“Leaqua,” he said softly, bowing slightly.
When he stood, his eyes returned to hers and held for the longest time. Acadia didn’t look away. She couldn’t. There was something in his gaze that drew her in, as though he had something he needed to say to her.
Whatever it was, it seemed to pass as his attention shifted to Kaj. “Phaal.”
For the ancient vampire to acknowledge Kaj as his Alpha spoke volumes. And it seemed to settle the energy in the space. At least with the Zenith. They relaxed, though they maintained their positioning around her and Kaj, ready to protect them should it come to that.
Khari peered down at Bijou once more. “Asyra. Shall we?”
Bijou nodded, gripping his arm more firmly.
Next to him, Bijou looked so small, so delicate. Yet the way Khari was with her spoke to what was transpiring between the two. There was no denying the vampire recognized her as his mate. The way Khari looked at Bijou … it was the same way Kaj looked at her. As though he was ready to slay dragons for her, to eliminate kingdoms, annihilate anything and everything that threatened to harm her.
“Now what?” Blāz asked, his question directed at Kaj.
“We let him get settled. Give him a few days to acclimate.”
“I’d like to check on him,” Apollo noted.
“That’s up to him,” Kaj told the healer. “He’s not under my control.”
Acadia could only imagine how difficult it was for Kaj to accept that. Especially since the male was being protective of Kaj’s daughter.
But things were most definitely changing, which meant they would, too. They would adapt, as they always had. Those who’d been sent here to protect humans would work together, moving forward, shifting as the world did.
Acadia knew not what the future would bring, but she had to trust in those around her. They would do what was necessary. She had to believe that.
As she watched Khari and Bijou exit the infirmary, she had a feeling that male was going to play an integral part going forward. Sure, she knew what Michael had said, but it was more than that. She could feel it. As for what it was, she didn’t know, but her senses were finely tuned, the world around her clearer.
Yes, everything was changing.
And for once, she didn’t think it was a bad thing.
Epilogue
Two months later…
“It’s about damn time,” Kaj said as he and Acadia followed Blāz up the stairs to the second floor.
In the past couple of months, the Lair had undergone quite a bit of renovation. Now that Acadia and Leilana were in residence, the decor had not been up to par. But the good news was, they’d allowed the Zenith to keep their recreation areas, so there hadn’t been much grumbling going on. And truthfully, he didn’t think anyone would complain that they’d replaced some of the hideous furniture with pieces that inspired relaxation with a modern touch.
“We finished earlier in the night,” Blāz explained. “But Leilana insisted on waiting to show you.”
Kaj smiled to himself. Yes, he could see why she would’ve held off. From the moment he’d stepped foot in his office at the beginning of the evening, she had insisted they get through a couple dozen emails that required his personal response. Despite his efforts to push it off for another day, she had refused to let him leave until it was done.
Good thing he liked the female. In fact, he was quite fond of her. From the moment she’d moved into the Lair and stepped into the role, Leilana had made drastic changes. With help from Mirakel and Blāz, she had managed to hire ten vestrahn, and as of two weeks ago, the heurosp had all returned to Angel Central to handle what they’d been destined for. With the exception of Acadia, only vampires resided within the Lair, and Kaj was grateful. Not that he didn’t appreciate the angels. He most certainly did, but there was something to be said about being surrounded by your own.
“Are you ready?” Blāz asked, a huge grin on his face.
Kaj rolled his eyes. He’d been ready for months.
“Impatient, much?” the male teased, then choked on a laugh when Kaj lunged for him. “Go. What’re you waiting for? Go on in.”
Frowning, he turned toward the door. For whatever reason, he had expected Blāz to give him a personal tour. That did not seem to be the case as Blāz was backing down the hall, grinning like an idiot.
Kaj turned the knob, surprised there weren’t all sorts of locking mechanisms that would keep him out. When he stepped inside, he paused for a moment, confused. What had once been a bedroom was now a comfortable living space complete with sofas and chairs, a big-screen television. The entrance to the adjoining bath had been closed off, altering the space entirely.
“Welcome home.”
Turning, he saw Acadia smiling at him from the doorway. She looked resplendent as always.
“How’re you feeling?” he prompted as he moved toward her.
Her smile widened. “Perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
Placing his hand on her flat stomach, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. “I’m glad to hear it.”
Although Kaj had heard Michael’s revelation that Acadia was pregnant, he had kept that bit of information to himself. Mostly out of fear the archangel was wrong and the last thing he’d wanted was to get Acadia’s hopes up about a baby. Turned out, Michael hadn’t been blowing smoke up his ass. Acadia was in fact pregnant. Her symptoms had revealed themselves just a couple of weeks ago. Since then, Amethyst had taken a keen interest in what was going on. From what Kaj could tell, they were trying to determine how the pregnancy would go. Considering there was a drastic difference between vampire pregnancies and Fae pregnancies, they were learning as they went. However, it appeared the child was going to go the way of the Fae and stay in its own personal incubator for twelve months rather than the six required by vampires.
And though they had quite some time before their child would arrive, Kaj was excited by the prospect.
“So, what do you think?” Acadia asked, motioning toward the living space.
“It’s private,” he said. “Which is already a plus.”
He was surprised to see that the decor was more along the modern lines. The simplicity of it was rather nice.
“There are three bedrooms,” she continued, turning back the way she’d come. “Two of them are empty right now.”
Kaj chuckled. “No nursery yet?”
Acadia’s hand slid over her belly as she beamed up at him once more. “I figure we’ll do that together.”
He definitely liked the idea of that.
“And our bedroom?” he asked, looking forward to breaking in their new space.
“Right this way.” Acadia took his hand and led him farther down the narrow hallway to the door at the very end.
When she opened the door, he was not prepared for what he saw. More with the modern, simplistic decor, but the space was enormous, as was the bed.
“What do you think?” she whispered.
“It’s lovely,” he told her, turning toward her. “Almost as lovely as you are.”
Truth was, Kaj didn’t care where he laid his head at night as long as this female was beside him. When it came to home, his was not a place. It was her. Acadia was where he belonged.
“I was thinking we could have the morning meal up here,” she said with a seductive grin.
That was something new, he’d noticed. In the past couple of months, Acadia had come into her own. He wasn’t sure if something specific had prompted it—be it her freedom from servitude or her acceptance of her role amongst the Fae or maybe even their mating or the pregnancy—but she had awakened. He hadn’t thought it possible to love her more than he already had, but with every passing day, he found he did. She was his perfect complement, his very heartbeat, the love he’d never had the strength to hope for.
She was his everything.
Kaj knew that as long as she was by his side, he could survive everything. So much had changed in such a short period of time, but it
was looking up. Neither of them were tied to their pasts; instead, they were bound to one another and this new life they shared.
Together.
Everything was changing.
Or maybe it was simply falling into place, Michael wasn’t entirely certain. He’d put these dominos in motion long ago, so it made sense that they were beginning to fall now.
But somewhere along the way, the game had changed. Michael could no longer wait for one piece to tip the next and finally settle. No, he needed to treat them as chess pieces because the stakes were too high. He needed room to maneuver. Although he’d foreseen some of what was taking place, there were a few scenarios that he hadn’t anticipated. God’s plan, maybe.
As he stood, staring out over the kingdom in Heaven, Michael decided on which piece to move. While the amsouelots were important, they would have to wait. Uniting the vampires and the angels was crucial.
And he knew exactly how to do it.
Acknowledgments
As always, I have to thank my amazing husband. Not only does he put up with me every single day, he ensures I don’t go adrift. Steven, you are and always will be my anchor in the storm.
I also have to thank my street team – Naughty (and nice) Girls – Your unwavering support is something I will never take for granted.
I can’t forget my copyeditor, Amy at Blue Otter Editing. Thank goodness I’ve got you to catch all my punctuation, grammar, and tense errors.
Nicole Nation 2.0 for the constant support and love. You’ve been there for me from the beginning. This group of ladies has kept me going for so long, I’m not sure I’d know what to do without them.
And, of course, YOU, the reader. Your emails, messages, posts, comments, tweets… they mean more to me than you can imagine. I thrive on hearing from you, knowing that my characters and my stories have touched you in some way keeps me going. I’ve been known to shed a tear or two when reading an email because you simply bring so much joy to my life with your support. I thank you for that.
ABOUT NICOLE EDWARDS
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nicole Edwards lives in the suburbs of Austin, Texas with her husband and their youngest of three children. The two older ones have flown the coup, while the youngest is in high school. When Nicole is not writing about sexy alpha males and sassy, independent women, she can often be found with a book in hand or attempting to keep the dogs happy. You can find her hanging out on social media and interacting with her readers - even when she's supposed to be writing.
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BY NICOLE EDWARDS
ALLURING INDULGENCE
Kaleb
Zane
Travis
Holidays with the Walker Brothers
Ethan
Braydon
Sawyer
Brendon
THE WALKERS OF COYOTE RIDGE
Curtis
Jared
Hard to Hold
Hard to Handle
Beau
Rex
A Coyote Ridge Christmas
Mack
THE WALKERS: OFF THE BOOKS
Mission: All In
AUSTIN ARROWS
Rush
Kaufman
CLUB DESTINY
Conviction
Temptation
Addicted
Seduction
Infatuation
Captivated
Devotion
Perception
Entrusted
Adored
Distraction
DEAD HEAT RANCH
Boots Optional
Betting on Grace
Overnight Love
Jared
DEVIL’S BEND
Chasing Dreams
Vanishing Dreams
MISPLACED HALOS
Protected in Darkness
Salvation in Darkness
Bound in Darkness
OFFICE INTRIGUE
Office Intrigue
Intrigued Out of the Office
Their Rebellious Submissive
Their Famous Dominant
Their Ruthless Sadist
Their Naughty Student
Their Fairy Princess
PIER 70
Reckless
Fearless
Speechless
Harmless
Clueless
SNIPER 1 SECURITY
Wait for Morning
Never Say Never
Tomorrow’s Too Late
SOUTHERN BOY MAFIA/DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND
Beautifully Brutal
Without Regret
Beautifully Loyal
Without Restraint
STANDALONE NOVELS
Unhinged Trilogy
A Million Tiny Pieces
Inked on Paper
Bad Reputation
Bad Business
NAUGHTY HOLIDAY EDITIONS
2015
2016
Bound in Darkness Page 40
