Neela

Neela

We left Leif with his pack to lick their wounds and mourn their dead. We would be there for him as soon as he needed us, but right now, he needed his wolves.

Gabrelle, Dion, Ronan, and I returned to the Lakehouse without saying a word. It was the place that belonged to all of us and the place we needed to be, together. There was no question of going to our separate homes and spending the night alone, not after what we’d been through.

The Lakehouse was lit up like a star when we arrived, as though it knew we were all collectively, suddenly afraid of the dark. Gabrelle put her hand to the softly furred front door but didn’t push it open. “I saw the Shadow Walkers attack a lion family a few weeks back.” She paused with her hand on the door, not patting it, not pushing it, not even turning to look at us but speaking as though in a dream. “I saw one Shadow Walker enter their den, feed for about ten minutes on the family of four, and then two Shadow Walkers came out.”

I shifted my weight to my right leg, only now realizing my left leg had a long scratch that was starting to throb. “Wait, one went in, and two came out? How is that possible?”

“It multiplied. It fed on the shifters and then split in two. I should have told somebody, but I was pissed at you guys, and Mom isn’t exactly approachable.”

Dion touched her shoulder, his voice softer than I’d ever heard. “It isn’t your fault, Gabrelle. You couldn’t have stopped what happened tonight even if you’d taken out an ad in the Verdan Bulletin to broadcast what you saw.”

The beauty queen turned and smiled weakly, though I could see it was just painted on. “Thanks, D.” She pushed open the door, and we followed her into the brightly lit house.

Dion moved to the kitchen area and began pottering, soothing himself through cooking. Gabrelle slid onto her glass chaise longue, and Ronan pulled me onto his lap as he plonked onto his black leather armchair.

His embrace was precisely what I needed, and I snuggled into it. “Hey, isn’t this armchair a little bigger than it used to be?”

Instead of a single-seater, the black leather had stretched and grown, now more like a single-and-a-half.

“The Lakehouse knows you belong together,” Gabrelle said, looking at us serenely. “I guess you have its blessing.”

That felt right. The Lakehouse had accepted me as one of the heirs by growing me a chair outside on the deck, but it also had a place for me here at Ronan’s side.

Ronan squeezed me tight against him, and I leaned against his broad chest. I felt safe here. Maybe I was due an easy life after all.

Gabrelle crossed and uncrossed her legs. “Where are you going to live now, Ronan?”

His reply rumbled through his chest and straight into my body. “My parents aren’t kicking me out of the townhouse just because I’m no longer technically their heir.”

Gabrelle paused. “But they’ll have to eventually. You can’t keep living in someone else’s property forever.”

I nuzzled into his pecs. “You can live with me.”

He pulled me off his chest, and I squeaked in complaint. “Really?”

“Of course. I’m just rattling around in that big old palace with Liz and the shrubs, I—”

“Do the snuffle tuffs know you call them shrubs? I wouldn’t be saying that to their faces.”

I shrugged. “Don’t be silly, they’re harmless.”

“Hardly.” Happiness pulsed through me, and I knew it was my own mingled with Ronan’s, and I didn’t mind. It was another thing we shared.

“Anyway, you were saying something about me moving in with you….”

“Yeah. I’ve got a lot of rooms and—”

“I don’t need a lot of rooms,” he growled. “I’ll be in yours.”

Desire sparked through me, and I pressed my lips to his, drinking him in, licking and tasting, nibbling, and feeling desire grow between my thighs.

Dion was suddenly in our space. “Ahem.” He handed us each a mug of steaming soup, and I sheepishly pulled away from devouring Ronan and accepted the cup.

It was orange and smelled of pumpkin with wonderful spices I couldn’t name. Dion’s hair had turned bright orange, so I assumed he’d tasted it, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t added some extra poison just for me.

I tried to hand it back. “No thanks, I’m not hungry.”

Dion pushed the cup back toward me. “Please accept this. You’re one of us now. The Lakehouse has accepted you, Ro’s figured out how to escape his blood curse, and even the ice queen seems to like you.” Gabrelle smiled coolly. “I’m sorry for feeding you those rocks. I promise not to use my power against you ever again…If you can promise the same.”

His orange eyes blazed with intensity, pleading with me to take this peace offering.

I didn’t want to. I was happy to broker peace between us, but I never wanted to taste Magirus food again. But Ronan squeezed my thigh, so I took a leap of faith and put the cup to my lips. Still, I hesitated. “If this kills me, I will set my big bad prince on you.”

“Verdan heirs work together, not apart,” Gabrelle said, and that finally convinced me to take a sip. She really was very persuasive.

The soup tasted like winter, snow storms when you’re cozy inside, and nutmeg at Christmas time. It was so delicious that at first, I thought it must be enchanted…then I realized it was. But not in a bad way. It was filled with Dion’s magical intent and provided comfort and a sense of community on this horrific night.

“Thank you.” I locked eyes with Double D’s orange ones, and he nodded in return.

The soup brought me solace. Leif’s pack must have lost a quarter of their members tonight, but they would regroup and recover. Leif’s mom was a strong alpha, and she would lead her family group back to power and strength.

I placed the cup on the coffee table, alert again. “What happened to Leif’s mom? Is she all right?”

With my parents dead, only two more rulers could die before Gaia killed the rest and put us on the thrones. I wasn’t ready; none of us were. We had so much to figure out before then, plus we would have to pass Gaia’s ultimate test. Gabrelle and Ronan hadn’t even Ascended yet.

Dion collected the empty mugs and took them to the kitchen. “Stella is fine. Shaken, obviously, but physically fine. She was already issuing orders and comforting her pack before we left.”

I curled up in Ronan’s lap, and he held me tight. My whole body moved with each one of his breaths, and his arms were tight around me.

I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.