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Then groaned when I found Lucian and Gabriel down in the solar.

“I need yours and Lucian’s help with something,” he said moments after Zareth let him and Lucian inside. “I designed a guitar for Sylvis, but I’m not the best person to build it. You’re better at woodworking than me, Lucian. And Kerainne, you can sculpt anything.”

Lucian agreed with an enthusiastic grin, eager to help a friend. I sighed in defeat and also promised my help. Sylvis was like a daughter to me and I knew she would love such a gift. Gabriel’s well-drawn out designs also activated my inner artist.

He’d already sanded and planed some gorgeous pieces of wood from a bloodwood tree, gathered Shellandrian steel strings, and collected iridescent shells from the island of Verdan, where the leprechauns lived. Lucian somehow talked his way into having us work on it at his house.

I soon found myself spending many hours alone with him in the same room while Lucian carved the neck and body pieces out of the blood wood and I carved frets, bridge saddle, pegs, and tuning knobs out of the shells.

Some days we chatted about anything except for our previous unfinished discussion, and others we spent in a companionable silence.

I knew what Lucian was doing. When he wanted to make up after an argument, he’d let me take the lead on all matters and give me anything I wanted.

Having a gorgeous man with great power, unfair levels of charm, and incredible skill in lovemaking granting my every spoken and unspoken desire? It was an effective strategy.

So while I was telling him about how I’d managed to sow fear in Lord Aylmer’s heart to protect a probably-innocent young woman from harm, he paused in sanding a piece of wood and met my eyes.

“Was it painful, going back there?”

“A little,” I admitted. “But Wurrakia is a beautiful place and their healers are among the best. Going back made me remember that, which made things better.” I changed the subject. “Did you have any success in Luminista?”

He shook his head, looking so downcast that my heart gave a twinge of sympathy.

“Silvara asked about you and Gabe, but I refused to say anything unless she commits to an alliance. While I don’t think she intends to come down and arrest either of you, she still insists on keeping the Leonine family out of matters going on here and on Earth.

Same with the Jagwolfe clan. And I can’t approach any other clans if I can’t convince any of yours or my own to join us. ”

I nodded. It was what I’d expected. “I wish some of the Medicia luminites would have made it back to the home realm. They would have understood and fought with us.”

“I believe you’re right.” Lucian’s new humility still surprised me, and fates help me, I was starting to trust it. “I should have gotten to know your kingdom better. Learned to be a worthy Consort for you. Maybe we could have done something to prevent…what happened.”

“There’s nothing any of us could have done.” Quickly, I latched onto another aspect of what he’d said. “But I suppose now I can tell you about another thing I kept hidden from you.”

His cerulean eyes widened with enthusiastic curiosity that always warmed my heart. “Oh?”

“I’m pretty sure Mother intended on Nik being Queen of Medicia. Not me. That’s why she was so against her match with Delgarias. She didn’t want a faelin to be her King Consort. Much less a halfling in line to the throne.”

His brow furrowed in confusion. “But why would she change her mind about you being heir?”

“Who had the taste for combat strategy and high level magics? Who didn’t have a bond that was so vast that it was a constant distraction?” I held up a finger for each question. “And who had a high likelihood of having to move to Luminista if she married?”

“Oh.” Now he did that adorable head tilt that he only did when he was embarrassed at not catching something sooner. “But why wouldn’t she have told you?”

“I’ve been thinking about that. At first, I wondered if there was some hidden reason, but now I’m thinking she intended to rule for many more centuries and she would have told me when she was closer to stepping down.

Which is why they were fine with Nik and Del remaining lovers for the rest of his faelin lifespan.

They never expected him to have achieved immortality back then. ”

Lucian huffed with frustration. “They should have just let them get married. Del would have found immortality through the hydra that Zareth’s father found and Mephistopheles would have still created vampires.”

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “Likely. However, many important factors of the Prophecy may not have come to pass.” My voice cracked slightly as I thought of the pain and suffering I’d endured and had to believe it had a purpose.

“Anyway, when my parents figured out that Del wasn’t aging, they assumed he had taken a hydra like King Taranis, and therefore had fulfilled their challenge that would allow him to marry Nik.

You should have seen how unhappy and panicked they were for a few decades…

we were arguing again about something stupid at the time, so I didn’t have a chance to tell you about it.

Their fear then turned to puzzlement Nik failed to come home and Del asked them where she was when they saw him at a Conclave meeting.

They’d assumed she and Del had reconciled and were avoiding them for forbidding their marriage. ”

“Was that around the time Nik lost Tiana?”

I nodded.

“I was so angry with you for not trusting me enough to tell me why Nik had gone into hiding. She was like a sister to me too.”

“A sister you were willing marry?” I’d meant to tease him, but the words came out harsher than I intended.

Lucian’s shoulders sank and he let out a long sigh. “You’ll never let me live that down, will you?”

“Nope.”

He crossed his arms over his broad chest. “And I suppose you also didn’t trust me enough to tell me about your suspicions about the change in succession. Did you think I’d be disappointed at the prospect of not getting to rule a country at your side?”

“No, that wasn’t the issue. I hadn’t even figured it out until the time we went into our first hibernation together.

” At his confused frown, I explained. “Mother was a little over-vehement in her refusal when I asked if she and Father wanted to hibernate for a few decades and let me rule so they could rest. She changed the subject to asking if I’d met anyone in Luminista who would be a good match for Nik.

I didn’t have the heart to tell her that Nik was completely out of her mind with anger and grief and probably wouldn’t be sober for a few centuries. ”

“I see.” The accusation vanished from Lucian’s eyes and softly asked, “Are you hurt that Queen Natalya changed her mind about you being heir?”

“No. She was probably right about me not being the best choice of successor,” I finally admitted aloud.

“The only thing I didn’t like was the implication that they wanted me to stay in Luminista permanently.

I would have been happy with my sister ruling and being able to remain in Aisthanesthai and travel, and, of course, continue with my rescue missions on Earth.

But the reason I didn’t tell you about all this is because I thought you’d go back to insisting that I stay in Luminista after we married. ”

“That’s fair. I honestly may have. I’m sorry I pushed you so often to live in Luminista.” His eyes were large and pleading. “I didn’t understand. I honestly still don’t. But I am trying to learn.”

“I believe you.” I looked back down at the fret I was carving out of a piece of shell from Verdan. “I wonder if I should tell Nik about what Mother was thinking. No, probably not. She’s already hurt from losing our parents after she spent over a thousand years avoiding them.”

He nodded. “Besides, Queen Natalya never confirmed your theory about the succession, did she?”

“Nope.” I fell into a pensive silence. Thinking about my parents made my chest ache from missing them.

Large warm, callused hands took mine and gently removed the chisel and shell fragment from my blistered fingers. I looked up at Lucian.

“Kerainne?” He bent down until his face was level with mine. For a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me again. For a moment, I thought I’d let him. “Would you please allow me a chance at another act of atonement?”

“We’ll see.” My voice came out in a rasp.

His white teeth flashed in that charming smile. “I heard that ‘we’ll see’ from you usually means yes.”

“What do you want to do?”

His expression sobered, making me instantly miss the rakish one. “It’s more something you’ll have to do. That day I found you on Earth, I never gave you the opportunity to tell me your side of the story. I need to hear it. I also need to hear everything that happened after I left you.”

“I’m not sure I can. I already had nightmares after telling you about the miscarriage.

The day I lost my family and home was so much worse.

” And yet, part of me wanted to tell him.

Whether to punish him and make him feel even worse for what he did, or to draw pus from a wound, I wasn’t sure.

“Can it wait until after Christmas at least? This is usually a happy time of the year for me. And the Solstice is even happier in Aisthanesthai because now my daughter is celebrated for saving the world!”

“Then I will wait until you’re ready.” Lucian studied me with an odd smile. “You’re very proud of Xochitl.”

“Since the day she was born.” My eyes dared him to argue.

“You misunderstand me.” He put up his hands as if to ward off an attack. “You should be proud. She’s an incredible being who has done so much good for two entire worlds.”