Once she was all cried out, she adjusted in his arms and Lucian squeezed her tighter. If she was any closer, she might disappear into him. Taking a long, hot bath with lilies and bubbles was just what she needed. She wanted to sit there and not think of anything. Without warning, Lucian picked her up in his arms as he rose, and he hugged her tightly to his chest. “Would you like to try that fancy new gift of yours again?” he asked. “It’s a possibility,” she said, twirling her fingers through his hair. When she closed her eyes, the force of her ability pulled them to her bedroom before she even got the chance to channel it. Lucian set her down on the couch and slid in beside her. “With just a little more prac

As Alfred paced in front of them, Elyssa struggled to avoid looking at Zuker. She craved his presence for some ungodly reason, and it was a bittersweet feeling. Her bond with Lucian made her feel guilty, and she wondered if he felt her particular attraction to Zuker now. She was worried because Alfred and Melissa had no explanation, but they knew precisely how terrible it would be to have Lucian’s mate be matched with their son.   It was still necessary for her to see Rita to know that she was recovering well. What she really wanted to do was help Rita recover. Victoria told her the royal azure had multiple gifts; she wondered if her mother’s healing ability was one of them.   But a more riveting dilemma occurred, and she hated that she was once again stuck in the middle.   “Has something like this ever happened before?” Zuker asked. “

The darkness of the path swallowed her, even with the scorching morning sun, and this far down the path, she couldn’t see back into the Callisto compound.But she was not afraid.The wind whipped up with unusual force, and she quickly plaited her hair to prevent it from thrashing over her face. Ravyn’s voice was everywhere, echoing over and over through the dark path, and Elyssa took a deep breath. When she reopened her eyes, she saw the path in front of her clearly, and her brows furrowed in wonder. As her eyes got hot, she raised her hand to calm them down. It was then she noticed the blue glow emanating from her eyes, and it startled her.“The azure eyes,” she exclaimed to herself and continued down the path.Unlike her other gifts, channelling this gift took a lot of energy from her. It caused her eyes to burn badly, and she held her head with a wince. Squeezing both eyes shut, she put her hands out and walked along the path bl

Lucian’s POVAfter setting her in her bed, Lucian lowered himself to sit beside her and gawked, unable to look away from her. She was in pain, and he had no idea how to help her. The way she’d screamed in excruciating agony crushed him, and given that she was azure royalty and an alpha, the mesh of all that power made it difficult to tell which was hurting her now.He wanted to help her.Yet, it appeared that she didn’t want his help. Just moments after they’d shared the most mind-blowing night together, he managed to hurt her and make her jealous. Goddess, she had been so open and eager for him that it nearly drove him mad. With just one visit to Rita, he had managed to push her to the point where she wanted to distance herself from him and be with Zuker.Then he turned to Zuker who was standing in the doorway. The scent of his anxiety and worry filled the room.“Would you be so kind…?” L

“Something happened when I went to the Ewing compound ahead of you.” Taking Lucian by the hand, Elyssa led him to her living room and lowered into a couch with him. As he waited for her to tell him what was going on, his brow furrowed into a deep frown. Meanwhile, she wondered when Zuker would join them. “What is it?” “Lucian, you need to understand things as I do know, so you know it’s no one’s fault; mine, his or yours.” “Don’t tell me you slept with him.” Lucian tightened his grip on her hand, and when her gaze fell to it, he slipped his hand away from her. “Go on.” “Do you know anything about the war between the gods and the dark?” she asked. On the couch, Lucian reclined, then he adjusted. “I am aware. My bloodline is adamantly opposed to the light, my forefathers pledged us to the dark. How do you know about that?” “My parents were both pledged to both sides.” Elyssa huffed, stunned by how stuck she was in the middle of a