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“Nice crowns,” he said.

“I was inspired by Princess Aspen’s story. How about you?” I leaned back against him, and he folded his arms around me. “Do you ever wish you could be king?”

“No,” he said, leaning down to kiss my shoulder. “I am content to be an angel.”

“Oh, I get what you’re saying, Sir Sexy Tux.”

Nero’s brows arched at the new nickname.

“But I think it might be nice to wear a crown. A real crown, I mean,” I said. “I’d look wicked in a crown, don’t you think?”

He chuckled, dark and delicious. “You always look wicked.”

Turning around to face him, I said, “Flirt with me some more, Windstriker.” I took a step forward. “I like it.”

Sierra jumped between us. “Make Angel a princess too!” she demanded.

So I summoned a magic crown and other accessories, and Sierra had a lot of fun decorating Angel with them.

“The cat looks miserable,” Nero commented, direct and to-the-point as usual.

“Oh, I don’t know. She isn’t trying to knock the crown off,” I pointed out.

“She’s indulging you.” Nero watched Sierra adjust Angel’s fluffy tutu. “Both of you.”

“Actually, I think she’s indulging herself. And why not?” I looked at Angel. “You deserve a little pampering now and again, don’t you, Princess?”

“Princess Angel!” Sierra agreed, clapping her hands. Then she reached for a pair of slippers.

That did it. Angel must have finally had enough dress-up. She struggled out of Sierra’s hold, kicked off the unwanted costume, shot past me and Nero, and escaped through the open door. Sierra ran out after her.

“Like I said, the cat looked miserable.”

“All right, you were right,” I conceded.

“Obviously.”

Chuckling, I closed the distance between us, draping my arms over his shoulders. “So what now?”

“Now, Pandora,” he said, his words falling against my lips like forbidden secrets, “we call the babysitter. I have a date with my wife, and I intend to keep it.”

PART FOUR

THE DAUGHTER OF ORDER AND CHAOS

The Daughter of Order and Chaosis set nine years after Gods’ Battleground (Book 12) in the Legion of Angels series.

CHAPTER 1

THE ANGEL COMMANDER

My sister wasn’t very good at taking vacations. She always brought a suitcase of work along ‘for some light reading’.

“You’re one to talk, Leda,” Bella chuckled. “You can’t even take a day off without it ballooning into a quest to save the universe.”

Bella’s mood was light, airy. She was leaning back against the sofa, her muscles so relaxed that she was practically melting into the cushions. She’d just returned from her vacation this morning, and I hadn’t seen her so relaxed since…well, ever.

I’d had my doubts when Harker had outlined his plan to take her on the perfect vacation, a mission months in the making. It involved a tropical resort, lots of cocktails, and ‘accidentally’ forgetting Bella’s suitcase of paperwork.