Page 48

Carla

I watch as Anora lays Solomon gently in his crib, every movement filled with quiet tenderness.

The young cub instantly rolls over, nuzzling into the blankets before drifting off to sleep.

There’s something about witnessing a mother with her child that stirs something deep within me.

It’s not longing exactly—more like recognition.

A quiet remnant of what I feel for my own children: magical, sentient arachnids with the power to level a city if I so wished.

Anora grabs my hand and pulls me over to the bed, sitting down and patting the space beside her. I join her, the mattress dipping slightly under our combined weight.

“I’m sorry for avoiding you,” I say, looking down at my hands. “I’m just tired of all the rejection. I thought you were going to return Yara and Kofi.”

Anora gently rubs my back, her touch comforting. “It’s okay. I understand why you stayed away.”

I glance toward the crib where Solomon sleeps peacefully. “I’m happy I have Amari. He’s amazing, but also maddening. He has a thirst not just for blood but for women.” I sigh, picking at a loose thread on my jeans. “And he hates Wintermoon.”

“Does that bother you? His hatred of Wintermoon?”

“Wintermoon is more of a home for me than he’ll ever understand.” I look up at her, needing her to grasp what this place means to me. “Before this, I had nothing but shadows and fear.”

“How do the children feel about him?” Anora asks, tilting her head.

I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face. “They love him. They’re already calling him Daddy.”

Anora laughs, the sound light and musical. “That’s a good sign. It pleases me to know that you’re happy.” She squeezes my hand. “If anyone deserves to wake up every day with a smile, it’s you.”

“It’s happening really fast,” I admit.

Anora smiles knowingly. “That’s usually how it goes. When you find your fated mate, it kind of slams into you.”

“What do you think Amir’s doing to Amari?” I ask, suddenly worried.

Anora shrugs, unconcerned. “Probably not much. He knows how special this moment is for you. He’s not going to ruin it.”

I look down at my hands again. “I kind of already did that myself.”

Anora laughs and stands from the bed, shaking her head. “I highly doubt that. I saw the way Amari looked at you.” She crosses her arms, her expression softening. “Just by looking at him, it’s obvious the man is clearly enamored with you. He’s already lost in the mate bond.”

I stand and approach her, my stomach knotting with anxiety. “That’s great and all, but I can’t do much if I can’t feel the mate bond myself. I’m kind of stuck.”

“Your children love you deeply,” Anora says. “Maybe it would help if you reached out to them about lifting the veil.” She studies my face. “It really looks like you don’t mind them cloaking you.”

I run a hand through my curls, considering her words. “I guess I never really minded it. They’ve always been there for me, my children, always a comfort whenever I felt alone, always protecting me when I didn’t know I needed them.”

“It sounds like you lean on your children a little more than you should, and now they’ve come to expect it.” Anora’s voice is gentle but pointed.

“What are you saying?”

“Your worries are simple,” Anora says, her expression turning serious.

I narrow my eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I’m learning a lot about this new power.” She flicks her wrist, holding up her hand. The tips of her fingers start to turn black, including her nails, then a green firelight appears at her fingertips. “It’s dark magic, in its truest form.”

I take a step back, watching the flames dance across her skin.

“You may be the guardian, but I am the bomb,” she says, her voice low.

“What is Fate up to?” I whisper, more to myself than to her. “Why did she make us this way?”

Anora flicks her wrist again and the flames disappear.

She shrugs, but her expression remains troubled.

“I think about it every day. This is why Amir, and I cannot leave this palace.” She sighs, hanging her head.

“Amir finds it to be a prison at times, but if something happens to him...” Her voice breaks.

“I won’t be able to stop the darkness that’s creeping out of me, no matter how hard I try. ”

I step forward and place my hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

Anora leans into me, and I wrap my arms around her, pulling her into an embrace. Her body feels small against mine, fragile despite the tremendous power she carries.

“See, your problems are minimal compared to mine,” she says quietly.

“I’m sorry I’ve been avoiding you,” I tell her, guilt washing over me.

Anora pulls back and shrugs. “It’s okay, Carla. I understand.” Her expression turns serious again. “But if I’m made of dark magic, then what about you? You were designed to be my protector. What does that make you?”

I pause, the question hitting me hard. I’ve never considered that my purpose might be darker than I imagined.

“Maybe—and I don’t know this for a fact—but maybe they’re masking your powers for good reason,” Anora continues.

“And masking your powers also means masking your fated scent. They may not lift the veil until they’re certain you can control it, or—” she raises an eyebrow, “—Amari gets his shit together and proves he’s worthy of taking care of you.

Maybe, just maybe, it’s not so much about them being overprotective. ”

I nod, considering her words. The possibility that I might be harboring something darker than I know is unsettling.

Anora walks over to the crib and gently caresses her son. I smile when Yara suddenly appears, climbing in through the window. Her massive form moves with surprising grace as she positions herself near the crib.

“The last time I time traveled,” Anora says, watching her son sleep, “future Amir told me that I would always be fighting to keep the people I loved. I never truly realized the depths of that until now.” She looks up at me, her eyes glistening.

“There’s always some force looking to take Solomon and Amir away, because they know losing them will make me self-destruct. ”

Anora walks over to Yara and gently kisses one of her fangs. Yara bows to her, and a smile tugs at my lips. I’ve never seen Anora embrace my children this way. Could it be that change—and acceptance—is finally beginning to take root?

“Yara will stay with Solomon while he sleeps,” Anora says. “Someone must always stand guard for him.”

She leads me out of the room and down the long hallway toward the study. “I love the simplicity of this cabin,” she says, her voice lighter now. “It’s so much better than that annoying dark castle the vampire covens live in.”

I catch up with her, looking out of the set of windows that give a view of the palace at the edge of the island. “Amari doesn’t seem to like them so much.”

Anora looks back at me with a wicked grin. “Oh, he’s not wrong in his feelings, and in time, you’ll see why for yourself.”

We stop at the study and the double doors magically open. Anora gestures for me to reenter, but I pause in front of her.

She pulls me into another hug. “Please don’t be a stranger. It gets lonely here sometimes.”

“I won’t,” I promise. “I’d love to visit more. Get to know my cousin Solomon and spend more time with Yara and Kofi. I miss them.”

“I’ve got some duties to attend to as Queen of Wintermoon, so I’ll leave you here.” Anora looks to Amir, who grins at her, and I can see the love in his eyes. He truly adores her.

I bow my head to Anora, and she glares at me, giggling and shaking her head as she walks off. I sigh and walk into the study where Amari stands immediately, pulling me close and into a loving kiss.

His lips are cool against mine, but they warm quickly as the kiss deepens.

His hand moves to the small of my back, pressing me against him as his tongue slides against mine.

The taste of him—something sweet and dark, like chocolate with a hint of spice—fills my senses.

I lose myself in the kiss, forgetting where we are until Amir clears his throat pointedly.

I giggle and break away from Amari, looking over at Amir, who’s watching us with a mixture of amusement and impatience.

“Well, you didn’t bite my mate’s head off, so that’s a plus,” I say.

Amir grins at me, his golden eyes flashing.

Amari leans down, his lips brushing my ear. “Rain check on that date. There’s something else we should do today instead.”

I look up at him, trying to hide my disappointment. “O-okay? But what will we do instead?”

Amir looks to the window, a knowing grin spreading across his face.

“We’ll need to visit Damon’s library to see what we can find out about you. There has to be something in the scrolls. And while we’re there, we can meet Selene, Damon’s mate.”

I blush and nod. “I’m okay with that.”

“Amari’s determined to get to know your children a little better historically,” Amir says, walking over to the sofa and sitting down, his hands placed on his lap.

“Maybe he’ll find answers as to why they won’t lift the veil on you.

” He leans forward, his expression turning serious.

“Something tells me it’s more than just their lack of trust. They’re protecting you from something, and it’s not Aya anymore. So who is it?”

“I don’t know,” I say, shaking my head. “The only supernatural I’ve ever hidden from is Aya.”

“Whatever happened to Aya?” Amari asks, and both Amir and I look at him with wicked grins.

I snort and say casually, “Oh, Aya’s stuck in limbo, running from my children. She’s their greatest hunt. My children won’t rest until they finally catch up with her.”

Amari raises an eyebrow and clears his throat. “Damn, that’s one fucked up way to spend an eternity.”

Amir laughs at that. “Aya’s past deeds warrant something far worse. I think she got off a little too easy.”

Amari adjusts his suit, then takes my hand in his, pulling it to his lips and gently kissing the back of it. “Let’s go.”

He bows his head to King Amir, who sighs and leans back against the sofa, looking as bored as ever.

But he stays put, because he knows there’s so much more at stake than his quest to get out of the palace and into some trouble.

And that’s what I admire about Amir. He’ll sacrifice his freedom to keep his family, because that’s all he ever wanted.

I look back at him as Amari pulls me out of the study, and Amir looks over to me with a wink. I’m definitely going to make more of an effort to see him. I feel bad now that I haven’t.

“What happened while I was with Anora?” I ask Amari as we walk down the corridor.

Amari keeps looking ahead, his jaw set in a determined line. “Amir opened my eyes to a few things, and now I realize that I need to make a lot of changes.”

I wonder what those changes are, but I don’t ask.

Instead, I let him pull me out of Amir’s cabin toward the large castle sitting on the edge of the island.

The vampire covens live in this castle, but it’s also where Damon’s massive library rests.

I’ve only been there a few times. The vampires tend to stay away from Damon’s wing, and for good reason.

I look up at Amari, noting the shift in his posture, the hard glare on his face, the determined set of his shoulders.

“The way you’re acting now, it seems like Amir gave you the worst news,” I say.

Amari stops abruptly and turns to me, his eyes intense. “Why did you never say anything about nearly getting hanged for being a witch in 1692?”

I narrow my eyes, confused by the question. “I don’t know. I just met you. Do you really need a play-by-play of everything that happened over my thousand years of life?”

“YES!” Amari says loudly, his voice carrying across the path.

I shrug, uncomfortable with his intensity. “I don’t know. Humans have always hated witches. What century would that even make a difference?” I take a deep breath, trying to make him understand. “The world has always been a dangerous place for me, and I’ve always been hiding, but not anymore.”

I point ahead toward Wintermoon Island. “This is the one place where I don’t have to hide who I am, and while I may just be getting scraps from my own people, it’s far better than the life I came from. I wish you understood that.”

Amari’s face softens, and he nods, but I can tell he’s still troubled.

I pull my hand from his and place my hands on my hips. “What’s going on? Tell me.”

“I think your children are protecting you from something—much bigger than my past philandering ways,” he says, his voice serious.

I raise an eyebrow at him. “Past philandering ways? You mean as in a couple of days ago.”

Amari rolls his eyes, then grabs my wrist and pulls me toward the castle. “You’ll find out soon enough what I’m willing to give up to keep you.”

I blush at that and snap my mouth shut, letting him pull me toward the castle.

Whatever he learned from Amir must have been significant to cause this change in him.

Part of me is afraid to find out what it is, but another part—the part that’s starting to care for this maddening vampire more than I want to admit—is desperate to know what secrets my children have been keeping from me.