Izzy smiled even wider. “I was wedding planner. I hope to be one again soon.”
Holly smiled. “Well, you can start with mine and Lothar’s if he ever asks me for that kind of commitment.”
“Oh, Holly, he’s wrapped around your finger. He loves you and if that is what you want, he will gladly give it to you because I guarantee it’s what he wants.”
“You know them that well?”
Izzy shrugged. “They accepted me into their home and hearts without question. I love each and every one of them, and I have come to know them each quite well. But honestly, it only took five minutes of watching the two of you to know that he is deeply and madly in love with you.”
“You should listen to her. She’s the smartest of all of us.” Lothar wrapped his arms around Holly’s waist and kissed her neck.
Izzy arched a brow and headed into the most recent conjured cottage to make up the beds.
Holly turned in Lothar’s arms. “Did Izzy and Bain have a big wedding or hand-fasting?”
Lothar shook his head. “No, they haven’t had either yet.”
Holly was taken aback. “Are you serious? He hasn’t tied her down yet?”
Lothar shook his head.
“He better get on it before she realizes what a pain in the ass he is.”
“Trust me, Hols, she already knows.” Lothar chuckled.
A small, little voice screaming Izzy’s name caught their attention.
“Kyra!” They heard Izzy coo the name, and Holly’s eyes widened.
“Did she just say Kyra?”
Lothar nodded and pulled her towards the door. They stopped as a small child with honey blonde hair leapt from Bain’s arms and then ran to throw herself into Izzy’s open embrace. Izzy’s arms closed around the child, lifting her up to swing her through the air before planting a kiss on the child’s rosy cheek.
“Did you get to fly with Daddy?” Izzy asked excitedly.
The child nodded emphatically. “Yes, I can’t wait for my wings so I can fly.”
Bain made his way over and lifted the little girl onto his shoulder. “All in good time. I don’t want to you grow up too fast. You’re still my baby.”
Kyra sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. “I am almost six now, Daddy.”
“That’s right, Bain. She’s turning into a lovely young lady.”
“See, Izzy knows,” Kyra said.
“Alright, you want to meet your Aunt Holly?”
“Very much. Do you know Aunt Holly?” Kyra asked Izzy.
“I do, I got to meet her last night.”
“You guys should have come and gotten me then. Daddy says I look a lot like Aunt Holly. We have the same color eyes and hair.”
Izzy tapped her chin and studied Kyra playfully. “You know what? Daddy’s right.”
Kyra leapt from Bain’s shoulder back into Izzy arms. “Can we go meet her now?”
“You bet,” Bain said
Izzy set her down and held her hand as Bain took the other. Together, they walked towards Lothar and Holly, who still stood in the entrance of the cottage.
“Wow,” Holly breathed, tears pushing up in her eyes. “They make a beautiful family.”
“Uncle Lothar!” Kyra screamed and pulled away from Izzy and Bain to run towards him. Lothar smiled and picked the child up, squeezing her gently before pulling back to see her staring at Holly.
“We do look alike,” she said before leaning towards Holly to wrap her arms around her neck. Holly wrapped her arms around Kyra and lifted her from Lothar’s arms to hug her tightly against her chest. “I’ve been waiting all your life to meet you.”
Kyra pulled back and nodded. “You are very pretty.”
Holly laughed and hugged Kyra again. “So are you,” she breathed against the wild mass of honey curls that hung from the little girl’s head.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Cree dropped to the plush covers of his and Rowan’s massive, silk-draped bed. He pulled off his boots before standing and stripping as he made his way to the bathroom. Turning the water to scalding, the bathroom quickly filled with steam. He was just thoroughly soaked when he heard the bathroom door open. Rowan made her way to the large square that was the shower and stepped in with him.
“Can you cool the water down a bit?”
Cree smiled and turned the knob. The water cooled slightly, and Rowan stepped into his arms and under the water.
“You okay?” he asked.
The past few hours had been rough. After Bain and Kale returned from gathering the Fae from the northern villages, they had all come together to stand at Rowan’s side as she addressed her people and soothed their concerns. By this time, they had a plan; one that was simple but gave them the best odds should this turn into an all-out battle.
Rowan lifted her beautiful lavender gaze to his and nodded. “We’ve had a semblance of peace for so long. I should have known this day would come. And to be honest, Darion does not deserve to lead after the way he has treated his people.”
Cree nodded. He agreed one-hundred percent and if he were being honest, he would have voiced that he didn’t believe Darion deserved to live. “Whatever tomorrow brings, you stay close to me. You got it?”
Rowan shook her head. “You forget, I trained as a warrior before I became a leader. I still know how to kick some ass.”
Cree sighed. “I know, Ro. Believe me, I know how strong you are, but I am still asking that you stay close to me.”
She nodded and turned off the water. “Fine.” She smiled. “Now let’s get some rest.”
Cree grabbed a towel and dried them both off before lifting her into his arms and carrying her off to bed. He lay on his back and kept her tight against him, finding comfort in her slight weight as it pressed against his chest. “I love you so much, Ro.”
She lifted her head from his chest and smiled. “I know, and I love you too.” She kissed him gently at first but, as his fingers dug into her hips to adjust her body so she straddled him, the kiss deepened and his body responded.
Rowan slid up his body slightly to rub his cock with her silk folds. Lifting slightly, she adjusted her position so when she came back down, she took him deep inside of her. His movements were slow as he rolled them over and hovered above her. With languid thrusts, he made love to her, his lips exploring a body he knew well but would never tire of. Their lips met once more as heat plumed deep inside of her and her walls began pulsating against him, pulling him over the edge with her. As their respective orgasms took them both on heated waves, Cree was slammed with visions of Rowan.
Her eyes closed and her body still in his arms.
Her fading from his arms as Acacia stood before him, tears streaking her ethereal face.
Rowan’s eyes looking upon him with confusion.
Her smile unsure as she looked at him, Bain, Izzy, and Jelena.
The final vision hit. This one more than just flashes, emotions flowing over him as the vision played out.
Her hair was darker, and he couldn’t see her eyes as she turned from him. She was not the same Rowan that he held now and made love to, but she was still his Rowan. His arms wrapped around her, keeping her from fleeing from him. With tear-filled eyes, his head fell to her shoulder and his wings wrapped them together in a cocoon of need and love. Her resistance to his embrace waned, but sadness engulfed him.
The vision faded, and Cree fought for breath as he rolled off her and pulled her as tight as he could to him. Rowan sighed with satisfaction as she burrowed deep into him and fell to the exhaustion the day wrought.
****
Izzy whimpered in her sleep, and Bain felt a tear when he cupped her cheek. He pulled her to him and whispered sweet nothings into her ear as he stroked her back. He felt her relax in his arms, and he kissed her forehead.
“Whatever it is, my sweet Izzy, it is just a dream. You’re safe.”
A sigh fell from her lips, and he felt them pucker and press to his bare chest. A sleepy kiss that
turned him on.
“That’s my girl, you’re safe, and you’ll always be safe with me.”
“Bain?” Izzy mumbled his name. He lifted her chin to look down at her.
“I am here, Iz.”
“I love you,” she murmured.
He smiled and kissed her lips. “I love you too, Izzy. I will forever.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Dawn was on the horizon as the group met in the back gardens away from the eyes of the refugees they had uprooted and moved inside the safety of the castle’s curtain walls. Evan’s vampires all looked to the blazing ball that was rising, their eyes squinting at the sharp pain the sun brought. Holly smiled as she moved to her coven and produced a box filled with sunglass. The vampires happily slid the shades on and all of them but Evan returned to gazing at the sun. It was sight many on them hadn’t seen in well over two centuries.
Izzy’s eyes were glued to the sky as well, only it wasn’t the sun that held her attention, it was the exaggerated and beautiful blue moon that waited in the sky for the sun to join it.
“Ready, sweetheart?” Bain asked. He hated that Izzy was part of this but knowing that she would remain at his side, with a plethora of powers, gave him a little sense of ease. Izzy pulled down the leather glove she wore and prepared herself for the onslaught of power. She sighed, but before she could move, Kale grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a hug.
“I am with Bain on this, Iz. I don’t like you being a part of this but you can control the flames, so anyone who gets close that isn’t a friendly, you burn them to ashes. You got me?”
Bain cleared his throat. “You can back off now, Kale.”
Kale and Izzy both laughed, but she nodded and replied, “I gotcha Kale.”
Kat smiled at them. “I’d hug you too, cause you know I love ya, but our powers don’t mix well.”
Izzy chuckled, a shy smile on her pretty face.
“We won’t be far from you either,” Kat said as Izzy walked past them to Uriah. His was the next best offensive power and it was one, like Kale’s pyrokinesis, that she had mastered.
Uriah smiled reassuringly as he took Izzy’s hand and gave it a good squeeze. “You can do this,” he whispered. “Any woman strong enough to put up with Bain is strong enough for any fight heaven or hell could bring down on her.”
Bain grunted, and Izzy hugged Uriah briefly. He had been distant and sad, but he seemed to be coming around, as a little of his humor was returning.
Izzy let Uriah go and looked to Cree. “Who else?” she asked.
“Lothar,” Bain offered. “You’ve mastered his power too, and it’s a powerful defensive power.”
Cree nodded in agreement. “He’s right, and that should do it. You don’t know how to use any of the other powers around you, and we all know you are pretty much a permanent healer now.”
Izzy blushed as Lothar stepped up to her with a smirk and an arched brow. “Why, Isabelle, I do believe you are blushing.”
Izzy shook her head and threw herself into his arms. She hadn’t really processed the fact that he was back or gotten the opportunity to enjoy the fact that he was safe, so she would use the need of his gift as a good excuse to hug the man she viewed as her older brother.
Stepping back and releasing him, Izzy smiled and Lothar winked. “You ready for this?”
She looked up at him. “You tell me. “
Lothar laughed. “You’re stubborn, feisty, and ready as ever.” Izzy moved back to Bain’s side as he wrapped his arms around her. His wings flapped to life and carried them off into the growing light of morning. Kale took Kat in his arms and followed. Rowan and Cree took off, and Lothar grabbed a hold of Holly. Before lifting into the air, he looked to Uriah.
There was a sadness coming from his brother as he watched the others disappear into the morning light. Something was very wrong, Lothar could feel it.
“Uriah?”
Uriah’s gaze drifted to him. He shook his head and started for the steel gate in the back wall. Holly pulled from Lothar’s arms to make her way to Evan.
“I don’t know what’s going on with him, but get him to the meadow and keep an eye on him.”
Evan watched Uriah walked away and nodded. Signaling for his vamps to go, he took Syna’s hand and they went after Uriah.
Holly stepped back into Lothar’s arms. “Whatever is going on with him, we will find a way to help, but for right now, I think we may make it worse. Let Evan and Syna help. They’re good at this kind of stuff.”
Lothar nodded. With one last, lingering look at his brother, he shot into the air with Holly wrapped around his body.
Uriah watched as the last of his brothers took off into the sky. He longed to feel the wind on his face. To be truly free and away from everything. He wanted to fly.
A petite hand fell to his shoulder, and he looked back to see Synawen.
She shook her head. “I will not ask. I have many painful secrets that I wish to remain mine and mine alone. So we will take you there, and we will ask nothing of what keeps you grounded.” Her smile was beautiful and understanding as she took his arm and led him back to Evan.
Evan held his hand out to Syna; she took it and kept her hold on Uriah’s arm. “Land a good distance away from the others. We walk the remainder.”
Evan dipped his chin and flashed them from the courtyard.
“Thanks,” Uriah whispered as they appeared a good two hundred feet from where the others had already taken their positions. The trio jogged to the group and took their places, to wait for Darion to make the first move.
Izzy caught Uriah’s eye and winked at him; he smiled and dipped his chin. A twig snapped, drawing everyone’s attention to the forest beyond. Darion stepped forward, appearing just as he had in Izzy’s vision. He wore dark leather pants and no shirt. She realized that while she assumed her vision was attempting to tell her something, that wasn’t the case. The vision had played out just as it was going to now. Darion was shirtless in an attempt to catch the warriors and Rowan off guard with the true-mate mark. Esperanza stepped up next to him and just as in Izzy’s vision, her icy eyes landed on her, chilling her to the bone. Malice was dripping from her. Esperanza’s eyes fell on Bain and for a brief moment, regret bled through her icy façade. She then looked upon Rowan, and finally her gaze landed on Holly.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Holly felt the chill of her mother’s gaze clear to her bones. Lothar squeezed her hand tightly. And Rowan shot her a reassuring smile before focusing on Darion.
“You march on my lands, and you bring an army with you. What are your intentions, Darion?”
Darion looked around and arched a brow. “I see no army.”
Rowan’s face remained stony as she spoke. “Just because they hide in the cover of the forest doesn’t mean they aren’t here. What is it you were hoping to accomplish?”
“You’re smarter then I give you credit for. If not for you pesky mate, you wouldn’t have known I was coming.”
“Don’t start a war. Turn around and go back to your lands.”
“Ah, but, Rowan, I didn’t start this.” His eyes landed on Synawen and drifted to Kat, who stood next to her. “They did, and you harbor them.”
Rowan stared at him but said nothing as he smirked at her.
“Hand them over and I will stop this.”
Kale’s hands burst into flames, and Darion snapped his fingers. His hidden army made themselves known. Vampires, ogres, castors, and many other flavors of Fae stepped up behind him.
Rowan raised a hand in a gesture that was supposed to tell Kale to calm the fuck down.
“While your words may upset my warrior, we both know I will fight to my death to keep those women from ever being under your thumb again. Make your choice, Darion. Is it really worth it?”
Darion chuckled. “You come at me with barely thirty-five soldiers at your side, and a few weak-willed women. You won’t win this one.”
“You have always been too arrogant
for your own good. Have you truly not learned that to underestimate me is to err?”
Darion’s eyes narrowed as Rowan smiled. The first blast of magic came from his side and was directed at Kale. Rowan barely spared a glance to see that Kale had dodged the ball of pure blue electricity that flew at him.
“Now!” she hollered.
The forest came to life around the cowardice of Darion’s army, those who still hid from the battle that would erupt in front of them. The Meliae spirits of the ancient ash trees that spotted the forest reached out their forms, calling upon the strength of the trees they called home. Their hands grasped at those close and began pulling the screaming Fae into the heart of their trees. The bark of the trees began to waver as members of Darion’s army disappeared. Their cries were lost as the trees solidified around them. The only sign they had once stood in the forest was where the bark on the trunks had morphed to create their screaming faces.
The Meliae sent those who hadn’t been captured by the tree’s fleeing from the depths of forest.
Darion growled as he locked his gaze on Rowan. The battle had started, and Darion’s men were racing towards them.
Evan’s vampires flashed out of sight before landing smack in the middle of the advancing horses. The flashing allowed them to escape most blows, but there was no way they would all survive if the rest of Rowan’s army did not get into the fight.
“Go,” she hollered. Uriah began throwing Darion’s men off the vampires, most of them landing back in the forest. Screams were heard briefly before the forest would fall silent, only to be taken by screams again as Uriah would throw more creatures to the trees.
Kale was lighting fires, trapping groups of Darion’s horde at a time. The earth was scorching before them. Fear struck Cree as he watched the battle play out and he fought his way to Rowan, who was descending on Darion.
“Rowan!” He bellowed her name as he swung an ancient sword, cutting down anyone who stepped in his way.
Cree’s voice caught Holly’s attention. Her eyes landing on her sister as Rowan took the first swing at the Dark Fae leader. She wielded their father’s sword as if it were merely an extension of her own body: fluid, graceful, and deadly. Holly was momentary sidetracked by the sight. She hadn’t even noticed that Esperanza was no longer at her mate’s side. The impact caught Holly off guard as she hit the ground hard. Looking up, she saw her mother flying back. With wide eyes, she looked for Uriah, assuming he had been the one to keep the blade from burring into her back. Instead, she found Izzy moving towards her, pulling her from the ground.
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