NARRATORZarek asked her to come with him, even working hard to get rid of Rousse.Meridiana was very sensitive to death and to beings who lived between both worlds."She wants to die, but… there’s too much guilt. She’s one step away from release, but something won’t let her accept it, and she’s heading down the wrong path."She spoke with her head bowed, using her magic to feel Lisa’s emotions.Zarek considered it for a moment, staring… just staring into the darkness shaped like a human face.What had once been a beautiful woman was rotting into the bark of this tree she’d summoned herself.He stretched out his hand with a sigh, determined to see if he could strike a bargain.He didn’t want any more female corpses, especially not one so tormented.Erasing the memories of a life spent suffering was a problem he didn’t want to deal with.Better to persuade her to leave in peace."Everyone, shield yourselves with your magic. Meridiana, step back," he ordered soberly.He took a step forw

NARRATORNow that the heat had passed, she wondered if this impulsive decision was the right one.I mean, Lavinia seemed like a good person, but she was a sorceress, and she didn’t have a great opinion of that race.At least not of the mages who lived on this continent, though Theron came from somewhere else.Her muzzle lifted toward the hole where the sunbeams came in.What if she later wanted to return and couldn’t? Would they really accept her in a world where beast-men were rare?Suddenly, a soft lick landed on her little nose and her eyes met the wolfish ones of her mate.“Don’t be afraid, Zera… don’t get nervous. I’m going to take care of you, my love, and no one is going to treat you badly.”The lioness’s soul filled with warmth and she nodded, already thinking about how to reveal the truth to Theron later.It was impossible to hide her identity; running into Aidan’s mate and the winter prince would be enough to recognize her.As Theron stepped toward the magic passage that led

NARRATOR“Let me down, Vincent.” She insisted enough that the Beta set her gently on the ground.The second her feet touched the grass, the pregnant Centuria closed the distance to the little witch.“Lisa, I thought you’d died, by the Goddess, I…!”“I’m not her,” the soft voice cut off Amber’s outpouring, confirming what Vincent had told her.Amber’s expressions ran through several phases.She had never hated Lisa, even though her last actions weren’t good ones.The sorceress had helped them a lot when her relationship with Vincent was chaos.Amber considered Lisa her friend; however, she’d distanced herself from them because of the poison her father poured into her head after Isabella’s accident.“But those eyes… I feel that aura… are you Lisa’s daughter?” she even asked, chasing that crazypossibility.“I don’t think so,” Vincent said, stepping protectively to her side.His attention was also caught by the small woman with emerald eyes.Right now they looked red, and the shine of a

NARRATORDrakomir jumped off the horse right away, took off his helmet, and handed it to his aide.“Celine, did something happen while I was gone?” He took the stairs two at a time, worry on his face.“Nothing that won’t be solved with a good bath and formal clothes,” his mother-in-law answered with a smile that hid some secret.Drakomir frowned; beside him, Drakkar was already striding past with his usual blunt, rough temper.“Hey, Drakkar, hold it right there!” Celine stopped his hurried march.“What’s going on? I need to find Lyra… I don’t feel her close,” Drakkar was getting impatient.He’d agreed to go on this fake trip because Lyra kept insisting over and over, to the point of making him a little suspicious.But in the end he always gave in to his persuasive woman’s wishes.“Lyra is fine, and if you don’t stop, I won’t tell you where she is.” With those words, Celine had his full attention.Soon she had two massive hulks in front of her, staring fixedly at her.“Today is both of

NARRATOR “I love you, Father,” Nyx whispered, taking refuge in the safety of that embrace. Silas would never let them drift away; no matter that both lived with their mates, they would always come home. “I love you both too, my little ones.” “Yes, Dad, I’ll come for breakfast every day!” Silas felt Lyra’s exuberant hug from behind. “That’s a promise,” he answered, smiling wider than ever, almost dazzling everyone present. Many had never seen him laugh, and maybe that was for the best, because he looked dangerously, overwhelmingly handsome. Silas squeezed them a little tighter, feeling so blissful. Then his eyes met, at close range, the gray ones that had given him back his will to live. Sigrid was barely holding it together, seeing her treasures wrapped up in that hug. She walked slowly with Drakkar, and beside her, the Centuria Queen Raven was also holding back tears as she escorted her son Aidan. “It’s time,” Silas told them, and finally let them go. Patting her rosy chee