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“Considerate of you, daughter. Ky, you may put our pebble in the die section.”

The goblin’s reappearance at the podium brought a hush over the hall.

He snapped his finger, and an enormous set of golden scales appeared at his side. A smooth black pebble materialized at each table at the same time.

“We will now ask you to declare your decision. Whisper into the pebble ‘live’ or ‘die’ and the pebble will find its way into the proper basket.”

Alessandro glanced down at the smooth rock before him. He could hear the whispers of those around him begin almost immediately.

Rowan curled her fingers around his as he picked it up.

“Die.”

It felt wildly impersonal considering what the witch had put his people through. And he watched as the pebble shot from his hand and joined the overwhelming number in the “die” basket. Only three found their way into the “live” alternative.

It was nearly unanimous.

“Antoni Barros will face death. It is now that we will ask for an executioner from those affected by his crime. Do we have a volunteer?”

“Let the witches have him.” He passed to every shifter.

He saw a moment where the Sphinx Alpha looked like he wanted to rebel, but his eyes shifted to Rowan, who gave a slight shake of her head. He remained seated.

The other shifters, who had yet to really get to know his mate, looked astounded, and they all took their turns re-evaluating her.

Cherry Young and Dae Kang interrupted this by both surging to their feet.

Cherry leveled Dae with a look of displeasure. “It is my battle, Dae.” She said so softly that Alessandro would’ve missed it if he didn’t have heightened senses.

The witch clenched his fists and sat back down.

Cherry’s eyes roved over the shifters who had remained sitting. When they rested on Rowan, she gave a small disbelieving shake of her head before bowing her head in a silent thanks.

Epilogue

Crashing to the floor of her wrap-around porch, the topmost plate Rowan had seen teetering too late went flying in separate directions. A sharp shard sliced across her shin.

Hissing in pain, she dumped the rest of the food as carefully as possible onto the small bistro table she’d dragged out from her kitchen.

The shrill sound of the alarm she’d set to signal when Alessandro was to arrive according to a very well paid off Earth General set her heart hammering into her throat.

Relax, Dahl! He’s your mate, isn’t he?

Snapping her fingers to send the shattered plate to the trash, Rowan struggled to find the sexiest way to greet her man. Changing pose after pose until she achieved the perfect idea by leaning against a banister on the porch with a flute of champagne in her carefully manicured hand.

His magic curled around her before he appeared. His hand gripped the hair closest to the base of her skull, tugging her head back before he completely dominated her mouth.

Well, what a pleasant surprise.

Rowan sent the flute of champagne flying so she could turn and fully receive everything he was pouring into her.

It was in taking this in that she realized he was enraged.

She tried to pull back, but the hand that wasn’t tugging her hair to give him full access to her lips slid down to cup her ass and hold her hips flush to his.

What the hell had made him so desperate?

“Stop.”