that. I had been down this road many times before. Wolfsbane was a nuisance more than anything else. I looked around, taking in my surroundings. The moonlight illuminated enough for me to make out that there was a small clearing in front of me. Beyond it was a tree line and what looked like thick woods. To my left there were dilapidated houses. It looked like nobody had lived there for many years. So, it was safe to assume that nobody was over there to help me. To my right was a mountain range. Something Pa
EMMA I woke up with a start. My breath was coming out in pants. Thank fuck. It had not been real. It did not feel like a nightmare though. It felt real. It felt like it actually happened. Was it possible that it was a vision of what was to come? Nae once explained to me what her visions felt like. She said it felt like she was really a participant. Visions always felt real because they were a real possibility of the future. She said the way she could tell it was a vision was because it left a tingling sensation in her mind, just like I felt at that moment. Fuck. I never had visions before. Was it because I was coronated and now tied to Aedrul? I really did not want to have visions, but I would take them as they came if they would help us. I did not know when the vision would come to fruition, but I knew a few key things. First, he needed my magic for something. Second, he needed Lenora as a vessel. Third, I saw where it would take place. Even if I did not know where it was, I was su
XANDER This had been the thing that Emma needed us to trust her on. Even with that foreknowledge, I could not have been prepared for this. The pain she was feeling had been enough to bring Kai and me to our knees. Seeing her suspended in the air, screaming in agony, I felt helpless. I felt useless. It was hard to wrap my head around something like this being necessary to find an enemy. Kai and I had already figured out who it most likely was. We just had to trust that there was more to this than that. Q gently pulled her down and handed her to us. Kai and I carefully laid her on the bed and laid beside her. We were both still terrified from coming into see that. The terror we just faced was unimaginable, and we were useless to help her. She looked pale and tears had streaked down her face. I brushed them away with my thumbs, but it did not make much difference. Seeing her that way would forever be burned into our memory. It was infuriating how she always did whatever was necessary
EMMA I asked everyone to give us a little bit, and I would call them back because we had something very serious to discuss. Xander was on my right, Kai was on my left, and they were waiting for me to talk. I needed to explain everything to them before the rest. I owed that to my mates. I could still feel the lingering pain and worry that they felt. I just prayed that I would not hurt them more. “I’m truly sorry for what that did to you. I swear that if there had been any other way that I would not have done what I did. When Lenora touched me last night, it felt wrong. It wasn’t cold like the shadows, but it was like a different frequency. I knew something was up with her reappearance because it didn’t make sense as to how I was able to break down the through the prison that Selene herself put up.” Kai began rubbing his thumb in circles on my stomach and Xander was rubbing my arm. My amazing mates were comforting me even after what I put them through. “The nightmare I had was actua
KAI Doll had her arms around us, and I knew that she was not thrilled with the vision that she had. Xander and I would do absolutely anything for her. Hearing that the vision ended with her death nearly destroyed both of us. What hurt even more was the pain she was in when she said she could still feel him and begged us to make her forget. I was thankful that we were able to do that. Zane linked all of our minds together so that we will all view the vision at the same time. It was good that Nae was here since visions were her specialty. We watched as Doll was tied to a tree with wolfsbane ropes. The pain was bad, but she refused to act. Seeing that she was in just her bra and panties infuriated me because nobody had a right to see her body like that except us. This was the Asry douche that had been tormenting and laying a claim to our mate. Now we had a face to the name, and we would carve that face from him as he died. Doll felt so alone without a connection to us. She wondered i
EMMA Kai placed his hands on my hips, and I leaned into him. I took a deep inhale of his scent and let it wash through me. My mates had always been my centering points. “We could tether me to someone, or multiple someone’s, actually. If I’m tethered to multiple people, he would be unable to drag me down further. You would be able to pull me out and back to you.” “I don’t like this, love,” Xander murmured. “I second that, doll,” Kai chimed in. “I third that, sweets,” Ethan continued. Phoenix was the one who disagreed with them. She always had a way about her that commanded people’s attention. “You are underestimating our Warrior. Look at everything she has accomplished so far! She can do this, and she will succeed.” Phoenix came over and wrapped me in a hug. “Babe, you have all of us, and we do believe in you,” she said, kissing my cheek. I always appreciated her confidence in me. Papa, Macario, Leonidas, and Q were mind-linking, and while that annoyed me, I just let them have t