Central - Daughters of Saraqael_Book 2 - Raine Thomas

CENTRAL Daughters of Saraqael Trilogy: Book Two

by Raine Thomas

Published by Iambe Books at Smashwords

Copyright 2011 Raine Thomas. eISBN: 978-0-9838318-1-5 This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical without the express written permission of the author. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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This book is dedicated with love to my brothers, my twin, my angel, my rock:

Michael Kevin Mark

All sisters should be so lucky.

Prologue Gabriel was frustrated. He and the other Estilorian elders had been steadily interviewing candidates for the better part of three days now, all with less than optimistic results. The truth of it was, he was abysmally disappointed in the class he governed. How was it possible to have met and questioned more than one hundred Gloresti without finding more than one suitable candidate for these very important roles they were trying to fill? Saraqael’s three daughters, the very first beings ever born on the Estilorian plane, had all been sent to the human plane over a week ago in an effort to keep them safe. Their Estilorian forms were even now under temporary guard, awaiting proper pairings with Gloresti until the girls returned to this plane. The three Gloresti now selected by the Estilorian elders would assume total responsibility for the safety and care of the girls’ Estilorian forms. Unlike a traditional GlorestiCorgloresti pairing, these pairings would extend beyond the time the girls resided on the human plane. Such a pairing was absolutely unheard of among their kind. Thus, it

was a position of incredible importance and, for most, prestige. Typically, Gloresti were not selected for pairing with a Corgloresti until they were a minimum of two centuries of age. This was done to ensure that the Gloresti had fully matured, establishing an appropriate amount of emotional control and the ability to focus as much attention as was needed to ensure the well-being of their paired Corgloresti’s form. However, the elders had unanimously agreed that the Gloresti paired with Saraqael’s daughters should not fall within this traditional criterion. After all, while Saraqael had been a Corgloresti, his daughters were half-human…and thus, emotional beings. As the elder of the Gloresti class and the one who best understood the pairing process, Gabriel had suggested that they instead consider selecting Gloresti with less than one century of existence for pairing with Saraqael’s daughters. The younger members of any class were more prone to emotions, which the majority of Estilorians no longer experienced. Surely it would benefit Saraqael’s daughters to have Gloresti awaiting them who could more closely relate to their human emotions when they transitioned back to the Estilorian plane, would it not? It had seemed so logical. They simply had to find three Gloresti with the best combination of human-like emotional

connection and the ability to defend. Surely not that difficult. Or so they thought. They found the first likely candidate rather quickly. Simon, a Gloresti who had only been on the Estilorian plane for seventy-nine years, had demonstrated more emotion in his interview than any of the elders had witnessed in a long time. His sincere smile was so unusual to them that he had immediately stood out from many of his peers. The fact that he was genuinely interested in serving as a paired Gloresti regardless of who he was paired with had also weighed heavily in his favor. And when the Gloresti commander, Hitoshi, revealed to the elders after the interview that Simon had also shown a distinct interest in and insight into transporting Corgloresti across the planes, something he hadn’t yet tried at his young age but seemed very capable of, they had made their decision. He would be paired with Saraqael’s first-born. Since Simon’s assignment had taken only a matter of twenty interviews, the elders hadn’t ever doubted that the other pairings would be equally simple. After all, Gabriel had rationalized, his class was charged with guarding Estilorians who transitioned to the human plane. How out of touch with human emotion could they be?

It was absolutely unbelievable. They quickly discovered that Simon was a rarity. While the human mother of Saraqael’s daughters had shown the elders how very removed from emotion they had all become, they hadn’t realized just how pervasive the problem was. “This is highly disconcerting,” the Elphresti elder, Jabari, intoned gravely after they dismissed yet another unsuitable candidate. With a sober nod, Knorbis said, “The only emotions we are encountering from even the youngest Gloresti are all negative.” The intuitive Wymzesti elder was putting it mildly, Gabriel thought. His young Gloresti were outrageously arrogant, aggressive and competitive. More than one had said critical and obviously false things about his fellow Gloresti in an attempt to make himself look more appealing. Some of them had even smiled as they did it, trying to mask their lies beneath the façade of emotion. It was both embarrassing and revolting. “We have obviously been quite blind,” the Orculesti elder, Malukali, added. She looked as disturbed as any of them could manage. “I suspect that we will find this exact problem among each of our classes. Our distance from humans and their emotions these many centuries has prevented us from identifying the issue until now.”

There were thoughts of agreement around the table. “Who is the next candidate?” Gabriel asked, running a hand over his face in a show of weariness. “James,” answered Hitoshi. He was the only non-elder at the table. Gabriel had wanted his commander to participate in the process of identifying the acceptable candidates for pairing with Saraqael’s daughters, however. After all, Hitoshi would be the acting leader over the Gloresti class in the very near future. He should most definitely be allowed to provide input toward these weighty choices. Gabriel had made the decision shortly before Saraqael’s daughters had been born that he would transition back to the human plane himself, something that only the most experienced Gloresti could do, and usually only under extreme circumstances and for very brief spans of time. The attempt he intended to make would send him across the planes in the form of an infant so he could grow like a human, something that would take unimaginable power to accomplish. The other elders had ultimately agreed that the plan was their only hope to possibly relearn the emotions they no longer understood…emotions that had led to the dramatic and shattering circumstances resulting in the girls’ births.

Before he made this unprecedented attempt, however, he wanted to be sure the girls’ Estilorian forms were properly paired. At the rate they were going, he would never transition. “Please tell us a bit about James before we bring him in,” Jabari requested. “Of course,” Hitoshi said in his calm voice, folding his hands in front of him on the table. “James is among the youngest candidates we are considering, just seventy-one years. He has demonstrated remarkable intellect throughout his studies, often requesting to spend extra time on subjects that interest him. His learning capacity is far greater than many of his peers, in point of fact. I have often found his observations quite insightful.” “That could be positive,” mused the Scultresti elder, Zayna. “If he is an eager and capable student for his Estilorian studies, perhaps he will more easily learn the things he will need to know to successfully interact with Saraqael’s daughters.” “Perhaps,” Jabari allowed. Several of the other elders nodded in agreement. “He is also quite patient,” Hitoshi added. “I have never observed him losing his temper or speaking disrespectfully to his peers.”

Gabriel had not had much direct contact with this particular Gloresti and thus had no further information to provide. “Very well. We can bring him in now.” The Lekwuesti elder, Sebastian, left the room briefly. When he returned, James trailed behind him. As Sebastian took his seat, James stood in front of the long table of elders and bowed deeply with his right arm crossed over his chest. When he rose, he stood with his legs braced slightly apart and his hands held behind his back. “Welcome, James,” Jabari greeted him. “Thank you, archigos Jabari,” he responded. The polite response had several of the elders exchanging glances. Such manners had also been notably lacking among most of the previous candidates. “Do you know why you are here, James?” “No, archigos Uriel,” he answered the Waresti elder matterof-factly. “I do not.” Hitoshi raised an eyebrow. “I explained to all of you that we are seeking three Gloresti to pair with Saraqael’s daughters,” he reminded him. “Yes, sir, you did. But that does not clarify for me why I am here.” His sharp, dark-blue eyes moved along the table,

catching the gaze of each elder in turn. He ultimately focused on Gabriel. “Surely you are looking to our most skilled and experienced Gloresti for these important pairings.” That was a highly unexpected response. “You believe the half-humans warrant such powerful protection?” Gabriel asked neutrally. “Of course,” James said, a puzzled expression flashing briefly across his features. “Why would they not?” Why not, indeed. Aside from Simon, James was the only candidate to issue such a genuine and unqualified response to the question. There were more looks exchanged around the table. “Tell me, James,” Knorbis said. “What is it you consider your greatest strength?” That seemed to throw the young Gloresti off-balance. Unlike his peers, who had often waxed lengthy on their many fine attributes, he remained silent, blinking as though trying to process the question. After a long moment, he finally admitted, “I find that very difficult to answer, archigos. I have never been asked to assess myself in such a manner.”

Seeing he meant every word, Gabriel tilted his head consideringly. Then he asked, “What do you consider the most important quality in a Gloresti?” “I believe dedication and vigilance are equally important qualities,” James immediately responded. “Do you feel you possess these qualities?” Hitoshi asked. “While I have not been tested in any real capacity,” he said humbly, “I believe I do.” Gabriel nodded. He kept his gaze focused on James when he prompted, “And if we asked you to pair with one of Saraqael’s daughters, you would feel…” James’ eyes widened. He finally seemed to realize that he was being seriously considered for the pairing. His gaze swept the table as if trying to gauge whether he was being deceived. After another long moment, he gave his answer to Gabriel. “I would feel…unworthy.” Those simple and sincere words sealed his fate. Gabriel knew then that he had found the Gloresti for Saraqael’s second-born daughter.

PART I: Bonding Excerpts from the Great Foretelling: “She will come to us ignorant of the ways of her father’s

kind, but with an unparalleled desire to learn all that she can of them.”

“He will have to overcome our many centuries of distorted

knowledge to understand human emotion, and he will find in her the best teacher to do so.”

Chapter One When she was only five years old, Olivia Murdoch understood what it meant to be seduced. In the Chicago city park down the road from the apartment where she lived with her adoptive mother, she stood in thrall. Her gaze could not tear away from the object that held such strong allure for her. And she was determined to climb that giant poplar tree if it was the last thing she did. The tree had a few low-hanging branches, but they were still too far up for her to reach. Undeterred, she found a boy in the park who was willing to lift her up high enough to reach one of the lowest branches. She didn’t tell the boy that she didn’t intend to stay on that low branch, but since he didn’t ask, she didn’t feel like it was a lie. Exactly. Her mother, Jean, was chatting with some of the other neighborhood mothers on a nearby bench, giving Olivia occasional glances. In between those glances, Olivia had the boy lift her up, and as soon as he turned away to get back to playing, she scrambled up the branches of that tree as quickly as she could. When she reached the top, she simply sat up among the

green leaves and basked. Nothing had ever felt more natural and embracing than the limbs of that tree. She gently touched the leaves she could reach and ran her fingers over the tree’s textured bark. She watched small insects crawl and birds build their nests. She listened to the different sounds the wind made when it streamed through the branches. For her, it was nirvana. So engrossed in her experience was she that she never heard her mother calling for her. The search party that congregated in the park and the flashing lights of the police cars never even registered. It was as if she was in her own little cocoon. Had the boy who had lifted her into the tree still been there, her experience might have ended differently. But he had gone home shortly after she climbed to the top. And so she rested among those limbs for hours. She barely blinked as she watched the changing colors of the leaves as the sun set. When it grew dark, her heavylidded eyes closed. They figured it was shortly after she fell asleep that she fell from the tree. Her next memory was of the hospital room when she woke with her left arm in a cast, Jean hovering over her. Even though she knew she had caused her mother immeasurable worry and the cast resulted in weeks of discomfort, it was among the best moments of her childhood.

Some things never change, Olivia mused now.

She was once again nestled among the branches of a much taller tree, essentially isolated from the rest of the world. The difference now was she was thirteen years older, she was living on an alternate plane of existence and she now understood she wasn’t fully human.

Okay, so maybe some things change quite dramatically, she corrected herself with a mental chuckle. “And what did Jean say to you when she got you home from the hospital with your broken arm?” James asked from his perch on a nearby branch, interrupting her thoughts. Her lips curved into a smile as she glanced at her paired Gloresti. Discovering after she transitioned to this plane six weeks ago that he was nearly as young as herself—in appearance, anyway—had come as a surprise to her. She only learned after her transition that nearly all Estilorians were youthful in appearance when they transitioned from being human and that they never aged. With his straight, dark-blond hair arranged in a rather choppy cut around his handsome face and the dark blue eyes marking him as a Gloresti, he could have walked onto any college campus in America and fit right in. Although, she reasoned, his rather pronounced Gloresti musculature might have singled him out a bit. “Jean is a very patient person,” she responded, brushing a

stray curl behind her ear. “She just told me to let her know the next time I wanted to climb a tree and she would climb it with me.” He nodded soberly. “Like I do.” She laughed. This was far from the first time he had sat up in a tree with her over the past couple of weeks. Like most Estilorians, he didn’t have much of a sense of humor and was largely in the dark when it came to human emotion. But she could see him really trying to understand her better. It was an effort she deeply appreciated. “Yes, like you do,” she agreed. “I suppose with Amber and Gabriel set to return from their honeymoon soon, we won’t get many more tree-climbing opportunities for a while, though.” “We can try to work some climbing in around your future training,” he said graciously, making her smile again. The training he referenced was intended to help prepare her and her sisters, Amber and Skye, for life on the Estilorian plane. After living as humans for the first eighteen years of their lives, the sisters had a lot of education to undertake. Olivia was actually very much looking forward to it. The elders of the Estilorian classes had given the sisters time to adjust to their new environment before launching

them on the rest of Estilorian society. At first, that had been an act of necessity. Amber had been struck by the cursed blade of the fearsome Mercesti commander, Angius, shortly after the Becoming ceremony where the sisters assumed their powers. A cut from his black blade was something no Estilorian had ever survived. Amber, however, ultimately had. It had taken over a month of terrible uncertainty for her recovery. And during that time, Olivia and Skye had stayed near Amber in the elder Iniherit’s home, where she had battled the effects of the deadly curse while under Gabriel’s care, and where they now awaited the newlyweds’ return. They had wanted to remain nearby in case their sister needed them. Right after Amber recovered, she and Gabriel had been married. Olivia had been more than a little surprised over it. But, well, Amber and Gabriel had been best friends on the human plane for more than six years, and they were already avowed, the Estilorian equivalent to “bound for life.” And there was no denying that the two of them were meant to be together. If they weren’t the epitome of love, Olivia didn’t know what was. So she had simply stood up at their wedding and wished them well. “Did Jean always know that you were not fully human?” James asked then. “Yes, though she didn’t tell me, just as she never mentioned

I had sisters. The Corgloresti who brought me to the human plane as a baby told her to do this. The elders knew that if Amber, Skye and I were ever brought together, our powers would surge. It could have endangered us and anyone near us.” James nodded as he considered this. His question brought her back to a few weeks before her eighteenth birthday, when she had experienced a surge of what she later learned was her innate power. The experience had caused her to black out. It had also resulted in her having a mental connection with her cat, Aurora. As soon as Jean had realized what had happened, she had made a call. The very next day, Olivia received a visit from the Corgloresti elder, Ini-herit, in human form. He had sat very calmly in the living room of their apartment and explained to Olivia that she wasn’t fully human, but was, in fact, half Estilorian. Estilorians, he had explained, had evolved alongside humans for centuries. However, because Estilorians differed from humans on a critical cellular level and could command great powers and abilities, humans had grown to resent them. Estilorians went from being heralded as heroes and gods to being a reason humans warred against each other. And because the Estilorians could not in good conscience stand by while their human friends were uselessly slaughtered, the elders had joined together in an unprecedented display of power to create an entire new plane of existence. In removing

themselves from humanity, they became the objects of human myths and legends. James asked, “Did you always know Jean was not your mother?” “She was my mother,” Olivia clarified, “just not my birth mother. In human terms, she was my adoptive parent. And yes, I always knew.” What she had not known was that she was one of three daughters born to an Estilorian father and a human mother. An occurrence that the world had never seen. It weighed on her, this abnormality of her very existence, though she would never say as much to James. She understood and could appreciate the fact that her father, Saraqael, had deeply loved her human mother, Kate. It was even tragically romantic that he had found a way to cure Kate of her human illness through powerful Estilorian means, only to kill himself in the process and leave Kate impregnated. But Olivia was an intelligent young woman. She reasoned that there would be Estilorians who thought she and her sisters should have never been born. There would be others who might disagree with that sentiment, but felt the girls should have remained on the human plane. No one had said as much. But there had been very few Estilorians

at the ceremony welcoming Olivia and her sisters to their plane. The fact that the coliseum where they had Become had been so lightly filled spoke volumes to her. Either the elders who had attended the ceremony hadn’t trusted the others enough to share the ceremony’s location—and wasn’t that an alarming thought?—or the others hadn’t wanted to come. Neither option prompted her to feel very welcome. “Jean sounds like a very good mother,” James said, once again interrupting her thoughts. “You were fortunate to have her care and guardianship.” “Yeah, she’s great,” Olivia agreed, refusing to speak of her adoptive mother in the past tense. Because thinking of Jean made her melancholy, she flashed a deliberately cheerful smile. “And now I have you as my guardian. So I’m lucky twice over.” He looked down, avoiding her gaze. “I will certainly endeavor to be a better guardian for you than I have proven thus far.” Her smile faded. Along with Amber, she and Skye had both been targets in the attack by the Mercesti after the Becoming ceremony. But while Skye had been able to fend the attacking Estilorians off with the holy light that she could command

and Amber had used her blessed sword with equally natural skill, Olivia had fallen easy prey to the Mercesti fighter known as Ryce. Only because Aurora had come to her aid had she been able to escape. And even then, her throat had been cut to a point where Amber had to use her healing power to save her life. She never wanted to feel so helpless and useless again. “You can’t blame yourself for that, James,” she said quietly, reaching out and touching his hand where it rested on his knee. “It was Kanika who led us to that tunnel. And with Layla using her abilities to keep you, Gabriel and Caleb from sensing anything was wrong, there was nothing you could do.” He tilted his head the slightest bit when he looked at her hand on his. Feeling herself blush, she pulled her hand back and folded it carefully in her lap. Rather than comment on her actions, he said, “I am hopeful you will learn more about your abilities in the coming weeks. You must learn to protect yourself.” She agreed, and had spent much of these past two weeks during her sister’s honeymoon gently probing her innate abilities. Her power, so she had been informed by the wise Elphresti elder, Jabari, drew on nature. That hadn’t surprised her. Her utter fascination with everything living

around her lent credence to it. Her mental connection to Aurora, for whom the Scultresti had provided the form of a beautiful white panther upon transitioning to the Estilorian plane, was another testament to her affinity with nature. She had realized that with a great deal of focus, she could enter the minds of the animals in the forest around her, much as she had once done to a pack of wolves on the human plane. She could sense what they sensed, giving her an unusual and quite stimulating education. Thus far, she hadn’t been able to influence the animals’ behavior as she had done on the human plane with those wolves, but she suspected with the right amount of time and focus, she could learn how. “I have a distinct feeling self-defense has a whole other meaning on this plane than on the human one,” she said at last, thinking of classes full of soccer moms held in community YMCAs. “What does it mean on the human plane?” he asked curiously. “I didn’t mean…” she shook her head, fighting a grin. Sarcasm was lost on him. “I was just pointing out that things on this plane aren’t like those on the human plane, as you know.” Tangible things couldn’t cross over to this plane from the

human plane. Well, there was the notable exception of the rings worn by Amber and Gabriel, but that was a total anomaly. In essence, everything on the Estilorian plane was much as it had been a couple of thousand years ago when the plane had been formed. There had been some innovations over time, of course. But while a few of those updates, such as indoor plumbing, were apparent on the Estilorian plane, most everything was more antiquated. “Ah, yes,” he said, nodding in understanding. “Well, you have managed to get along without your cell phones and internet and automobiles so far. I imagine you will do the same when you begin your lessons in defense.” She knew he enjoyed her stories about life on the human plane. Hearing him mention the things that had absorbed so much of her time in her human life made her want to sigh. There were many things she missed. But there were also many new experiences awaiting her. “I’m sure you’re right, and I’m quite enthusiastic about it. There’s so much I want to learn. Especially flying.” She hadn’t yet learned how to extend her wings, but she knew it was only a matter of time. Skye had been able to call forth her wings instinctively, something that completely awed Olivia. “Do you think we’ll be learning how to fly when Amber and

Gabriel return?” she asked. “Sure,” he replied without expression. “That is one of the first lessons you will need to learn.” For some reason, his unflappable nature constantly humored her. She found herself wanting to try and get a reaction out of him. So far, she hadn’t succeeded. Reaching over, she patted him on the knee. “Thanks for climbing up here with me. But I guess it’s getting to be time to head back down.” Then she gave him what she hoped was a winning smile. “Will you fly me down?” He lifted an eyebrow. “We almost crashed the last time.” “Because I let go of the branch at the wrong time and it hit your wing. I’ll know better now.” He continued to stare at her blandly, tilting his head as if to say, Seriously? “Please?” This time she added a completely ridiculous batting of her eyelashes. One corner of his mouth lifted. It was a rare reaction from the Gloresti, and it had Olivia clapping her hands together like she had seen Skye do a number of times. “Yay!” she exclaimed. She scooted forward on her branch and moved closer to him.

Bracing himself on two of the thicker branches, he stood with innate balance and assisted her to her feet. “I do not see how you made the climb in that gown, anyway.” Another laugh escaped her. She had become rather partial to the flowing, ankle-length sundresses gifted to her by some of the Estilorians’ hospitality class, the Lekwuesti. They were very comfortable. It hadn’t been that difficult to hike the skirt up enough to climb, but she could see how something like that would perplex him. Then he pulled her so that her back was pressed against his front. The top of her head rested against his chest, an inch or two under his chin. His arms encircled her waist. Together, they edged closer to the end of a long branch. When it started to bow toward the ground, he said, “Okay.” She moved perfectly in synch with him, her long legs helping to propel them forward even as her arms reached to spread the branches in front of them. His arms were occupied with holding her, so the pathway was entirely up to her. As they burst from the tree, he called forth his luminescent dark blue wings and they were soaring in the air. Her breath leaving her in an exhilarated rush, Olivia couldn’t help but think that this was such a better way to leave a tree than falling out of it.

Chapter Two Olivia enjoyed some time silently communing with the night creatures in Ini-herit’s backyard as the sun set later that day. Skye was engaged in a flying lesson with her Gloresti, Caleb, something that had proven quite necessary since she first learned to extend her wings. Although Olivia looked up into the darkening sky, she couldn’t see the glow of their wings. They must have moved beyond her line of sight. James stood on the back porch discussing something with the Corgloresti and Elphresti elders, Ini-herit and Jabari. He kept a watchful eye on her as she strolled quietly around the property. Although Ini-herit’s house was strongly enchanted and probably safer than Fort Knox, James was always diligent when it came to her protection. Knowing this, she was careful not to stray too close to the forest, not wanting to cause him any undue concern. The landscape around Ini-herit’s house reminded her of pictures she had seen of an English countryside. The large, stone manor home was situated on vast, sprawling lawns with magnificent landscaping. All around the house were thick green forests, making Skye say that it looked like an oversized version of the cottage belonging to the dwarfs in

Snow White. Olivia couldn’t really argue. And the forests made excellent hunting grounds for Aurora. Indeed, that was exactly where Olivia’s panther friend was at the moment. The woods were also excellent fodder for Olivia to test her abilities. She kept her mind open to the thoughts of the abundant wildlife thriving around them. It was actually quite challenging to filter the thoughts down to one single creature. For the most part, it felt like she was sitting in a crowded restaurant trying to hear someone talking to her from three tables away. Only Aurora’s thoughts were distinct to her, and Olivia could only hear those with the animal’s participation. So it was with quite a bit of surprise that she felt a very strong presence in her mind from an animal near the edge of the woods not even fifteen feet from her. She could tell it was a large animal even though she couldn’t see it. She could also sense that it was hungry. Pausing in her walk so she didn’t get unwisely close to the animal, she considered its thought pattern. She sensed that it was seeking to build a store of food so that it could hibernate, and it would then be dormant for a long while. Iniherit had told her that there weren’t many bears in these particular woods, but she wondered if one happened to find its way to them. Frowning thoughtfully, she barely resisted the urge to take another step closer to the forest as she

tried to get more from the animal’s thoughts. The strangeness of this presence concerned her. The last thing she wanted was for Aurora to get caught and injured or killed by a larger and more vicious predator. Come closer. She stiffened. Then curiosity overrode her instinctive fear as her gaze scoured the forest for some sign of what was communicating with her. This wasn’t a bear. It wasn’t any type of animal that she had read before, actually. The thoughts were much too clear and structured. Intelligent, even.

What are you? she instinctively thought toward the creature. Come here and find out. The thought was intensely compelling. Hypnotic. She was surprised to find her feet moving to obey. She had taken five full steps closer to the forest before she caught herself. Realizing she was now only about six feet from the tree-line, she shook her head as if to clear it and turned to slowly move away, hoping not to provoke whatever creature it was into charging after her. “James,” she said calmly, glancing carefully over her shoulder as she backed up a step, “There’s something—”

That was all she got out before she was violently yanked off her feet and the world flipped sideways. Her breath left her in a sharp and painful burst as she hit the ground and somehow shot like an arrow into the forest. She couldn’t even muster up enough breath to scream. She felt something heavy and thick and unexpectedly warm wrapped around her arms and waist like a vise. Her body skidded rapidly along the forest floor, her exposed face, arms and shoulders suffering innumerable gouges from stones and debris. Because she had unbound her hair earlier, it caught on anything handy and pulled, leaving her scalp stinging painfully. A couple of close brushes with thick tree trunks had her desperately trying to curl into a more protective position. Several leaps from the creature pulling her made her efforts in vain. As soon as her body left the ground and then hit it again, she went as limp as a rag doll. It was several minutes of stunned shock before her brain cleared enough to even let her absolute terror through. She could only draw rapid, shallow breaths because her diaphragm was compressed by the tail of the creature that had grabbed her. Although she feared for the safety of her eyes with so much debris flying up around her, she dared to look as far ahead of her as she could to try and see what was dragging her. It was fruitless. The darkness within the forest was even more pervasive than it had been in Ini-

herit’s backyard. All she saw was a large, solid mass moving impossibly fast. She considered calling for Aurora with her mind, but feared she would be putting the cat in danger by drawing her near. So instead, she prayed. Jean had raised her Catholic. They had attended Mass nearly every Sunday morning. Now, the Lord’s Prayer, a few Hail Marys—the entire rosary, for that matter—ran through her mind as rapidly as she was being dragged. Although she wouldn’t have considered herself a truly spiritual or religious person despite her hours logged in church, just reciting the lines in her mind served to help calm her.

Why are you doing this? she thought toward the creature when she was coherent enough. If it was intelligent, she thought, she could possibly reason with it. Please don’t do

this! I mean you no harm. I’m not food! The creature had closed its mind to her, however. She saw the large shadow of another tree coming up and her eyes widened. There was no way she was going to avoid hitting it. Still, she tried, twisting quickly in one direction only to find the tail around her waist flicking her back. It was as though the creature was aiming her for the tree. Bracing herself, she squeezed her eyes shut and

whimpered before she even made contact. When she did, she heard the snap of the bone in her right leg even before the nauseating pain blasted through her. And this time, she found the breath to scream.

James ran through the forest at a speed faster than any human could ever pace. He had considered and dismissed the idea of flying above the trees to try and track Olivia that way. He already knew the foliage would be too thick and the darkness too heavy for him to find her from the air. Her trail on the ground, however, couldn’t have been clearer, especially once he cast a ball of light to lead his way. She had been taken by a kragen. The creatures had been crafted by the Scultresti before the creation of the Estilorian plane. Because of this nature of their origins, all of them had transferred to this plane while none of them remained on the human one. After hearing some of Olivia’s tales from the human plane, he had come to believe that humans had crafted fables and stories about the kragens after the creatures’ removal from their existence, much as they had created human myths, legends and biblical stories about the Estilorians. They called the animals dragons.

He hadn’t thought to mention kragens to Olivia. There were so few of them remaining that they were rare to see. How one had gotten into the forests around Ini-herit’s home was puzzling, but James had to believe this one had lived here unnoticed for some time. Kragens only had to feed once per quarter-century, after all. But they usually ate large mammals like bear and elk. Never had he heard of a kragen attacking an Estilorian. Even as he ran, his eyes yards ahead on the path of displaced foliage marking where Olivia had been dragged, he thought, But Olivia isn’t full Estilorian. The fact that Olivia had been taken by the animal combined with the stories she shared with him from the human plane so often filled with dragon violence toward humans led him to conclude that kragens had a taste for human blood. Ini-herit and Jabari were right behind him. The only sounds were of their combined breathing and the thrashing noises they made as they ran. James occasionally spotted strands of hair or a patch of blood on the path they followed. He also saw remnants of pink fabric that had obviously shredded from Olivia’s gown. One of her sandals was still on the ground in Ini-herit’s backyard. She had been pulled so violently off her feet that she left the shoe behind. He hadn’t ever been so stunned in his entire being as when

he watched the kragen’s long tail whip from the trees and snatch her. Now, his heart pounded up into his throat due to a combination of fear and exertion. He knew the kragen would take her to its lair before it killed her. It would also… tenderize her first. She wouldn’t have an unbroken bone in her body by the time the creature was ready to devour her. As that thought entered his mind, he heard Olivia’s anguished scream. He didn’t know how, but he somehow found it in him to run even faster.

Olivia’s vision went from red to black and back to red as the agony from her broken leg pulsed through her. But she fought against the pain, no stranger to broken bones. The creature’s blazing trail through the forest continued unchecked. She began to actively fight against the cinching tail around her arms and waist, hoping to somehow generate enough room to wriggle free. The texture of the tail felt unusual against her skin. Smooth, but with some kind of residue clinging to it that kept it from being slippery. Unfortunately, the creature sensed her efforts to free herself and simply tightened its hold. She stopped squirming as she lost all feeling in her hands.

“James!” she cried after she gathered a breath, knowing he would be chasing after her. She imagined it could only help to have more clues to guide him in her rescue. “James! I’m over here!” She continued to shout for him as her breath permitted, not knowing what else to do. Their rapid trek through the forest probably only lasted about fifteen minutes, but it felt like hours. She knew she had never been this deep into the woods and had no idea where they were. They reached a tall, rocky outcropping and the creature began climbing at an astounding pace. Olivia choked back another scream as the jagged edges of the rock sliced the skin of her back and legs and what remained of her dress. Her broken leg flared in renewed agony with every bump. She couldn’t imagine how the creature wasn’t injuring itself on the sharp surface. Where was it taking her? “Olivia!” She heard James calling her name and it made her lightheaded with hope. “James—up here!” Her eyes moved down even as the creature crested a high crag and she felt herself lifted into the air several feet off the rock. She spotted the ball of light a second before James emerged from the forest with Ini-herit and Jabari right behind him. Because they had reached a clearing, they

extended their wings and headed toward her. She observed all of this even as she was once again slammed down. This time, the pain proved unbearable. Darkness overtook her.

James took flight the moment he could. He caught Olivia’s gaze an instant before the kragen used its vicious tail to slam her mercilessly to the ground. Her complete lifelessness after the brutal action had panic flaring. He drew his sword as he neared the kragen. It issued a chilling cry as it continued to climb toward its lair, intent on getting its meal safely home. Then it once again lifted Olivia with the intent to heave her against the rocks a second time. Although the behavior was instinctive for the creature, it drove James to violence that he would otherwise loathe to visit on an animal, especially one as rare as this. It took only one well-aimed strike of his sword to end the creature’s life. Although the dragons in Olivia’s stories were heavily scaled and armored, kragens actually had skin similar to that of snakes. It yielded easily to the sharp steel of his blade. Ini-herit swept over to Olivia and pulled her from the kragen’s tail even as it entered its death throes. He swiftly pulled her to safety and flew back down to the forest floor.

James followed him, his breathing harsh and his pulse thundering. He retracted his wings and knelt beside Olivia where Ini-herit laid her. She was a mess. Her right leg was obviously broken. She was covered in cuts and bruises from her head to her toes. There wasn’t very much left of her gown beneath the knees. Ini-herit’s silver healing light flared. His power as an elder was impressive, even if his healing ability wasn’t as potent as Amber’s. And Olivia was half-Corgloresti, making the elder’s efforts all the more successful. Within minutes, she was fully healed. Relief flooded James when she opened her eyes and looked at him, blinking in slightly muddled confusion. Then she managed to look down at herself and her memory swiftly returned. “Are you all right?” Ini-herit asked in his level voice. “Yes, thanks to you,” she said, moving into a sitting position. She looked up and shifted her gaze between Jabari and James. “Truly, thank you all.” “Do you feel well enough to go back to the house?” James asked, trying to get his ridiculous heart rate to calm down at least a little. She nodded. Although there was still a hint of fear in her

expression, she now seemed more curious than anything. “I feel fine, actually. But before we go anywhere, I want you to tell me one thing. “What in all of creation was that?”

Chapter Three The following evening, Olivia and Skye sat at the dining table with Ini-herit, Jabari, James and Caleb, just having finished their supper. It was a meal they only ate every other day, something else Olivia was getting used to. Their metabolisms were distinctly slower in their Estilorian forms, making eating and drinking less necessary. Skye was talking a mile a minute about Olivia’s experience with the kragen when she abruptly cut herself off. “They’re here!” she declared, jumping to her feet and running for the door, her filmy skirt billowing after her. She hadn’t gone three feet before Caleb was up and grabbing her around the waist. “Not so fast,” he declared, ignoring her outraged gasp. Olivia had risen at Skye’s outburst and winced as Skye elbowed Caleb in the ribs. Her gaze shifted to the very tall, muscular male still holding Skye even as she wrestled futilely for her release. His long, softly-curled brown hair was pulled back with two rings holding it in a thick ponytail. His caramel skin-tone and features gave him a decidedly exotic look. Like James, he was young in appearance, seemingly no older than twenty human years. And he

certainly had his work cut out for him. Fortunately, Olivia thought, he didn’t even seem to feel Skye’s jab, though he wore nothing thicker over his abdomen than a black tank top. He set Skye on her feet and gazed unblinkingly down at her as she flipped her long, unbound hair over her shoulder and glared up at him with her intense light blue eyes. “Amber and Gabriel are back,” she snapped, her hands on her hips. “I want to say hi.” “I will investigate before you go running off,” Caleb responded brusquely. “For all I know, you are heading right into a Mercesti trap. Stay here.” He turned and left the room. Skye was right behind him, completely ignoring his dictate. Olivia sighed. A moment later, as the elders along with James and Olivia made their way from the dining room to the front of the house, they could hear Skye’s voice chiming cheerfully. “I knew it was you guys! Welcome back!” Rounding a corner, Olivia watched Skye disentangle herself from a hug with Amber, who looked as uncomfortable as usual by the embrace, and then launched herself at Gabriel. Giving Skye her moment, Olivia glanced again at Amber, noting that her sister looked extremely happy. And tan. Her white tank top and khaki shorts

exposed a lot of sun-kissed skin. Her brown hair seemed to have more golden highlights in it now, too. Since she currently wore it pulled back into a braid that ended between her shoulder blades, it was a little hard to tell. The gold and blue-gray markings along the outer edges of her golden eyes gleamed in the light cast by the balls of energy bouncing along the ceiling. Gabriel accepted Skye’s enthusiastic hug with his usual friendliness warming his blue-gray eyes. It was still a marvel to Olivia that her new brother-in-law was, in fact, the Gloresti elder. She was practical to the bone, but even she recognized his and Amber’s story as a kind of fairy tale. Of the nine Estilorian elders, it had been Gabriel who had felt so responsible for the unpredictable behavior of the girls’ father nearly twenty years ago. It had been an emotional act that had blindsided the unemotional Estilorians. In an effort to develop an understanding of human emotions and hopefully avoid anything like this happening again at the cost of other lives, Gabriel had offered to have his Estilorian mind suppressed so that he could enter the human plane as a baby. As the boy who grew up in Newnan, Georgia with Amber as a foster sister for nearly six years, he hadn’t remembered a thing about his Estilorian self. And in the process, he had developed human emotions and fallen in love with Amber. Olivia figured that receiving the news that he was a several

thousand-year-old being from another plane had come as at least as much of a shock to the eighteen-year-old human Gabriel as the entire story had been to her. She watched him exchange an amused glance with Amber as Skye clung to him and babbled, and decided that he, at least, had certainly reconciled his Estilorian life with the one he left behind on the human plane. After another minute, she took pity on the newlyweds who hadn’t even made it a foot past the door. “Hi, guys,” she interjected as Skye paused for breath. “Welcome back!” “Thanks, Liv,” Amber said. “What’d we miss?” She thought of her harrowing experience the day before and smiled. “Oh, not much,” she said.

James stood in Ini-herit’s kitchen the following morning with a cup of steaming hot water. Olivia had an affinity for a blend of herbal tea that he had suggested she try when she complained they didn’t have something called “Diet Coke” on this plane. He had to admit that her description of the beverage was intriguing, though why one would willingly want to drink something that popped and bubbled in your mouth and caused gaseous emissions in your gut was lost to him. He had to admit that he had grown fascinated with her

descriptions of things from the human plane. She didn’t know it, but the Corgloresti who traveled to the human plane were only allowed to discuss the things they learned with the elders, who then decided as a group what was shared with everyone else. Thus, most Estilorians knew very little about modern humans. After hearing about things like guns and nuclear weapons, he had to admit that he could understand the need to keep some knowledge barriers in place. Something like that in the hands of the Mercesti would be disastrous. It was a deliberate choice on his part not to censor Olivia. His thirst for knowledge rivaled the one he sensed in her. They had spent hours over the past six weeks talking about the differences between humans and Estilorians, and he figured he was still decades away from knowing all there was to know. As the incident with the kragen had shown him, he also knew he still had a lot to teach her about this plane. When he had been chosen to serve as her Gloresti, he had considered it an extraordinary honor. He still did. He hadn’t expected to be considered for a pairing for at least another century, as was usual. He understood that this was for a number of important reasons, not the least of which was training to defend. The other primary reason for the delay was to ensure the Gloresti had shed himself of enough emotion that it didn’t impede his ability to fulfill his role. It was considered a maturing process.

After he had been selected for pairing with Olivia, he had learned from archigos Gabriel that the elders had hoped that younger Gloresti would better relate to the sisters. James supposed that was true enough with Simon, the Gloresti who had been assigned to watch over Amber’s Estilorian form. Simon was quite affable and rather young —perhaps human would be a better word—in his mannerisms. But because Gabriel was avowed to Amber, he was now her paired Gloresti. Simon had been promoted for his efforts to protect Amber while she was on the human plane and for bringing her safely across the planes, though James hadn’t yet learned into what role. As he set Olivia’s tea to steep, he walked to the window overlooking the backyard and watched the sun slowly breech the horizon. Much like he had for the past two decades, he wondered whether the elders had chosen correctly when they selected him. He knew he didn’t have the depth of feeling that he sensed in the sisters and Gabriel…in truth, even Simon. More than half the time, he didn’t understand Olivia’s expressions and gestures. Although he was skilled enough in the ways of defense, he couldn’t help but acknowledge that there were probably other Gloresti who might have been better emotionally suited to pair with her than he was. But as she shuffled into the kitchen at the exact same time as she did every morning and gifted him with her beautiful

smile because he had tea waiting for her, he knew he would never voice his doubts to anyone. She was, in human terms, stuck with him. “Good morning,” she said quietly, keeping her voice low to avoid disturbing anyone. “Thanks for the tea. That’s very sweet.” His brow wrinkled in confusion. “I did not put any sugar or honey in it. And you have not tasted it. How would you know whether or not it is sweet?” She didn’t respond, but merely lifted the cup so she could blow on its contents and gazed at him with her laughing eyes. “Ah.” Comprehension dawned. “A human colloquialism.” He moved over to the door leading out onto the back deck as he thought about this phrase. “It means…thoughtful?” he guessed from context as he opened the door and looked carefully in every direction. Sensing no danger, he stepped through it and held it open for her. He knew she loved to sit outside and watch the sun rise. “Correct,” she said, her soft voice filled with what he now knew was humor. She sat in one of the wooden Adirondack-style chairs situated on the porch, gathering her long, warm, white robe so she could sit comfortably while she drank her tea.

He enjoyed watching her just like this: her long, brown hair unbound and slightly tousled, the gathering sunrise pulling out the golden and reddish tints in its curling length to where it ended mid-waist. Her full, heart-shaped mouth curved into a soft smile, the dimple peeking at him from her left cheek. Her beautiful, long-lashed green eyes glowed the color of ripening limes as the sun hit them. The light green leaves entwined by a thin vine decorating the outer edges of each of her eyes were also a natural part of her and gave her an aura of mystery that he found oddly compelling. “Did you sleep well?” he asked as he took the seat beside her. “Oh, not too bad,” she said. There was a note in her voice that told him there was something more to the statement. He looked at her questioningly. “Are you finding it difficult to sleep after the kragen’s attack?” To his surprise, she blushed as she quickly shook her head. “Nope. How about you? Did you sleep well?” she asked, deliberately turning the focus from her. Deciding not to pursue it since it obviously caused her discomfort, he simply nodded. They sat a while longer in companionable silence. The surrounding forest slowly came to life as the sun rose and

warmed the slight chill in the air. Sounds emerged from the forest. Eventually, a familiar form trotted toward them from the edge of the trees. Glancing quickly at Olivia, he watched the pleasure spread over her face as she spotted Aurora. Her expression was the same every day, regardless of how many times she watched her feline companion wake and emerge from the woods. He found it fascinating. Because Olivia communicated with Aurora through her mind, it had been slightly unsettling the first time he had watched them interact. They frequently held each other’s gazes for long minutes, obviously holding conversations that only the two of them could hear. Now, though, it seemed quite natural. In fact, he acknowledged as Aurora finished whatever she had to say to Olivia and turned to him for a rub on the neck, he knew that he had some kind of connection to the animal himself. It wasn’t telepathic, like she was connected with Olivia. But since he had brought both Olivia and Aurora over from the human plane, he could sense certain things perceived by the animal. It had been James who had realized something was wrong when the Mercesti attacked the three sisters after the Becoming ceremony, even though the Mercesti female known as Layla had been blocking his Gloresti connection with Olivia. It was because he had somehow received Aurora’s angry panther cry in his mind when the animal had heard Olivia’s shout for help that he

had been alerted. This knowledge was something he hadn’t shared with anyone. It seemed more useful that way. After giving the awesome panther the attention she deserved, he said, “She seems to have fed well last night.” Olivia gifted him with one of her throaty laughs. When her humor had calmed, she finished her tea and set the cup to the side. “And what makes you say that?” “She seems very satisfied this morning,” he said. Although he didn’t understand her humor, he could appreciate the effect it had on him. For some reason he didn’t understand, the sight of her bright smile combined with her laugh all but cut him at the knees. “That’s because she mated last night,” she replied bluntly. He froze. “I beg your pardon?” He looked back at Aurora. The panther was staring right at him with green eyes very similar to Olivia’s. If he didn’t know any better, he would have sworn there was humor in the cat’s gaze. Sighing in resignation, he said, “Well, I certainly hope he treated you well.” Then he patted the side of her neck and let her lick his hand. The loud sound of her purring filled the morning quiet. When he glanced again at Olivia, he caught her watching him with an expression he didn’t recognize.

“What?” “Nothing,” she responded. She smiled, but he thought it looked a bit unnatural. Wondering what he had said to cause the look on her face, he started to push her for an explanation. Then the back door opened and he shifted his attention to Jabari. With his dark skin, black eyes and bright smile, the elder made an impression regardless of what he was wearing. Since he chose to adorn colorful robes and togas with equally colorful undershirts sporting rear cut-outs for his wings, he commanded even more attention. When you added the fact that he was the oldest of all the elders in both age and appearance, having gray streaks in his tightly-cropped cap of hair, there were very few Estilorians as remarkable as he was. “Good morning, Olivia and James.” They issued responsive greetings as the elder took a third one of the chairs on the large porch. When Aurora walked up to him and lowered her head, Jabari reached over companionably and rubbed her behind the ears. “Are you ready to begin your training, Olivia?” he asked. “Sure,” she answered.

James sensed her hesitation, but didn’t comment. “We will begin with flight training,” Jabari explained. “We thought about starting with defense, but in essence, flight is its own form of defense. Fight or flight, they say.” Now, her face lit up and she sat forward. “Really? Cool!” James had already learned that colloquialism. One corner of his mouth rose at her enthusiasm. Flying was something every Estilorian was innately able to do. He knew it had perplexed her to know she had the ability to fly, but not the instinct to know how to do it. “Indeed. Ini-herit will commence with your training shortly. We will need to rouse your sisters.” “Right,” she said, getting to her feet. She collected her cup and saucer. “Well, I’ll go get ready. If Skye isn’t awake by the time I’m dressed, I’ll get her up.” Then she turned and hurried back into the house. James figured she was eager to begin the lessons she had been awaiting for weeks. “I wonder why she did not mention Amber,” he said after a moment of thought. “Their rooms are right next to each other.” Jabari chuckled. The elder had recently reacquired his

sense of humor due to his mental connection with Gabriel, a fellow elder. “I imagine it is because Amber is a newlywed and is sharing a bed with her husband.” Finally, the puzzle pieces fell into place. James understood now why when Olivia had discussed her night’s sleep that she had sounded odd and then blushed when he asked for more details. She must have overheard something that disturbed her slumber. As realization hit him, he felt his cheeks heat with embarrassment for the first time in all of his existence. And for some reason he absolutely couldn’t explain, the sensation gave him hope.

Chapter Four Olivia stood between her sisters on an expanse of smooth, gray rock an hour later, thrilled and terrified at the prospect of learning to fly. She struggled not to wring her hands as she watched the muscular, tanned and intimidating instructor stride into view. Ini-herit’s glimmering silver eyes took their measure as the sound of waves crashed in the distance and the wind swirled around them. She had already gauged that the cliff about thirty feet from them was at least a three hundred-foot drop to the water below. What she didn’t know is why they needed to train in this area instead of near the house. She was so much more comfortable near the forest, kragens and all. Her attention remained riveted on the Corgloresti standing before them. Like the rest of them, Ini-herit was young in appearance, no more than early-twenties if she was gauging him as a human. He was wearing a gray tank top and matching gray pants. His laced black boots reached his knees and looked like they would aid him in kicking in a steel vault. Silver tattoos decorated the backs of each of his well-muscled arms and all along his shoulder blades. She imagined they covered the entire expanse of his back, as well. James had explained that they were markings from past pairings with Gloresti.

“Today, you will fly,” he finally said. She fought back a jump at the sudden words after the prolonged silence. She glanced to her right and saw that Amber was standing with her arms crossed over her chest and a nonchalant expression on her face. Today she was wearing a brown tank top and khaki-colored pants that seemed suited to a human military soldier. They had all discovered that tank tops—specially-cut tanks designed to allow for easy extension of their wings—were a commonly worn clothing item among Estilorians. Because the Estilorians didn’t have sneakers, Olivia’s older sister wore brown boots rather similar to Ini-herit’s, if a bit more feminine. Her hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail. In contrast, Skye was practically radiating enthusiasm and wore tight blue leggings that ended just below her knees. Over the leggings was an even lighter blue skirt comprised of many panels of sheer fabric. Her tank top was electric blue, matching the pretty but far-from-functional slippers on her feet. As was usual for her, she wore her hair down. It fell almost to her backside. Olivia had also opted for a tank top, hers in a sage green, with white linen capris and white leather moccasins. Her hair was pulled back in a practical bun. Behind each of the girls stood their Gloresti. She fought the urge to look over her shoulder, knowing that they were all there about ten feet back and watching.

“Flight is about faith,” Ini-herit continued in his usual unemotional monotone. “You must believe you can do it. Or else, you will not.” Olivia’s brows drew together at that announcement. Faith? That was rather vague, wasn’t it? As a human, she had been drawn to measureable and calculable problems that resulted in logical and methodical solutions. Telling her that this was all about faith was like saying a rainbow contained the color black if you just looked at the correct angle. “Skylar,” Ini-herit said, turning to the youngest sister. The Corgloresti elder occasionally forgot that they preferred to be addressed by their human names versus their Estilorian names. “Bring forth your wings.” Bouncing a few feet further away from Olivia, Skye smiled and did exactly that. From the light blue crescents etched around her shoulder blades in a similar way that the three light blue swirls decorated the edges of her eyes, her wings unfurled. Olivia couldn’t contain her smile. Skye’s wings were incredible. They looked like they were made of soft blue clouds, swirling in misty wisps so that the edges and tips looked blurred against the landscape behind them. Just as Olivia was about to ask if she could touch one of her wings, Skye issued a combination between a gasp and

a laugh and suddenly launched herself from the ground. Olivia’s eyes widened as her younger sister soared higher and higher, then suddenly lost altitude. Before she could plummet more than a few feet, however, Caleb was there, his midnight blue wings making a slow and calm contrast to Skye’s more rapid pace. Although the couple was too high to hear what was said, Skye seemed to slump slightly and retracted her wings. Caleb carried her back to the ground, his face impassive. Olivia imagined he had been doing quite a bit of rescuing just like this since Skye had discovered her wings. “As you can see,” Ini-herit said as though the disruption had been his plan all along, “there is a certain degree of control required for flight.” Olivia bit her bottom lip when she saw Skye’s defeated expression. Moving to her left, she rubbed a comforting hand over Skye’s shoulder. “Hey, at least you can bring your wings forth,” she said supportively. She knew the comment helped when Skye smiled. “Now you will try, Olaya,” Ini-herit instructed. Flinching, she glanced around and realized all eyes were on her. She fought the urge to wipe her damp palms on her capris and took the few steps sideways until she was again between her sisters. Clearing her throat, she admitted, “I’ve been trying for the past couple of weeks.”

Amber laughed and stepped closer so she could lightly smack Olivia on the arm. “Of course you have.” Finding herself smiling over her normally-reserved sister’s reaction, Olivia caught Ini-herit’s gaze and added, “Well, I haven’t been able to do it on my own. I need more instruction, I think.” “I see.” Ini-herit looked consideringly from one sister to the other, seeming to gauge each of them. He knew a lot about their individual personalities from their time on the human plane. In conjunction with the Orculesti class, who could connect mentally with Corgloresti on the human plane, he had been monitoring them throughout their lives. As he thought, he paced, his hands held behind his back and his head bent. The long tail of his black braid whipped through the air as he moved, drawing her nervous attention. Finally, he stopped. He nodded as if he had answered his own question. “Very well, Olivia. Come with me.” Curious more than nervous now, she stepped forward a few paces until she was right in front of him. She thought he might do something like a tandem flight with her to give her the sense of flying. It couldn’t be that different from having training wheels on a bicycle, right? But instead he lightly touched her shoulder and urged her to walk with him. They

moved away from the others and she figured he wanted to discuss something privately with her. Because her gaze was centered on him, she only belatedly realized they had walked nearly all the way to the edge of the cliff. “You were an exceptional student on the human plane,” he observed. “Um,” Olivia responded, her gaze moving warily to the cliff’s edge. She took a half-step back. “Okay...” “Why do you suppose that was?” He stood calmly a couple of feet from her, his hands still held behind his back. Switching her focus to his question rather than the cliff, she said, “Well…I studied.” “Why did you study?” “I wanted to learn.” “Humans have tests to determine the level of a student’s learning, correct?” Thoroughly distracted by the off-turn to the conversation, she merely nodded. His face expressionless, he pressed, “So, you were studying to pass these tests.”

“I suppose so.” “Did you ever fail a test?” “No,” she said, shocked at the very idea. “So it is safe to say that failure is not an option you are willing to accept,” he deduced. Now that she understood the point he was making, she relaxed a bit. “Okay, I’ll admit that’s true. I never—” And then he suddenly stepped up to her and lifted her from the ground. She couldn’t even manage a squeak because his hand was pressing so tightly against her abdomen. He took a few long strides forward until they stood at the edge of the cliff. “Very well, Olaya. Here is your flying test. You either pass or you fail.” And he threw her over the edge.

The air filled her lungs so quickly as she plummeted that she couldn’t even scream. Ini-herit’s words clashed through her brain, overriding her absolute terror. You either pass or you fail.

She would not fail. Even as the ground rushed toward her, she drew on the well of determination that had seen her through her entire human education. She knew now, as she had always known, that there was absolutely nothing she couldn’t learn, especially when challenged. And as that knowledge flooded her, she realized that she was no longer falling, but soaring. “Woohoo!” she shouted exultantly, bringing her arms up in triumph. Giddiness overtook her as she swooped down to the water and then used her intuition to climb higher. She had thought that flying would prove tiring, but it took surprisingly little physical effort at all. Laughter bubbled from her throat as she circled and veered to different sides, testing her abilities. When she again moved closer to the water and skimmed above it, she saw her wings reflected on the stiller parts of the surface. Unlike Skye’s wings, hers were segmented and rounded, like the wings of a dragonfly or one of the images of fairies she had seen many times on the human plane. They glowed a brilliant, iridescent green and had intricate detailing etched all through them, making them look a bit like stained glass. Most importantly, they obeyed

her every thought. After another minute, she sensed James. He hovered at her height near the cliffs, his dark blue wings barely moving as he watched her. She guessed he was making sure she didn’t need any assistance like Skye had. As elation coursed through her, she zipped over to him. “Look at me, James!” she exclaimed breathlessly. She slowed a bit as she got closer, but ultimately threw herself into his arms and gave him an enthusiastic hug around his waist. “Oh, my goodness—just look at me!” When she pulled back from the hug, she realized he was smiling. Not just a little half-smile, but a full, show-your-teeth smile. And the impact it had on his already handsome features was devastating to her senses. “You are magnificent,” he said with more feeling than she had ever heard from him. Her heart did a little trip and she thought, Uh-oh. Not dropping her smile because she didn’t want to concern him, she flew backwards a foot. “I can’t believe this!” she breathed, throwing her arms back and doing a little circle right where she floated. When she again caught his gaze, his smile was gone. Now he looked curious. “What?” “How did you do that?”

“Do what?” “Fly backwards,” he responded, moving closer to her. “Oh.” Blinking, she did it again. It hadn’t taken any real skill, so his reaction confused her. “I don’t know. I just did it.” Now he flew around her, giving her wings a closer examination. “I see,” he said, obviously impressed. “The different segments of your wings work independently. Like a damselfly. I have never seen anything like it among Estilorians. That will assist you in having exceptional flight control.” “Huh.” She wasn’t sure what to think about that. Being an oddity wasn’t something that she generally relished. But then, she and her sisters were already oddities. What was one more thing? She couldn’t contain another laugh as the euphoria of flying once again flowed through her. Turning, she said, “Come on!” They darted among the surf for a while longer as she explored every nuance of the new experience. He called out to her a few times with instructions, and she listened with rapt attention, absorbing it like a sponge. Eventually, though, he pointed up. They had to get back to the others. Trying not to feel disappointed, she flew with him back up to

the top of the cliff. With barely a thought, she landed lightly about three feet from Ini-herit. The Corgloresti stared at her expectantly. She grinned and gave him a light punch in the arm. “Thanks for throwing me off the cliff.” He nodded and waved her in the direction of her sisters, who had been sitting on the ground and now got to their feet. “That was awesome, Liv!” Skye declared, hurrying forward and giving her a hug. “I wish I had that much control.” Amber smiled at her. “Glad you’re not a big splat on the rocks.” That made Olivia snort with laughter. “Yeah, well, I think it’s your turn now, big sis.” That statement made Amber’s face fall into its usual serious lines. Her eyes moved to Ini-herit, who had cocked his head and was giving her a challenging look. “Don’t think throwing me off that cliff is going to work,” she said with a flippant wave in their instructor’s direction. “I already tried it with Gabriel.” Here, she exchanged a conspiratorial smile with Olivia, as they had both “cheated” and tried to figure it out on their own.

Ini-herit shook his head. “No, what you did was jump, knowing that Gabriel would catch you if you did not succeed. That is not a demonstration of faith in your own abilities.” Amber frowned. “I guess you’re right.” Then she shrugged. “Well, okay. I guess it worked for Olivia. I’m game.” She walked toward the cliff with Ini-herit. The others trailed behind, edging closer to watch. Rather than waiting for Iniherit to grab her and toss her bodily off the cliff, however, she broke into a run a few yards from the edge and then simply leaped off. Olivia joined the others at the cliff’s edge, watching Amber disappear along the cliff face. “Come on, Am,” Gabriel said under his breath. “You can do it.” When Olivia glanced at him, she saw his eyes had flashed to the Gloresti dark blue as his protective instincts kicked in. She imagined it had to be difficult for him to resist jumping after her, and wondered if James had reacted similarly when she was thrown the edge. After a long, tense moment, during which time Amber’s wings failed to appear, Ini-herit cursed loudly and cast his hands out toward the roiling water and jagged rocks below. Gabriel ran, his wings emerging as he reached the edge of the cliff. Then he dove. Olivia watched incredulously as

Amber came into contact with some kind of invisible trampoline only a few feet from the water. She was barely visible from the top of the cliff, but she bounced up quite a distance from the barrier. Gabriel caught her before she could fall again and carried her back to the top. “This sucks,” she said grumpily as Gabriel returned her to her feet. “I’m going to be the only Estilorian who can’t fly.” Ini-herit returned her glower. “For all holy sake, Ambryl! Have you no sense of self-preservation at all?” Olivia’s eyes widened in realization. “No, she doesn’t.” When everyone turned to look at her, she explained, “Amber’s protective instincts are engaged toward others, not herself.” There were a few nods, and Ini-herit raised an eyebrow as he stared consideringly at Olivia. Then without a word, he turned and flew away. Amber huffed. “Well, I was never a very good student. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that I ran the teacher off.” Gabriel swung an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. His dark, wavy hair blew in the strong wind as he turned and pointed. “See? He’s coming back.” This time, Ini-herit carried a couple of items in his hands. Olivia figured he must have gone back to the cloth sack he

had brought with them that morning. She had been dying of curiosity when she’d seen it, wondering what mysteries it contained. Now, all she saw was black fabric. “It would seem, Gabriel, that you will have to assist your avowed in this lesson, after all.” His eyebrows rising, Gabriel said, “Yeah?” Inclining his head to urge Amber and Gabriel to follow him, Ini-herit again stopped at the cliff’s edge. He handed Gabriel the black fabric he held. “Put this shirt on.” Giving Ini-herit a suspicious look, Gabriel did so. Amber reached out to finger it. “This is made of that special armor I wore to the Becoming ceremony,” she said. “A very similar material, though not it exactly,” Ini-herit replied, moving behind Gabriel. “It will prevent your avowed from extending his wings.” Then he pulled Gabriel’s hands behind his back and bound them faster than Olivia had ever seen such an action. “And this will prevent him from pulling the shirt off.” Before Amber could say another word, Ini-herit turned and shoved Gabriel off the cliff. He glanced at Amber as he did and said, “There is no safety net this time.” Olivia froze in shock. Thank goodness her sister did not. Amber followed Gabriel over the edge without a thought. In

the span of a minute, during which time Olivia’s heart throttled into her throat, Amber suddenly reappeared, holding Gabriel awkwardly under his arms with his legs wrapped around her waist. But all Olivia could focus on was the glorious expanse of Amber’s golden wings. As she studied the blue-gray flames flickering within the shimmering gold, she easily saw how humans had developed stories about avenging and guardian angels from their memories of Estilorians. “I should beat you senseless for that,” Gabriel snapped at Ini-herit when Amber set him down. Ini-herit looked unfazed by the threat. He glanced at Amber. “Congratulations, Ambryl. You passed.”

Chapter Five The sisters spent the next week learning everything they could about flying. James knew Olivia found it absolutely amazing. She told him if she had a choice, she would fly everywhere instead of walking. Ini-herit had quickly nipped that idea in the bud, explaining that she wouldn’t be exercising her body that way, and growing fat and weak wasn’t a good trade-off for being airborne. But James saw her seriously weighing the option. Over the course of their training, they all learned that each of the girls had something unique about their wings. Olivia’s exceptionality was, of course, the ability to fly backwards. This skill was quite marvelous. She could literally fly circles around the rest of them. Skye, on the other hand, had the ability to “fade” her wings. This discovery occurred during one of her many unexpected surges of flight. They were practicing in Iniherit’s backyard. At one point during their exercises, Skye suddenly veered toward a wooden arbor leading into the gardens. Rather than her wing crashing into the arbor, however, it had simply passed through it. The image of Skye sitting in the garden where she had landed with her hands over her head as if to protect herself had made her

sisters laugh for an hour. The appearance of Skye’s spirit guardian, who stood over her shaking his nearly-translucent head, merely added to their humor. But this was a tremendous ability, they learned. She could fade her wings at will and still maintain flight for short periods of time, almost like a large-winged bird coasts on currents. She could also get close to opponents without worrying that her wings would be injured, something all other Estilorians always had to think about. Whenever one of them tried to grasp her wings, the wings faded from their touch. Weapons passed right through them. Amber’s wings, on the other hand, turned into weapons. They also worked as shields. This, as with Skye’s ability, was discovered quite by accident. She had been taking a short test flight above the forest in front of Ini-herit’s house when a strong gust caught her unprepared. Before Gabriel could get to her, she was yanked violently toward a cluster of trees. As she realized her wings were about to hit the treetops, her eyes suddenly glowed gold. Rather than colliding with the trees, her wings sheared right through them. Gabriel commented after the fact that he was damn glad she had learned about that particular ability on the trees. It obviously took a lot more focus than the girls had thought to fly efficiently. Even Olivia admitted to James that it was

wearying to try and remember things like air currents and weather patterns and…birds. She had nearly killed herself trying to avoid a flock of birds that took flight right in front of her. As it was, James snatched her out of the air a foot before she hit the ground. He was certain she had taken a decade off his existence with that fall. And some of the birds had unfortunately not fared so well. There was much more to flying than simply calling one’s wings forth. The girls had to become familiar with the size and shape of their wings and how they related to the environment around them. They had to understand how the fluctuations of their wings affected their balance and movement. And they had to determine how much energy they expended in keeping their wings extended, for although James knew Olivia hadn’t initially thought flying was tiring, it most certainly was. Not physically, but spiritually. It was almost intangible, how the exhaustion struck, but it did. Amber invariably tired first with Olivia not faring much better. Skye, on the other hand, seemed capable of unceasing flight, something that Caleb found particularly challenging to monitor. By the end of the week, Jabari declared an end to their flying lessons. “You will continue to work on this skill as time permits,” he explained as they all sat in the living room that evening. “But it is time to move on to other studies. We will all meet

tomorrow morning to discuss what is to come.” “Awesome,” Amber said. “I could use the break.” James looked to his right where Amber sat on the other side of the sofa with Gabriel between them. She was resting her head against Gabriel’s shoulder and her eyes were already half-closed. As Gabriel ran his fingers through her now unbound hair, her eyes closed a bit more. Flying had clearly worn her out. When he heard Olivia fight a sympathetic yawn, he realized she was in much the same condition. He glanced at her across the coffee table, where she sat on the love seat with Jabari. He realized her gaze was transfixed on Gabriel’s hand where it touched Amber’s hair. “Aww,” Skye complained from a large, cushioned chair next to the fireplace. “But flying’s so much fun!” Jabari smiled at the youngest of the sisters. “You will have fun in your other lessons, too. It is your nature.” Skye thought about this for a moment and then beamed back at him in evident agreement. Across from her in the other seat by the fireplace sat Caleb, who merely raised an eyebrow. James watched their exchange and then gave Olivia a knowing look. They had discussed at some length the trials faced by Caleb in his role as Skye’s Gloresti. Since Olivia

had teased her youngest sister mercilessly about it, she said she didn’t feel disloyal discussing Skye’s behavior with James when they were alone. The look of camaraderie he gave her now brought a humored smile to her face. “We will be moving from this location,” Ini-herit announced from his position by one of the room’s many windows. “We have already remained here longer than is wise.” This made Olivia frown. James knew she truly loved Iniherit’s home and the surrounding environment. If anything, her brush with the kragen had only increased her avid curiosity and interest in the area. “That will also be discussed tomorrow,” Jabari agreed, and reached over to give Olivia an understanding pat on her shoulder. “You young ladies have faced enough adjustments over the past couple of months that we hoped to avoid frequent changes in your location. But Ini-herit is correct.” James watched the contemplative look flash over Olivia’s features and he knew she was trying to think of where they would go. He had grown fascinated with how her mind worked and wondered what thoughts were even now racing through it. Eventually, her gaze returned to Gabriel and Amber. James also looked back beside him to try and figure out what held

her so entranced. Gabriel was simply lifting strands of Amber’s hair and letting them fall again and again. Maybe it was rather rhythmic, but he couldn’t figure out why it would cause Olivia to stare. When Amber’s head fell forward and Gabriel had to shift suddenly to catch her from toppling into his lap, James realized the hair play had lulled her to sleep. Gabriel moved to collect his wife in his arms. “Guess that’s our cue,” he said quietly to the room when he rose with her, firelight glinting off the gold star and blue-gray flame mark on his right bicep that identified him as Amber’s avowed. “See y’all in the morning.” James was still getting used to his leader’s human southern accent. It had been a more startling change to him than the change in his eye and wing color from the Gloresti dark blue to his human form’s blue-gray. He issued a quiet farewell along with the rest of the room’s occupants and noted that Olivia’s eyes followed Gabriel as he left the room. That realization bothered him, though he couldn’t fathom why. “Would you like to go outside for a while before you retire for the night, Olivia?” he asked. She blinked to make herself a bit more alert and nodded. “Sure. It’s a nice night.”

He got to his feet and stepped around the coffee table to offer her a hand up. This was an action he had seen Gabriel perform for all of the sisters at one time or another. When James had asked Olivia about it, she had explained about human manners and that during his eighteen years on the human plane, Gabriel had been raised in a region of the United States that still practiced gentlemanly behavior. Not seeing any harm to it, James had started trying to model some of his behavior after his leader’s. When she gave him a surprised smile now as she took his hand, he decided Gabriel certainly had the right of it. They made their way through the kitchen to the back door. He opened it and conducted his usual search using all of his senses. After he concluded all was well, he waved her out first. She smiled again and walked past him, brushing against him as she stepped outside. She had changed into one of the sundresses she favored as soon as they were done with their lessons. The soft yellow dress reflected the moonlight. With her dark hair curling loosely down her back, she looked almost ethereal in this light. Since her back was to him, his gaze went to her right shoulder, where part of the symbol tattooed there peeked out from beneath her hair. He knew that symbol like his own face now. It was a curving green branch with thin leaves. An olive branch. He remembered very clearly pressing his lips to that shoulder to reveal the mark identifying her as a daughter of Saraqael at the Becoming

ceremony. Actually, he found himself remembering that moment a lot. “Are you going to be cold?” he asked when he felt the slight chill in the air. “Oh, no. I’ll be fine, thanks. I love this weather.” She glanced at him over her shoulder. “Would you mind walking with me in the woods? I’ve got my sandals on.” “Of course,” he agreed. He followed her off the porch and matched her pace, staying just a few inches from her. “Are you all right with having to move from this location?” She didn’t respond immediately. Her gaze roved over their surroundings as if memorizing them. “I understand it,” she said at last. “I do love it here, but for largely selfish reasons. The woods comfort me, as you know.” “Perhaps there will be woods wherever we move to.” Shifting her gaze to him, she smiled and replied, “Maybe.” They entered the woods and walked a while in silence. Due to her glowing eyes, he figured she was communing with the night creatures. As she did, he scanned their surroundings, alert for any danger. He was also looking for Aurora, though the cat had informed Olivia earlier that she would be off hunting. He had grown almost as attached to the animal as he had to Olivia.

And there was the crux of it, he thought to himself. He had grown quite attached to Olivia. Her brush with the kragen had really impressed this realization upon him, though the knowledge had been resting in the back of his mind for a couple of weeks now. His reaction to seeing her yanked so violently from his sight had been anything but typical for a Gloresti. He had frozen. Even though it had only been for a second, it had still happened. His reaction had been in direct opposition to a Gloresti’s natural instincts. He should have been in motion the moment she started speaking to him, but shock and— this was the big one—fear for her had kept him rooted to the spot rather than simply letting his instincts guide him. And he had understood in that single slice of time just why it was that only older Gloresti with stronger emotional control were typically chosen for pairings. No…he knew himself enough to understand that it wasn’t just the Gloresti protectiveness binding him to her now. There was definitely more to it than that. But he was so ignorant when it came to human emotions that he couldn’t figure out what it all meant. “It’s just beautiful out here,” she whispered finally as they entered a small clearing flooded with moonlight.

What was beautiful was her. And he had never, ever had thoughts like that before. What was wrong with him? “Why is it that you stare at archigos Gabriel when he isn’t looking?” He hadn’t meant to blurt the question like that, but there it was. She looked at him in bewilderment. “What?” She sounded utterly baffled. He relaxed at her evident confusion. He hadn’t even realized he had tensed. “I see you looking at him frequently. I was curious why.” “Like when?” she asked. She still sounded more puzzled than upset by the question. “Such as this evening. You watched him touching Amber.” “Oh.” It was a long, drawn out response, indicating realization. Now he saw her flush as she reached up to twist a lock of her hair around her finger. “I didn’t realize…” He felt himself tensing again. But he forced himself to remain quiet and listen. She caught his gaze and said, “I wasn’t staring at Gabriel, exactly. I was just watching him interact with Amber.”

“I see.” He didn’t. Not really. But he wanted to, and that had to count for something. In an effort to try and understand more clearly, he said, “He does touch her a lot.” She said softly, “Yes.” “She does not like to be touched by anyone else. I have wondered why it is he shows his feelings for her that way when she is generally opposed to it.” She sighed and moved over to sit down on a fallen log. He followed her and sat beside her. The skirt of her dress touched the side of his right leg. She gently folded her hands in her lap as she collected her thoughts. “Humans convey many things through touch,” she explained, looking into his eyes. “It is very often a sign of comfort, affection or love. But the ease of accepting these gestures is instilled in humans in our young and formative years. Amber’s childhood on the human plane was full of turmoil, leaving her leery of gestures of affection. Once she was placed in the same foster home as Gabriel, he taught her how to accept love.” “By touching her?” Now, she smiled. “No. In fact, I believe he initially showed his love by not touching her. Not until she was ready.”

He frowned. “I do not understand.” As usual, she didn’t grow impatient or irritated with him. She appeared to be trying to think of how to explain better. “Humans have what is called ‘personal space,’” she said after a moment. “Some people require more of it than others. The ability to interpret another person’s willingness to accept physical contact by another person is something we learn as we mature. Well, some of us do.” “Ah, yes. Archigos Gabriel explained this concept to us after the Becoming ceremony. Along with the information about the human need for privacy and human female menstrual cycles, something our females do not have.” Olivia blinked. She started to say something, then stopped. Her mouth opened a second time, then closed. He watched this with rapt fascination, wondering what he had said to cause the reaction. She ultimately cleared her throat and said, “I imagine that wasn’t one of Gabriel’s favorite conversations of all time.” She sounded distinctly humored. One corner of his mouth rose. “Now that you mention it, he did seem rather uncomfortable.” She nodded. “Yet he discussed it with you, anyway. Because he knew it would make the three of us uncomfortable when it came up and he wanted to help ease our discomfort. Thoughtfulness such as that sets him apart

from many others.” She looked back into the center of the clearing and then got to her feet and moved again into the moonlight. He stood and followed her. When she spoke, he had to stand close to her to hear her. “In answer to your initial question, I watch Gabriel interact with Amber because it represents to me the best things about humanity. He touches her to offer her comfort and to show affection and love. He has taught her to do the same with him. They share a very special connection. It makes me unbelievably happy for them both, and a little wistful. Their relationship is something most people on the human plane seek and hope to have.” James considered all of this in silence. She had just put into words some of the very things that he hadn’t even realized rested in the back of his own mind. This was why he so enjoyed conversing with her. She opened doors for him. “Estilorians do not put so much meaning into touch,” he admitted. “Physical interaction for us is done really out of necessity. We cannot conceive children with each other like humans do, as you know. Centuries of this knowledge has evolved into males and females seeing each other as, at best, friends. We appreciate each other’s forms, but do not generally attach emotion to those observations.” And here, he turned to face her. “But you touch me, and I find emotion attached to it. You reach out and touch me when you are

happy or nervous or humored.” When he paused and just looked at her, she lowered her gaze to the ground. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even think—” “Do not apologize. I am not censuring you. I am thanking you.” Surprise flashed over her features as she again looked up. “You are teaching me, and very patiently so. I would like to touch you.” Her breath caught in her throat. “James…I think you should understand that humans don’t touch each other just to touch. We touch each other to express ourselves.” “I realize that.” “Oh.” She blinked, appearing flustered. “Well…okay.” As soon as she gave her permission, he lifted his right hand and placed it on top of her head, the pad of his thumb touching the middle of her forehead, then the side of her face as he stroked his hand downwards. Her skin was remarkably soft. She tilted her head into his touch when he rubbed the backs of his fingers along her cheek. Then he moved closer and lifted his other hand, allowing all of his fingers to weave into her hair. The silky strands felt incredible against his calloused palms. The moonlight

seemed to sparkle on every curl. She shivered. He sensed that it wasn’t from the cool evening air. Moving his hands from her hair along her shoulders and then around to her back, he gently pulled her up against him. He had wanted to do this for a week, ever since she had hugged him so fiercely the day she learned to fly. When she seemed to melt against him and pressed her right cheek to his chest as her arms went around his waist, he leaned down and inhaled deeply. She smelled vibrant and ridiculously alluring to him. Her scent seemed to pervade him. He suddenly thought he would be content to stand there with her for the rest of his days. Closing his eyes, he rested his chin on the top of her head. “Thank you, Olivia.” he said. “I truly understand now.”

Chapter Six “That makes two new additions this month, my lord. One Scultresti and one Waresti.” Grolkinei, eldest of the Mercesti class, looked at his head of intelligence and nodded. “That is acceptable, Cesaro. You know adding too many to our numbers at once would draw too much attention. We have had patience for more than eighteen years now. We can wait a bit longer.” They sat together on the porch of Grolkinei’s gorgeous lakeside home. Glasses of amber-colored liquid sat on the table between their two chairs. The remainder of Grolkinei’s commanders was in the process of training their newest recruits. Their numbers were beginning to swell, something that made his dark heart swell right along with it. Soon—very soon—they would have the army necessary to take control of the Estilorian plane. The Mercesti had not always been at odds with the other classes. Before the creation of the Estilorian plane when Estilorians and humans lived in supposed accord, the Mercesti had been relied upon by all Estilorians for their skills in strategy and innovation. It was only after the creation of the new plane, when Grolkinei and like-minded

Mercesti realized that their elder and class leader, Volarius, had permanently removed them from the human realm, that their class morphed into something much darker and incongruous with the rest of Estilorian society. Killing Volarius had been Grolkinei’s greatest triumph. The weak old fool. Grolkinei believed Estilorians belonged on the human plane. Humans should have been made subservient to the Estilorians millennia ago. The weak, whining, short-lived creatures whose wars between each other had prompted the nine Estilorian elders to create the new plane didn’t deserve the display of power it had taken to do it. Had he had any inkling of what was going to happen, he would have killed Volarius before the event. But that was then. Nothing to do now but find a way to reenter the human plane. When news of the Corgloresti Saraqael’s pregnant human lover had reached the Mercesti, Grolkinei could simply not believe it. Never in all of history had an Estilorian ever successfully impregnated a human, though attempts had been made over the centuries. Then he found out there had been a scroll used by Saraqael, one involving incredibly powerful energy. It had been so powerful that Saraqael, a relatively young Estilorian, hadn’t been able to control it, killing himself in the process. Ironically, the scroll had not

been intended to result in pregnancy. It had been meant to save the life of the human, who had been dying of a rare disease, and who died anyway following giving birth. As soon as he heard about it, Grolkinei had determined that he would take Saraqael’s child after it was born. He knew that, given enough time, he would be able to work with the child and figure out how, at long last, he could transfer to the human plane. Once he transferred, he could figure out how to bring over the rest of his army. Surely a child of half-human and half-Estilorian blood—Corgloresti blood, at that—would be able to transition between the planes. And when the news came that it would be three children rather than just one, he figured that simply increased his chances of success. He used subterfuge to disguise his true plans, generating rumors and discord that led the others to believe he wanted the children dead. He figured once he took them, the Estilorians would believe he had killed them, when in truth he would be using them for his own purposes. The elders had managed to keep the location of the births a secret until just before it took place. Then Grolkinei’s commander, Layla, intercepted the single thought that he needed to hunt them down. He set up a trap, leading everyone from the birth site except for a small contingent of Waresti fighters. They were no match for his best fighters, led by the fearsome Angius.

Unfortunately, the elders were not so foolish as he had believed. The mother of the children was transitioned almost immediately back to the human plane after the children were born. Then three Corgloresti, one per child, had escaped before Angius and his team arrived at the birth site. Still, Grolkinei had been so certain he could catch them when Layla intercepted another thought leading him to the site where one of the Corgloresti would transition to the human plane. He couldn’t stop the first two Corgloresti from transitioning. But he saw the last of them and simply knew he would defeat him. The child would be his. And then suddenly, the child was gone. He had realized the Corgloresti had somehow managed to transition it to the human plane. It was certainly dangerous. That meant the child was somewhere on the human plane as a newborn baby without a Corgloresti guardian to attend it. But the Corgloresti obviously knew the alternative was even more unacceptable. Killing that Corgloresti had been hideously easy for Grolkinei, and sadly unsatisfying. Learning that Saraqael’s progeny were returning to the Estilorian plane after eighteen years had once again ignited a spark of excitement among the Mercesti. The plan to overtake the other elders, and thus, control of the Estilorian plane, had continued even with the children having been sent to the human plane. Grolkinei and his

followers had been slowly and steadily adding to their ranks, fueling the blind rage, jealousy and hatred needed to encourage other Estilorians to cross the line that would convert them to Mercesti: kill or intend to kill a fellow Estilorian for a reason other than defense. Ever since Volarius’ death, this was the only way the Mercesti could increase their numbers. So be it. “Still no news on the daughters of Saraqael?” he asked at last. Cesaro frowned. “Nothing. We have not learned where the daughter we know is alive—the one who commands holy light—is being kept. There has been no news of any kind about the daughter Ryce believes he killed by slicing an artery in her neck. And the only news we have heard regarding the warrior daughter who fought Angius is that she was stabbed by the cursed blade. The other Estilorians mourned the loss, knowing none can survive such an injury.” Grolkinei sipped his drink and then said, “I mourn the loss, too. I still believe it would have been a pleasure to convert her. I would have given her a position of command in my army. She fought well enough with her sword after only days on this plane to give Angius several wounds that will never heal. And she would surely have been the key to get me onto the human plane.” He paused. “Still, it does my heart

good to know she was bound to Gabriel. He is certainly mourning far more than the rest of us.” “Indeed. So we will do this the way we planned before the half-humans crossed planes,” Cesaro said, lifting his own glass. “We will finish amassing and training our army, convert a class commander or two who are ready to see a new regime, and we will take out the old one.” Grolkinei toasted that. “And the elders will either join with me to reunite the planes or we will kill them and rule this one instead.”

A terrible thunderstorm the following day kept the other elders from making the trip to Ini-herit’s house as initially planned. It also kept everyone homebound. Olivia hadn’t slept well. Not only had the monstrous thunder and lightning rattling the windows made her jolt awake every few minutes, but she hadn’t been able to get the memory of James touching her out of her mind. He claimed that he understood what touching her meant. But how could he, really? Yes, he had paid rapt attention to everything she had shared with him about humans and their emotions over the past couple of months. But he had nearly a century of being an Estilorian making up the bulk of his awareness. Modeling behavior after something you were

told or off of someone else’s actions didn’t make it genuine. She knew that. She also knew that he was an avid and eager learner, at least as much as she was herself. His learning curve simply staggered her. He could already read most of her expressions and gestures when she knew he’d had absolutely no understanding of any of them two months before. It was spectacularly impressive considering he didn’t have a mental connection to any of them like the elders did. So, could he genuinely be interested in her as more than just her guardian? She considered the fact that yes, he was modeling his behavior after Gabriel’s, which might make it seem less sincere, but then, Gabriel was the only male, non-Estilorian-like model he had, and James didn’t have to try and change his behavior at all. Didn’t the fact that he was trying to change so that he could please her mean he was interested in her a significant way? She was what she could only term as befuddled. Even before his “touching lesson,” she had been obsessing about the adorable cleft in his chin and the way that his hair sometimes fell into his eyes, giving him a devilish appearance. His slightly-more-frequent smile made her heart stutter every time she saw it. She believed that it was even more powerful because it appeared so infrequently, not to mention the fact that he only smiled for her. He was

the first thing she thought of when she woke, and now thoughts of him were keeping her up at night. Yep, she was ridiculously hooked. So it was with grainy eyes and the start of a headache that she dragged herself out of bed before dawn and made her way to the kitchen. She pulled her robe on over her pajamas and shuffled through the quiet darkness as the rain lashed at them outside. When she entered the kitchen, she was rather unsurprised to find James there in his navy blue pajama pants and a matching sleep tank, putting some tea in a cup to steep. It didn’t seem to matter when she woke up, he was nearly always there before her. And he always prepared tea for her. No one had modeled that for him, she suddenly realized. He had started doing that all on his own, as soon as he realized she liked the brewed beverage. “Good morning,” he said, glancing up and spotting her. “Good morning,” she responded. “Or wet, stormy morning, however you choose to look at it.” He turned and glanced out the window. “I know. This storm is one of the worst we have seen in a while.” Then he looked back at her. “I have been worried about Aurora. Did she find shelter?”

And just how was she supposed to protect her heart from a question like that? She just gave up. She simply couldn’t hold out against such obvious affection and concern for her dearest friend. Smiling, she responded, “She’s fine. She found a nice, dry cave before the storm hit.” “Good,” he said simply. Stepping closer to him, she reached out and rubbed his arm. The hard, corded muscle there never ceased to surprise her in light of his overall gentle demeanor. “Thank you for my tea,” she said softly when he caught her gaze. There was a humming pause when she thought he might lean down or reach out to her, but a noise from the hallway drew both their attention. Skye walked into the room wearing a gossamer blue, spaghetti-strap nightgown. She was rubbing her eyes and yawning as she walked. When she uncovered her eyes and spotted them, she let out a small shriek. Even as Caleb appeared silently in the room wearing a pair of pajama pants and no shirt, his dark hair unbound and wild around his head, Skye declared, “Why didn’t either of you generate some light? Good gracious, I think half my hair turned gray!” She whirled with her usual energy to step away from them

so she could have a hand at creating one of the balls of light that usually floated around the house, and crashed right into Caleb. If he hadn’t reached out to grab her, she would have hit the floor. “Jiminy Cricket—it’s like hitting a brick wall,” she complained, bringing a hand to her nose. “Ow, that hurt!” Caleb looked down at her and frowned. “Your nose is bleeding.” “It is?” she asked, her voice much higher than usual. When she brought her hand away from her face and saw the blood, she swayed. Caleb eased her into a chair as James grabbed a towel. “Skye, it’s okay,” Olivia said, sitting in the chair beside her sister’s. “It’s just a little nosebleed.” “Just?” she retorted. “Just?” “Come on, we’ll mop it up. You’re made of tougher stuff than this.” “I think he broke it,” Skye said miserably. “I did no such thing,” Caleb responded in a deeply affronted tone. “I came in here to protect you because you cried out.” “I was startled, for all holy sake.”

“What’s all the ruckus about?” Gabriel asked from the kitchen doorway. They all turned to look at him. “Skye thinks Caleb broke her nose,” James summed up. Everyone started talking at once. Skye was trying to support James’ version of events while Caleb defended himself and Olivia made an effort to explain what had actually happened. Gabriel waved his hands at all of them as though fending them off. “Guys, it is way too early for this,” he interrupted wearily, shaking his head. “I’ll go and get Amber up so she can heal you, Skye. But I’m telling y’all now that you’d better connect with a Lekwuesti so she can have her orange juice, or there’ll be the wrath of Amber to pay.” So when Amber was led into the kitchen by Gabriel with bleary eyes and out-of-control bed-head, James had already connected with his paired Lekwuesti and conjured a glass of juice. Olivia handed the glass to Gabriel when he turned to them. He pushed the glass into Amber’s hand and she automatically brought it to her lips and drank most of it before she did anything else. It probably saved a lot of time and additional drama, Olivia thought. Without a word, Amber set her glass down and reached out to touch Skye’s nose. Even as her gold healing light faded,

Ini-herit filled the doorway and looked around the room. “Why is it you did not set up a light?” he asked.

Since Jabari was right behind Ini-herit and they were all awake, they all sat at the kitchen table and ate a breakfast of fresh sliced fruit, wedges of cheese and crusty biscuits with honey. One of the most fascinating things Olivia had encountered on this plane was the hospitality methods of the Lekwuesti. The lavender-winged Estilorians dedicated to fostering comfort and culture among the other classes could use their power to send all kinds of food and beverage anywhere on the Estilorian plane. They had to have a formal pairing with the particular Estilorian requiring the refreshments, however, so the three sisters were currently unable to request anything since they didn’t have such a connection. It was also something that could only be done once per day to avoid exhausting the Lekwuesti. This was how the Estilorians got around their lack of electricity and refrigeration. Caleb and Amber had both tamed their unruly hair and now wore ponytails, tank tops and loose pants. Skye had changed into a tank and shorts since her nightgown had gotten bloodstains on it. Olivia was still in her robe. As they were finishing up their meal, Jabari informed them that the big meeting with the other elders had been delayed due to

the weather. “Gosh, it’s going to be a long, boring day without tube, flicks or tunes,” Skye sighed. Olivia noticed James’ confused expression, but before she could say anything, Caleb translated for him. “Television, movies or music,” he said. Everyone looked with some surprise at the usually silent and serious Gloresti. He just shrugged, his expression neutral. Olivia figured he did much more listening to Skye’s babbling than anyone would have imagined. He had likely learned quite a lot about humans in the past couple of months that way. Amber glanced consideringly at Skye, then shared a look with Gabriel. He smiled at her once she had communicated whatever telepathic thought she was sending him. Clearing a spot beside his plate, Gabriel held out his hand and sent out a thought. There was a flash of lavender light. Olivia leaned forward and recognized what he had requested of the Lekwuesti. “So cool,” she breathed. “What do you say, gals?” he asked with his charming grin, looking around the table and holding up the deck of cards. “Care to show these Estilorians how to spend a rainy day?”

Chapter Seven They played for hours. To get everyone comfortable with the concept of playing card games, they started with games that many human children played: Go Fish, Crazy Eights and Old Maid. Then they switched to games like Rummy 500, Ninety-Eight and Chase the Ace. It seemed the more strategy and thought that was required, the more involved the Estilorians became. Even the reserved Ini-herit showed a decided interest. Although he knew about cards from his time on the human plane, he had never actually learned any of the games. “I can’t believe none of you have ever played cards before,” Skye said shortly after they got underway. Jabari smiled at her. “Well, these cards were not around when we created the Estilorian plane. Back a couple of millennia ago, most humans spent their time simply warring and surviving, and the only games involved physical contests. We found ourselves doing what we could to try and prevent the warring, so our time was not really spent in any leisure, either. We trained and educated our young and worked to establish a political system for ourselves as well as the humans.”

“Well, what do you all do in your free time now?” Skye wondered, evidently not having considered any of that before. Seeing as her time had been pretty well occupied since entering this plane, Olivia wasn’t very surprised at that. “We read, write, create artwork and music,” Jabari explained. “We build homes such as this one and work to improve the lives of our fellow Estilorians. And we still train and educate our young and deal with political issues, all of which is more involved than one might think.” “And we dance,” Caleb added when he saw Skye’s uncertain expression. Her answering smile was like a beam of sunlight. They fell into a comfortable rhythm of card playing. At one point, though, Gabriel slapped his cards down on the table and turned to glare at Amber. “Seriously?” he said, obviously thoroughly exasperated. “I’m sorry,” she responded with a laugh in her voice. “I can’t block my thoughts from you as well as you can from me yet.” They all looked curiously at Gabriel. He waved a hand in irritation and said, “She keeps repeating songs over and over in her head to keep from thinking too much about the cards in her hand.”

Skye gasped and clucked her tongue at Amber before turning and exchanging a glance with Olivia. Olivia raised her eyebrows and asked, “Which song?” Glowering, Gabriel said, “Right now it’s Nickelback…‘This Afternoon.’” Olivia and Skye looked at each other before glancing at Amber and exchanging mischievous smiles. Then Olivia started singing the song while Skye moved in time with the music in her chair. Amber quickly joined Olivia in singing as Gabriel looked from one sister to another and brought a hand to his forehead. “I’ve created a monster,” he said forlornly. Amber started laughing, unable to control herself. She leaned over and kissed him right on the lips. “I’m sorry, hon. If it would help, I could mask my cards with other thoughts instead.” His eyes narrowed at the obvious innuendo, making her laugh even harder. Later in the day, when Amber and Gabriel introduced them all to Cheat—called by a less polite name by most Americans—the Estilorians could simply not grasp the concept. “So, we are supposed to lie to try and win?” Ini-herit asked,

his brow furrowed. “Yep. And try and figure out who else is lying,” Amber added. “Cheating is unfair and dishonorable,” Caleb argued. Beside him, Skye rolled her eyes and smacked him on the upper arm with the back of her hand. “Relax. It’s just a game. Don’t get your undershorts in a twist.” Olivia had unfortunately been taking a sip of water during the byplay. When she saw Caleb’s completely perplexed expression at Skye’s suggestion, she couldn’t prevent a laugh. Then she promptly choked. James reached over to pat her abruptly on the back as she laughed and gasped for breath. “Are you all right?” he asked when she calmed herself. He left his hand between her shoulder blades, moving in a gentle circle as he awaited her response. “Yes, thanks,” she said, her smile wide. Then she turned back to Caleb. “I’m actually quite terrible at this game because I agree with you,” she admitted. She was highly conscious of James’ warm hand on her back, but deliberately pretended to ignore it so he wouldn’t pull away. “Consider it a kind of personal challenge, though. See who you can outsmart.”

A gleam entered his eyes. He lifted his chin and stared down pointedly at Skye. “I see.” It was a very spirited game. There was a great deal of laughter and a few shows of temper, not all from the halfhumans. Amber couldn’t help provoking Caleb once she realized he was opposed to the concept of the game. And it was while they were arguing over a hand and Olivia noted the underlying humor in Amber’s gaze that she had an amazing revelation. In the past two months, she had truly joined with a new family. They all surrounded her now. She had her sisters, of course, but now she also had brothers and father-figures and even someone who was shaping up to be the equivalent of a potential boyfriend, too. Even as the thought occurred to her, James elbowed her in the arm and jerked a chin toward Caleb, who had just realized Amber was teasing him and sat back with a small smile on his face. The burly Gloresti uncrossed his arms from his chest, leaned forward and held his right fist toward Amber, who reached out and tapped her fist to his. Skye had obviously taught Caleb the gesture, and she giggled uncontrollably at the sight. Gabriel had his arm around the back of Amber’s chair and was shaking his head at them with a grin. Jabari and Ini-herit were looking at each other’s cards and talking strategy, apparently unconcerned with the antics of their charges.

She realized with tremendous awe and a wave of unbelievable happiness that they had somehow, despite all their many differences, managed to become a unit. Love flooded her. Love for each person sitting around the scarred wooden table, most of them wearing the same clothing they had slept in, some of them in greater disrepair than others but none of them caring. They teased and they joked, some of them never having done it before. And they encouraged each other, none of them competitive enough to begrudge the winner. They interacted with each other as though they had been together for years rather than just months. And she knew with absolute certainty after leaving behind the only mother she had ever known to come to this plane of existence that she would never, ever take any of the people around her for granted. In fact, she would give her life for any of them.

The stormy weather continued into the next day. After a much better night’s sleep, Olivia sat attentively on the sofa in the living room between her sisters as the irate weather blustered outside. Jabari was on the love seat across from them. Gabriel, Ini-herit, Caleb and James were all in the kitchen playing Euchre. The sound of Gabriel’s voice as he

explained the game floated into the room. “I thought, since we spent most of yesterday learning a bit about human culture, that I would spend some of today teaching you more about Estilorians,” Jabari said in his calm and melodious voice. His smile was brilliantly white against his dark skin. Today he wore a colorful robe over a bright orange undershirt. Olivia always found his outfits unique and of intense visual interest. After they nodded, he began. “We are not certain when our kind began to exhibit signs that we were other than human, so it is, unfortunately, impossible to describe our origins. You have already learned what challenges our differences caused on the human plane once humans began to compare themselves to us.” Again, they all nodded, so he continued, “What we do know is that over time, we have evolved into nine separate classes of Estilorians. As the eldest of the Elphresti, I am taking it upon myself to educate you about each of these classes. Some of this you undoubtedly already know, but it does bear repeating. “We Elphresti pride ourselves on approaching life with wisdom. We see every experience as a lesson, and apply what we have learned toward each new experience we encounter. It is imperative and ingrained that we always maintain open minds and refrain from making assumptions. This makes us natural governors of all the classes. You might think of us as judges or other ruling officials who

make significant decisions on the human plane, to try and put this into perspective.” Again, all of the girls nodded. “There are relatively few Elphresti in comparison with the other classes,” he continued. “As the human plane has grown more diverse and insular over the centuries, we have found that genuine tolerance among humans has, ironically, diminished. When a human soul transitions to this plane, it assumes an Estilorian form that best suits it at its most elemental level. Thus, the less humans who exhibit Elphresti traits on the human plane, the less there will be on this plane. “Where the Elphresti rely on wisdom and prior experience to make decisions, the Wymzesti are gifted with intuition and foresight. Knorbis, the eldest Wymzesti, is the one who foresaw your births and the impact you would have on us. Because his Great Foretelling occurred many centuries ago, most of us dismissed it as false. Obviously, we were wrong to doubt him.” He smiled again. “The Wymzesti are invaluable counselors and excellent listeners. They are quite adept at interpreting the most subtle nuances in body language and inferences in an Estilorian’s speech. Because they are so skilled at intercepting and interpreting the thoughts of others, they are going to be very helpful at teaching you to defend against such intrusions. Similarly to the Elphresti, the numbers of the Wymzesti are far less than

other classes. Wymzesti require an openness and receptiveness of the mind and spirit that most beings cannot manage. “Ini-herit is, as you know, the eldest Corgloresti. The Corgloresti class is the only one that can transition to the human plane at will. Additionally, even before the creation of this plane, the Corgloresti have been responsible for harvesting expiring human souls that are receptive to The Embrace. This is the only means we have ever had to reproduce, since our females do not have the same reproductive organs as human females and Estilorian DNA is incompatible with human DNA, meaning an Estilorian male could never impregnate a human female. At least, such was the case before your father used the scroll that allowed him to impregnate your mother.” He gave them a gentle smile before he continued, “Ini-herit may have explained that our numbers are dwindling. This is largely because the number of receptive human souls has dwindled.” Olivia wondered, “What does that mean? How does The Embrace work, exactly?” “It is actually a quite complicated display of power,” he admitted. “We compare it to the circumstances that must be in place for humans to conceive. Unless very specific circumstances are met, The Embrace will not be successful. First, there must be a Corgloresti in a human

form near the dying human who has enough knowledge of the human’s soul to warrant it pure enough to make the transition. This requires that the Corgloresti reside on the human plane for months at a time, researching candidates and getting to know them on every level. This places a significant drain on the Corgloresti’s energy, so the longer they are on the human plane, the less likely it is The Embrace will work. Additionally, the Corgloresti must be powerful enough to harvest the soul. This requires rigorous training and focus and centuries of being. Most importantly, the human must have a significant amount of faith in things beyond the known. It can be a religious or spiritual faith of just about any kind, but it must be true and unwavering. Otherwise, The Embrace will fail.” Olivia could definitely see how the circumstances for success would be highly challenging to achieve. Success would be a kind of miracle, in fact. “Once a human soul does transition, it retains no knowledge of its human existence. We educate new Estilorians about the different planes in a general way, of course, believing that each of us should understand our origins and history. However, most Estilorians know very little about human culture and the many changes that have occurred on the human plane over the centuries. The Corgloresti are forbidden to discuss their knowledge with anyone besides other Corgloresti and the elders of each class. We are also going to ask that the three of you refrain

from discussing most of the details of your human lives with the Estilorians you will meet.” Olivia immediately thought of the many long and detailed conversations she had engaged in with James about life on the human plane. She realized that he had deliberately not stopped her from informing him about everything she knew. Due to her own love of learning, she knew she would have done exactly the same thing. She hid an understanding smile. “Why shouldn’t we talk about the human plane?” Skye asked Jabari with a confused expression. “As you know, we usually cannot bring anything over here from the human plane. Therefore, there are many things now existing on the human plane which we either cannot or, we have decided, should not reproduce on this plane. We do not want to foster discontent or unhappiness by introducing concepts that cannot be implemented here because they are unsafe for our kind, or simply impossible because the means to reproduce them do not exist here. Estilorians, however, are resourceful and creative in our own rights. I am certain you have discovered that although things are quite different here, you are not truly lacking anything you need.” They couldn’t argue that.

He continued, “We do not have telephones, computers or the internet, for example, but we can largely communicate across the entire plane using mental connections. What one of us lacks in knowledge, another is willing to teach. We do not have electricity, but we can command power that provides the light we need. Our bodies are less susceptible to temperature changes than humans, and because there are so many less of us than humans, we can all make our homes in the most temperate environments, making conveniences such as air-conditioning unnecessary. And, of course, we can fly.” “So who needs planes, trains or automobiles, right?” Amber said. Jabari smiled. “Precisely. So, to return to my main point, the Corgloresti maintain a great deal of knowledge about modern human life. They are generally exceptional judges of character, needing to form such judgments very quickly due to the nature of their roles. Unfortunately, this class more than any other suffers from significant emotional detachment. As I know Ini-herit explained, it is very difficult for Corgloresti to form attachments to humans who then transition to this plane without any memory of their human lives. In essence, the Corgloresti spend a lifetime with one dying human after another. Their emotional detachment develops quickly and naturally, as a sort of defense mechanism. Your father was a rare exception to this trait, one we did not recognize until after he had fallen in love

with your mother. “In fact,” he continued, his voice soft and deep, “it was not until Saraqael’s death that we realized how pervasive the emotional distancing had become. It was Gabriel who demanded that we call our attention to it. And when we listened to his plea and explored this further, we came to understand that only our youngest Estilorians interacted with anything resembling human emotion, and those emotions were generally expressions of impatience, frustration and competitiveness. Yes, there was still some humor and compassion, particularly among the more sensitive classes and the females. But we found these emotions so rare that it shocked us all. The centuries of removal from humanity had affected us far more than we had realized. “Since meeting the three of you and spending these past weeks interacting with you, I have come to reason that the phasing out of emotion has been compounded by the fact that we do not have the same types of relationships between each other that humans do. We do not have mothers and fathers or other family members to whom we are meant to attach when we enter this plane, nor do we have romantic attachments with each other. So we essentially have no one to nurture feelings and emotions that I now believe are vital to a content existence. If Gabriel had not sacrificed himself, allowing his many centuries of Estilorian existence to be suppressed and his powers

revoked, and had he not been successful in relearning human emotion while on the human plane and then bringing that knowledge back to this plane, I do not believe I would have understood this even now. “Gabriel has allowed me and the other elders to indirectly experience his emotions since his return. The depth of them has proven invigorating and enlightening. It has been like awakening from centuries of hibernation. We understand now that it was only because we lived among humans that we ever experienced these emotions in the first place. By separating ourselves from humanity, we doomed ourselves to an emotionless existence. It is a thought that appalls me now that I understand what that means. “And so, as an aside, I speak on behalf of all of the elders and the classes we govern that the three of you bring us hope. And we will be forever grateful for that.”

Chapter Eight Olivia was an avid student. Thus, Jabari’s teachings about the different Estilorian classes were utterly fascinating to her. She could have sat on the couch listening to him the entire day without a word of complaint. But she had to admit that learning that the entire Estilorian community was relying on her and her sisters to reestablish emotion within all of them was a lot to shoulder. Before she could consider that too closely, Jabari continued with his lesson. “When traveling to the human plane, Corgloresti transition from their Estilorian forms into human forms created by the Scultresti class. The Scultresti elder, whom you met at the Becoming ceremony, is Zayna. Because she is by far the most powerful of her class, she created your human forms as well as Gabriel’s before you were sent to the human plane. “There are many talented Scultresti, however. They design the human forms assumed by the Corgloresti on the human plane, and they also create the Estilorian forms that successfully transitioned souls assume when they arrive on this plane. As they are quite creative by nature, it is the ultimate desire of the Scultresti to provide a wealth of variety and interest in each of our appearances. And

because we are conscious of health and fitness, all assumed forms are designed to be within the higher standards of each. The exact final appearance is left up to the human soul who transitions into it, as is the gender and class of the new Estilorian. The Estilorian’s form before that point is a nebulous and powerful collection of energy waiting for awareness. “Likewise, the Estilorian forms of the Corgloresti become nebulous, unaware forms of energy when the Corgloresti transition to the human plane, leaving them vulnerable on this plane. It is thus the role of the Gloresti class to remain here and guard their paired Corgloresti, much as your Gloresti have guarded and continue to guard each of you. Before the creation of the new plane, when we still resided among humans, Gloresti served as soldiers…our ultimate line of defense. This makes them ideal bodyguards on this plane, totally focused on protection of their Corgloresti and loyal to the death. I believe it was this self-sacrificing element of the Gloresti nature that prompted Gabriel to make the choice that sent him to the human plane.” Olivia thought about James and his ever-vigilant behavior. She considered the fact that he was bound to her as her Gloresti and that he would surrender his life for her if called for, something she hadn’t thought about in such bald terms before now. It sent a flood of emotion coursing through her. When she glanced at each of her sisters, she could see them also mulling over this weighty information.

Considering Amber was avowed and married to her Gloresti, the impact had to be even more powerful. “In order for the Gloresti to maintain a form of communication with their paired Corgloresti while they are separated by the planes, an Orculesti works with them. The Orculesti elder is Malukali. She is responsible for maintaining an ongoing connection with the other elders to keep us informed of what is happening among the Corgloresti on the human plane. She is a receptacle for all thoughts transmitted and received by the other Orculesti.” “Wow,” Skye said, her eyes wide. “That must be an awful lot of stuff going through her mind all at once.” “Indeed. But after centuries of living with this, she is easily able to filter thoughts. Typically, an Orculesti is assigned to work with one Corgloresti and Gloresti pairing at a time. The Orculesti focuses on receiving the thoughts of the Corgloresti on the human plane, communicating those thoughts to the Gloresti as well as to Malukali, who shares them with us.” “So you’re hearing all of those thoughts all the time, too?” Skye asked incredulously. “Yes. Again, however, most of the thoughts are simply like background noise. Unless a Corgloresti sends out a distressed thought directly to the assigned Orculesti, we do

not generally make note of it. That is how we all missed the signs Saraqael must have surely transmitted while he was on the human plane with your mother. The fact that he likely masked his deepest feelings and intentions combined with the fact that we did not know how to interpret them all contributed to what ultimately happened. “The Orculesti are our primary resource for communication between each other across distances. They are as good at listening and interpreting Estilorian communication as the Wymzesti, though they do it more with their minds rather than their senses. Orculesti are also much more literal and logical in their interpretations. They have grown to learn a bit more about humans than most of the other classes due to their direct mental connection with Corgloresti. However, because the Corgloresti are trained to mask any thoughts that do not relate specifically to themselves and their needs while on the human plane, the Orculesti do not know overly much about human culture and certainly no more about human emotion than other Estilorians.” Gabriel poked his head into the room, causing Jabari to glance toward the kitchen doorway. “How’s it going in here? Does anyone need anything?” “No, thanks,” Skye and Olivia said at the same time. Amber had evidently communicated her response with her mind. “Thank you, Gabriel. I believe we are all fine. I do not intend

to keep the sisters much longer.” “Better not,” Gabriel responded. “We’re going to teach you Poker when you’re done.” Then he gave Amber a wink and disappeared. Turning back to the girls, Jabari said, “Gabriel’s timing is impeccable. I was just getting to the Lekwuesti, governed by the elder, Sebastian. As the Estilorians who focus on hospitality and creature comforts, they are what you might consider our most polite and cultured class. All of the clothing you wear was designed by the Lekwuesti. They create all of our soaps, scents, cosmetics and jewelry. As you have seen while living here, they establish connections with other Estilorians to fulfill their food and beverage needs, using their powers to generate full meals of all levels of complexity. They craft all of the items you see around you, from furniture and fabrics to plates and silverware. Their ultimate goal is to ensure all Estilorians have what they need, as well as to exercise their ingenuity through the creation process. We have found this to be the most prolific class, as most humans do have a penchant for desiring comfort and nice things, making this role quite natural for them. “On what you might say is the opposite end of the spectrum are the Waresti, who work hard so that the rest of the classes maintain their safe and comfortable lives. The Waresti class is comprised entirely of fighters. Where the

Gloresti are dedicated to defense on an individualized level, the Waresti are our global offensive force. The eldest Waresti, Uriel, has established contingents to patrol all reaches of the Estilorian plane. Besides the Lekwuesti, the Waresti is our next-largest class. Humans, as you know, are quite territorial and not afraid to take a stand, making them just as natural fighters as they are caretakers.” “And they protect everyone else from the Mercesti?” Amber asked. She was sitting back on the couch, her arms crossed. “Yes,” he responded. “Before the creation of the new plane, all of the nine Estilorian classes lived in relative harmony. The eldest of the Mercesti at that time was Volarius. He was an innovative and forward-thinking strategist, and it was actually Volarius who first suggested the creation of the new plane when we all despaired over the turmoil our presence was causing among the humans. If it had not been for Volarius, we would not have succeeded with the plan. “We knew when we created this plane that we would have to limit the ability of Estilorians to cross back to the human plane. As is the case whenever you have a great number of voices and opinions, there would be those who resisted the change. And, quite frankly, there were many of the younger Estilorians who found great satisfaction in having abilities beyond those of humans and being able to demonstrate

those abilities. But we decided that we could not risk the safety of humanity any longer for the sake of a limited few. The warring among humans had gone on for more than a century. Thousands and thousands of human lives were lost, even with us extending our assistance as much as possible. It was simply unacceptable. “The power required to create this plane was beyond description. I, along with Gabriel, Ini-herit, Volarius and the remaining elders, called forth the height of our powers, extending our abilities beyond anything we had ever thought possible. And this,” he indicated the room around them, “is the result.” “So, what happened to Volarius?” Skye asked after a brief pause. Jabari frowned, a rare expression for the elder. “He was killed by the current Mercesti leader, Grolkinei. Grolkinei was among those who believed that we should have remained on the human plane. He lived the life of a worshipped god there, flicking his power at the humans around him in unpredictable and careless ways. As soon as he realized what we had done—that he would never be able to return to the human plane again—he lashed out against Volarius and assumed control of the Mercesti class.” “How was he able to do that, though?” Olivia asked. “Just

because Volarius was dead, that didn’t mean all of the other Mercesti had to accept Grolkinei as their leader, right?” “You are correct. Grolkinei gave the remaining Mercesti a choice: join with him or die. Those who chose to join with him had to prove their dedication by killing another Estilorian. In this case, he turned the Mercesti against each other. Those who joined with Grolkinei hunted down and killed those who would not. We did what we could to protect the Mercesti who resisted Grolkinei’s evil, but we learned something essential about ourselves during this terribly bleak time. When the leader of an Estilorian class acts in a particular manner, the beings he or she rules will inevitably follow. It did not take long for Grolkinei to completely alienate the Mercesti from the rest of the classes. To this day, any Estilorian who kills another or intends to kill another for a reason other than to defend is instantly converted to a Mercesti.” Having born witness to this process when the Orculesti named Kanika attempted to kill Amber by shoving her into battle with Angius and then changed into a red-eyed Mercesti right in front of her, Olivia processed Jabari’s words in silence. She sensed her sisters doing the same. Ini-herit had discussed some of this in a more general way while they were all on the human plane. He had also explained that Grolkinei had led the resistance against the birth of her and her sisters, in turn leading to the

circumstances of Amber being transitioned unescorted to the human plane and then a childhood filled with disrupted placements in foster care. Olivia and Skye, on the other hand, had been escorted to the human plane as planned by Corgloresti, who then identified appropriate human caregivers for each of them. “So, Grolkinei wants to kills us?” Skye ventured hesitantly. Jabari sighed. “We do not know. He certainly gave every indication of being opposed to your presence on this plane when you were born. He led other Estilorians within all of the classes to question the nature of your births. He suggested to some that you should be contained and experimented upon. He made this idea more palatable to non-Mercesti by stating that it would be to ensure you were not a danger to us.” Amber frowned. “But why would he be so opposed to us being here? I thought he wanted to be among humans.” “No. He wants to be on the human plane,” Olivia clarified thoughtfully. “We can transition between the planes,” Skye observed. “And his commanders weren’t trying to kill us,” Amber added. “They were trying to capture us.” Olivia nodded, remembering. “At least one of us, they said.”

She couldn’t determine from Jabari’s unreadable expression whether this was something he and the other elders had considered. She had to believe that Gabriel would have discussed this possibility with Amber if they had. Now that it had been voiced, however, it made a lot of sense. Grolkinei surely knew that as half-humans, particularly children of a Corgloresti, they would be able to transition between the planes. The fact that they had come over from the human plane a couple of months before proved it. Of course, they hadn’t actually tried to go back to the human plane yet, but Olivia believed with everything inside her that she could do it. Now that she had experienced coming over, she could repeat it. At last, Jabari spoke. “We have not been able to determine Grolkinei’s true motives toward you. He could be seeking to capture you, as you mentioned. Perhaps he believes you will serve as some kind of conduit to return him to the human plane. Such a belief is entirely absurd, however. It shows how little understanding he has of the planes and what it entails to transition between them.” “It takes a Corgloresti and a Gloresti pairing,” Olivia stated. She remembered Aurora telling her when she transitioned into her Estilorian form that James had been the one to guide them back to the plane. His influence had been absolutely essential to her making the passage, she knew.

“It does,” Jabari agreed. “And because Grolkinei is neither of those, he will never again traverse the planes. Although he surely knows this after his centuries of trying to find a way across, I believe that he refuses to accept it.” And here, a troubled expression crossed his features. Olivia’s heart filled with dread. “Let us have it,” Amber said resignedly. All of them knew it took a great deal to cause Jabari any distress. “I have given this much consideration,” he began, catching each of their gazes. “I have not even discussed this as a theory with the other elders yet. In truth, I find it so atrocious that I have not wanted to give it credence.” Olivia found herself reaching out to either side and grasping her sisters’ hands. They each responded with firm grips. Jabari took a bracing breath. Then he said, “I have begun to believe that Grolkinei will soon fully understand that he can never return to the human plane, regardless of any of his efforts. But he is so focused on reestablishing a connection with the human plane that, well…” Skye was leaning forward as she waited to hear what he was trying to say. When he trailed off, she gripped Olivia’s hand even tighter and demanded, “Please tell us already! What do you think he wants?”

Nodding, he said, “When all else fails for Grolkinei, I suspect that he will ultimately attempt to impregnate one or all of you with his child and raise that child on his own in an effort to establish a direct blood connection with the human plane.” The wave of undiluted horror that washed through Olivia made her light-headed. When the doorway to the kitchen suddenly filled with Gabriel, James and Caleb, all of their eyes flashing a brilliant dark blue, she figured her sisters had each experienced similar reactions. Gabriel looked from Amber to Jabari and his eyes went wide with shock. Then, just as swiftly, they narrowed. Olivia didn’t think she had ever seen him look more dangerous. “James, Caleb,” he said in a cold and lethal tone, “we need to talk.”

Chapter Nine That night, as everyone else slept, James sat in the same chair he had taken possession of nearly six hours before. His own bed hadn’t been touched. The moon was already settling lower in the sky, telling him that it was nearing dawn. It didn’t matter. He didn’t think he could sleep if someone cast their power on him. The foul thought that archigos Gabriel had conveyed to him and Caleb earlier that day completely pervaded his mind. It was all too possible, this terrible act that Jabari had hypothesized. In fact, it was frighteningly logical, which was what had James awake and obsessing right now. If the Elphresti leader was right, then the sisters had escaped a fate far worse than death when they managed to evade Grolkinei’s commanders after the Becoming ceremony. That thought completely infuriated him. It was an emotion he hadn’t ever experienced before. Right in the middle of their Euchre game, without any Orculesti present to interpret perceived thoughts, he had felt Olivia’s intense emotions: fear, outrage, disgust, horror. He had lifted from his chair, completely forgetting about the game, thinking of nothing but getting to her. Out of the

corner of his eye, he realized that his leader and Caleb had both done the same. They moved swiftly as a unit to the doorway leading to the family room. He had instinctively allowed Gabriel to take the lead, but it had been a remarkable challenge to fight the urge to push past everyone and everything in an effort to get to Olivia at that moment. He had felt the vibrations in Caleb’s arm indicating the same level of restraint. When Gabriel’s demeanor had only grown more intense after he had paused in the doorway and looked at Amber and Jabari, James had nearly lost all of his control. He had wanted nothing more than to rush to Olivia’s side. Caleb’s tension also seemed to escalate as their leader’s fury washed over them. But when Gabriel announced firmly that he would speak with them, they had backed off, trusting he would tell them what was going on. Of course, when James and Caleb had listened to Gabriel reiterate what Jabari had said to the sisters, they had been anything but calm. “Is he suggesting that Grolkinei would force himself upon them?” James had asked, all but choking on the words as Olivia’s sweet and innocent face filled his mind. And when Gabriel had answered him in the affirmative, Caleb’s heated response had been beyond repeating in polite company. For some reason, however, their violent

reactions— rather incongruent to Gloresti teachings about coolness in the face of peril—had actually calmed their leader. Rather than censure them, he had smiled. A very fierce smile. “It’s at this moment that I see why I selected each of you,” he said, holding their gazes as he spoke. “I will admit to only the two of you that there are some things about my existence on this plane before I transitioned that I don’t recall clearly. But I can say without humility that I made the right choices with each of you. Whether you fully understand it or not, you are now bound to the sisters you protect by more than just a typical Gloresti’s bond. And based on what we’ve just learned, they’ll need that extra connection to keep from falling victim to unimaginable harm. While they’re definitely powerful in their own rights, any of them would be vulnerable alone right now. We must all remain very focused on their protection.” And here, he had paused. When he grinned this time, James realized it was selfdeprecating. “But we can’t let any of them know we’re doing it, or they’ll try and kick our asses.” Now, as his gaze settled on the bed in front of him, James considered Olivia’s peaceful expression as she slept. He believed Gabriel was correct. All of the sisters had a certain amount of pride. Treating them as though they were incapable of protecting themselves would surely not sit well with them, even if it happened to be true for now.

He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. This movement brought him several inches closer to Olivia. If he reached out, he could touch her. He wouldn’t, however. It was inappropriate enough that he was in her room. But he simply had to have his eyes on her while he thought through all of this new and alarming information. And since he knew he wouldn’t sleep anyway—in fact, he needed much less sleep than many others and often stayed awake all night— he had slipped into her room after everyone else had gone to bed. She hadn’t moved since he entered the room. Her hair spilled over the white sheet and pillowcase in an abundance of long, loose curls fanning out behind her. Since she was on her side and wearing a tank top above where the thin sheet covered her from the waist down, he could see shadows dusting the hollow of her collarbone. His gaze moved frequently to the curve of her hip where it flared gently out from her waistline. There was something incredibly compelling about that feminine arc. His hands itched to grasp her right there. Then he thought of Grolkinei and his commanders capturing her and what that could mean, and his hands clenched into tight fists. That evening, Gabriel had communicated with Ini-herit and Jabari about the sisters’ education. He wanted to begin their defense training immediately rather than putting it off

in lieu of other lessons. Since he had secured their agreement, they would all be traveling to Gabriel’s home that very day. The meeting with the rest of the elders had been postponed until further notice so that they could focus on getting the girls to a point where they could effectively defend themselves. Jabari would be traveling on to his home once the sisters were settled at Gabriel’s, while Uriel, the Waresti elder, would meet them there to assist in the training. When the sky began to lighten, James got quietly to his feet. He knew Olivia would awaken soon. He might as well get the hot water ready for her tea. He eased the door open and noted that the hall was still dark and silent. Then he stepped out of the room and gently pulled the door closed behind him. He hadn’t even removed his hand from the doorknob when a door down the hall opened. It was the door to Skye’s room, he realized, glancing around in panic. There was absolutely nowhere to go. He had to pass Skye’s room to get to either his own room or the kitchen, and unless he ducked into an occupied bedroom, he was stuck. And then he realized that the shadow easing from Skye’s room was much too large to belong to Olivia’s youngest sister. Caleb jerked slightly when he spotted him. James stood

awkwardly, unsure what to do. Then Caleb shook his head and pointed a finger from himself to James before bringing the finger to his lips. James understood. They would speak of this to no one. He nodded once. Then he moved forward and lifted his right arm as he passed on his way to the kitchen. Caleb bumped forearms with him to silently seal their vow before he walked back to his own room. James decided then that it was quite nice to know he wasn’t alone in his worry.

“Holy cow, Gabriel—you live in a castle!” Skye gasped as they flew closer to his home that evening. There was no arguing it. He really did live in a castle. It was situated on a high cliff overlooking the ocean. Much to Olivia’s delight, the non-cliff side of the property contained lush forests. The rest of the landscaping nearer the castle was rather bare, a far cry from Ini-herit’s impressive gardens. But the architecture of the light-and-dark brown structure was inspired. Round towers of varying heights met square walls in a perfect flow of symmetry and design. She didn’t think she had ever seen any home quite so remarkable. And, not surprisingly, it looked highly defensible.

She already knew the Mercesti wouldn’t think to look for them at Gabriel’s home. James had explained to her weeks ago that the location of the homes of each of the elders was highly secret, known only by the elders themselves. There were heavy protections in place on each of the elders’ homes to prevent someone from accidently revealing the locations. He further explained that as soon as they got a certain distance away from Ini-herit’s house, everyone except for the elders would no longer remember how to get there. The memory would simply fade. He had been correct. Within a very short span of flight time, she couldn’t have said a thing about the location of Iniherit’s home other than that it resided near trees, something that appeared to be very common on this plane. They had fastened a special sling for Aurora so that she could make the trip. It had required four of them carrying part of the sling at any one time to bear her weight. All in all, though, the trip had gone very smoothly. The sisters had all wondered about their things, only to be told that the Lekwuesti would handle the transfer of everything from one location to another. Olivia thought that was absolutely marvelous and couldn’t wait to find out more specifically how it was done. James, Caleb, Ini-herit and Jabari had taken the last leg holding Aurora’s sling. They eased her gently to the ground

as they neared the castle’s entrance. Once all four of her paws were on the ground, she stretched and let out a little cry. “She says, ‘Thank you,’” Olivia translated as she also landed and stretched. When James reached over to give the cat an affectionate rub, Olivia smiled. Skye stared up at the castle with utter awe on her face. As usual, the youngest sister wore her hair unbound. Olivia wondered how it could remain so beautifully coiffed while flying, but somehow it did. Today Skye had opted to wear a tangerine-colored tank top with a ruffled neckline paired with a matching flowing skirt over leggings and sandals. She was also fully accessorized with wide, gold hoop earrings, rows of colorful bangle bracelets on each wrist and a gemmed choker necklace. The youngest of them was rarely without her decorations. Compared to Olivia and Amber’s more practical tank tops and pants, Skye looked like a fashion model. “Amber, you must be so excited,” Skye exclaimed, bringing her hands together enthusiastically. Her bracelets chimed with the action. “You’re going to be living like a princess!” Then she wandered away in graceful strides to take everything in, followed closely by Caleb. Amber watched her go with a raised eyebrow, her hands on her hips. When Olivia stepped up beside her, Amber said, “Geez. She

really is a walking Disney movie, isn’t she?” “Yep.” The sisters shared a laugh. They both knew it simply wouldn’t be the same without Skye’s exuberance. Suddenly, Amber let out a little sound of surprise and was lifted off her feet. Olivia stepped back to avoid getting whipped by her sister’s ponytail as Gabriel swept her into his arms. “Have you lost your mind?” Amber declared, sounding very unlike the fairytale princess Skye had compared her to. “Nope,” Gabriel responded easily as he carried her closer to the front door, which Ini-herit opened with just a flick of his power. “I’m bringing my wife home for the first time. Seems right to carry her across the threshold.” Olivia’s heart sighed. She figured even Amber couldn’t hold out against that when her sister didn’t argue and instead wove the fingers of her right hand through his wavy hair at the base of his neck. Whatever thoughts they silently shared with each other had them touching foreheads and exchanging tender glances. Feeling like an intruder, Olivia turned and walked over to squat next to Aurora. She sensed James a foot behind her.

Are you going to be okay out here? she thought to her feline friend when they were on eye level. I’m sure you could come inside the castle if you wanted to. I will be fine. You know I find the forest quite comfortable. And I scent plenty of deer. Grinning, Olivia ran a hand along Aurora’s ears like she knew the panther enjoyed. Her smile faded as she thought,

And will you miss your mate? We cats do not mate for life, you know. But if he is interested, he will find me. Olivia froze and then caught Aurora’s green gaze. Are you

saying he would follow you all of these miles? Yes. But—I didn’t think— Aurora made a sound in her throat that Olivia interpreted as understanding. You are correct that we do not usually join

with a mate so thoroughly. Why didn’t you tell me he might try to follow? I would have found a way to bring him with us! He would not understand and would have tried to harm your family.

Olivia glanced up and realized James was staring at her. She sighed and nodded to let Aurora know she understood before she got to her feet. Then she watched the cat turn and lope into the forest. “She will be all right?” Moving with him toward the now-open front doors, she said, “Yes.” “Okay. Then what troubles you?” “She told me her mate might come after her.” He considered this as they walked into the castle. Since he didn’t speak, but instead sent up another ball of light that would follow them into the castle’s interior, she studied the inside of the amazing dwelling. She noted that the entrance wasn’t a drawbridge, making it seem more modern than the castles she had always thought of. The ceiling in the entrance soared above them, filled with balls of light that Gabriel, Jabari and Ini-herit must have commanded forth. A couple of niches were nestled into the walls on either side of the entrance. Housed in one was a gleaming long sword. In the other was a menacing battle-axe. Her eyebrows rose. They were most definitely not in Kansas anymore. Suddenly, James reached out and put his left arm over her shoulders, pressing her into his side as he guided her

along the hallway. It was such an unexpected contact that she almost gasped. She was glad she didn’t, though. He might have pulled away. “If he wants to, I am confident that Aurora’s mate will find her,” he said at last. They turned together into a doorway on the right side at the end of the entrance hall and found themselves in some kind of parlor. Someone had used their power to set a fire in the parlor’s fireplace. Gabriel was showing Amber some of the contents of a large display case on the far side of the room. Olivia saw a flash of metal in Gabriel’s hand and wondered if it was some kind of jewelry or dinnerware. Then Amber reached out and grasped the object with a distinct sound of approval and Olivia saw it was some kind of throwing weapon. The realization almost made her laugh. As it was, she made a sound that had Ini-herit and Jabari turning to look at her from their places in front of the fire. As Skye’s voice floated to them from the doorway and Olivia realized she and Caleb were on their way inside, Olivia looked up at James and asked quietly, “What makes you so sure?” He knew she was still talking about Aurora’s mate. Looking at her with his steady gaze, he said, “I know what would motivate him. If Aurora thinks that their connection is strong enough to draw him to her, then he will find her. I understand

that kind of connection now. “And I know that if it was me separated from you, nothing would keep me away for long.”

Chapter Ten Some took the transformation to Mercesti better than others. Kanika had not taken to it at all. The Orculesti who had used her mental abilities to lead Grolkinei’s commanders to the location of the Becoming ceremony nearly eight weeks before had done little besides weep and moan since regaining consciousness after those commanders had carried her back to his holding. She had believed that by leading the Mercesti to the ceremony, she could dispose of the sister known as Amber. She had further believed that with Amber out of the way, she would have Gabriel’s love for herself. She had apparently dismissed entirely the fact that her actions would convert her to a Mercesti the moment Amber came to harm. Grolkinei would normally have killed her by now. Any Mercesti who transformed and did not seem to accept their new class wasn’t worth anything to him. In fact, it could lead to dissention among his ranks, something he would never abide. But Kanika was unquestionably beautiful and gifted. If he could manage to convince her that she had made the right choice, he was certain she would outperform Layla

when it came to intercepting the thoughts of other Estilorians. Which meant he might actually learn more about Saraqael’s daughters and their various fates. After a cursory knock on the door of the bedroom he had established for her upon her arrival at his home, he entered the room. The two guards standing outside the door didn’t even look at him. He closed the door behind him. The curtains had been drawn, cloaking the room in darkness. It didn’t matter. He could see perfectly well in the dark. She was sitting on the side of her bed. She wasn’t crying, which he took as a good sign. Her long, black hair hung straight down her back, pouring onto the bedding beneath her. She wore a red nightgown that exposed much of her smooth skin to his view. Since she didn’t lift her eyes from her folded hands in her lap, he approached the bed and sat down beside her. His gaze ran briefly over the red markings along the outer edges of her eyes. She had told him they served to enhance her mental abilities. He could only assume this was true, not having succeeded in coercing her to show him the full scope of her abilities. He hoped that was about to change. “How are you today, my sweet?” “Do not call me that,” she hissed. He smiled and lifted a hand to her hair, enjoying the sheen

of it as well as the reaction it caused from her. She jerked to the side and batted his hand away. He fought back a victorious chuckle. This was the first time she had made any effort to resist. “Why? You are sweet. And is my touch really so abominable?” She frowned at him, but he saw her giving him an assessing look rather than immediately dismissing his question. Her eyes traveled over his ebony hair, which he knew had gotten a bit long. His eyes were long-lashed and, like those of the other Mercesti, blood red. He had a charming dent in his left cheek when he smiled, as he was now. And there was no arguing that he maintained an exceptional physique. He was actually highly sought-after by Mercesti females. “I—do not want this,” she stammered finally. She looked confused. This time, when he reached up and brushed a hand along her cheek, she didn’t pull back. “I think you do not know what you want. I think that the thoughtless leader of the Gloresti twisted you up in knots and left you to rot. And I think that you deserve vengeance for that.” “No. Archigos Gabriel would not do that. I did not make my feelings known—”

He gripped her hand. “Do not dare blame yourself. He does not deserve that. You do not know what he is capable of after spending so many years among humans. You have said yourself that he avowed himself to one of them.” Her eyes flashed a brilliant red in the darkness. “Yes,” she said, her voice hard. “He abandoned you for her, a weak and diluted abomination to all Estilorians. And you do not think that you deserve vengeance for that?” She paused, obviously debating with herself. “But she is dead. What more can I—?” “Are you certain of that?” he asked, his voice smooth as glass. “We have been unable to confirm it ourselves. And you are too busy wallowing in self-pity to assist us.” When she frowned, he added, “Would it not be quite ironic if these many weeks Gabriel has been laughing at you even as he and his avowed half-human frolic together like rabbits?” And when she screamed in fury, he knew he was, at last, making real progress.

The morning after they arrived at Gabriel’s, Caleb stood in the hallway outside of Skye’s bedroom. His shoulders were pressed against the wall as he leaned with his arms

crossed over his chest. He also had his ankles crossed in front of him in a deceptively casual stance. His long body all but filled the hallway. They were going to begin the sisters’ defense lessons that morning. He had been standing there for the better part of an hour waiting for Skye to get ready for the day. This waiting was a habit he had grown quite used to, even if it continued to perplex him. What could she possibly be doing in there for all that time? Right now, she was singing…loudly and almost entirely offkey. Another thing he had realized early on was that of the three sisters, Skye had the least amount of vocal talent. That didn’t seem to diminish her enthusiasm for it even an iota. For the life of him, he didn’t know why he found that fact so charming. “If you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it,” she sang. He had already learned this one. Beyoncé. One of her favorite artists. He had determined that the human singer imparted a lot of feminine attitude into her music, if Skye’s interpretations were any indication. Suddenly, an image shimmered into existence. He had seen Sky Tomaganuk, the Yupik elder for whom Skye had been named on the human plane, only a few other times since Skye transitioned. The spirit being who served as an additional guardian for her was usually invisible to everyone but her, so he must have needed to convey something

important. Somehow, Caleb completely understood the look he received from the now-manifested spirit. “Do not worry,” he said calmly. “We will train her to avoid that happening.” With a nod, the spirit again winked out of existence. The singing grew closer. Caleb’s eyes moved to the door as he pushed away from the wall. She finished her song even as she pulled the door open. He braced himself. And still, the sight of her knocked the breath out of him. It always did. Today she wore a bright purple tank top and one of her matching flowing skirts over leggings. In lieu of sandals, she was wearing purple slippers. Her hair was unbound, falling to just below her waist in a cascade of loose curls. She smelled like lavender today, he noted. Her scent changed daily depending upon her mood, something that drove him to distraction. She looked up at him with her brilliant smile and guileless light blue eyes. “Good morning, Caleb,” she said cheerfully. “I hope you slept well.” “You should change,” he responded abruptly, ignoring her greeting. “What?” Her brow wrinkled. “I just got changed!”

“You will be training today. That outfit is hardly appropriate for training.” She stiffened. “I’m training to defend myself, right?” He nodded. “Well, I left off all of my jewelry like you said yesterday. And if I’m attacked by someone, how do you think I’m going to be dressed? Don’t you think I should learn to defend myself in as natural a state as possible?” Now he frowned. She had a point. When she smiled because she knew she had a point, his frown intensified. “You at least need to go and bind your hair,” he persisted. She sniffed and waved a hand in dismissal. “I like to leave it unbound. You know that.” He stepped toward her, his gaze holding hers. “I do know that,” he said, taking another long step in her direction until he was less than a foot from her. “I know you have beautiful hair and that you have some justified vanity about it.” He reached out and stroked some of the scented tresses, noted the widening of her enchanting eyes. His fingers sifted through the heavy weight and watched the effect it had on her. “It heats with fiery color when the sunlight hits it.”

When her lips parted and no words came out, he suddenly changed his hold on her hair, winding the bulk of it around his hand twice in rapid succession. Within a half-second, she was gasping and pressed against him, completely immobile. “Ow—hey!” she cried, trying to wriggle away and failing. When she attempted to put her arms up between them to pry herself away, he merely intensified his hold. “But as lovely as all of this hair is,” he continued as if he didn’t notice her distress, “it can be used as a weapon against you.” He held her just like that, his lips just inches from hers, watching the emotions flash across her features: shock, anger, fear, understanding. And then, when it was just her pressed against him, confusion. And interest. His hold on her released so quickly that she nearly fell. He instinctively reached out to steady her, watching as she lifted a hand to rub the back of her head where he had pinned her. She still seemed very conflicted about what had just happened. “Bind it,” he said roughly, pushing her bedroom door open to prompt her to obey him. The brisk, rude order had the effect he was seeking. She lifted her chin haughtily and flounced into her room,

grasping the door in preparation of slamming it closed. Before she did, she spun, her glorious hair and her lively skirts flaring with the movement. “You only had to say so,” she snapped. Then she slammed the door.

Yes, he thought with a mental sigh as he leaned back against the wall to wait and breathed deeply of her lingering scent. But then I would not have gotten to touch you.

In the center of Gabriel’s impressive home was a large, grassy courtyard. Open to the elements because it had no roof but surrounded on all sides by the high castle walls, it was the ultimate training facility. He had a tremendous array of weapons, though no guns or other modern artillery which did not exist on this plane. There were targets for practicing archery and throwing weapons, straw-filled dummies for swordplay, a raised, roped-off section for physical sparring, a sand pit (for what reason Olivia couldn’t even guess) and a wall of what looked like exercise equipment. She marveled over the rows of graduated weights sitting on two levels of wooden stands. They were all made of smooth, polished stone rather than metal. As she had before their first flying lesson, she stood between Amber and Skye. Their Gloresti stood a few feet

behind them. Ini-herit was off to the side, observing. And in front of them stood the largest Estilorian of them all. Uriel was the Waresti elder. About twenty-five human years in appearance, he wore his dark hair cut short and was dressed in a black tank top with matching pants and boots. The planes of his face could have been lasered out of rock. So could his many muscles, for that matter. Those muscles were liberally decorated with burnt-orange markings similar to Ini-herit’s silver ones. James had told her that the markings formed whenever a Waresti killed a Mercesti in defense of another. Olivia was certain Uriel was at least seven feet tall. She truly thought her head would top out at his breastbone, but she was too nervous to approach him to prove her theory. His odd, burnt-orange eyes scoured over each of them. She struggled not to squirm under his obvious scrutiny. She could all but hear his thoughts. Looking at Amber, who was dressed in a black tank and her favored military-stylelooking khaki pants and black boots, her beautifully toned arms crossed over her chest as if daring someone to approach and her gold eyes gleaming in challenge, he would surely find approval. She was by far the most physically strong and skilled in the ways of combat of the three sisters. After years of karate, kickboxing and other aerobic activities on the human plane—not to mention the continued routines she practiced every evening with Gabriel’s assistance on this plane—Amber was ready to

do battle. Likewise with Skye, he would certainly note the effect that years of dancing had made on the youngest sister’s physique. She exuded grace and balance and had legs that wouldn’t quit. Her gaze was forthright and almost as challenging as Amber’s, if not nearly so knowing and cynical. Sure, she didn’t make quite the physical challenge as Amber, but still. And then there was her, Olivia mused, trying not to wince. Not having done much at all along the way of physical activity on the human plane, she was by far the weakest of all of them. Her pursuits had been dedicated to education and learning. The most exercise she had gotten was walking to school every day. And she hadn’t exactly made a point of trying to adjust that since coming over to this plane, she acknowledged now. Climbing trees and walking through the woods hardly qualified as physical exertion. Still, when Uriel looked at her and said, “This one needs a lot of work,” she thought she would simply die of embarrassment. “Yeah, well, we all need to work on something,” Amber said loyally. “I suck at flying and can’t generate those stupid balls of light.” Skye giggled and added, “Oh—and I drive Caleb nuts

because I can’t focus on anything.” Uriel said in his level voice, “I am not here to teach you about faith or control. I am here to teach you about strength and confidence.” Again, his gaze settled on Olivia. She sighed. “Okay, okay. I know I have a lot to learn. I’m ready and willing to learn it. So instead of singling me out and making me uncomfortable and feeling badly about myself, why don’t we get on with the lesson so that I can get where I need to be?” Raising an eyebrow, he crossed his arms and stared at her. When she simply stared back and then crossed her own arms over her chest, he nodded. “I see we have more confidence here than I thought. Excellent. We can get started.”

It was more fascinating than Olivia thought it would be. Uriel introduced them to every weapon in Gabriel’s arsenal. There were long swords, short swords, daggers and every kind of blade in between. There were throwing stars and darts and similar weapons, and at least four different kinds of bows. There were maces, axes, lances, spears and pikes. She was fully convinced that Gabriel owned every kind of weapon invented before guns. “I thought we were learning about defense,” Skye said as

she tentatively ran her fingertip over the spiked tip of a mace. “Why are we learning about all of these weapons?” “A sound question,” Uriel said with approval in his voice. “Offense and defense are very interrelated. After all, you must know what you are defending yourselves against, do you not?” Seeing their agreement, he added, “You will each need to learn these weapons and their purposes. You will need to become familiar with their weights and balances and the ways each of them work. Only by doing so will you be fully prepared to defend yourselves against them. “But first,” he continued, and stared right at Olivia, “you must grow strong enough to wield them.”

Chapter Eleven “The bo is a deceptively simple weapon,” Uriel intoned as Gabriel stood nearby running through a demonstration routine with the staff weapon. “It can be used to defend as well as to attack…” Olivia blinked in a vain attempt to clear the utter exhaustion from her eyes. She had lost track of how many early mornings she had spent sitting on the grass in Gabriel’s courtyard watching lessons about one type of weapon or another. Although she was the most avid student she knew, after the first couple of weeks of these lessons, she had begun to absolutely hate the first caveperson who had ever picked up a club to use it against someone. How could there possibly be so many weapons and purposes to use them? Would the world never be at peace? Time grew into one long blur. Days flowed ceaselessly into each other. Their lessons ran the gamut through nearly every type and subtype of weapon. She was fairly certain that they had even discussed the aforementioned caveperson’s club the week before. At the conclusion of Uriel’s lesson, they would move into their exercise routines. Uriel had designed regimens

specific to each of the sisters’ abilities, needs and ultimate focuses. They lifted weights, did body sculpting and cardio exercises, and, because Knorbis, the Wymzesti elder, had joined them within days of their arrival at Gabriel’s, engaged in meditative tai chi. Once they were done with that, they learned hand-to-hand combat techniques and then they each practiced with the particular weapon being introduced to them that day. Training for some of the weapons—the ones that they were told many of the Mercesti used—stretched into more than one day. She was depressingly abysmal with nearly all of them. She watched daily as Amber excelled, lifting each new weapon with some kind of innate knowledge about how it worked. Her elder sister seemed to thrive brilliantly off the challenge as she learned the weapons introduced to them. Even Skye, who Olivia lovingly thought of as flighty, managed to hold her own when it came to weapon-play. Sure, the reason for that was Skye’s natural grace and ability to evade, but it was still remarkably better than Olivia’s consistent awkwardness and failure to successfully wield a weapon. Until she finally shot an arrow from her bow. At the conclusion of the Becoming ceremony, each of the girls had been presented with gifts created specifically for each of them by the Estilorian elders. Amber had received a blessed sword, Skye had immediately known how to

command holy light and Olivia had been given a bow and a quiver of arrows. Her first reaction had been disbelief and dismay. Who in the world besides Olympians and hunting enthusiasts really used such a thing? And why would this be the gift given to her, someone who spent her time dedicated to books and learning? When Uriel began the first archery lesson, she had been filled with dread. She was intelligent enough to reason that if she had been given a bow by the elders, she would be expected to use it, much as her sisters had already used their gifts. After her consistent struggles to wield other weapons to that point, she couldn’t help but worry she would disappoint everyone when she used her bow, including herself. To add to her concern, as Uriel had taught them all about the basic properties and uses of a composite bow, her entire body had radiated with pain from the daily weight and exercise routines. No matter how much she told herself to push through it and mirror her sisters in strength and poise, she couldn’t deny that every day was filled with miserable, excruciating physical agony. Even the pain from the attack of the kragen seemed mild now compared to this. How was she possibly going to hold her aching arms steady enough to shoot? Uriel had led them all out to the range at the conclusion of their lesson about the weapon and then their exercise

routines. She had worn her elder-designed bow and quiver of arrows, as she had been instructed to the day before. Amber and Skye had each been given a bow out of Gabriel’s inventory so they could try them out. James had stood behind Olivia for her lesson, as Gabriel and Caleb stood behind Amber and Skye. As she had struggled to ignore her pain and focus on the target many feet away, James had pressed himself against her back. “This weapon is about focus,” he said almost directly into her ear. The feeling of his breath against her neck made her entire body tingle and flush with heat. “Okay,” she whispered, no longer concerned about her pain and thinking solely about his muscular arms, which reached around her and helped her guide the bow into position. “Precision is of the utmost importance in archery,” he continued as he carefully guided her hands and arms into alignment, completely unaware of the effect he was having on her. “You must think only of the target. You can use an arrow to warn, disarm or to kill. Above all others, this weapon most suits you.” And then, she had pushed aside her unexpected and intense physical reaction to him and had considered his words. He was implying that she would have as much control over this weapon as her sisters had over other weapons, something that meant a lot to her. If she

mastered even just this one weapon, she would no longer be completely helpless or feel like a failure. He showed her how to nock an arrow and then stepped back. It had seemed so simple to her. Just lift the bow, line up the arrow and release. What was the big deal? She hit the dead center of the bulls-eye on her first attempt. “Holy cow!” Skye had exclaimed. Olivia realized then that everyone had been watching her. It had both embarrassed her and boosted her confidence to see the approval on everyone’s faces. James had held up a hand so that she could give him a high five, such a human action that it made her laugh. They later discovered that she never missed her target. Although her custom bow was enhanced in its accuracy (only for her, she also learned), she tried her hand at every bow in Gabriel’s arsenal. With absolute consistency, she was able to hit whatever she aimed for. They moved the targets further and further from her to see just how far her accuracy extended. They found that if she could see it, she could hit it. Somehow, she could calculate distance, trajectory and wind shear in a blink. Instinct guided her. She could also shoot with equal skill using either her right or left hand. Uriel was so impressed that he gifted her with a pair of

special bracers for her forearms and a matching leather finger tab. Meant to protect her arms while she was shooting, the bracers were made of thick brown leather and had been ornamented on the outer curves with meticulously-crafted metal medallions. The unique color of the metal—almost white in its luminosity—told her it was the same metal as whatever had been used to forge Amber’s blessed sword. In the center of each medallion were light-green triangular gems that resembled arrowheads. Knorbis explained that the etchings on the medallions represented focus and accuracy. Amber and Skye had each declared that she looked seriously fierce with her new adornments. Olivia didn’t think that she had ever felt so proud of herself. Unfortunately, they couldn’t practice archery forever. Although she was required to spend at least an hour every day focusing on her bow, just as Amber practiced with her sword and Skye worked with Knorbis on controlling her innate energy, they spent most of their time building up their strength, getting as physically fit as possible and learning about weaponry and defending themselves. Now, Olivia struggled not to groan as Uriel concluded his overview of the bo staff and dismissed them to begin their weightlifting routines. Accepting James’ extended hand, she winced as he pulled her to her feet and she felt her muscles twinge.

It was going to be another long day.

As he did every day, James supervised Olivia’s routine at the conclusion of Uriel’s lesson. He noticed her pained expression when he helped her to her feet. It concerned him. Even after all these weeks, he knew her muscles ached almost constantly. This was, of course, because as soon as she was able to lift a certain weight with some semblance of ease, Uriel started her on the next highest weight. James knew that she and her sisters all thought the Waresti elder was a bit masochistic. And he had lent credence to this image when he had forbidden Amber from the start to heal any of them to relieve their pain. He believed it would nullify the effects of their exercise. After the bo lesson, the sisters completed their sets with the weights and moved into their cardio. Today that meant jogging around the courtyard for thirty minutes. Once that and their body sculpting exercises were done, it was time for tai chi with Knorbis. The Wymzesti elder included a highly meditative element to the routine, explaining that the sisters would need to strengthen their internal focus to effectively defend themselves against Mercesti with mental powers. As Skye had learned after the Becoming ceremony when Layla had put her to sleep with one command, they could leave themselves highly vulnerable if they did not learn this particular kind of defense. The

Orculesti, Malukali, would also be teaching them some techniques for this when she was available. At the conclusion of tai chi, the girls had a short break to drink some water and try to cool off a bit. James stood in the middle of the courtyard with Caleb, waiting for them to get rested enough to begin the next activities. Gabriel conversed with Uriel, Ini-herit and Knorbis a few feet away. “They do not smile as much as they once did,” Caleb said in a low voice. James followed his companion’s gaze. The sisters were sitting on the ground in the shade near the wall in various poses of respite. All of their faces were flushed from their recent efforts. Sweat covered them, leaving their skin covered in a sheen. Amber sat propped against the wall with her eyes closed and her arms held loosely at her sides. Skye had her legs folded under her and was bent completely in half, her entire upper body resting against her legs and arms. Olivia was also propped against the wall and was drinking from a cup. When she finished the water and put the cup to the side, he watched her grimace as she tried to stretch the soreness away. “I had not realized…” he responded quietly, then trailed off. He actually had sensed for a while now that something wasn’t quite right, he just hadn’t realized what that “something” was. Now that he thought about it, he was fairly

sure that he hadn’t heard Olivia laugh since she got her first bull’s-eye. The sisters were all working extremely hard. There had been several times when one or the other of them had fallen asleep right at the dinner table. He had carried Olivia to bed at least twice. She no longer rose at dawn, either. She and her sisters all had to be roused each morning to get started. He had taken to bringing her cup of tea to her room in an effort to help get her moving. Now, he realized even that hadn’t generated her usual smile lately. “Let’s get started,” Uriel said, drawing everyone’s attention. Gabriel walked over to the girls and offered a hand up to Amber and Olivia. When he bent toward Skye, she didn’t respond until he touched her shoulder. “I’m up!” she said, jerking straighter and blinking in a way that said she had been asleep. Without complaint, she accepted Gabriel’s hand and eased to her feet. She used the knuckles of her left hand to rub the fatigue from her eyes. Beside James, Caleb frowned. Uriel said, “Amber, you will now train with Gabriel in handto-hand combat. Olivia, you will train with James using swords. Skye, you and Caleb will move to the range to practice throwing weapons. We will rotate in thirty minutes.

Begin.” James walked over to the side of the courtyard where the wooden practice swords were kept. He grabbed one for himself and one for Olivia and then returned to the center of the courtyard. She watched his approach with distinct misery on her lovely face. Her forlorn expression combined with the determined drawing back of her shoulders went straight to his heart. “This does not have to be a painful lesson,” he said as he flipped her practice sword in his hand so he could pass her the hilt. He gave her a half-smile to try and ease the serious lines of her expression. “If you believe that, you haven’t been paying enough attention to my swordplay these past few weeks,” she replied dryly. He waited for her smile to lighten the words, but it never came. Deciding there was nothing he could do about it at that moment, he started their practice session. It didn’t go well. She was unusually sluggish in her responses, allowing him to break through her defenses with alarming regularity. He found himself having to pause more frequently to show her what she was doing wrong, some of which she most certainly already knew. As they neared the end of their thirty

minutes, he disarmed her with a knock to her wrist that would probably bruise and swell. He hadn’t intended it, but she had moved incorrectly, resulting in the violent strike. Even as he dropped his sword and stepped closer to where she now clutched her right wrist against her body, he heard Skye shouting at Caleb. “I know I missed for the twentieth time in a row! I don’t need you bleating in my ear about it, for all holy’s sake!” And then there was the sound of a hand striking flesh from the roped-off fighting ring. Even as James shifted his gaze to the ring, he heard Amber’s cursing. She was on the ground and held a hand to her mouth. “You keep lowering your guard,” Gabriel said, his tone laced with frustration. He leaned down to help her up and she waved him away. “No,” she said. She rolled out from under the ropes and got slowly to her feet. There was blood on her lips from where Gabriel had gotten in an unlucky strike and broken the skin against her teeth. She would need Gabriel’s help to heal herself, but she deliberately turned from him and started walking toward Olivia. “How’s the wrist?” she asked when she got close enough. “Hurts,” Olivia replied in a tight voice. She didn’t argue

when Amber took hold of her right arm and held her hands around her wrist. With a soft glow of gold light, the wrist was healed. “Thanks,” Olivia said. Now she offered a small smile. “You should heal that lip now.” Amber shook her head. “I’ll be fine. Skye?” The youngest sister had paused in her practice to watch them, so she merely nodded and walked into the center of the courtyard to stand with her sisters. Caleb followed. “Look, we need a break,” Amber said, glancing around at all of the males. “We’ve been going nonstop for over a month now. We haven’t had a single chance to recharge our batteries. We’re used to weekends and time off, chances to do fun things like read or play music or just sit and do nothing. I know you’re trying to teach us how to protect ourselves because you’re worried about us.” She caught and held Gabriel’s gaze. “And believe me, we all appreciate it.” Olivia and Skye nodded their agreement. “But right now, we’re taking a couple of hours. Just the three of us. And no offense to any of you, but we don’t want to see or hear,” she tapped the side of her head, indicating her telepathic connection to Gabriel, “from a single one of you in those two hours.”

There was a long silence after she spoke. James glanced at Olivia and saw the light of hope in her eyes. When he glanced at Skye, he noticed she was smiling. How could they say no? “You walk. No flying,” Gabriel responded as he bowed under one of the ropes and stepped out of the ring. “You stay near enough that we can reach you if needed. And you bring Aurora and Tomaganuk with you as added protection.” The sisters all voiced their agreement with this arrangement. This time, when Gabriel reached for Amber, she didn’t resist. “Let’s heal that lip first,” he said, and gently touched his lips to hers to help her generate the healing energy she needed. When they parted, she smiled at him. “Thanks.” Then the three girls turned and hurried out of the courtyard. Skye issued a shout when they were out of sight that sounded like, “Yeehaw!” James wondered how they would fill their two hours. He exchanged looks with Caleb and then noticed that Knorbis was smiling. The Wymzesti elder approached Gabriel.

“It worked,” he said. Gabriel nodded and rubbed his right hand where he had accidently connected with Amber’s mouth. “Took longer than we thought.” “They are all stronger than we thought,” Ini-herit observed as he also walked closer. Seeing the puzzled expressions worn by James and Caleb, Gabriel explained, “We noticed that Olivia and Skye model themselves off Amber’s behavior. They look up to her, and they won’t quit as long as she’s still going. Because she’s the physically strongest of them, Olivia and Skye have consequently pushed themselves to the bounds of their abilities. We’ve been counting on this.” “Amber must assume a position of leadership among her sisters,” Knorbis added. “She is not one who thinks of her own comfort, but we reasoned that she would ultimately note her sisters’ flagging energy. As we hoped, their exhaustion has served as the impetus to push her into that leadership role.” James blinked in surprise as comprehension dawned. Gabriel smiled and then clapped his hands together. “Okay…who wants to go a round in the ring?”

Chapter Twelve “Thank you, Amber!” Skye exclaimed as they walked out the front door of the castle and headed into the forest. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about two hours in all of my life.” Olivia couldn’t help but agree. Not even the first taste of summer vacation compared to the sense of freedom she felt at that moment. Where are you going? Smiling, she glanced to her right and saw Aurora watching them with sleepy eyes from a low-hanging tree branch. I

have no idea. But we’re taking a two-hour break and Gabriel asked you to come. Without hesitation, the cat stretched and leaped gracefully from the tree, landing right beside Olivia. On her other side, Amber and Skye both started. Skye squeaked and Amber cursed. “You could warn us, you know,” Amber glowered at Olivia. She shook her head when Olivia just grinned at her. “You have a real mean streak, Liv.”

She shrugged unapologetically. Her smile widened. There is a nice pool nearby with a waterfall that you might enjoy. Glancing down at the cat, she thought, Do we really smell

that bad? Yes. She laughed. When her sisters asked her what was so funny, she told them about the pool. Amber looked unconvinced, but because her sisters were quite enthusiastic about the prospect, she didn’t argue. It turned out to be a spectacular sight. The waterfall was the result of a large, dark-gray outcropping, at the top of which was a fresh water spring. The falls were wider than they were high, so the water cascading down wasn’t flowing in a wild and dangerous gush. It spilled into a clear, deep pool with smooth rocks and sand on the bottom. Behind the waterfall was a shadowed and hidden cave. The girls found it while they were exploring. “I’m going swimming,” Skye declared as she kicked off her shoes. “I feel like a well-used Kleenex right now. Totally gross.” “Me, too,” Olivia agreed. She started to unbind her hair. “Come on, Amber.”

Their older sister eyed the waterfall warily. “I don’t know how to swim,” she admitted. Skye gaped at her as she pulled pins out of her hair. “Well, we’ll have to teach you then.” “Skye’s right,” Olivia said. “You’ve said yourself you’re not that great at flying. What if something happens and you end up in the ocean or something? Won’t you want to know you can at least float yourself to safety?” That was enough to convince Amber. She nodded resolutely. “Awesome.” Olivia and Skye exchanged a high five. “Let’s go!”

Gabriel knew his wife very well. He knew, for example, that she had every intention of honoring the two-hour timeframe they had been granted. But he also knew that she had never lived by a watch, and this first bit of freedom after so many weeks would likely be heady enough to keep any of the sisters from realizing how much time had passed. And so, with fifteen minutes left on their break, he set out with James and Caleb to hunt the girls down. He thought again as they entered the forest how very proud

he was of Amber. She had never been the type who wanted to stand out—certainly not to lead. When given the choice, she had always opted to blend into the background and do as directed, as long as she felt like it. And she had lacked faith in herself and her abilities. Such was not the case any longer. Over these past few weeks, he had watched her blossom into an inspiring and capable leader. She had learned to identify her limits and then find ways to extend herself beyond them. Even as she worked herself into an exhausted stupor every day, she monitored her sisters’ progress and discussed their routines every evening with Uriel without them knowing about it to preserve their pride. Her input as a female and a half-human had been invaluable in determining the best approaches to take with them. Although she didn’t talk about it, he knew she was aware of the responsibility she was going to have to shoulder as the eldest sister. Her actions today told him she was finally ready to accept that. “I hear them,” James said a couple of minutes later. Gabriel heard them, as well. Their laughter made him smile. He had missed that sound very much. “It sounds like they’re having fun. We may have trouble dragging them back.” He prepared himself for their complaints as they reached a break in the trees. Then he stumbled to a halt, his mind completely blanking. Beside him on either side, James and

Caleb did the same. After what felt like a long, frozen moment, Gabriel got enough of his senses back to turn and put a hand on a shoulder of each of the males beside him. With a good deal of force, he pushed them back into the woods and out of sight of the pool. As stunned as he was, he had to admit that he would have given a lot of money right then to have a camera. Their expressions were priceless. “Wait back here.” Without waiting for their agreement, as they would never deliberately disobey a direct order, Gabriel went back to the break in the trees. He once again looked at the pool and confirmed that his eyes had not been deceiving him. The three sisters were all swimming without a stitch of clothing on. The waterfall disturbed the water’s surface enough that he couldn’t really see anything clearly beneath the surface, and Olivia and Skye both had long enough hair that it practically covered them. Still, there was more than enough skin visible to provide enough fodder to fill a guy’s dreams for years to come. At least Aurora and Skye’s spirit guardian were nearby, as he had ordered.

Have you lost your mind? he thought toward Amber. As she was presently trying to tread water while the waterfall beat down on her shoulders, she shook her head to clear the water from her vision and caught his gaze across the distance. “Oops,” she said. “Looks like we’d better go and get dressed, gals. I think our time is up.” Olivia and Skye followed her gaze and spotted Gabriel. They both made a comical attempt to duck further into the water in a show of modesty, but their laughter echoed off the rock face. Amber disappeared behind the waterfall, followed within seconds by her sisters. We need to chat. Please send Olivia and Skye out here when they’re dressed. Then I’m coming back there. Yes, dear. He did laugh then. Shaking his head, he turned and walked back to James and Caleb. “Olivia and Skye will be here momentarily. Please take them back to the house. I want to have a conversation with Amber before we join you.” They nodded briefly. He walked back to the pool and kept walking when he saw Olivia and Skye emerge from behind the waterfall. Their clothing clung to their skin in big, wet patches because they didn’t have anything to dry

themselves with. They were each twisting their hair as best they could to wring it dry as they walked. “It was my idea to go swimming,” Skye blurted when they were closer. She looked a bit worried. Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “And I convinced Amber we should teach her how to swim,” Olivia added. “In case she crashes while she’s flying and lands in the water.” “I see. And whose idea was it to swim naked?” Oh, let them go, for heaven’s sake. You can lecture me without further embarrassing them. He sighed. “Never mind. Please go straight back into the woods. You’ll see James and Caleb waiting for you.” “James is here? And Caleb?” Olivia asked. She and Skye exchanged wide-eyed looks. “Yes. They’re waiting for you.” The girls moved on without another word. He knew they would be wondering whether their Gloresti had seen them in the water. With that thought in mind, he frowned and ducked under the waterfall.

Amber sat on a large rock, her hair dripping all over her skin. The navy blue tank top she wore was nearly soaked through. It clung to her like a second skin. “I know, I know,” she said, getting to her feet and walking toward him. “We shouldn’t have been swimming without our clothes on. It was indecent and your fellow Gloresti got an eyeful. But I’ll have you know that we were actually about two minutes from getting out of the water and putting our dry clothes back on. If you had just trusted us to come back from our break on time, this wouldn’t have even been an issue.” He opened his mouth and started to argue, but realized she had a point. So he sighed instead. “I see.” He reached out and pulled her closer. “I apologize.” “For what?” “For making you very, very late returning from your break,” he said, just before he leaned down and captured her surprised mouth in a kiss.

From that moment, they included a one-hour break for the girls every day, and took most of one day off each week. This change made their training go much more smoothly. Olivia and Skye seemed to benefit the most from the adjustment. Their focus and agility improved remarkably.

They were obviously more alert and receptive to their lessons. Amber continued to excel at her training, as well. But her energy level didn’t respond nearly as dramatically as her sisters’. She continued to fall into an exhausted slumber immediately following dinner and had to be prodded awake every morning. The elders reasoned that she was expending the most energy and building the most muscle, so she likely drained herself more completely than her sisters every day. “What’s for breakfast?” Amber asked groggily as she shuffled into the family room. It was the morning of a day they were scheduled to take most of the day off. The girls would each practice with their primary weapons, but would otherwise be free to do what they wanted. Olivia looked up from the book she was reading. They had all collected in the family room and she was curled up in a large chair. Gabriel, it turned out, had an extensive library, and she had raided it. James sat across from her in a second chair, also holding a book. Everyone else was gathered around a small table playing cards. “Uh, well,” Skye said, “first off, it’s almost noon. And second, we ate yesterday. Don’t you remember the huge dinner buffet?”

Amber frowned. She looked truly perplexed. When she reached up and started twisting a lock of hair around her finger as she considered this, Gabriel laid his cards down and walked over to her. “Do you feel okay?” he asked, pressing a hand to her forehead. She swatted at him. “I’m fine. Just hungry. I feel like I haven’t eaten in a week.” Ini-herit, Knorbis and Uriel exchanged looks. Gabriel was so focused on Amber that he missed their shared thought. Olivia tilted her head in consideration. “You’ve been pressing yourself too hard,” he guessed. “Your body can’t keep up. I’ll bet you’re metabolizing your food more quickly than you used to.” She glanced at Olivia and Skye. “Are either of you hungry?” They shook their heads. Sighing, she walked over to the couch and flopped down. “I’ve been feeling hungry every day, even when we eat,” she admitted. “I just ignored it before, but now, I’m starving!” “You are with child,” Ini-herit said. If ever there was a more silent room of beings after an

announcement, Olivia thought they would have been dead. Then Amber snorted. “That’s not possible.” “Why not?” Knorbis asked curiously. “You have both human and Estilorian blood. Gabriel has the same reproductive organs as a human male, and your DNA has a fifty-percent chance of being compatible with his.” “Because I haven’t…” she trailed off and blushed furiously as everyone stared at her. Sighing, she finished, “I haven’t had my, um, cycle since I got to this plane.” Olivia and Skye exchanged a look. “Yes, you have,” Olivia said. Amber stared at her. “Huh?” “While you were unconscious, after the attack.” When she saw Amber’s eyes widen and further embarrassment flooded her expression, she hastily continued, “Skye and I took care of you.” “Well, geez,” Amber muttered. “You two get Nurses of the Year awards or something.” “So you did menstruate,” Ini-herit pointed out. “Before you were married and having sex with Gabriel.” “Okay, okay,” Gabriel said, rolling his eyes over the other

elder’s bluntness. His face flushed with color. “Good Lord.” “But…that was more than two months ago,” Amber said weakly. Olivia thought her sister looked terribly pale. Ini-herit got to his feet. “It is an easy enough question to answer,” he said. When he approached the couch and looked down at Amber, she raised her eyebrows. Then, understanding, she nodded. “Fine. Do your thing.” “I need to touch your abdomen.” Sighing, she got to her feet. Since she was still wearing her pajama tank and pants, she lifted the top enough to bare her midriff. Ini-herit reached out and placed his hands on the lowest part of her belly, over her womb. Everyone held their breath. After a moment, the expressionless Ini-herit reached beside him and grabbed Gabriel’s hand even as he left one hand on Amber’s waist. His silver eyes flashed as if conveying a thought. Olivia watched Gabriel’s reaction. Puzzlement, then realization washed over his handsome face. And then, raw emotion. His eyes caught Amber’s and grew suspiciously moist. “Oh my God,” he said hoarsely. “I hear its heartbeat.”

Skye gasped and held her hands to her face. Olivia sat up straighter and brought a hand to her chest, her book forgotten. When Amber sank back down to the couch in disbelief, Gabriel fell to his knees beside her. He pulled her against him and buried his face against her neck. “Amber, we’re having a baby.”

Chapter Thirteen Ryce paced in front of the wall of windows in Grolkinei’s home meeting room. One of those beautiful panes of glass had been replaced several months before when the Mercesti leader had thrown a chair through it. The reason for that particular tantrum had been due in part to Ryce’s failure to complete a mission. Sure, he hadn’t been the only one who failed. His fellow commanders, Angius and the mentally-gifted Layla, had all been sent to the Becoming ceremony to acquire one of Saraqael’s daughters. Grolkinei didn’t have to rage to remind any of them how they had been defeated by three half-human girls who had only just acquired their powers. Angius still bled freely from the cuts he received by the unusually skilled daughter, Amber. Her sword had been blessed, which meant he would never heal. Ryce bore his own scars from where the white panther controlled by the daughter named Olivia had taken a swipe at his leg. He thought of Olivia whenever he saw the scar. In fact, he thought of her more often than that. She had even invaded his dreams. He couldn’t seem to stop obsessing about their brief

encounter. She had run into the chamber after Kanika. It had been ridiculously easy for him to grab her and drag her outside of the circle of holy light cast by the third sister. He remembered very well the feel of her soft body pressed against his, remembered how she trembled in her fear. He could easily bring to mind the scent of her hair and the brilliant green of her eyes. He also remembered the surprisingly calm voice she used when she explained that she controlled the huge white cat with her mind. It was because he hadn’t believed her that he was now scarred. That was also the reason his knife had sunk deeper into her neck than he had wanted, and why instead of bringing the half-human back to Grolkinei he had been forced to dump her body and flee. “Quit your pacing,” Angius grumbled from one of the chairs surrounding the long, wood table in the center of the room. “You have given me a headache.” Ryce flicked a dark glance to the other commander, curling a lip in response. “We all want to know what the former Orculesti has to say,” Cesaro said from his seat. The light of the sunset streaming in through the windows turned the slight man’s short, white hair pink. Ryce could simply not take anyone with pink hair seriously, especially when he was as puny as Cesaro.

“I could not care less what she has to say,” Layla argued stubbornly. The words were at least five more than she had uttered in weeks. Ryce couldn’t blame her bitterness. Her once lovely features were now nearly as disfigured as Angius’ thanks to a blast of holy light thrown at her by Saraqael’s third daughter. She had even lost a patch of her light blonde hair, giving her forehead an uneven appearance. He knew for a fact that Grolkinei had taken Kanika as his mate. Whether that meant his leader had discarded Layla in that regard was something Ryce didn’t care enough to know. “You do not care whether the daughters of Saraqael live?” Cesaro clucked his tongue. “We all know that they are the best possibility we have ever had to cross the planes. If they have maintained the knowledge of transitioning, they can tell us how to do it.” “Yes, yes,” Layla waved a hand impatiently. “My desire to get my hands on those half-humans does not mean that I want to sit here and listen to that—” “Layla, my lovely,” Grolkinei interrupted, opening the door to the room and stepping in ahead of Kanika. “Surely you mean to welcome Kanika to our council.” Not giving an inch, Layla lifted her chin and said nothing.

Kanika looked around the room, her red eyes taking in the spectacular view of the lake and gardens through the windows. Her dark hair gleamed in the fading sunlight. She wore a black dress that cut into a deep V in the front and bared her back and shoulders. It clung to her curvy figure and ended just above her knees. The gold and onyx jewelry she wore had been a gift from Grolkinei. Ryce had been in the forge overseeing the creation of weapons when their leader had ordered it made. “Layla,” Kanika said, walking over to the other female. “I do not wish to usurp your authority on this council. In fact, I want nothing to do with this council whatsoever.” Her gaze swept the room. When Grolkinei indicated that everyone sit down, she did so. Then she continued, “I understand now that I have made my bed, and I must lie in it, however foolish that makes me. I brought two things with me from my former self: my gift of reading thoughts and my…feelings for Gabriel. Most of my other memories about the lives of the other classes are lost to me, just as yours were lost to each of you when you became Mercesti.” “Now, now,” Grolkinei said, leaning back in his chair. “All of that is understandable. Now, would you care to share your news with the rest of the council? They have been waiting quite some time for you to finally join us.” She once again looked around the room. “I have spent as

much time as possible opening my mind to the thoughts of other Estilorians. I seem to have the ability now to focus in on thoughts regarding Gabriel. It appears my obsession will aid your cause.” Ryce found himself leaning forward. She looked right at him. “I have discovered that the daughters of Saraqael are even now training at Gabriel’s home.” When there was a collective indrawn breath across the room, she spoke again. “They are all three still alive.”

The discovery of Amber’s pregnancy led to careful consideration by Uriel, Ini-herit and Gabriel in regards to her training. They wanted to curb her activity, reduce the amount of weight she was lifting and make other, similar changes. Amber argued that she had been doing fine for the two months she had been training before she learned of the pregnancy, and they shouldn’t treat her like an invalid. In the end, they compromised. Amber agreed that she wouldn’t push herself as hard and would give herself more time to rest. Everyone else agreed to continue assisting her in her training just as they had been. Now, though, James was facing off with her in hand-to-hand

combat. He couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that she had a new life growing inside her. Olivia had explained to him a bit about what pregnant human females went through. He knew enough of the basics from studying animals, as well. The idea that her belly would swell and grow round, that a life-form would be inside her, writhing around as it grew…well, in Olivia’s words, it completely blew his mind. “Quit staring at my stomach,” Amber ordered as she moved slowly to her right looking for an opening. “The baby isn’t going to appear any time soon.” Embarrassed and caught off-guard, he almost took a hit when she whirled and lifted her foot in a high kick. Fortunately, she pulled back in time. But her point had been made. “I apologize,” he replied. She stopped moving and put her hands on her hips. They were alone, the others in their various forums conducting their own training exercises. Sighing, she stepped forward and patted him on the arm. The action surprised him. She rarely touched anyone besides Gabriel unless it was part of her training. “Look, James, I know I’m going to be seen as some freakish oddity by almost everyone on this plane,” she said, her golden eyes somber. “I also know that you guys moved

the timeframe up to bring the three of us out into Estilorian society so that I won’t be showing and we can keep it a secret as long as possible. You had wanted to wait until we were all fully prepared for any eventuality, and now that isn’t going to happen.” What she said was nothing less than the truth. He nodded. “So that means that we all need to use the little time we have left as effectively as possible,” she continued. “I need your help to train me so that I can protect myself.” And then she smiled and patted her stomach. “And this little guy.” His eyes widened. He hadn’t thought of it quite like that. “Gabriel is very protective,” she said, her smile fading into concern. “He doesn’t want to believe that I’ll be ostracized or feared because of the pregnancy. But you and I both know that the world is full of all kinds of people. I’m no idiot. I know what challenges I might face. But if I know that I have the support of my family, it won’t matter. Do you understand?” Again, he nodded, an unfamiliar emotion clutching him around the chest. And he did understand, perfectly. She was calling him family.

“Okay,” Gabriel said a few days later. “We’ll be leaving in less than a week. We’ve all been focusing on our meditation more intensely than our physical exercises these past few days so that we can effectively keep our thoughts from the Orculesti, and thus, everyone else on this plane. Knorbis feels that we’re all in good shape there.” When Gabriel glanced at the Wymzesti, who stood to the side with Ini-herit and Uriel, he nodded. Then Knorbis gave Skye a knowing glance. The youngest sister had proven the most difficult for him to train. She gave him a thumb’s up and grinned. “Today, we’re going head-to-head,” Gabriel continued. “You ladies against me, James and Caleb. Weapons are optional. Wings are forbidden. The goal is for one of you to capture the flag, which we’ll be defending.” He pointed to a white towel tied to a high post at the far end of the courtyard. “You have ten minutes to get past us. Losers get dish duty until we leave,” he said, a twinkle in his blue-gray eyes. “And winners, of course, get full bragging rights.” Olivia exchanged looks with Amber and Skye. They had strategized the evening before. The key was in keeping the guys from taking advantage of their weaknesses. It had been Olivia’s idea to pair off with a Gloresti who wasn’t

their assigned one. She figured that Gabriel would instinctively try to cover Amber, James would try to cover her and Caleb would focus on Skye. Their biggest chance lay in keeping the guys a little off their stride. “Okay,” Gabriel said. “Come and get it.” Much as Olivia had predicted, James set his sights on her. So, as she and her sisters had planned, she turned and rushed toward Caleb. Amber took her place in front of James. Skye did a series of flips that brought her closer to Gabriel. Olivia wasn’t sure what to think about the smile that flashed across the usually implacable Caleb’s face when she hurried over in his direction. But she had to admit that she was more than a little intimidated by his display of knucklecracking. Her mind whirled as she considered her possibilities. Attempting to take Caleb on in hand-to-hand combat would have been laughable. He was nearly Gabriel’s rival in that form of defense. Likewise, he was quite skilled with throwing weapons. His weakest ability had to be with staff weapons, if she had to pick. Unfortunately, she hadn’t proven much more skilled with them than he was. However, if she could engage him in a contest, she could open the path for one of her sisters to possibly capture the flag while he was distracted. With that thought in mind, she ran over to the weapons rack.

Amber and James faced off. Amber knew Gabriel was keeping an eye on her, something she hoped would work to their benefit. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Olivia hurry over to the weapons rack and grab a bo. Caleb wisely grabbed a second one of the weapons to defend himself. Turning her full attention back to James, Amber bounced a couple of times on her toes, her body positioned in a typical offensive karate stance. He assumed a similar position, prepared to defend. Testing his defenses, she swung out toward his chest, met his forearm where it swept down to block her. Had she been on the receiving end of her strike, she wouldn’t have just deflected the blow, she would have used one hand to deflect it while lashing back out with her other hand to strike her attacker. But the blow would have hit her opponent in the midsection. She knew immediately why he hadn’t taken the shot. Exploiting his consideration of her condition to win this contest wasn’t an option. She circled, moving deliberately away from Gabriel. James kicked. She ducked. She considered rolling closer to the flag. Dismissed the option when she saw his eyes flash to the spot she was considering rolling to. Lashed out with her fist followed closely by a kick. They circled and evaluated. Skye kept her attention centered on Gabriel. She tried very much not to think about just how powerful he was. Although

he kept his power carefully at bay, she had seen him physically shove someone with a thought when he was angered. After all, he was a couple thousand years old for all his youthful appearance, among the most powerful Estilorians on the entire plane. He was too much of a gentleman to use that power in a contest like this, of course. But the knowledge was certainly an effective mental block. So, as she usually did when she was nervous, she started babbling. “Gosh. I still don’t know how I got here. A few months ago, I was on the dancing circuit around the Kodiak Peninsula. And now look at me…facing off with my brotherin-law on a whole other plane.” He grinned. She looked around as she thought aloud. “I suppose if I just made a run for the flag, you’d grab me. I’m not strong enough to get away from you. The weapons are on the other side of the courtyard and Olivia and Caleb are already going that route.” “Five minutes have elapsed,” Ini-herit said from the sidelines. “Golly,” Skye said. Her eyes moved over to the flag. She started taking a few steps backwards, away from Gabriel. He watched her carefully, but made no move to advance.

Beside them, Amber and James continued their hand-tohand battle. Amber managed to maneuver closer to Olivia and Caleb, where they faced off with their bos. The weapons made a distinct clack when they connected again and again. Realizing her sister was tiring, Amber waved at her. “Liv!” Taking the hint, Olivia tossed the bo to Amber. Even as she threw it, she dove to the side. Caleb would have stopped her with his bo, but Amber quickly hurried into place and stopped him instead with a defensive block. When James tried to get around Amber to go after Olivia, she shifted to use her bo against him, too. Olivia started to go right toward the flag, but saw Gabriel shift slightly in her direction. She also realized James wouldn’t let Amber’s bo stop him for long, especially with Caleb there to occupy her focus. In the next heartbeat of time, she turned and hurried back to the weapons rack. Moving quickly, she grabbed her bow and arrows. Amber watched Olivia and realized immediately what she intended to do. When Olivia glanced at her, she looked briefly at the far wall, near Skye and Gabriel. Olivia nodded. Amber had to move quickly with the bo to buy her sister another few valuable seconds.

“I just love to watch Amber in action,” Skye was saying to Gabriel. She moved constantly, drawing attention by shifting from foot to foot and taking a few graceful strides from one direction to another, almost as if dancing. She didn’t make any overt moves toward the flag. Indeed, she did a pirouette, her right arm above her head like a ballerina. “She’s going to make sure your son or daughter is a little warrior.” The words had their effect. Gabriel blinked, obviously distracted, as he processed the idea of his son or daughter, much as she had intended. Just long enough for Olivia to nock her arrow and let it fly. James managed to get past Amber’s bo, but not before Olivia shot her arrow. Across the courtyard, Skye threw a ball of light at Gabriel, who had to shield his eyes. The instant she did that, the arrow landed in the wall less than a foot from her. Skye easily reached over and grabbed the flag, which Olivia had snagged with the arrow. “Woohoo!” Olivia cried, setting her bow down and running toward Skye. Amber grinned and did the same. She met her sisters in the middle of the courtyard. When they threw their arms around her in celebration, she didn’t fight them off. “We did it!” Skye giggled.

“Good job, ladies,” Gabriel said, reaching over and hooking an arm around Skye’s shoulders even as she clung to her sisters. “I’m very proud of you.” “Excellent shot,” Caleb said, propping his elbow on Olivia’s shoulder. “You are a true team,” James added. He tapped his fist to Amber’s. “We’re all a team,” Skye corrected. She held her hand out, palm down. “We’ll work together…support each other.” Olivia understood. She laid her hand on top of Skye’s. “Encourage each other.” Amber nodded and placed her hand on top of theirs. “Love each other.” “Believe in each other,” Gabriel said, laying his hand on top of Amber’s. “Challenge each other,” James contributed, adding his hand to the pile. “And protect each other,” Caleb finished, putting his hand on top. The resulting explosion of power knocked everyone in the

courtyard off their feet.

PART II: Integration Excerpts from the Great Foretelling: “Through her and her sisters, our minds and our hearts

will ultimately be opened.”

“If he denies what he feels, he will fail the greatest test set

before him.”

Chapter Fourteen James heard someone calling his name, but he couldn’t make himself respond. His body was a strange blend of numbness and incessant tingling. Hot pain seared across the inside of his right wrist and then faded. Everything was gray. He felt like he was floating. Then he heard someone urgently speaking Olivia’s name. His Gloresti power surged. “Olivia,” he said suddenly, his eyes flying open. He was on his feet in a fraction of a second. His gaze absorbed everything in as little time as it took to get to his feet. The three sisters were all on the ground, not moving. Gabriel and Caleb were just getting to their feet, their eyes glowing dark blue. The elders all knelt beside the girls, obviously trying to rouse them. Skye’s spirit guardian hovered over her still form. What just happened? Is she breathing? He blinked in surprise when he heard Caleb’s and Gabriel’s thoughts directly in his mind. Then he dismissed it

as unimportant right at that moment and fell to the ground beside Olivia. “How long has she been this way?” he asked, trying to get closer to her. Uriel was leaning over her, checking her pulse. James couldn’t see her face.

How long did I leave her unprotected? he couldn’t stop from thinking. When Gabriel and Caleb both turned to look at him from their positions beside Amber and Skye, he understood that he had inadvertently conveyed the thought to them.

What did we do? he thought as he looked from one of them to the other. Gabriel shook his head as he lifted Amber’s upper body so she was supported by him. I don’t—whoa…her hair! James and Caleb instinctively glanced down at Olivia and Skye. Now that Uriel had sat back, James realized what Gabriel meant. A streak of Olivia’s hair, about an inch wide, was now a startling shade of green on the right side of her head. It started from her scalp and appeared to go all the way to the ends, but because her hair was bound it was impossible to tell. When he looked in Skye’s direction, he saw an identical streak in her hair, but light blue. Although he couldn’t see Amber’s head from his angle, he imagined

she had a similar gold streak in her hair. Gabriel leaned down and pressed his lips to Amber’s even as the thought about her hair registered. It obviously worked, stimulating Amber’s self-healing. Within a moment, her eyes opened and she jerked in surprise. “What happened?” she asked immediately, looking around. “We don’t know,” Gabriel said, not resisting when she pulled away and crawled over to Olivia, who was closest. Uriel moved further back when Amber got beside her sister. She didn’t comment on Olivia’s hair, though her eyes rested on the anomaly for a notable moment. Instead, she just rested her hands on either side of Olivia’s face. Only seconds passed before Olivia’s eyes opened and she blinked in awareness. James almost sighed with relief. “You’ll live,” Amber said, giving Olivia another brief pat on the cheek before crawling over to Skye to repeat the procedure. This time, when she saw her sister’s hair, she spoke. “I’m assuming I have this rather odd coloring in my hair now, too?” “Yes,” said all of the males around her. She nodded, then touched Skye, whose eyes flickered and then opened. Her spirit guardian winked out of sight.

“Holy cow,” Skye said, sitting up and holding her head with her right hand. Her eyes touched on Amber’s hair, then flickered over to Olivia. “Holy cow!” she repeated, louder this time. Then she looked at the inside of her right wrist, resting almost directly in front of her eyes. “Holy mother of all cows!” Amber took hold of Skye’s hand and turned her wrist so she could see it. As she did so, she glanced at something on her own wrist. Caleb, who was watching them, turned his right wrist over.

Look, he thought. Hearing him, James and Gabriel looked at the insides of their right wrists. Olivia quickly did the same. They hurried to their feet and walked toward each other, holding their right wrists up so that the others could see. Iniherit, Uriel and Knorbis followed them, looking on in deep curiosity. Each of them now bore a mark about an inch in diameter. It was a triquetra, an infinity knot with three pointed and overlapping rings. One of the rings was gold, the other light green and the third light blue. Amber’s and Gabriel’s marks were positioned so that the pointed tip of the gold ring pointed down their arms, toward their hearts. James’ and Olivia’s marks had the green ring pointing down and

Caleb’s and Skye’s had the blue ring aimed downwards. “Holy cow,” they all said at the same time.

Ini-herit did his form of an exam to assure Gabriel and Amber that their baby had suffered no ill effects from the unexpected display of power. “But you never know if he or she might not come out with weirdly colored hair or covered in tattoos,” Skye had pointed out cheerfully. Once they determined they were all okay, they went inside and showered and changed, taking time to collect their thoughts before meeting again. Now, they were all sitting at the long table in the dining room, the easiest place for everyone to congregate. The only person eating was Amber, who had a plate of fruit and cheese in front of her. Olivia shifted in her seat, the skirts of her dusky-pink sundress flowing over the chair’s legs. She kept running the thumb of her left hand over the new symbol on her right wrist. What did this mean? Ini-herit sat at the head of the table. He spoke first. “I believe that these symbols have formed as a result of the Gloresti-Corgloresti pairing.” When everyone stared at him, he pointed at his own silver tattoos. They lined the

undersides and backsides of his arms. “When a Corgloresti pairs with a Gloresti, they exchange a permanent symbol marking them as paired. You, Gabriel, once had as many such markings as I do. They did not remain on your Estilorian form when you returned to this plane.” Gabriel nodded. “I’d forgotten about that,” he admitted. Olivia glanced at James. He didn’t have any such markings. But then, he had already told her that she was his first pairing. She guessed the same was true for Caleb since he was also a young Gloresti. “I believe that this was a delayed marking,” Knorbis agreed. “Each of your pairings was done in nontraditional ways. Gabriel, you were paired with Ini-herit, but rather than you remaining here to watch over his form, your roles were reversed.” “Still, the usual marks were made before you crossed planes,” Ini-herit said. “But you did not retain yours.” Knorbis nodded. “And with each of you girls, there was no time to assign your Gloresti until after you had been sent to the human plane, and you were too young to pair, anyway, meaning no marks were made.” “The formation of the marks involves an exchange of vows, much like the marks shared by Amber and Gabriel,” Ini-herit

continued, referring to the mark on Gabriel’s bicep and the coordinating gold and blue-gray markings Amber now had around her eyes and on her right shoulder blade. “Unlike their vows based on love, however, the vows between a Gloresti and Corgloresti are the ultimate commitment to another being’s life: absolute protection and guardianship. I believe that since the girls are half-Corgloresti, the vows you all exchanged in the courtyard served to bind you together.” There was a long silence. Eventually, Skye cleared her throat. “Um, well, I guess this is my fault then.” She ducked her head sheepishly. “I’m sorry.” Gabriel was sitting next to her. He reached over and ruffled her hair. “Just because you started it didn’t make any of us mean it less. It wouldn’t have resulted in all of this if we didn’t all mean it.” There were nods around the table. Skye smiled and caught Gabriel’s gaze. “Thanks.” “Any idea why our hair freaked out?” Amber asked before she took a bite of a strawberry. She also had her hair down. The gold streak fell over her right shoulder. “None,” Ini-herit admitted in his level tone. “This does not usually happen with Corgloresti females.” “Groovy,” she said.

Olivia grinned. I like the streak, actually, she thought. “Yeah. It’s kind of punky,” Skye said out loud. “Like Rogue from the X-Men.” Raising her eyebrows, Olivia thought, Did you just hear

me? Amber looked between the two of them. “Oh,” she said. Then she looked at Gabriel. He nodded. “It seems this exchange of marks and vows— or whatever—resulted in shared thought, as well.” Knorbis looked intrigued. “Can you all hear each other?” They spent some time experimenting. In the end, they discovered that the sisters could hear each other, and Gabriel, James and Caleb could hear each other. Amber and Gabriel could, of course, still hear each other’s thoughts. They did have to focus a thought to be heard, which was a blessing. No one wanted their every stray thought heard by someone else. “But I heard more of James and Caleb when we first regained consciousness,” Gabriel said. “Now I can’t hear them unless they focus the thought.” Ini-herit responded, “I suspect that you could hear each

other so clearly because your Gloresti power was at a peak.” Gabriel nodded in apparent agreement. “We must spend some time learning how to control all of these thoughts,” Knorbis said. “We cannot immediately know what impact this might have on each of you.” “I, on the other hand,” Uriel said, “intend to go ahead. Your training has advanced as far as it can at this time. A few more days will not matter, and I can meet with my commander to review the security arrangements before you arrive.” Olivia suddenly had a vision of the Secret Service motorcade escorting the President of the United States and wondered why she and her sisters warranted so much effort. When Skye and Amber snorted with laughter, she realized she had thought rather “loudly.” Color flooded her face. It was a very good thing they were getting some extra training on controlling their thoughts, she mused.

“Please tell me more about Estilorian Central,” Olivia urged James a few days later.

They would leave Gabriel and Amber’s home the following day. James was escorting her on an evening walk after their dinner. He held his hands casually behind his back as they walked, the muscles exposed by his ivory tank top pulling taut with the action. She had gained a new appreciation for his physique these past weeks. Watching him wield a sword was beyond inspiring. It just about made her jaw hang open. She knew that he, Caleb and Gabriel did their own exercise routines with the other elders every evening after the girls went to sleep. It explained to her how they all remained so fit. She and James hadn’t had much time alone together while they were at Gabriel’s. With her and her sisters getting launched into their training from sunup to sundown for the first month and then nearly all of their time spent with the whole group these past weeks, they hadn’t really been alone. Olivia hadn’t realized just how much she missed this one-on-one time with him. “What is it you would like to know?” he asked. She thought about that. “Estilorian Central” wasn’t the real name for the place where the majority of Estilorians lived. But as it didn’t have an official name (Estilorians just called it “home”), Olivia had dubbed it such. Her sisters had picked up on the name and started using it themselves. “Central” for short.

The girls had already been told a bit about the place where they would be going. It sounded almost like a commune. Each of the different classes had its own homeland, but they also congregated periodically at a central hub that sounded to her like some kind of Estilorian multi-plex. It had arenas and stadiums, ballrooms, a library, a meeting chamber kind of like a senate, outdoor areas for training or leisure and even an assortment of hospitality spaces, kind of like a hotel. Apparently, there would be rooms prepared for each of them at this location. “Well,” she said finally, “how long can we stay in the rooms we’re going to be getting?” “As long as we wish,” he replied. “And it doesn’t cost us anything?” He looked at her. “We do not use money here. You know that.” “Yes, but there are other ways to pay for things. Barter, for example.” “Ah.” He considered this. “You do not feel comfortable receiving something for nothing.” “Of course not,” she responded. In fact, that was the biggest issue she had so far with this

new existence. She had been given multitudes of things, from a roof over her head and clothes to wear to food to eat and a bed to sleep in. But she hadn’t contributed a single thing to earn it. He nodded. “This aspect of Estilorian life is different from what you have described about the human plane. We do not have to work to earn income, and we do not place particular value on material things. We have a reciprocal society. Everyone has a specific role, and because they chose the form they took on this plane upon entering it, they are content with it.” She frowned. “Well, that’s all fine and good from one Estilorian to another. But what roles are Amber, Skye and I supposed to fill to make ourselves worth all of this?” Now he stopped, causing her to do the same. He turned to face her. When she just stared up at him, he reached out to touch the side of her face, allowing his hand to rest where it cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing her bottom lip. The heat of his touch made her blood sing. The heat in his dark blue eyes, on the other hand, turned her body and her mind instantly to mush. “You do not believe you and your sisters have a role to fulfill on this plane? One that would make any one of us feel honored to do whatever we can for you?”

She shook her head, unable to look away from his intent gaze. “Olivia, since you entered this plane just a few short months ago, you and your sisters have taught those of us in your proximity how to feel…how to truly express ourselves. We have experienced things that no Estilorian ever thought possible. Friendship. Laughter. Family. And on top of those miraculous things, you each have the ability to carry new life inside you.” Unable to think of a thing to say—indeed, not believing words could get around the knot in her throat—she swallowed hard. And when he smiled, she felt her heart roll over in her chest. “Olivia, you said it once before, at the Becoming ceremony. You bring us hope.”

Chapter Fifteen The trip to Central took them three days. They stopped at Knorbis’ home on the first evening. He lived in a Mediterranean-style villa that looked like something out of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. It sprawled in glorious splendor along the coast, a pleasing arrangement of whitewashed walls and flat ceilings. Because the weather remained temperate year round, there was no glass in the windows. The amazing water view from the back terrace alone was enough to make Olivia want to grab a book and curl up on the chaise lounge chair for a week. They timed their arrival to be about two hours before nightfall for safety’s sake, as well as to allow Amber to rest. She still tired quite easily. No sooner had they gotten to Knorbis’ than she was shown to the bedroom she and Gabriel would be sharing and she went to sleep. The rest of them enjoyed a tour with Knorbis followed by a light meal of assorted olives, light, flaky pastries stuffed with spinach and cheese, and sliced cucumbers with yogurt dill dip. When they were finished, Caleb walked with Skye outside so they could get in an hour or so of flight practice before the sun fully set. Gabriel sat in a richly-appointment parlor with the other elders, engaged in conversation about

their travel plans over the days to come. Olivia stood on the back terrace gazing out at the water, unsure how she would spend the rest of the evening. She was considering getting a book from the library she had seen on the tour and settling in to watch the sun set. “Are you up for a little adventure?” James asked from beside her as if he heard her thoughts. Glancing over at him in surprise, she smiled. “Sure.” He returned the smile. “Excellent. Follow me.” She did so without hesitation. He walked over to a part of the terrace without a railing and extended his wings. She followed his lead. The landscape was truly breathtaking. Although it lacked the high, lush forests surrounding Ini-herit’s and Gabriel’s homes, the area was calm and relaxing to Olivia. The water here was a startling blue-green, quite unlike the more roiling blue-gray of the heaving seas near the other elder’s homes. As they flew, she breathed deeply of the ocean air. It was invigorating. They flew for about twenty minutes. Far longer than she had anticipated, actually. She couldn’t help but wonder where they were going.

“Are we still within the protections surrounding Knorbis’ home?” she called out above the rushing wind. “No,” James said when he looked over at her, making her eyes fly wide. “So please stay alert.” “But how will we find our way back? The protections will keep us from remembering how.” “I spoke with Knorbis before we left. He will get us back through when we return.” Now her curiosity was burning. She scoured the surroundings for a hint of where they were headed. All around them were green and brown hills broken up only by the very occasional white-washed building. Finally, they lowered to the ground. They ended up on the edge of what looked like a grove. The trees were all low to the ground and not terribly tall. Olivia approached one of them. “Are these olive trees?” she asked. “They are,” he answered. She felt a smile spread slowly across her face as she caught his gaze. “This is perfect, James! Thank you so much for thinking to bring me here.”

He raised an eyebrow. “If you are so excited about this part of our journey, I cannot wait to see what you think about the true reason I brought you here.” Tilting her head, she gave him a puzzled look. It didn’t encourage him to expound on his statement like she had intended. Instead, he smiled and took her hand, once again throwing her off-stride. Then he started walking, pulling her along with him. Although curiosity ate at her, she forced herself to just relax and enjoy the moment. She particularly enjoyed the feeling of her hand encased in his. She gave his fingers a light squeeze to convey her appreciation in advance for this experience. And then they broke through a gap in the trees and she couldn’t think at all. The large clearing was dappled in golden sunlight just tinting orange as the sun set. Particles in the air caught and glimmered in the soft light, making the area look enchanted. The olive trees created a perfect circle around the clearing, encapsulating it like its own little paradise. A thin stream of water funneled along the far side of the space, possibly created as a way to irrigate the grounds. All of this only barely registered with Olivia, however. How was she supposed to notice all of that when there was a family of horned horses standing there drinking from the stream?

“Are those unicorns?” she managed to whisper, afraid to blink. “Yes,” he said in an equally soft tone. She noted out of the corner of her eye that he was watching her and not the animals. “You said you used to collect them when you were a child.” She couldn’t even draw a full breath. There were three of them standing majestically only yards away. They were perfectly beautiful. Unlike the unicorns she had usually collected as figurines and stuffed animals on the human plane up until the age of ten, these creatures weren’t white. They were the same burnished color as the sunlight surrounding them. Their long, spiraling horns looked like they had been dusted with gold. Even their eyes, which rolled in their direction with infinite wisdom and healthy caution reflected in them, were the shimmering sunset color. Awed tears filled her eyes. She blinked rapidly to clear them, not wanting to miss a single moment of this stunning tableau. “Unicorns are only visible in this hour just before the dark,” he explained. “We do not know where they go the remainder of the day. The best place to find them is within the olive groves.”

He was leaning close to her ear to make sure she could hear him. She couldn’t decide then if she was more flustered by the warmth of his breath against the side of her neck or the unbelievable creatures she was now blessed with seeing. What she did know was that this was about the most thoughtful and deeply touching thing anyone had ever done for her. She tried to reach out to the minds of the unicorns. While she didn’t retrieve any actual words, she did get some impressions. The larger one was older and male and the other two were females, one younger than the other. They were all quite placid and content. They didn’t gauge her or James to be a threat. “Do they act like other horses?” she whispered, her eyes trying to absorb every detail about them. She realized their hooves were the same gold as their horns. Their manes didn’t seem to be made of hair so much as, well, flowing energy, she supposed. “For the most part,” he responded. “They eat grass or other vegetation and roam free. They have never been domesticated like your horses on the human plane, however.” “I don’t imagine there would be any need, seeing as Estilorians can fly,” she said with a small smile, finally turning to face him.

She realized belatedly just how close they were. If she leaned even the slightest bit, their lips would touch. Her gaze moved from his mouth to his dark blue eyes. He seemed to realize there was something potent stirring between them, even if he didn’t fully understand it. But she registered that he wasn’t pulling away. Instead, he reached up with his right hand and touched the side of her face, running the pad of his thumb tenderly along her cheekbone. Her breath once again caught, though she had all but forgotten about the mystical creatures he had brought her there to see. She started to lean forward, her eyes again on his lips. “Well, well, well,” came a loud voice. “What have we here?” Olivia wasn’t sure what happened then. One second she was about to kiss James, and the next she was standing behind him a safe distance into the olive grove. She knew it wasn’t humanly possible to move as quickly as he had just done, especially with someone else in tow. But when a group of six Mercesti soldiers suddenly walked into the grove from the left, she knew just what had prompted him to the almost supernatural action. “Unicorns,” said the same voice that had spoken the first time. It belonged to a short, muscular male with odd yellow skin and hair. His red eyes flashed with wicked delight. “Our lord does enjoy the golden horns and hooves. We shall be rewarded.”

Olivia fought back a gasp. She felt James stiffen and knew he was as affronted by the threat to the beautiful animals as she was. The thoughts from the unicorns were now filled with understandable anger and fear. Olivia tried to will them to flee, sending thoughts to warn them of the Mercesti’s evil nature. Although they did rear up on their hind legs and pawed dangerously at the heads of the Mercesti who moved in to surround them, they didn’t try to escape. “We are fortunate that we caught them manifested in this grove,” said a second male, this one with nut-brown skin and hair and freckles dusting a round, almost cherubic face. “They are bound here until the sun sets.” That explained that, Olivia thought with escalating fear. “Which means we have only minutes, you idiots,” barked a third male as he drew a sword. “Get on with it, would you?” The first Mercesti had already drawn his sword. He pulled his arm up and back with the clear intent to run it through the nearest unicorn’s heart as the animal reared. Olivia parted her lips to cry out in an effort to stop him. But it was the dagger thrown by James that really deterred him. It went right through the base of the Mercesti’s skull.

Her mouth remained parted in disbelief as James drew his sword and stepped forward, out of the cover of the olive trees. The Mercesti turned from the unicorns to face this new threat. “A Gloresti?” said the male who sounded like he barked when he talked. His tone was surprised, but unconcerned. “A young one, judging by the lack of pairing markings. We must be near a Corgloresti’s transition point. Excellent.” “We must gather reinforcements,” said one of the five remaining males. “There will certainly be a contingent of Waresti near.” He turned and ran back in the direction from which they had approached the grove. That left four. They advanced on James. Olivia’s heart throttled into overdrive. She didn’t have a weapon on her and wondered with burgeoning panic if she would be more of a hindrance than a help if she tried to assist him. But when the barking male brought his sword around in a vicious blow and James deflected it only to have the other three males move in to strike with their weapons, she made her decision. She didn’t have to do more than step into the clearing to have an immediate impact on the unbalanced fight. Her unexpected presence proved so distracting to the Mercesti that James easily dispatched the first attacker and then another within seconds of each other. A third turned to meet

James’ sword with a mace while the fourth advanced on Olivia. She turned and ran to her right, intending to try and pick up a weapon dropped by one of the felled Mercesti to defend herself. But her pursuer was faster than she was. She knew she wouldn’t make it. Changing tactics, she came to an abrupt halt and turned quickly, bringing her foot up into a high, swift kick. The Mercesti was forced to dive and roll to avoid a boot to his face. She was eternally grateful that she hadn’t changed out of her flight wardrobe of a tank, pants and boots as she promptly ran back the way she had come. Out of the corner of her eye she saw James slashing again and again in an effort to break through his opponent’s defenses. This Mercesti seemed more skilled than his brethren, though. He deflected James’ attempts and then swung his mace, coming to within an inch of James’ midsection. Watching James come so close to harm snapped the clutch of fear around Olivia’s throat. Heading for the first Mercesti he had killed, she yanked the dagger from his neck and ran toward James’ opponent. She knew she couldn’t throw the weapon without risking hitting James. She simply wasn’t skilled enough. The Mercesti had apparently dismissed her as the lesser threat, knowing if he

turned his attention from James that it would be all over. His mistake. Seeing that the Mercesti who was chasing her was still a few feet away, she didn’t slow her momentum. She held the dagger in both hands and plunged it into the back of James’ opponent. He screamed and jerked back, inadvertently catching her in the side of the head with his elbow and sending her sprawling. The breath left her lungs as she connected with the hard ground. Spots danced in front of her eyes as she tried to command herself to move. “Olivia!” James shouted. She found the energy to roll. The sword of her pursuer slammed harmlessly to the ground beside her. That was all the time James needed to move forward and kill him with a thrust of his own sword. He reached down and helped her to her feet. Once she was upright, she bent over and held her shaking, blood-covered hands on her watery knees as she struggled to catch her breath. Her numb mind was working to catch up with what had just happened. “Are you all right?” he asked, resheathing his sword and squatting beside her to look into her eyes.

She nodded. The action felt a bit unnatural. “Yes, thanks. Just catching my breath. I hit the ground pretty hard.” He rubbed her back. “You did very well,” he said. “I am proud of you.” Despite her continued fear, she managed a smile. “Thanks. You didn’t do too shabby yourself.” When she could stand, they both glanced around the clearing. She tried not to look too closely at the slain corpses lining the ground. The light had now dwindled to a rosy pink. She realized with amazement that the unicorns had taken on the same coloring. “Oh, James…they’re absolutely stunning. What remarkable creatures.” She turned and touched his arm, catching his gaze. “Thank you so much for bringing me here. I’ll remember this forever.” He nodded, his gaze somber. “I am glad you have enjoyed this. But we must go. The Mercesti will be here soon with reinforcements.” Troubled, she turned to look at the three unicorns. They were gazing at her with their ageless eyes. “We can’t leave them,” she said. “The Mercesti will kill them.” He hesitated, obviously torn. She knew his overriding

compulsion was to see to her safety. But he held her pleading gaze for a long moment and then ultimately nodded. She released her pent up breath and took his hand. They stood in the center of the clearing in complete silence, listening for any sound that would indicate the return of the Mercesti. The unicorns didn’t move at all, apparently realizing the threat to them wasn’t yet over. Fortunately, as darkness settled in the clearing, the only thing they encountered was the buzz of insects and the wind rustling through the olive trees. She watched in continued fascination as the unicorns turned from pink to lavender and then indigo. Then, when there wasn’t much visible of them aside from their golden horns and hooves, the largest of the three unicorns took several steps forward. Right up to Olivia and James. Her eyes wide, she sensed the animal’s intent. “He wants us to touch him,” she said after a long moment of connecting with the essence of his thoughts. “But—unicorns do not allow such things,” James said, his stunned voice barely audible. “He wants to thank us,” she explained, reaching out to gently stroke the unicorn’s muzzle.

Hesitantly, James also extended his hand and touched the animal. When both of their hands were on him, the unicorn’s mane suddenly flared into wide, vibrant waves, wrapping them in its unique and powerful energy. Olivia gasped, watching as she and James both turned the same indigo color as the unicorns. And although she realized she should probably be completely freaked out, she intuitively understood exactly what had just happened. “They’re protecting us,” she whispered. “We won’t be visible to the Mercesti now. The magic will last until we get back within the enchantments around Knorbis’ home.” “Magic?” James asked, catching her gaze. “Oh, yes,” she said, watching with a mix of understanding and reluctance when the unicorn moved away from them and joined his companions. “There’s no other word to describe this.” Moments later, the unicorns faded from existence. “Okay,” James said. “We must go. The others are probably already looking for us. Archigos Gabriel is going to have my hide for this.” She would see about that. She was already preparing to plead James’ case. He had just given her the most wondrous experience of her life. He didn’t deserve to be

punished for it. But for now, she reached out and touched his face. “I want you to know how much this means to me, James. Thank you.” “You are welcome.” He smiled. “Perhaps I should carry you back. I will not be able to see you when we are in the air, and I do not want to lose you on top of everything else.” She laughed then and hooked her arms around him so he could do just that. “Well, you did say that we were going to be having an adventure, didn’t you? Looks like you’re just keeping your word.”

Chapter Sixteen In the end, Olivia was successful in keeping James out of trouble over their encounter with the Mercesti, and the rest of their travels to Central were quite uneventful in comparison. Due to the fact that they had to transport Aurora in her sling and Amber tired so easily, they made more frequent stops than they would have otherwise. Olivia tried to communicate with Aurora, but the cat was being prickly. Olivia suspected it was because the mate the cat had found at Ini-herit’s had never come for her. Whenever she tactfully tried to discuss it with her animal friend, however, she was ignored. She decided it would be best to give Aurora some privacy on the matter, but it did hurt her heart to think of the cat in pain. On their second night en route to Central, they ended up in a cave. Olivia had been very doubtful as they walked into it, but Amber’s face lit with recognition. “Hey!” she exclaimed, hurrying inside. Olivia followed her and saw a large, raised platform of stone housing what appeared to be a bed.

“This is where I woke up after I transitioned,” Amber explained. Then she turned and looked at Olivia and Skye with a grin. She wiggled her eyebrows. “Just wait’ll you see the tub.” It was an amazing place, Olivia discovered. The “tub” was a bubbling hot spring that had been carved into a huge pool of sorts in the middle of the cave. There was also a sink, toilet and mirror. Bedrooms had been established throughout the caves and were maintained by the Lekwuesti. Ini-herit explained that the cave had been created specifically to maintain Amber’s Estilorian form while she was on the human plane and would now be used as needed by traveling Estilorians. On the third day of their travels, they flew entirely over water for a good number of hours. Olivia grew quite concerned that the males carrying Aurora would tire and drop her, but none of them flagged in the least. Amber, however, looked quite exhausted. Gabriel watched her carefully, trying not to let his worry show. Olivia figured it was pride and her fear of water that kept her sister up and moving. At long last, a few patches of color took shape on the water’s surface. As they neared them, Olivia realized they looked like rafts. She was correct. They landed on the wide, hard surfaces of the three yellow rafts, which were tied together. Each raft

had a small lip all around it, making them each almost perfectly square. She couldn’t see how the waves weren’t pulling the things under, they were so strangely designed. The moment Aurora was released, she instinctively moved into the center of the rafts, lying down. Everyone spread out among the other rafts to distribute their weight. Olivia and James stayed near Aurora in the middle. Ini-herit, Gabriel and Amber went to the raft on the left, and Skye, Caleb and Knorbis went on the right-hand raft. When everyone else sat —well, Gabriel sat and Amber collapsed on top of him, falling almost instantly asleep—Olivia did the same. Then they lifted right off the water. The rafts separated a bit from each other and accelerated at an incredible rate into the sky. If her breath hadn’t left her in a wild, uncontrollable rush, Olivia knew she would have screamed like a demented person. Skye let out a combination between a petrified shriek and a peal of laughter. Looking over at her youngest sister across the expanse of air between them, Olivia almost smiled when she realized Skye was all but in Caleb’s lap, clutching his tank top in tight fists and pressing her face against his chest. He looked rather resigned and had his arms around her. Her bout of humor faded into embarrassment when she realized she was doing much the same to James. She had

instinctively turned to grab him as soon as her terror had gripped her. Giving him a shamefaced smile, she slowly loosened her grip, patting him on the chest. Then, he shocked her to pieces. He laughed. She forgot all about the whizzing rafts as the completely foreign sound washed over her. Her own smile spread widely and she gave him a tight hug since she was already pretty much wrapped around him anyway. “You knew what was about to happen and didn’t tell me, right?” she guessed. “Yep.” Even his response was more human than usual. And she decided right then that she would go through the terror of this trip all over again if it resulted in his laugh.

What Olivia thought of as rafts were actually enchanted platforms. There were a number of them in the ocean and along the shore on this plane, and they could only be seen by non-Mercesti Estilorians. The enchantment on the platforms also recognized that the occupants were nonMercesti before lifting off.

James didn’t think he had ever seen anything as hilarious as the look on Olivia’s face when they started rising into the sky. It made him smile again just remembering it. She hadn’t let go of him. Even when their speed stabilized and they were simply moving over the water at a great height, she kept an arm around his waist. He could hardly deny that he enjoyed her nearness, so he hung an arm over her shoulders and anchored her against his side. She had worn her hair in a single, practical braid for the trip. When he turned his head, he realized he just had to lean the slightest bit to breathe in her scent. She smelled vibrant and full of life. It reminded him somehow of crisp, ripe apples. Sweet and enticing. Her scent brought to mind the night in the olive grove and the moment when he suspected that she had been about to kiss him. He frequently found himself wondering what it would have been like. “How long are we going to be on this thing?” she asked. They had been traveling for over an hour. “I cannot really say. No one who leaves Central remembers where it is once they leave.” She looked up at him and her lips curved into one of her soft smiles. He stared at her mouth. “You called it Central,” she said, leaning a bit more into his

side in appreciation. Forcing himself to look away, he cleared his throat. “It seems the name fits,” he said by way of explanation. Since he had turned his gaze to the left, he saw his leader lean down and place an idle kiss on Amber’s forehead. How she could sleep through any of this was mystifying to James. But she hadn’t stirred. “Do you know what the plan will be when we get there?” Olivia asked. “Ini-herit and Knorbis have been rather vague.” He again caught her gaze. “I believe that for today we will merely be shown our accommodations. Tomorrow evening there is to be a welcome dinner of some kind. Everything has been readied for us.” “And after that, we’ll start going around and visiting with all of the different classes?” “At some point, yes. I am sure they will gauge the timing of that by the reactions at the dinner.” She was quiet for a long time. Then she looked up at him. “You’ll be staying with me through all this, right?” “Of course.”

Then she looked down at the platform and quietly admitted, “I don’t really understand how our connection works. I know you’ve been obligated to watch over me, but I don’t know how long it’s going to last.” He tilted his head. “You are wondering when we will…part ways?” She nodded, still not looking at him. He was glad to have the moment to process his own reaction to the question. He hadn’t in all the time he had been Olivia’s Gloresti ever envisioned a time when he wouldn’t be with her. But he knew as well as anyone that the Gloresti-Corgloresti pairing wasn’t meant to be permanent. Typically, it lasted until the Corgloresti transitioned back to the Estilorian plane and then the pairing dissolved. At most a couple of years. Did that mean that when Olivia was fully trained and her powers fully realized that she would no longer need him? That their pairing would dissolve? He tried to imagine it and simply couldn’t. Olivia going off to live a life that didn’t include him, possibly with another male? For her to possibly join with that other male as Amber had with Gabriel, in turn possibly conceiving a child — She looked at him then, and he realized his thoughts had caused him to squeeze her rather firmly. He immediately

loosened his hold. “I apologize,” he said. “I did not mean to hurt you.” “I’m fine,” she responded, raising a corner of her mouth. Her dimple appeared. That innocent dimple all but undid him. He could never give her anything but the truth. “I do not know what lies ahead,” he answered her finally. “I do not know what the elders intend for you or how long our pairing is meant to last. But I know that thinking of a time without you makes me feel fiercely unhappy and hollow inside. I would like to avoid that, whatever it takes.” Her brilliant answering smile told him he had said exactly the right thing.

“Welcome to the home of our society,” Sebastian, eldest of the Lekwuesti, greeted them when they finally reached their destination. Olivia tried not to gape. She had never imagined the fantastic splendor awaiting them. Just looking at the remarkable beauty of the Estilorian home base made her eyes go wide. She noticed both of her sisters were equally impressed.

Central was literally floating in the sky out in the middle of the ocean. Structures of all conceivable types of architecture were grouped together in massive air-islands spread over many miles, higher than Olivia could see. The islands sprawled up and out, creating a high, wide spiral. At the bottom of the spiral was the largest collection of buildings of them all. It was to this location they had just arrived. Most of the buildings on this bottom level were white, blending into the background sky like clouds. Others were cerulean blue, wispy gray, or even rosy pink or deep violet. Spires rose into the sky at a multitude of heights. The fading sunlight winked off of glass and metal. The bottom of the island supporting all of the buildings looked like a gigantic chunk of earth had been ripped up, the underside jagged and rocky. They had ended up at a kind of docking station built into that rocky base beneath the city. It looked like the mouth of a cave. “We have been anticipating your arrival for many weeks,” Sebastian said as he moved forward to assist them off the rafts. His pale hair and skin looked luminous in the rather dim tunnel. The white shirt and matching pants he wore contributed to the glowing image. Olivia thought he looked younger than her and her sisters, not uncommon among the eldest Estilorians. “My commander, Caoilinn, and I are the only ones who know you are coming today. We are planning to escort you as quietly as possible to your rooms

and allow you the rest of today to settle in before everyone receives word of your arrival,” he smiled, “and chaos reigns.” Olivia caught the elder’s friendly lavender gaze and smiled gratefully as he took her hand and led her off the raft. She realized for the first time that he was only a few inches taller than she was. James stepped off behind her, touching the small of her back and guiding her to the left, where Gabriel stood with Amber and Ini-herit. Aurora leaped gracefully off the raft, padding up to walk beside them. Behind them, she heard Skye greet Sebastian as he assisted her. “This place is amazing!” Skye breathed as she walked up to join everyone else. “I never imagined anything like this. I think we’re in the Bermuda Triangle.” Olivia blinked at the observation, but considered it carefully. When Gabriel smiled and patted Skye on the shoulder, she realized her younger sister had been correct.

The Bermuda Triangle? Whoa. Sebastian led them all a short distance down the tunnel. It was only when the balls of light that were moving with them highlighted a corner on the right that she noticed the stunningly beautiful female standing there. “Amber, Olivia and Skye, I would like to introduce you to commander Caoilinn,” Sebastian said, indicating the

female. Olivia absorbed the long, fiery red hair, creamy, unblemished skin, wide and sparkling lavender eyes, and lush, feminine curves displayed tastefully but flatteringly in a gauzy, draping purple gown. The Lekwuesti commander’s serene expression combined with her almost ethereal beauty gave her the look of a goddess. Olivia wondered for the briefest moment if she should bow or something, so regal was this female’s demeanor. In physical appearance, she didn’t look much older than the sisters. Olivia suddenly felt like a sewer rat in her functional tank top and pants. Would all Estilorian females be so gorgeous?

Geez, talk about giving a girl a complex, Skye thought as she tugged on the bottom of her own tank top to try and pull the wrinkles out. Olivia gave her an appreciative smile and Amber snorted on a laugh. Even as the thought exited Skye’s head, she said aloud, “Hi there. Nice to meet you.” “The pleasure is mine,” Caoilinn responded, her voice musical with a charming Irish-sounding lilt. She took a graceful step forward and then sank to one knee, crossing her right arm over her chest. “Archigos Gabriel, archigos Ini-herit and archigos Knorbis, you have all been missed. We welcome you and Saraqael’s daughters.” She looked up, her gaze resting for an extra beat on Gabriel. Olivia figured she was absorbing the changes he had undergone

in his absence on the human plane, such as his new eye color and lack of pairing markings lining his skin. “Thank you, Caoilinn,” Knorbis replied as the commander rose. “It is good to be back.” Sebastian stepped forward. “Please follow us to your rooms and we will get you settled.” Olivia moved forward gratefully, suddenly very eager to get cleaned up. Caoilinn remained in her position as they filed past…until James reached her. Then she stepped into line beside them. “Welcome back, James,” she said in a friendly and familiar tone that had Olivia’s internal radar flashing in warning. “It has been near twenty years now since you left, has it not? You are looking as fit as ever, if I may say.” “Thank you, commander Caoilinn. It appears not much has changed around here, either,” James answered with a halfsmile. The smile, combined with the speculative look it generated in Caoilinn’s eyes, sent a spear of jealousy through Olivia. She looked at the ground, fighting the unwelcome and ugly emotion. As the Lekwuesti commander and James continued their conversation, she deliberately slowed her pace until she was walking beside Skye and Caleb. Aurora slowed with her, matching her pace. Skye reached out and

hooked her arm with Olivia’s. Don’t worry, Liv. She’s got absolutely nothing on you. These Estilorians don’t know what’s about to hit ‘em. Olivia gave her sister a small smile, but when her gaze settled on James and Caoilinn and she observed the commander touching his arm, she could not muster up even a fraction of Skye’s confidence. Suddenly, she wished they had never left Gabriel’s home.

Chapter Seventeen They walked a considerable distance, obviously taking a winding and circuitous route to their rooms to avoid making contact with any other Estilorians. James still paid careful attention to their surroundings as they progressed. He knew, as did Caleb, that the elders were all uncertain about what kind of treatment the girls would receive by everyone. They couldn’t lower their guards just because they were out of the Mercesti-inhabited realm of the plane. Danger and deceit could, unfortunately, come in all forms. It was a bit difficult paying attention when he had Caoilinn trying to engage him in conversation. He was rather surprised by the commander’s attention. They had only conversed a few times over the course of his existence, and those times had been during his training period after he transitioned. She had taught the lessons regarding hospitality and culture that he and quite a few others had to attend as they oriented themselves with their new existences. Otherwise, she was a relative stranger to him. Now, she was chatting away as though they were intimate companions.

That is certainly how it must appear to Olivia, he heard

Caleb think pointedly, and he realized he hadn’t been guarding his thoughts very well. Startled at the observation, he glanced around and realized that Olivia wasn’t near him. She and Aurora had fallen back to walk with Skye and Caleb. Irritated with himself for failing to notice, he left Caoilinn’s side even as she talked and rejoined Olivia. “Is everything all right?” he asked her quietly when he noted how unhappy she looked. She blushed, glancing uncomfortably up at Caoilinn. He realized then that the commander had abruptly stopped talking and was watching them with an unusual expression on her face. “My apologies, commander Caoilinn,” he said. “That was rude of me.” She raised an eyebrow. “Do not think of it, James,” she said in soft, lilting tones. “I completely understand your Gloresti impulses.” Her gaze moved briefly to Olivia. “And your obligations.” Skye made a sound in her throat and sniffed audibly. Olivia reached over and gave her sister a half-hug. Amber turned and looked at them both with a knowing and rather fierce smile before flicking her gold gaze toward the Lekwuesti commander and then once again facing forward. James

and Caleb exchanged understanding the byplay.

glances

and

shrugs,

not

Fortunately, they reached the end of the tunnel before anything further could happen. James had a strange feeling he was missing something important, but he didn’t want the thought distracting him when he needed to be on alert. “Your rooms are all adjoining,” Sebastian explained from the front of the group. “The doors between the rooms may all be locked on either side for privacy, but we felt it best for you to have the ability to easily access each other as needed without having to walk out into the more public corridor outside your rooms.” He led them toward a circular chamber with smooth walls made out of layered rock. Then he turned and looked down at Aurora. “This is where we must part with you, my animal friend. If you will wait here for me, I will return and show you to your accommodations.” Olivia looked down at the cat, then at Sebastian. “She says she’ll be fine here.” Then she squatted down and looked into Aurora’s eyes. They communicated silently, Olivia’s eyes glowing. After a moment, she smiled and patted Aurora’s neck. James frowned when he noticed Caoilinn’s gaze focused intently on the two of them. When everyone else moved

forward, he directed Olivia into the middle of the chamber awaiting them, just as Gabriel and Caleb led Amber and Skye there. They each put their hands on the girls’ shoulders. “We’re about to move pretty fast,” Gabriel said. And then the floor faded and they were all lifted on an invisible but powerful current of energy. It carried them up and sideways, completely within Sebastian’s control. These were his private tunnels, accessed only with his presence and consent. Even though they were moving through the air, it still felt as though they were standing on a firm surface. This method of travel was extremely disorienting if you weren’t used to it, however. Amber, Olivia and Skye all leaned heavily into their Gloresti as they progressed. Although he couldn’t see Olivia’s face, he noticed that Amber looked pale and had closed her eyes. Skye didn’t look much better, but her eyes were wide, taking everything in. When they finally came to a stop, all three of the sisters almost fell. They hadn’t been instructed on how to brace themselves. James quickly grabbed Olivia to steady her as Caleb and Gabriel did the same with her sisters. Gabriel took one look at Amber’s face and kissed her. Her color returned as her healing energy was stimulated. When they parted, she gave him a small smile and they

exchanged a thought. He brushed her cheek with his fingertips. James saw Caoilinn observing them with a great deal of interest, much as she had Olivia and Aurora. Once again, he frowned. When he glanced at Caleb, he saw the same concerned look on his face. “I cleared the corridors shortly before I sensed your impending arrival,” Sebastian said as he stepped out of the circular transport chamber. “Everyone has been sent on various errands, so you do not need to be concerned about anyone intercepting us.” James and everyone behind him had to come to a sudden halt when Amber stopped abruptly before exiting the chamber. Her gaze was focused down and she suddenly swayed. “I’m sorry,” Gabriel said, grabbing her and turning her around so she was looking at him. “I should have warned you. I didn’t think—” She caught herself and straightened. After giving Gabriel an irritated huff, she glanced at Olivia and Skye. “There’s no floor. Or ceiling. Or walls.” Oh. Just as Gabriel had, James had forgotten that the sisters were completely unfamiliar with this type of architecture. He imagined that finding oneself about to step

into what appeared to be nothing but a drop straight down would be quite alarming. And it was Gabriel’s polite and gentlemanly habit to always let a female walk through a doorway first unless there was a chance of danger, so Amber hadn’t had any warning. Caoilinn glided forward and said, “There actually is a physical corridor in place outside this chamber. It is merely an optical illusion making one believe it is not there. Anyone viewing this area from the outside would see a floor, walls and a ceiling.” Amber nodded. “Thanks,” she said, and turned and walked out of the chamber. Gabriel followed. Olivia moved forward and stepped to the edge of the chamber. She paused, looking around at the vast openness before her. Then she resolutely walked out of the chamber and followed Gabriel and Amber. James stepped out behind her. “This is something else!” Skye exclaimed as she and Caleb followed them. Glancing over his shoulder, James saw her looking around in wonder. It made him smile. Estilorians never wore such wide-eyed and curious expressions. He noticed Caoilinn staring at him again from her position behind Skye. Because he found that disconcerting, he quickly turned back around and focused his attention on their path.

“—until you learn your way around,” Sebastian was saying. “Your Gloresti will certainly be able to assist you in finding anything you need. Your assigned Lekwuesti, who will introduce themselves to you tomorrow when I inform them of your arrival, will also be delighted to assist you in any way you need.” The invisible hallway fed into a corridor that actually had traditional walls and a ceiling. The walls were a calm shade of blue, the ceiling a slightly lighter shade. The floors were smooth and midnight blue. Decorations of various kinds lined the hallway on either side, from mirrors to wrought-iron wall sculptures and paintings. There were also a multitude of windows on either side. At the end of this hallway, they turned left down another hallway done in similar colors. This hall, however, had windows only along the left-hand side. On the right were cream-colored paneled doors with antique fixtures. James took note of the entire layout and was pleased that the hallway in front of them stopped at a dead-end. Only one point of access. “This first room is yours, Gabriel,” Sebastian said. “And your avowed’s of course,” he added, giving Amber a wink. He opened the door and invited them all in, walking to the left of the room and opening a similar cream-colored door. “Olivia, your room is on this side.” They all walked as a group into the chamber. Sebastian

continued on, opening one door after the next. James would be beside Olivia, Skye beside him and Caleb on the end. Once all of the doors had been opened, they walked as a group back out into the wide hallway. “Each room has its own bath, and you will find your things have been arranged for you,” Caoilinn informed them. “Is there anything we can get any of you before we take our leave?” Sebastian asked. James, Olivia, Skye and Caleb shook their heads and thanked him. Amber flushed pink and caught Gabriel’s gaze. He grinned at her, then looked at Sebastian. “Some food would be great.” Giving them a knowing look, as he was well aware of Amber’s condition because he was an elder, he smiled warmly and said, “Of course. Coming right up.”

They left the doors between all of the rooms open until it was time for bed. Because Gabriel was an elder and because he and Amber were sharing a room, they had more space. A table with chairs had been set up on the far left-hand side of the room. The huge bed was centered on the right-hand wall. It was made of rich cherry wood and

had a dark blue canopy, matching the fluffy comforter and mounds of pillows. There were no windows in the room, but the mirrors and artwork on the soft-gold walls combined with the ever-present balls of light on the cream-colored ceiling made it seem as though there were. The dark blue floors continued into the room and were softened with vivid, patterned rugs. A wardrobe and dresser lined two of the walls. A door to the left of the bed led to the nicelyappointed bathroom. Gabriel sat with them at the table and discussed security. He didn’t think it made sense to leave the sisters out of the conversation since they were the ones who needed protecting. “It was foolish of me not to think about mentioning something like the invisible hallways,” he said once they were done with the security overview. He rubbed an apologetic hand up and down Amber’s arm. “We’re so used to it that it didn’t even occur to me. There will probably be other things you’ll encounter that I didn’t think to mention, so just ask us about anything that seems odd or you don’t understand.” They nodded in agreement. “I’m sure each of you observed some of Caoilinn’s reactions today.” When he noted everyone’s expressions, he nodded, his eyes growing more serious. “Yeah…me,

too. She didn’t know what to make of you girls. No one here knows anything at all about you. We decided it was safer that way, but it will make for some rather awkward moments when Estilorians first meet you.” “What is it she finds so strange about us?” Skye wondered in a small voice. She was fiddling with the bracelets on her right wrist. It was obvious that Caoilinn’s behavior had made her self-conscious. Olivia gave her an empathetic pat on the hand. “Well,” Gabriel said, looking around at each of the girls. “First of all, because you’re triplets, the three of you are virtually identical. There aren’t any two Estilorians who look alike, so that’s an anomaly that’s sure to draw attention.” The sisters glanced at each other. Then they shrugged at the same time, making him grin briefly before he continued. “The markings around your eyes will also be seen as unusual. Not a lot of Estilorians have them. It’s an indication of power beyond that of a class’s natural abilities.” There was a pause as they considered this. Olivia hadn’t realized just how odd she and her sisters were in appearance compared to everyone else. It was rather unsettling. “The unusual colors of your eyes and markings, as well as the streaks you now each have in your hair, will also stand out. And your emotions and expressions, of course, and

your wings…” he trailed off and once again looked at the girls. He finally seemed to realize that he wasn’t helping matters. Reaching up and rubbing the back of his neck, he said, “Maybe I’m explaining this the wrong way.” “You think?” Amber said dryly. She was sitting back in her chair with her arms crossed over her chest. Her gaze was centered on Skye, who looked positively horrified. “You’re basically saying we’re total freaks,” Skye said. Her voice was unsteady and she looked dangerously close to tears. “So—what? Tomorrow we get to be paraded in front of everyone and put on display so they can gawk at us? Well, forget it!” She got up and hurried from the room. An audible sob floated into the room behind her. Caleb swiftly rose and followed her. “Man, I screwed that up,” Gabriel said, running a hand over his face. Amber rose, moving behind him and leaning down so she could put her arms around him in a backwards hug. “You said nothing less than the truth,” she consoled him. She pressed her cheek into his dark hair. “You answered her question. It just wasn’t easy to hear.” He sighed, glancing at Olivia and James. “I think we’d better call it a night, you two. I’ll see what I can do to fix the

mess I made in the morning when we’ve all had some sleep.” “Sure,” Olivia said, giving him a small smile. She stood and gave him a light punch in the arm on her way out. “Don’t beat yourself up.” He nodded. She went into her room with James right behind her. She saw that the door between her room and James’ was still open, but the door to Skye’s room was closed. Skye had broadcast a clear thought to her sisters that she wanted to be alone, which was why neither of them went after her. But Olivia was troubled over her younger sister’s reaction to their circumstances. “Are you okay?” James asked. He had stopped right behind her once he closed the door to her room. She could feel his body heat against her skin. There was something she wanted to ask him, but it was so important that the words lodged in her throat. Gathering her reserve, she turned around to face him. If there was one thing she knew she could count on when it came to James, it was his honesty. “Did you know that I would be this different when you first became my Gloresti?” “No,” he said calmly, tilting his head slightly in the way he often did that said he was giving a question careful

consideration. “Your form was completely nebulous. None of us knew what to expect.” She nodded. For some reason, the answer depressed her. “I had no idea what to expect,” he continued, reaching up and tucking a wisp of her hair—her now green hair—behind her ear. “But when you did assume your form and opened these incredible green eyes, smiling your amazing smile, I knew I had never seen such beauty before in my life.” Her breath caught. He was never poetic. He always spoke only the truth. Which made his words all the more potent. “It is your uniqueness, your emotion, your absolute magnificence inside and out that will draw everyone’s attention,” he said softly. “And it is why archigos Gabriel, Caleb and I cannot be anything less than completely vigilant. You are, in short, everything Estilorians aspire to be.” She simply stared at him while she regained control of herself. Then she smiled. “I think Gabriel should have let you do the talking.”

Chapter Eighteen Caleb paced. It was a decidedly un-Estilorian action, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. He would get about three feet from the closed door connecting his room to Skye’s and then turn around. On the other side of that door, she was weeping. She had been going strong for the better part of half an hour. Ever since she closed her door against him. Of the three sisters, Skye was by far the most emotional. She felt everything very passionately, something that often left him perplexed and all but spinning in circles trying to keep up with her. Her remarkable range of emotion was something to behold when she flashed one of her breathtaking smiles or burst into bright and contagious laughter. It even gripped him in a completely baffling way when she funneled that passion into anger. The stubborn lift of her chin and sassy tilt of her hip when she railed at him twisted him into knots. But he had never heard anything like the uncontrollable, heart-wrenching sobs coming from her now. The sound tore

viciously at him. Estilorians nearly never cried. That depth of emotion was essentially unknown to them. This lack of experience with intense emotion now left him feeling utterly powerless. He flexed and unflexed his hands, unable to shake the urge to protect and defend her. And it wasn’t even his Gloresti energy causing the intense reaction. He knew enough now to identify the difference. No, he just wanted to pummel someone for causing Skye such pain. There wasn’t anyone to lash out against, however. Archigos Gabriel, besides being powerful enough to crush Caleb to dust if he had a mind to, had only spoken the truth. He had been trying to prepare the sisters for potential reactions they would face by members of their society. He had only been answering Skye’s question. And Caleb couldn’t exactly take out his ire on all of Estilorian society. Not yet, anyway. The moment any single male or female caused this kind of a response from Skye in the future, though, he would not be held accountable for his actions. As he neared the door again and he heard her take a shuddering, gut-twisting breath, he squeezed his eyes shut against the emotion that coursed through him. He simply

couldn’t take it. Striding forward, he opened the door to her room. He was relieved beyond belief she hadn’t locked it. It saved him the time and trouble of tearing the thing off its hinges. She was sprawled across her bed, her head pillowed on her arms. Somehow, she managed to make the positioning of her body look like a graceful dance, even though he knew she had just thrown herself onto the handiest surface. She had unbound her beautiful hair after their trip, so it flowed in soft, glimmering, brown curls all the way down her back and over the side of the bed. Tomaganuk had been standing beside the bed, but as soon as he spotted Caleb, the spirit nodded and disappeared. When she suddenly lifted her head, obviously having heard him enter, he gripped his hands together behind his back until the knuckles turned white. Her cheeks glistened with tears that continued to fall freely from her lovely blue eyes. The devastated expression on her face was like a spear through his heart. He wanted nothing more than to walk to her and gather her against him, an impulse he hadn’t had toward another being in his entire existence. Instead, he snapped, “Cease your ridiculous weeping. You are not a child.” “What?” she asked, sounding shocked and bewildered.

That wasn’t his goal, so he added in the same hard voice, “Sitting in here and wallowing in self-pity is completely unproductive. You all knew what you were getting into when you transitioned here. You cannot control the actions of the beings on this plane, but you can control your own.” Finally, he saw the hurt fading from her gaze, anger and indignation slowly building to replace it. Before she could speak, he continued, “I thought you were stronger than this.” And watched the remark hit her like a slap. Knowing he had reached his limit and seeing that he had successfully stopped her tears, he abruptly turned and walked back through the door to his room. He left it open, as he had intended to do before she slammed it closed, so he could properly guard her through the night. Then he sank down on the side of his bed and braced his elbows on his knees. An intense and excruciating heat spread through his chest and seized his throat, bringing a strange sting to his eyes. Confused and overwhelmed, he pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes in an effort to alleviate the pain. It didn’t seem to help. His jaw clenched. He was so focused on trying to control himself that he didn’t hear her approach until she was nearly upon him. Surprised, he looked up. He expected her to be furious. Instead, she watched him with amazement. She stood in

front of him, her face still shimmering with tears and achingly beautiful, and reached out to touch his cheek. Her touch inexplicably relieved the pain in his chest. And when she pulled her fingertips away, he saw the wetness there. It was then he understood with a tremendous amount of shock that he had shed a tear. “Thank you, Caleb,” she said, her voice a caress. Then she leaned down and pressed her lips to his. His mind emptied of all thought. He could hear the blood rushing through his head and pounding in his ears. The kiss was incredibly gentle. She lifted her lips once, pressed them equally tenderly to his again, and then she stepped back. And smiled. “I’m going to shower,” she said. He waited until she was out of the room before he allowed himself to fall back on the bed and tried to stop his head from spinning crazily. She was going to be the death of him.

“I sure hope Aurora is okay,” Olivia said loud enough to carry to James’ room.

She was sitting cross-legged on her bed after her shower in her pajamas and robe, brushing her damp hair. He was changing into his pajamas in his room. They had left the door between their rooms open because James wasn’t willing to separate himself from her by even that barrier in case someone tried to get into her room. The fact that this was at all a concern had her agreeing to the open-door policy. “I am sure she is fine,” he called back. “We will check on her in the morning.” “I don’t—” I’m okay, Amber and Liv. Sorry for wigging. I kissed Caleb. See you in the morning! Olivia choked off abruptly as Skye’s thoughts flashed through her head. She simply froze as she processed this new information and Amber’s responding mental head shake. Then she glanced over instinctively when she saw movement in James’ room. “Is everything all right?” he asked, walking quickly into the room and looking around. Since her mouth was already hanging open on Skye’s confession, she didn’t bother to close it when she took in

the sight of his bare upper body. He had hurried into the room still holding his sleep tank because she had stopped talking in such an odd manner. He wore only a pair of dark blue pants that sat low on his narrow hips. She simply couldn’t believe the impact removing a tank top from a person could do to one’s mental picture. God, he was gorgeous. Lean in the waist with a chest and abs that she swore looked like they had been lovingly sculpted beneath his skin. Heat suffused her face when she realized he was staring at her, staring at him. She worked to swallow and tried very hard to tear her eyes away from him. She failed miserably. “Olivia?” Taking a deep breath, she managed to ask, “What was I saying?” She still couldn’t move her eyes. And when he took a couple of steps closer, she even forgot to breathe. “You were talking about Aurora.” He paused and raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay?” She nodded quickly. Her heart was racing. She wondered if he could see it thudding right through her robe. Why couldn’t she stop staring? Finally, he seemed to realize he was still holding his tank top and put it on. She let out her pent-up breath and started brushing her hair with a great deal of energy. She thought

she would simply die of embarrassment if he figured out what had caused her weird behavior. “I was interrupted by a few unexpected thoughts by Skye,” she blurted, shamelessly throwing her sister under the bus. “She’s okay though,” she hurried to add. “Oh.” He seemed to consider this. “That is good to hear.” “Yep!” she said a little too brightly. Consciously toning it down when he gave her another curious look, she deliberately caught his gaze and said, “As I was saying before, uh, Skye’s interruption, I’m not receiving any thoughts from Aurora even though I’m sending them out to her. She’s been unhappy and uncommunicative for a while. I think she’s upset that her mate never came to Gabriel’s.” His brows drew together. “I will go and visit her tomorrow to ensure she is all right. You will have to remain out of sight until the dinner event, but I will have the ability to venture out.” She smiled. “You will?” “Of course.” Her heart all but melted into a pool on the bed. When he turned without another word and walked over to his bedroom, she got up to put her brush back on the vanity where it had been set out for her and removed her robe.

She was pulling back the covers to climb into bed when James walked into the room with a pillow and blanket. Her eyes widened when he reached behind him and waved a hand, extinguishing the balls of light in his bedroom. “What are you doing?” she asked, her voice an octave higher than usual. “I am sleeping on your floor,” he said, as though it should be obvious. “Um. Huh?” “I am not comfortable sleeping in the other room, even with the door open. I might not be able to hear the door to your room open in time to come to your aid.” She blinked several times. Surely this was taking guarding her to a whole new, obsessive level. But when he tossed his pillow down onto the woven rug beside her bed, she realized she would not be able to deter him. “You are not about to sleep on that floor, James,” she said firmly. “That will make for a perfectly miserable night’s sleep. That floor is harder than Amber’s head.” He sighed, obviously recognizing the inflexible line in her voice. “What do you propose then? I am staying near you.” She studied the huge bed consideringly, then glanced back

at him. He dipped his head and gave her an incredulous look from beneath the hair that fell in front of his eyes. “Archigos Gabriel would positively kill me.” She frowned. He was right. “Fine then. I’ll help you drag your mattress in here. That’s my final offer.” “Guess I had better take it then,” he said with a smile.

Amber lay on her side in the big bed, propped up on her right elbow, watching Gabriel emerge from the bathroom after brushing his teeth and finishing his bedtime routine. The troubled look that had been in his blue-gray eyes since Skye left the room in her typically dramatic fashion was still there. It went straight to her heart. Her expression neutral, she watched him pull back the sheet and start to climb into the bed. Then he frowned. “How many pillows do they think we need?” he asked in true bafflement, noting the plethora of dark blue pillows filling the bed where his head was supposed to go. He began tossing them carelessly onto the floor until he had just two. She didn’t comment. If he had looked on her side of the bed, he would have seen most of her pillows on the floor,

too. He sighed as he got into the bed and flopped back onto the pillows. He brought his hands up to rub them tiredly over his face. Her gaze touched on the ring he wore on his left hand. Made of white gold and honey amber, it was a more masculine version of the ring she wore on her left finger. The rings had been promise rings on the human plane. Here, they signified both their avowed status and their marriage. She knew now was one of those times where she needed to be a supportive wife. “Skye sent a message,” she began, reaching over and brushing a dark wave of hair off his forehead where it had fallen into his eyes. He looked at her, obviously miserable. “She said she’s okay, and she’s sorry for ‘wigging out.’” He raised an eyebrow, then looked up at the dark blue canopy in consideration. “Well, I guess that’s better than trying to get to sleep picturing her crying all night.” “And she kissed Caleb.” “What?” “And don’t you go chastising Caleb,” she said, tapping his forehead gently. She knew him very well. “I got the distinct

impression that he had nothing to do with it. And he cleaned up your mess.” He opened his mouth to protest, then closed it and briefly pursed his lips. It was obvious that he was wrestling with his gentlemanly sense of propriety and the knowledge that it was really none of his business. “Fine,” he said. “Just—fine. As long as she isn’t upset anymore. I don’t know what I was thinking. I really don’t.” Keeping her expression and thoughts carefully contained, she said, “I know. Calling us freaks was rather harsh of you. Especially since you’re married to one of us.” His jaw fell. Disbelief lighting his gaze, he propped himself up on his left elbow. “Oh, get out. You don’t seriously think I —you don’t…” He paused, unable to read her. “Amber, you can’t possibly believe that I think that.” After a long moment of dragging out his worry—during which she felt only mildly guilty—she waved a hand dismissively and made a buzzing sound with her lips. “Puhlease. You think I’m a total babe. I can read your thoughts, remember?” Then she grinned cheekily and batted her eyelashes at him. His eyes narrowed. Then his lips twitched. “You are evil.”

She shrugged, completely unapologetic. “You were beating yourself up, just like Olivia said you would. Now you know how silly and undeserved that is.” “Is that right? Well, now I’m more in the mood to beat you up,” he said, leaning over and encircling her waist so he could pull her closer. “Sorry. I’m pregnant. No beating allowed.” He leaned down, lifted her tank and kissed her bare belly. Then he moved up toward her lips. “Then I’ll find some other way to exact my revenge,” he whispered meaningfully. And when her eyebrows winged up, he tickled her breathless.

Chapter Nineteen The next morning, James awoke to a soft sound that he recognized as something other than Olivia’s sleeping noises. He was on his feet almost instantly, his gaze adjusting to the darkness to take in the form of a shape easing through the doorway from his bedroom. A faint light emanated from the room, highlighting the figure opening the door with backlight. James? Mentally wincing at having been caught sleeping in Olivia’s room, as he had intended to move the mattress before anyone else woke, he thought back toward Caleb, Yes? I want to take a shower, but Skye is still sleeping. Keep an eye and ear out, will you? Of course. Caleb stepped a little further into the room and eyed the mattress on the floor for a long moment. Then he looked up and caught James’ sheepish gaze.

I wish I had thought of that, he silently conveyed. Skye’s floor is ridiculously uncomfortable.

He held up a fist and James tapped his to it, then watched him walk back through the open doors to Skye’s room, negligently tossing another dim ball of light over his shoulder into James’ room as he walked. It was at that moment that he realized Caleb had become more than just a fellow Gloresti to him over the past few months. He had become the human equivalent of a brother. Nodding to himself, he quickly got to work hauling his mattress back over to his room so he could start his watch.

Gabriel’s eyes flew open. His Gloresti energy surged as he realized there was another presence in the bedroom. Because he had left a single, dim light glowing in case Amber needed to get up during the night, he easily identified the presence. “Good morning, archigos Gabriel,” Caoilinn murmured deferentially from less than a foot away from the bed. Amber’s side of the bed, closest to the door. Without a thought, he threw his power at the Lekwuesti commander, making her stagger back with a surprised gasp. Furious over her disrespect of his and Amber’s privacy and wondering how he hadn’t heard her enter the room, he pulled the sheet up over Amber’s still-sleeping

form. She was sprawled over him, her back to the door, but she hadn’t put her pajamas back on the night before. He, on the other hand, had pulled his pajama shorts back on before sleeping, knowing there was a possibility for just this kind of scenario. Estilorians as a whole had no real concept or understanding of the human penchant for privacy. That didn’t ease his fury a bit. Carefully and quickly extricating himself from Amber’s hold, he leaped from the bed and advanced on Caoilinn, who was standing back by the bedroom door. She all but pressed herself against it when she saw the look on his face as he neared. “Why didn’t you knock?” he demanded in a viciously soft voice. “I know as Sebastian’s commander that you were instructed to do exactly that.” “I-I did knock,” she insisted, pressing her hands together and gazing back at him as if willing him to believe her. But he had nearly lost Amber due to another Estilorian female’s jealousy, and he wasn’t about to make the same mistake again. Going with his instinct, he grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him toward the door to Olivia’s room. Opening the door a few inches, he held Caoilinn’s gaze as he quietly said, “James.”

“Ye s, archigos,” James promptly responded from the darkness beyond the door. Gabriel saw Caoilinn’s shock register. She hadn’t expected James to be in Olivia’s room. Gabriel, however, knew his Gloresti much better than she did. Clenching his jaw as his anger flared, he asked, “Did you hear a knock on my door any time in the past few minutes?” He never moved his gaze from Caoilinn’s face. “No, sir. I heard no sound until you addressed commander Caoilinn.” “Thank you, James,” Gabriel said softly, and closed the door. Caoilinn’s face flooded with color, then completely drained of it. “Your leader is on his way up,” Gabriel said, his whisper colder than a wintry night. “Let’s have a little chat, shall we?”

“I do not understand, Caoilinn,” Sebastian said. He and Gabriel were standing with the Lekwuesti commander in an empty room not far from the bedrooms. From the sparse furnishings, it appeared to serve as some

kind of waiting room. Gabriel had thrown on a tank top as soon as Sebastian arrived, leaving Amber sleeping and, fortunately, blissfully unaware. He knew she needed her sleep and they had stayed up late the night before. “I am deeply sorry, to both of you,” Caoilinn said, looking directly into their eyes. Her voice rang with sincerity. Sebastian seemed well and truly perplexed by his trusted commander’s behavior. “You deliberately used your Lekwuesti ability to enter a room without using the door, something that we only use when it has been requested by our guests to avoid disturbing them. I specifically told you to knock when entering any of these guests’ bedrooms.” She closed her eyes briefly, then again caught Gabriel’s gaze. “I was, indeed, so instructed, archigos Gabriel. I do not know what came over me. I came to you at my leader’s request to inform you that other Lekwuesti will be up here soon to meet your avowed and her sisters and get their measurements for their gowns for tonight’s festivities. And I…” She trailed off. Her cheeks flushed with color. “I remembered how you kissed her.” Gabriel blinked. His brain tried to reconcile her statement with her actions and simply couldn’t. He exchanged a look with Sebastian, who turned a puzzled frown on his commander.

If possible, the color in her cheeks intensified. “It was a foolish, feminine desire to see the two of you together, unguarded and obviously in love. I have never seen such a thing before.” There was a long silence. “Caoilinn, do you realize what you have risked by your actions?” Sebastian asked, his voice incredulous. “To just see them?” “I cannot explain myself,” she said, wringing her hands together. “Sebastian, you know me. I have served as your commander for more than two centuries. I just could not help myself.” Gabriel was torn between anger and sympathy. He actually believed that she might not have understood what prompted her to enter his room unannounced. But he remembered waking and seeing her standing so close to Amber, and that memory shoved his sympathy brutally to the side. One flash of a dagger before he had been aware enough to react and things would be very different that morning. “You will be sanctioned for this grievous breech,” Sebastian said, his voice hard. “Consider yourself relieved of your duties until the elders have had time to meet and discuss your future.”

Gabriel expected outrage or tears, and was surprised when Caoilinn produced neither. She simply nodded. “I accept the consequences of my actions,” she said resolutely. Then she lowered herself to her knees and crossed both of her arms over her chest. She bowed her head submissively. “I beg your forgiveness, archigos Gabriel. I meant no harm.” “You have not earned the right to ask that of archigos Gabriel,” Sebastian responded, his voice now laced with irritation. “You have presented a threat to his wife and—” he stopped himself. “You understand protocol,” he finished, his tone more subdued. “You will come with me now and await deliverance of the decision by the elders.” She rose, now clearly upset. Gabriel sensed it wasn’t because of her pending consequences, but because she wouldn’t receive forgiveness before facing those consequences. Still, she didn’t argue or look back when Sebastian led her from the room. Gabriel stood in the room alone for several minutes after they left, considering what had just happened. Thus far, Amber and her sisters hadn’t had much interaction with Estilorian females. The only ones they had been around, as a matter of fact, were the few females who had attended the Becoming ceremony—one of whom had been the traitor, Kanika—and the female elders. Twice now, two

trusted females had been prompted to act outside of their usual characters as a result of his relationship with Amber. He suspected it was because such intimacy and emotion were completely unheard of on the Estilorian plane. It was apparently something that Estilorian females innately desired, however. He and the other elders had never predicted this. Certainly, they had identified the appalling lack of emotion among their kind and had taken steps to remedy it. Of course, the plan had been to send him over to the human plane in an attempt to learn and understand human emotion and then return in hopes he would be able to teach the concept to other Estilorians. His falling in love with Amber had most certainly not been a part of that plan. Running his thumb along the ring on his left hand, he considered this. Knowing what he did now, he was absolutely certain that the plan would have failed if it hadn’t been for his relationship with Amber. She had been the anchor that had allowed him to carry his human awareness through to this plane. If it hadn’t been for her, he would have reverted completely back to his former Estilorian self. The plan would have never succeeded. And when the girls had transitioned to this plane, as they inevitably needed to in order to assume their inherit powers, there wouldn’t have been a single being able to understand them and their emotional needs.

He frowned. What if all of the Estilorian females grew jealous of Amber and her sisters? He had prepared the girls for the reaction of possible social ostracism by the Estilorians who judged them only on their differences. But what if it went even further than that? And when he thought of Amber and the baby she carried and then thought of the tens of thousands of Estilorian females around them who couldn’t ever conceive, he felt positively ill. Would they forever be at risk?

Amber eased awake, automatically reaching over for Gabriel. He wasn’t in the bed, though that wasn’t unusual lately. She tended to sleep much more than him these days. Gabriel? I’ll be there shortly. Taking him at his word, she got up and showered, allowing the steamy water to clear away some of the haze still coating her brain. She generally wasn’t worth much in the morning for at least thirty minutes. After she toweled off, she put on the black tank and pants she had brought into the bathroom with her, brushed her hair and teeth, and went back into the bedroom.

Gabriel was sitting on the side of the bed. He held a glass filled with orange juice, her favorite beverage regardless of the time of day. Smiling, she walked to him and took the glass. “Thanks,” she said. Then she noted his serious expression and her smile faded. “What’s up?” He pulled her against him, his head resting on her chest. “We need to talk,” he said. He told her everything. She sat cross-legged beside him, not interrupting, sipping her juice. When he finished, she nodded and reached to put her empty glass on the end table beside the bed. “I get it.” “You do?” “Of course I do. Look, you know me. I’m about the furthest thing from a roses-and-candlelight romantic. But if I didn’t have you—have your love and everything that means—and saw someone else with it, I would envy it.” He considered that. Putting it in such basic terms actually made him realize that he felt the same way. “These Estilorian gals are just being introduced to the

gentler emotions. I’m sure it must be more than a little overwhelming and even enticing. So, we curb the PDA and only kiss in public if absolutely necessary for healing right now,” she said with a shrug. “When everyone starts to learn emotions and can interact in more, well, human ways, then it won’t matter so much.” “You’re assuming that they’ll learn emotions. The elders have learned them, certainly, but only because of their connection to me as a fellow elder. It won’t be so easy for everyone else.” She gave him a pitying look. “Honey, what about James and Caleb?” He paused. “They’re not elders,” she pointed out, “but they’ve certainly learned emotions.” For the first time since she saw him that morning, he seemed to brighten. “You’re absolutely right,” he said, catching her gaze. “I was so knotted up about everything, I didn’t even consider that.” “See?” She smiled and patted his knee. “It’s just a matter of time. We’ll get these Estilorians interacting with each other so much that they won’t have time to worry about the three measly half-humans anymore. And they’ll learn that there doesn’t have to be a resulting baby to get enjoyment out of

joining with each other.” Now, he grinned wickedly. “Is that so?” She flushed with color. “Well, at least that’s what I hear, anyway,” she said with an eye roll. When he issued a shout of laughter, she added, “We have to talk with the others about all of this. Everyone should be prepared.” “You’re absolutely right,” he said soberly. “But…we’re not going to talk to them right now, are we?” she asked, recognizing the look in his eyes. He paused, obviously sending a thought out to James and Caleb. Then he flicked his hand and she heard the snick of the locks on both of the room’s doors. “Nope,” he replied.

Chapter Twenty “They have reached the Estilorian stronghold,” Kanika reported. Grolkinei looked up from the map he had been perusing in his home’s study. His gaze narrowed with interest. “It has been weeks since we have received any word. You are certain about this?” “Of course,” she scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest and tossing her dark hair over one shoulder. Even after all these weeks, she still treated him with barely concealed contempt. For some reason, he found it incredibly alluring. It was quite unlike Layla’s doting and kowtowing. He didn’t know what that said about him, nor did he care. “Of course,” he repeated, giving her one of his potent smiles. “Will you have a seat, my sweet? I would be happy to pour you some wine.” She shrugged and walked over to one of the two leather chairs facing his desk. As she sat, he moved over to a table topped with glass decanters of varying heights and colors filled with an array of liquids. Pulling two crystal

glasses out of a tall, narrow armoire made of dark wood, he placed them on the table and filled them both with deep red wine. “They did quite an excellent job of masking the whereabouts of the sisters these many weeks,” he said as he walked over to hand her one of the glasses. He sat in the chair beside her rather than behind the desk, desiring to establish a level of comfort and intimacy with her. She sniffed her wine and swirled it in her glass. “I believe that the elders have highly limited the information that leaves their direct knowledge. They are no fools. I served as a lesson to them that no one can be trusted.” Watching her sip the wine, he considered her words. “We have been adding to our ranks quite steadily for years now. Why would your conversion cause them more alarm than any other?” “Because I was a direct threat to the half-humans at the time of my conversion,” she responded. “Are we not all a threat to them?” “To them, you are distant…removed. As are your ranks. They know that you cannot find their stronghold. The enchantments are too strong. You will likewise never find the homes of the elders. If possible, those enchantments are even more powerful. I think it likely that they will keep

Saraqael’s daughters within these enchanted locations at all times.” He frowned. After sipping his wine contemplatively, he observed, “The oldest daughter will most certainly have to travel from one location to another. She will surely not remain at Gabriel’s home for all the rest of her days without seeing her sisters. And they will likely be kept at the stronghold.” Kanika nodded after a moment. “You are probably correct.” Satisfied with that, he leaned back. “There is bound to be a time when someone will let it slip that they are leaving one location or another, allowing you to intercept the thought. I may not know where they are departing from or heading toward, but I now have enough Mercesti to cover nearly every part of the plane if I so order it. It is only a matter of time before I find them.” “Gabriel would be with her,” she warned. He grinned malevolently. “I know.” She eyed him over the rim of her glass as she sipped. Then she asked, “Why is it you so despise him?” “Because he is righteous, upstanding, self-sacrificing and altruistic,” he answered simply. “I hated every moment of training under him after I became an Estilorian those many

centuries ago, but it was a standard part of our introduction to this life and thus, unavoidable.” “But all of the elders have those qualities,” she pointed out. He sneered. “Yes, but it was only Gabriel who realized that I did not subscribe to those tenants. He tried to warn Volarius about me, but the Mercesti elder dismissed it. Much to his ultimate peril.” “So, you hate Gabriel because he saw through your attempt to disguise who you really are?” He raised a thoughtful eyebrow at her persistent probing. “Does one really need a good reason to hate another?” he countered evasively. “You hate Gabriel’s avowed for no reason other than she is his avowed, is that not correct?” She clamped her mouth shut, but her red eyes flared in response. “Precisely,” he said. “We all have our reasons.” They sipped their wine in silence. He kept his eyes on her, however. Her questions had been pressing and odd. But he had more important things to worry about than a female’s jealousy. “Well, it is excellent news that they are within the stronghold,” he said at last. “Although the thoughts are

strongly masked as they are generated from that secret location, there will be so many Estilorians thinking about Saraqael’s daughters that we are bound to get a useful tidbit or two. I want you to continue to focus on intercepting those thoughts and report them to me. I will speak separately with the other commanders to relate this news and impart orders on them.” She nodded in agreement. “Do not worry, my sweet,” he said, reaching over to tip her chin up so that she looked into his eyes. “We will find them. And with your help, it will be sooner rather than later.”

James left Olivia with Skye in the younger sister’s room under Caleb’s care. With directions from Sebastian to guide him, he found Aurora where they had settled her the day before. The accommodations were actually quite nice. The cat was being housed in an indoor atrium with access to the outside. It was filled with trees, a pond, some large rocks and even appeared to be populated with some wildlife. He wondered if they had created the area just for Aurora. He saw no one nearby, but knew that the Lekwuesti would never allow a guest to go unattended, even if she happened to be feline. Sure enough, after a moment of looking

around, he spotted a male Lekwuesti with dark skin and a bald head dressed in a white toga sitting on a rock reading a book. He looked up with his lavender eyes when James approached. “Good morning,” he said politely in a lightly accented voice. He closed his book and got to his feet. “You must be James. I am Lucas. Archigos Sebastian contacted me to let me know you would be arriving soon.” “Yes,” James replied. “Good morning to you, as well, Lucas. I am here to visit with Aurora.” Lucas nodded. “She is resting after a successful hunt this morning.” He turned and pointed to a tree about twenty yards away. “Thank you,” James said, turning and walking over to the tree. Seeing her on a branch nearly halfway up the tall tree, James started climbing. It made him think fondly of the few times he had chased after Olivia in a similar fashion. She hadn’t had time to climb trees in recent weeks, he realized. He would have to remedy that. “Hello there, my friend,” he said with a smile when he reached a branch near Aurora’s perch. He sat down and reached over to give her head a rub.

She made a sound in her throat reflecting appreciation. “I missed you this morning,” he admitted, looking into her green eyes. “I have grown fond of our morning runs.” She made another noise in her throat. Tilting his head, he thought, Can you hear my thoughts? Her head bobbed once, making him blink in surprise.

I wish I could hear yours, he thought. I want to know what upsets you so. I can see the unhappiness in your eyes. She didn’t respond, of course. But she did make a mewling noise. Why are you keeping things from Olivia? She is very worried about you. If cats could look apologetic, Aurora did just then. She said that she has been sending you thoughts and that you are not reciprocating. I suspect you are trying to keep her from learning something that you think will disturb her because you know she is already under a lot of strain. Am I correct? After a brief pause, her head again bobbed.

I can appreciate you not wanting to upset Olivia. But by remaining silent and keeping her away from your thoughts, you are inadvertently hurting her. I have learned that the best means to a resolution for a problem is communication. Will you tell her what is bothering you? He took her hesitation as a refusal. Sighing, he thought, Does it have to do with your mate? She blinked, studying him carefully. Then she issued another bob of her head. Do you miss him? She tilted her head and made a noise in her throat. He sensed that meant he was partially correct. As he considered what else it could be, she carefully shifted her position on the branch, exposing most of her belly to him. He understood instantly. Surprised rolled through him. You are breeding? This time, she issued one of her panther cries when she nodded. He thought it was the most sorrowful sound he had ever heard. Reaching over, he gently stroked her slightly rounded belly. Even as he touched her, he felt movement beneath his

hand that made his eyes widen. There was literally life inside her. Feeling it was utterly amazing. Not all animals on the Estilorian plane could breed naturally. Only those that made the transition along with the new plane could do so. All other animals were created by the Scultresti. He knew, however, that Aurora was the very first animal to ever traverse the planes. He could only assume that her particular DNA, perhaps in conjunction to her unique bond to Olivia, had caused her to retain the ability to procreate on this plane.

Well, congratulations, he managed, uncertain what else to say. If he remembered correctly from his past education about animal husbandry, she would be about ready to deliver in another month to two months, depending upon exactly when she had conceived. He imagined that it wasn’t any less frightening for her to face delivering a babe on her own than it would be for another mother. After another moment of consideration, he remembered Olivia’s suspicion. Are you upset because your mate did

not come for you? A head bob.

But archigos Gabriel’s home is heavily enchanted. It is possible that your mate simply could not find it. Only

minds that have been allowed through the enchantment can do so. Aurora all but stood up at learning this. He clutched the branch he was sitting on as she made the tree sway. How was it possible that he could read hope in an animal’s expression, he wondered, and react to it so thoroughly? I have some companions among the Waresti who are excellent hunters. If I provide them with a general geographic area, they can implement a search for your mate, bringing him safely to you once they find him. Would you like this? He didn’t have to read her mind to know that her answering lick to his face was a yes.

It took him longer than he thought to find Uriel. After he had explained what he needed and gotten the Waresti leader’s approval, he headed back to the rooms they had been assigned. It was well past the lunch hour by then. He imagined Olivia and her sisters were resting after their initial visits by the Lekwuesti who would be preparing their gowns for that evening’s welcome.

I’m back, he conveyed to Caleb as he approached the door to his room.

After the thought ran through his mind, he realized that he had blended the words “I” and “am” together like the sisters and Gabriel did. Interesting. That hadn’t been a conscious decision on his part.

The Lekwuesti are taking an interminable amount of time, Caleb mentally grumbled in response. The girls are each in their own chambers. I am in mine, keeping an eye on Skye and listening for Olivia. I had to battle with the Lekwuesti to keep the doors between our rooms open. I’m guessing you won. There was that contraction again. Now that he paid attention to it, it did make the conversation flow more easily. He had to wonder why Estilorians didn’t speak this way.

Oh, yeah, I did, Caleb returned. Grinning at the self-satisfied tone to the thought, James opened the door to his bedroom and strode in. He automatically glanced into Olivia’s room as he walked in, wanting to be sure she was okay. His quick glance took in the chaotic scene in her room as he strode toward the bathroom. He took two steps past the open doorway and froze. Then slowly, and very carefully, he eased back those two

steps and once again glanced into her room, allowing just his eyes to move beyond the doorframe. She was standing up on a wooden stool, turned slightly away from the door with three Lekwuesti females gathered around her taking measurements and discussing colors and fabrics. He completely ignored them. There was no conceivable way he could focus on anything other than the sight of Olivia in whatever semblance of clothing it was that she was wearing. The top of the strange, dark-pink ensemble was some kind of abbreviated tank with the thinnest of shoulder straps. It covered only her breasts, leaving her midsection completely bare. It also dipped down over her breastbone to reveal far more skin than any tank he had ever seen. It was paired with what looked like matching low-cut shorts without any legs. The rigorous workouts she had undergone over the past many weeks had left her with an incredible figure. He could easily see the definition in her arms, legs and abdomen. And at the moment, he couldn’t tear his gaze from the gentle flare of her hips where the unusual briefs dipped down below her navel. His heart thundered in his ears. He was pretty sure he hadn’t blinked in over a minute.

Only when he had an image flash through his head of Caleb —or worse, archigos Gabriel—charging into his room wondering what was wrong did he force himself to take those two critical steps forward, out of the line of sight. And then he simply stood there, trying to process. “James?” she called out. He flinched at the sound. Heat suffused his face. “Yes?” he asked. He wondered if he possibly sounded as guilty as he felt. “One sec,” she called out. Then he heard, “Would you please hand me my robe, Brenna?” And a moment later, “Thank you. I’ll be right back.” Bracing himself, he turned to face her. It was a wasted effort. She ran through the door from her room and threw herself into his arms. All of the thoughts he had been struggling to suppress flooded to the surface at the feel of her body pressed against him. Still, he couldn’t find it in him to release her. “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou,” she chanted in one long breath against his chest. Then she leaned back enough to look into his eyes. “Oh, James, thank you so much for going to Aurora. She connected with me again and—” Panic flared when he saw the tears in her eyes. Reaching

up to take hold of her shoulders, he demanded, “What is wrong?” “N-nothing,” she insisted, sniffing and shaking her head. She gave him one of her smiles. “I’m just so happy! Aurora told me about your visit.” He relaxed a fraction. He hadn’t realized that females wept when happy. Wasn’t that a contradiction? Even as he tried to figure that out, she reached up with both hands and pulled his head down, touching her lips to his for one long, humming moment. Then she pulled away, her smile wide and brighter than the lights on the ceiling. “I can’t thank you enough,” she declared. Then she whirled and hurried back to her room. Somehow, he managed to stagger to his bed and sit down on the edge of it before his knees collapsed. Dazed, he glanced up to see Caleb lounging in the doorway from the corridor. “Believe me,” he said dryly. “I know just how you feel.”

Chapter Twenty-One James and Caleb got changed in their rooms when the Lekwuesti females returned later that afternoon to get the girls dressed in their new gowns, style their hair and otherwise prepare them with their mysterious ways. The doors between the rooms were left ajar enough to allow sound to carry, but the Lekwuesti had drawn the line there. They didn’t want to be disturbed, and that was that. The tuxedo arranged for James had a standard black jacket with matching pants. There was also a black vest worn under the jacket. A starched white shirt, black dress shoes and a black bow tie completed the outfit. He had never worn anything like it. “This thing is entirely too confining,” Caleb grouched as they stood in the hallway outside the sisters’ rooms. He had pulled his long, curling hair back into a tail held by a series of silver loops, but otherwise looked very much like James. He tugged uncomfortably at the collar of his shirt. James couldn’t argue. He felt as though he was choking. They both glanced up at the sound of someone exiting a bedroom. Gabriel stepped into the hall and closed the door

behind him. “If y’all think you’re squeezing me into that corset thing, you’re out of your ever-loving minds,” they heard Amber declare as the door was closing. “Phew,” Gabriel said, doing an exaggerated wipe of his brow as he approached. He was dressed much like they were, in a black tuxedo. “I’ve never seen so much fabric and underthings in my entire life. It looks like a silk factory exploded.” James and Caleb exchanged a thought to see if one or the other had any idea what he was talking about. Neither of them did. “Anyway,” he continued, eying them up and down. “Looks like you guys are ready to roll. Best you stay out here if you value your lives. Just keep everyone out who isn’t already in there.” They nodded. Caleb again tugged at his collar. Seeing the movement, Gabriel stepped closer, reached up and unbuttoned the very top button of Caleb’s shirt, slightly loosening it and the bow tie. Because the tie covered it up, no one would be aware of the undone button. Caleb adjusted his tie so it was straight. “Huh. That helps. Thanks.”

“No problem,” Gabriel said. “I’ve been to a couple of proms in my day. You pick up a few things.” He looked up and down the hallway and confirmed they were still alone. Then he said, “I’m going to have a word with Uriel and Ini-herit regarding the arrangements for this evening, figure out what path we’re going to take, that kind of thing. You may find some curious drifters coming up this way. It’s inevitable that our location will be found out before the dinner with all of this traffic. Just send anyone who stops on their way. I’ll be back to escort Amber.” Then he left. It was a rather uneventful wait. To kill some time, James told Caleb about Aurora. Caleb wondered if they would have to fly a bunch of panther cubs with them whenever they next traveled. James hadn’t considered that, but he supposed so. About an hour before the dinner was scheduled to start, the curious Estilorians that Gabriel had predicted showed up. James was rather surprised that he recognized nearly everyone in the group. “Hello, James,” the front-runner said as the group approached. “Caleb.” “Dacian,” they replied in neutral tones. Dacian, being an Orculesti, had dark green eyes. His hair was a dark reddish-brown, worn in an elaborate and,

James thought, ridiculous poof on his head. He was tall, but stood a couple inches shorter than either Gloresti. He was dressed in elaborate evening wear, complete with a frilly cravat, high collar and a jacket with tails. Behind him were about ten other males, all in a wide variety of formal wear. James spotted several other Orculesti he knew, as well as a few Scultresti and a couple of Lekwuesti. He had never liked Dacian. He found the Orculesti arrogant and insufferable. “I see archigos Gabriel has you two doing all the work while he is off doing whatever he feels like,” Dacian said smugly, telling James that things had not changed during his absence these past two decades. There were a couple of grunts of agreement behind him.

Do you sense him trying to read your thoughts? James asked Caleb. Yes. Amateur. After Knorbis’ training, he’s pathetic. James idly realized Caleb had used a contraction in his thought. Neither of them responded to Dacian’s comment. They just stood there looking distinctly bored. “We are curious about the half-human females,” Dacian said, seemingly unbothered by their lack of response. “Is it true that they are all deformed and the Lekwuesti are having to work extra hard to make them presentable?”

James clenched his jaw. Where had Dacian heard such a thing? Caleb, on the other hand, grinned fiercely and briefly. Then he said simply, “Leave.” There was no room for argument in his tone. Dacian’s nostrils flared in indignation. “Just because you are both embarrassed by being made to watch over the half-humans does not mean you can be rude to us.” James then sensed Gabriel’s impending arrival. Caleb evidently did, as well. “Are you saying that you believe that archigos Gabriel’s avowed is less than acceptable?” Caleb asked mildly. James lifted a brow. “From what we have heard, I do not know how he tolerates bedding her every night,” Dacian replied with a disapproving sneer in his voice. James and Caleb both smiled then. Everyone in the group looked shocked and baffled by their reactions. Humor was foreign to them. “Welcome back, archigos Gabriel,” the two Gloresti said to their leader at the same time.

Watching the color leech from Dacian’s face when he realized who was standing behind him was an astonishingly satisfying experience, James decided. He probably should have felt some kind of sympathy, as the Orculesti certainly looked as though he wanted to throw himself out the nearest window. But he simply couldn’t muster any. Dacian’s eyes blinked rapidly as he slowly turned to look behind him, swallowing audibly. The group of males who had come with him all backed away, distancing themselves. “What was that you were saying about my wife, Dacian?” Gabriel asked calmly. He had his hands behind his back in a casual stance. James saw the cold fire in his leader’s eyes, however, and imagined Dacian did, as well. “I would very much like to hear you say it to me directly.” “I-I-I—” Dacian stuttered, his hands rising and falling as though they had no idea what to do with themselves. “That’s exactly what I thought,” Gabriel said, his expression contained. “Now then,” and here, his tone grew frigid, “why don’t we step on down the hall to this handy room so that I can explain in explicit detail exactly what I will do to anyone who insinuates anything remotely slanderous about my wife or her sisters in the future.” Dacian made a sound almost like a whimper.

Gabriel waved Dacian ahead of him down the hall, ever the gentleman. Then, as he fell into step behind the Orculesti, he added loud enough for the others to hear, “And I believe we might just have to have a little demonstration of those consequences for the whole ‘bedding her’ comment.” James and Caleb stared pointedly at the remaining males until they all bumped into each other trying to get away. Then they laughed like idiots.

“Look at me, Liv—I’m Cinderella!” Skye declared breathlessly. She really was, Olivia realized, right down to the upswept hair in a high pile of artlessly arranged curls topped with a sparkling diamond tiara. Skye’s gown was a diaphanous blue, shining almost silver depending upon the light. The strapless gown had a modest, scalloped neckline and was laced in a loose pattern in the back that left a wide V of tanned skin exposed. The fitted bodice was embroidered with swirls of silver and midnight blue threads designed much like the blue swirls tattooed on Skye’s right shoulder blade and around her eyes. The gown’s floor-length skirts billowed out around her like a cloud. The small diamonds that the Lekwuesti had adhered to the edges of her eyes between her natural blue markings winked in the light.

Completing the outfit was a diamond choker necklace, two dangling diamond earrings and coordinating, elbow-length sleeves that she wore on either arm. They were like gloves without hands, coming to a point over the backs of her hands. “You’re going to knock ‘em dead,” Olivia grinned. “I know!” Skye lifted her voluminous skirts and thrust out one of her feet. “And look!” Gaping in disbelief, Olivia studied the remarkable shoes. The low-heeled slippers looked like glass. “What are these made of?” she asked curiously. “I have no idea,” Skye giggled. “I was telling Pavati, Fanette and Erwina about the Cinderella story earlier, and they surprised me with these.” Olivia shook her head in wonder. She had never seen anything like it. And she knew that Skye was relishing every single minute of being dressed and treated like a princess. “No, no, no!” came Amber’s irritated voice from her bedroom. Since they were in Olivia’s bedroom and the door to Amber’s bedroom was open, they could hear everything going on next door. The sisters glanced toward the bedroom door, then exchanged a look when they heard

Amber make a sound something like a growl.

She’s hungry, Olivia thought. And probably tired, Skye returned. I’ll go see what I can do. Olivia nodded, then turned to the only Lekwuesti still in her room. The others had gone to get dressed for dinner as soon as Olivia was ready. It was actually a relief to not be surrounded by all of the madness anymore, she thought. And she really liked the remaining Lekwuesti. Her name was Brenna and she was very sweet. For some reason, the female wore a veil over the entire bottom half of her face. The only visible part of her face was her friendly lavender eyes. Olivia suspected that she was self-conscious. Brenna had barely interacted with the other females and had been treated notably different. Because she had been so kind to Olivia and Olivia would only treat her the same, they had bonded quickly. “Brenna, I hate to bother you,” she said, “but could you possibly, um, create some fruit or something?” “You are hungry?” Brenna asked in a musical voice. “You are not caking that all over my face, by all holy sake,” Amber snapped. Wincing, Olivia said, “Um, no, actually, it’s for—”

Amber whipped into the room from her own, followed closely by Skye. Olivia’s eyes widened. Amber looked absolutely stunning. In fact, her appearance was almost more remarkable than Skye’s in that it was such a dramatic departure from her usual tank top and shorts or pants. The ball gown designed for her eldest sister was not quite as voluminous as Skye’s, though the skirts did bell out like a traditional ball gown. The shimmering fabric was a burntgold color several shades darker than Amber’s eyes, accented with lighter gold thread detailing. The Lekwuesti had incorporated the blue-gray color from Amber’s markings in subtle trim and an underskirt. The gown was designed with a large split down the front of the gold overskirt to reveal the blue-gray fabric beneath it. Dark blue threads woven into the underskirt reflected the light. Unlike Skye’s gown, Amber’s bodice was fitted only to the middle of her ribcage and then started flaring into her skirts. In the center of the rather low-cut bodice was a four-gemmed broach of white gold and honey amber to match her ring. This had been paired with matching dangling earrings and a simple pendant that sat at the base of her throat. The gown’s two-inch wide straps were designed to sit off the shoulder, drawing attention to her shapely, well-defined arms and making her look quite sultry and alluring. The nearly completely open back of the dress contributed to this impression. Of course, Olivia thought, at the moment Amber just looked

like she wanted to kill someone. She glanced again at Brenna and realized the Lekwuesti had honored her request. An assortment of finger food was now sitting on her bedside table. “Don’t make me sit in there another minute, Liv,” Amber begged. “They want to put makeup on me now. For heaven’s sake, didn’t I let them do this to my hair?” She indicated the lovely and elegant twist that had been pinned into place with white gold and honey amber pins as though it had been a tremendous trial on her part. And Olivia knew it had been. “Here,” she said sympathetically. “Sit and eat. I’ll speak with your Lekwuesti.” Amber didn’t argue, proving that Skye had been right about her exhaustion. In the end, Olivia dismissed all but one of Amber’s Lekwuesti to go and get themselves ready, insisting they would be fine. And somewhat to Olivia’s surprise, the remaining female, Tabitha, appeared to be fast friends with the quiet Brenna. When they called out to the Lekwuesti, Pavati, still remaining in Skye’s room, she came in and joined them. The three Lekwuesti appeared to be a kind of unit. After she had eaten and had a few minutes of peace, Amber was much more manageable. She allowed the

remaining Lekwuesti to apply their cosmetics without further complaint. At one point, she reached up to scratch her forehead and Brenna gasped. Raising an eyebrow, Amber said, “What?” The Lekwuesti bowed her head, appearing embarrassed. “I am terribly sorry,” she said. “I only just noticed your scar.” She was referring to the thin red line running along the inside of Amber’s right forearm. It looked almost like someone had taken a permanent marker to her skin. The scar used to run right up to the palm of her hand, but now stopped at the wrist marking they had all created. She had received the scar and two others on her person when she was struck by Angius’ cursed blade and then healed. “Oh,” Amber said with a shrug. “It doesn’t hurt or anything.” “Are you not…sensitive about it?” Brenna asked cautiously from behind her veil. Olivia noticed Brenna’s two friends exchanging worried looks and suspected that the conversation was not something that Sebastian would condone. Even on the human plane, it was rather rude. But she sensed the deeper meaning behind the question and knew Amber did, too. “Why should I be?” Amber responded. “I’m alive. What’s more important than that?”

“But what if others ridicule you? What if living itself becomes painful?” Olivia kept her expression carefully contained, but felt the emotional response to the poignant question flowing through both of her sisters, as well. “Anyone who judges someone based on their appearance isn’t someone worth knowing, in my opinion,” Amber said carefully. “We all have scars. Some of them are just more visible than others.” Olivia saw the sadness and the agreement in Brenna’s eyes. She also understood that Amber’s opinion must be in the distinct minority on this plane. Pavati and Tabitha exchanged another look, their hearts obviously hurting for their friend. Although she knew it wouldn’t be welcome, Olivia couldn’t stop the pity and empathy for Brenna from affecting her. Then Amber tilted her head, holding Brenna’s gaze. “Will you show me your scar?” “How dare you ask that?” Tabitha demanded, moving closer to Brenna and Amber where they sat across from each other. “No, Tabitha,” Brenna said, evidently seeing that Amber had asked with a purpose. “Thank you for defending me. But I do not mind.”

And she unhooked her veil, allowing her full face to show. The disfiguring scar ran from the bridge of her nose along her left cheekbone and along the side of her neck. Olivia blinked back tears. She didn’t know how the Lekwuesti had survived it. “Uncursed Mercesti blade?” Amber asked in her calm voice. Brenna nodded. “Will you allow me to touch you?” Amber asked. Olivia’s eyes burned in earnest then. She saw Skye fighting the same battle. “I…suppose so,” Brenna replied hesitantly. Nodding, Amber quietly reached up with both hands and placed them on either side of Brenna’s face. Pavati and Tabitha gasped at the glow of gold light that suddenly appeared. The glow continued for several minutes. Amber’s eyes were closed in concentration. And then, she pulled her hands away. All that remained of Brenna’s scar was an almost invisible white line.

Chapter Twenty-Two Brenna obviously had no way of knowing what had just happened. To her, she probably felt exactly the same. But she recognized the shock on her friends’ faces. She leaped from her chair and hurried over to a wall mirror. Her expression was beyond priceless. There was a great deal of weeping and hugging among the sisters and the three Lekwuesti friends, and in the end, they had a great deal of work to do repairing the damage done to their makeup in time for the dinner. Olivia kept fretting that she would drip mascara or eyeliner onto her beautiful gown and had to be reassured several times that she had nothing to worry about. She couldn’t help it, though. She had never been dressed in anything so magnificent in all her life. Her gown was almost simple compared to her sisters’. The base color was amethyst purple. Like Skye’s gown, the bodice was fitted through to her waist and then flared gently into a bell-shaped, floor-length skirt. The designers had incorporated peridot green to emphasize her eyes. A band of fabric in the gorgeous color started as a narrow strip over her left shoulder, crossed her chest, and then grew

wider as it joined her skirt at the waist. Her right shoulder was bare. The purple bodice beneath the peridot strip formed a straight line across her chest and then dipped down low in the back. At the juncture where the peridot fabric started in the skirt, there was a broach of amethysts and peridots. Her jewelry was also a mix of the richlycolored stones. She even had two small amethysts on either side of her eyes alongside her green markings, much like Skye’s diamond adornments, and some gems incorporated into the beautiful braided up-do of her hair. When the Lekwuesti were done, they insisted that the sisters look into a mirror together. “We are totally hot,” Skye said with a grin. “Gabriel is going to all but drool when he sees you, Amber. Your eyes could stop a train, they’re so vivid.” Amber blushed and elbowed Skye as Olivia smiled at them. “And, Liv—holy cow!” Skye continued enthusiastically, turning and looking at her. “You’re absolutely gorgeous. I’ll bet James won’t stop staring at you for at least an hour. You’re so completely buff now!” Understanding Skye’s need to have this pep talk before they went out and allowed everyone to gawk at them, she responded, “Well, you look like a princess, Skye. The sight

of you will knock the wind out of everyone in the room. You’re absolutely breathtaking.” “Yeah, we’re not half-bad,” Amber said, earning light shoves from her sisters. She laughed. They turned to thank Brenna, Tabitha and Pavati, all of whom could not have been more humble and thankful for Amber’s gift. They had agreed to do their best to keep from broadcasting Amber’s talent, as they knew the last thing she wanted was to have every Estilorian with an ache or pain standing outside her door every day. She would never get any peace. Amber nodded resolutely and caught her sisters’ gazes one last time in the mirror. Then she said, “Let’s go show ‘em how it’s done.”

James, Caleb and Gabriel had been occupying their time in the hallway with a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors when the door to Amber and Gabriel’s bedroom opened. They all turned and watched the three Lekwuesti females nod and hurry past, obviously intending to go and change for the dinner event. They executed curtseys to Gabriel before departing. The sisters walked out right behind them.

It was several long moments before James thought to breathe. By then, Olivia was standing right in front of him. He tried to command his tongue to work so that he could say something to her, but his brain had to catch up first. “Well, well, well,” Gabriel said appreciatively in his human drawl. He took Amber’s left hand in his and bent at the waist to execute a gentlemanly kiss on her hand. “You are positively spectacular, wife.” Her answering smile was something to behold. James observed all of this from the corner of his eye. He hadn’t looked away from Olivia’s potent light green gaze since she stopped in front of him. Those eyes shone with a humor that told him she was well aware of the impact she was having on him. “How did you get this dress through the door?” Caleb asked Skye from a few feet behind Olivia. He sounded truly puzzled. Skye gasped and glared at him. Gabriel shook his head sorrowfully at the young Gloresti. “Tsk, tsk, Caleb. You have much to learn. Observe.” Stepping up to Skye, he extended his hand so that she reached out to take it, her face transforming into a beaming smile. Then he lifted that hand and prompted her to execute a graceful twirl. Her other arm extended to the side in a manner that displayed her gown to perfection.

“You are exquisite, sis,” he said, leaning down to give her a kiss on the cheek. The action made her giggle. “You look like something out of a fairytale.” “I know!” she replied happily. “Like Cinderella, right?” “That’s exactly right,” he replied. Then he turned and looked at Olivia, who met his gaze. “It seems, Sis Number Two, that your beauty has left James speechless.” He looked at James with his eyebrows raised to prompt a response. “Yes,” James finally responded. His voice sounded a bit hoarse, so he cleared his throat. “Olivia, you are simply staggering.” Skye sighed dreamily. Then she glowered at Caleb and reached out to smack him on the arm. “And you asked me how I fit through the door. Nice.” “What?” he asked, sounding aggrieved. “It was a valid question. If I had known I was supposed to tell you how beautiful you look first, I would have.” She eyed him warily. “You think I’m beautiful?” “You are always beautiful,” he said simply. “This,” and he indicated her gown, “is just adornment.” He obviously meant every word.

Now, she looked astounded. She brought a hand to her heart. Gabriel grinned. “And I didn’t help him on that one, either,” he said. Then he glanced at all of them, his expression sobering. “All right then. We know this won’t be the easiest or most comfortable social event we’ve ever attended. None of us have any idea what to expect. We’ll hope for the best, but be ready for the worst. Keep your thoughts open to each other as much as possible.” They all nodded. Amber held her hand out, palm down. One by one, they added their hands to the pile, exchanging looks of solidarity. Then they turned and walked down the hall without another word, together.

Olivia’s heart beat uncomfortably fast as she stood with her sisters outside the grand hall where the welcome dinner was being held. Sebastian had shown Gabriel a way to get them all to the hall without being seen by anyone. Now, they were essentially waiting in the wings until Jabari announced them into the room. The noise was at a high level as Estilorians arrived and took their seats, greeting each other and speculating about the night’s event. Olivia could see maybe half the room. It

consisted of five graduated tiers of seating rising higher than she could see, approximately three tables deep per level. The linen-covered tables all overlooked the center floor, like a stadium. Instead of a court, playing field or concert stage, however, there was a gleaming hardwood floor on the ground level with a large, wide, rectangular table covered in a white cloth and surrounded by padded wooden chairs. Gabriel had informed them that after they were announced, they would all walk across the floor to the table. The three sisters, James and Caleb would be sitting with the elders, a great honor.

There sure are a lot of them, Skye thought. She was clinging to Caleb’s arm, her eyes wide.

At least a thousand, Olivia seconded. Her grip on James was nearly as tight. Amber had her right arm around Gabriel’s waist. He kept his hand on her shoulder, holding her near. As always, she looked collected and controlled. But she echoed her sisters’ nerves when she added, I’d double that number.

Man, I hate crowds. Finally, the balls of light filling the hall dimmed. The sounds settled into silence. Olivia swore her heart was going to leap right out of her throat. She prayed she wouldn’t faint.

You won’t, Amber thought firmly, catching her gaze. We’re

made of tougher stuff. Bracing her shoulders, Olivia nodded resolutely. Skye did the same. “Welcome, my fellow Estilorians.” Jabari’s deep and commanding voice filled the hall, easily reaching even the highest and deepest seats. Olivia saw him, resplendent in an aqua-colored robe over a royal blue undershirt, standing at the head of the table currently facing the alcove where she and her sisters stood. To his right sat Knorbis, decked out in a tuxedo similar to James’ but with a long black tie and dark purple vest that matched his eyes. The lights made his blond hair appear white. Ini-herit sat to Jabari’s left. Although the Corgloresti elder was sitting, he appeared to be wearing a long-sleeved black shirt with a high, round collar and matching black pants. The single silver chain he wore sported a pendant of some kind and hung halfway down his chest. He had pulled his black hair back in a fancy braid. Next to Knorbis was Malukali. The Orculesti elder was smiling, the expression lighting her dark green eyes. Her long, straight, brown hair hung unbound down her back, and a wreath of pink flowers tied with ribbon sat around her head. Her dark pink ball gown was high-waisted and flowing, with small cap sleeves.

Sitting at the other end of the table was Uriel. Although his back was to them, Olivia could see the Waresti elder was wearing another tuxedo. As always, his dark hair was cut militarily short. To his right sat the Scultresti elder, Zayna. Her dark skin was luminous in the romantic lighting. She wore a toga-style gown in a soft, flattering yellow. Her brown eyes were alight with good humor. Sebastian sat across from her. He wore a formal dark-gray suit with a coordinating striped tie. “We have called you all together this evening in celebration,” Jabari said as she took everything in. “Tonight, we welcome the three daughters of one of our fallen Corgloresti, Saraqael. Their story is known by us all, but they themselves are only known by very few. Though they have been on our plane just a short while, they have already opened the minds and hearts of the council of elders here before you. And it is with great pleasure that I invite them now to join us for this very festive event.” Suddenly, the wall that had been shielding them from everyone’s view simply disappeared. The elders all rose to their feet. Olivia was too stunned to do more than stand straighter and try to keep her expression contained. There was such a dramatic intake of breath that she almost laughed. Sensing her nervous humor, Amber turned and caught her gaze. Then she looked at Skye.

Want to freak them out? she thought, her golden eyes twinkling mischievously. Following her thoughts, Olivia and Skye released James’ and Caleb’s arms and stepped forward onto the leading edge of the hardwood floor. Amber left Gabriel’s side at the same time and joined them. The sisters stood side by side just a few feet apart. “Thank you, Jabari,” they said at the exact same time, their cadence and tone identical. Olivia heard Gabriel issue a choked sound and realized he was stifling a laugh. Even as she registered that, she followed her sisters’ thoughts and mirrored them by taking hold of her skirt with her left hand and lifting it so that she could perform a graceful and deep curtsy, her right hand pulled back and into the air as though she was greeting royalty. Their movements were executed with perfect synchronization. “Greetings to you all,” they intoned politely as they once again rose and stood tall. “Please join us, Amber, Olivia and Skye,” Jabari responded to break the ensuing silence. He looked both slightly stunned and highly humored. The sisters all turned and looked over their right shoulders,

grinning and catching the gazes of the appreciative males behind them. Gabriel stepped forward, as did James and Caleb, so they could escort them to their seats. Just as James took hold of her arm, however, Olivia felt a wave of pressure in her skull. She knew from Knorbis’ training that it was an attempt from an outsider to read her thoughts. It felt incredibly powerful, though. The pressure quickly escalated to excruciating pain. She clutched her hands to her head and squeezed her eyes shut in an effort to somehow abate the agony. Beside her, Amber sucked in a sharp gasp. Skye cried out. The pain exploded. Then, darkness.

James had greatly enjoyed the performance of the three sisters. They had obviously remembered Gabriel’s comments about being seen as oddities, and rather than shy away from that, they had simply fed into it. The impact of their three voices chiming together had eyes widening throughout the hall. So did their unbelievable beauty. He had already identified where the Orculesti were seated in the enormous hall and spotted Dacian four levels up and two tables deep. He looked decidedly dour. So, when the wall had been

removed and the sisters revealed, James had deliberately watched Dacian’s reaction. It had been even better than he thought it would be. Dacian had come up out of his seat, his mouth hanging open. Nearly everyone had similar expressions, he then noted. He felt Caleb’s wariness and gave him a mental acknowledgement. They scanned the crowd, paying particular attention to anyone whose expression seemed unwelcoming and making a silent note of it. When it was time to escort the girls to their seats, he caught Olivia’s laughing gaze over her shoulder and stepped forward to take her arm. He intended to tell her over dinner just what an impressive picture she made. It was as he reached her side that a confused look crossed her lovely features. Her smile disappeared. He tilted his head in consideration, believing for a second that she and her sisters were still performing. Then she clutched her head in obvious pain. His Gloresti power surged, but he couldn’t imagine what was wrong. He heard Amber and Skye make sounds indicating a similar level of pain. “Orculesti, desist!” Gabriel shouted, looking up into that class’s section of the hall. All of the Gloresti in attendance were on their feet, their power surging because Gabriel, James and Caleb’s

Gloresti energy had been activated at the same time. Just as Gabriel issued his command to the Orculesti, Olivia collapsed in James’ arms, sending a jolt of raw fear through him. Amber and Skye fell at almost the exact same time. The sisters had gone from smiling to lifeless. It had taken less than ten seconds.

Chapter Twenty-Three “Malukali!” Gabriel called out, his voice filled with outrage. James turned with Olivia’s limp form in his arms and headed quickly for the nearest exit, followed closely by Caleb holding Skye. He wasn’t sure how his legs could still move because he was nearly numb with shock. The feel of Olivia’s unresponsive body in his arms made him want to howl with a fury he hadn’t even known he could feel. Even as they moved, they heard Malukali bellowing at her Orculesti, ordering them to refrain from their attempted mental intrusions. That was when he realized what had happened. Sebastian suddenly appeared in front of him. “This way,” he said, and led them through a doorway into a small lounging room. It had one sofa, a desk and two guest chairs. James had no intention of putting Olivia down. His heart was slamming against his breastbone. Gabriel hurried into the room behind them with Amber in his arms. James could feel his leader’s intense fear, knew it mimicked his own. He laid Amber on the sofa and immediately pressed his lips to hers.

After a long moment, she responded. “Ugh,” she said, sitting up with Gabriel’s assistance. Her eyes were slightly bleary. Still, she got to her feet and grabbed one of each of her sisters’ hands, closing her eyes, bowing her head and concentrating. Shortly thereafter, Olivia stirred in his arms. James was so relieved that he had to lean against the desk to help stay standing. She slowly lifted her head and blinked at him. “What was that?” she asked in slightly slurred confusion. She tightened her hold on him so he wouldn’t bear her dead weight. Next to them, Skye blinked and looked around, catching Caleb’s gaze. “Ow,” she said. Sebastian hurried over to Skye. He had a white cloth in his hand. Before she could protest, he held the cloth against her face. “Hey!” she complained, trying to push him away. But when he pulled the cloth back from her face and she saw the blood, her face paled considerably. Her grip on Caleb tightened. “Oh.” “Can you clean her gown?” Caleb asked calmly. “My gown?” Skye squeaked, looking down. “They ruined my

gown!” Fortunately, she had grown angry instead of teary. Equally as fortunate, Sebastian simply had to wave his hand to use his power and clean the blood away. James tried to command himself to put Olivia down, but he couldn’t. The feel of her against him, aware and alive, flooded him with such emotion after seeing her fall that he thought he might not ever let her go again. Since Caleb continued to hold Skye even though he was all but suffocating in the skirts of her gown, James reasoned he felt much the same way. Gabriel and Amber were standing in a corner kissing, and because Gabriel wasn’t taking particular care to guard his thoughts just then, James knew it wasn’t because she needed further healing. They had come so close to losing them, and so suddenly. “Are they all right?” Knorbis asked, hurrying into the room. The other elders piled into the small room behind him. Malukali had evidently stayed behind to continue her censure of her class, as she was notably absent. The others all looked relieved when they saw the sisters conscious and apparently fine. Gabriel took one more moment to convey a thought to Amber, then turned and stepped in front of her. He was obviously far from pleased.

“Each of you assured me you would put protections in place to keep them safe,” he said, anger in every word. “They weren’t even in there a full minute, for all holy’s sake!” “There are protections in place,” Ini-herit replied matter-offactly. “If there were not, the sisters would be dead right now. Very few can survive an undiluted mental assault by so many Orculesti at one time.” That was exactly the wrong thing to say. James and Caleb glanced briefly at each other before they both moved to put Olivia and Skye on the ground and urged them over to stand beside Amber. Then they stood with their arms crossed on either side of Gabriel and assisted him in lighting into the council of elders. A few minutes later, Malukali swept into the room. Her expression was a blend of anger and concern. Everyone silenced as she hurried up to Gabriel. “My deepest apologies on behalf of all Orculesti, Gabriel,” she said, putting the palms of her hands together and bowing her head. “I have discovered that the intrusion was coordinated by one male. He has been removed from the hall and will be dealt with appropriately.” “Dacian,” Gabriel, James and Caleb said darkly at the same time.

She started. “How did you know that?” Gabriel frowned darkly at having their suspicions confirmed. “I should have anticipated this,” he said, running his hand through his hair in agitation. “His comments earlier…but he sounded sincere when he said—” “I do not know what occurred earlier,” she interrupted. “But he did indicate when I spoke with him alone that he had planned this group intrusion a while ago. He had forgotten about it and did not participate in it himself. I was able to determine his sincerity through his thoughts.” Gabriel sighed. “It’s apparent that we haven’t determined all of the risks involved in introducing the sisters to everyone as a group like this. Perhaps we should—” “Oh, no, you don’t,” Skye interrupted, stepping forward with a stubborn look on her face. “I did not go through all of this training and preparation, never mind all of this primping, to just back out now.” “Skye’s right,” Amber said, also moving out from behind them. She caught Gabriel’s gaze and reached out to touch his arm with an understanding expression. “We’re going to have to do this at some point. I say we go out there now and get this done.” “Let us prove ourselves to them,” Olivia added.

James caught her gaze. He nodded. “All right then,” Gabriel responded, seeing that everyone was in agreement. He looked at the other elders. “But you know now what we’re up against. Be on better guard, would you? I’ve had enough excitement for one evening.”

Olivia was very familiar with the phrase, “Could have heard a pin drop.” But the absolute silence among the thousandplus Estilorians in the grand dining hall took that phrase to a whole new level. She truly didn’t think she had ever experienced a room so still and hushed. It was almost as though no one was even breathing. The elders entered the hall first and resumed their places at the table in the center of the floor. Jabari sent a hard and powerful look around the stadium. She realized the Gloresti were still standing. “That was unexpected,” Jabari said in his commanding voice, “and such behavior will most definitely not be tolerated from anyone else or it will invoke the power of all elders. Saraqael’s daughters have come here at our request, though they are fully aware that some of you are less than open to their presence. They risked their very lives to come to this plane and have done nothing but accept us and work to learn our ways, which differ greatly

from those of humans. In this manner and many others you have yet to learn, they put all of us to shame. They have displayed amazing resilience and courage and deserve nothing but our acceptance and respect. “If this is something you are unwilling to give, then you are to leave this hall immediately.” Olivia wasn’t sure what she expected after the recent stunt by the Orculesti. Maybe a mass exodus or shouts of argument against Jabari’s statements. There was neither. After a moment of continued silence, Jabari nodded. He turned to the doorway where Olivia and her sisters stood with Gabriel, James and Caleb. When the Elphresti elder nodded, she squared her shoulders. Gabriel and Amber walked out first, followed by her and James and then Skye and Caleb. There were murmurs as they emerged. She imagined everyone was rather surprised at their swift recoveries. Good, she thought. Let

them wonder. Following Gabriel’s lead, they lined up and faced the Gloresti tables. Using their joined thoughts to convey the appropriate actions, Gabriel, James and Caleb bowed. Amber, Olivia and Skye curtsied. The Gloresti bowed as one in response. Olivia spotted Simon, the Gloresti who had guarded Amber’s Estilorian form, standing beside a

chair in the front row. He wore an approving and welcoming smile. “We celebrate your return, archigos Gabriel, James and Caleb,” said another male standing in the front. He was shorter than several of the others around him, but he sported the same muscular physique. His distinctly Asian features were all the more striking with his dark blue eyes. Amber conveyed the thought that his formal black and midnight-blue garb, resembling a skirt over a kimono, was called a hakama on the human plane. His intense gaze moved to Amber. “And we welcome your avowed as well as her sisters.” “Thank you, commander Hitoshi.” Beside the Gloresti were the Scultresti. Olivia and the others repeated the bowing and curtseying and received bows in return. At the forefront of the brown-eyed class was a diminutive female with sunny blonde hair worn in an knot at the nape of her neck. The freckles dusting her nose and cheeks gave her a decidedly childlike look. “Welcome home, archigos Gabriel, James and Caleb,” she said, her accent heavily French. “And a sincere welcome to you, Amber, Olivia and Skye. We are all looking forward to getting to know you.” The unexpected warmth in her tone made Olivia smile when

she caught the Scultresti’s gaze. “Thank you, commander Cadence,” replied Gabriel. Next was the Wymzesti. Their commander was the tallest, thinnest female Olivia had ever seen. She had reddishbrown skin and hair almost the exact same color. Her deep purple eyes seemed to stare right through them. “Welcome,” she said, her voice soft and soothing. “We are so pleased you are here tonight. Your presence gives all Wymzesti hope for the future.” “Thank you, commander Meda.” The tall, muscular Waresti male with burnt orange eyes inclined his head respectfully as they bowed and curtsied. He wore a black tunic with elaborate gold etchings woven into the fabric, paired with black pants and boots. When he moved, the lights shone on his closely-shorn blond hair. His message was short and to the point. “The Waresti welcome you, Amber, Olivia and Skye.” “Thank you, commander Harold.” The commander of the offending Orculesti had fiery hair and creamy skin along with his signature dark green eyes. He wore a strange combination between a white toga and a robe with a white undershirt. Olivia idly wondered if he wore sandals and had a laurel wreath to wear around his head and noticed both of her sisters giving her amused

grins. She felt heat building in her cheeks and returned her attention to the commander. “We Orculesti have obviously failed to make the best first impression,” he began. She couldn’t place his accent, but did appreciate the ire in his gaze when he glanced behind him. He had evidently not been a part of the mental assault. There were a number of downward gazes from the guilty. He turned back around to face them. “However, I heartily welcome you. We have followed your progress on the human plane and know you each have tremendous traits to share with us.” “Thank you, commander Ailfrid.” Olivia knew from the silver eyes of the next group that they were about to meet the Corgloresti commander. When he met her gaze, she blinked. Lord, was he ever breathtaking. Like Ini-herit’s, his hair was raven black. He wore it cut in a shorter, more modern style that flattered his sculpted face. His tuxedo fit him perfectly, making him look like a twenty-one-year-old James Bond. When she mentally heard Skye’s hubba hubba and Amber’s silent agreement, she knew her opinion wasn’t unshared. “The Corgloresti have learned much about humans over the centuries,” he said in a smooth, cultured voice.

Heavens, he even sounded like James Bond.

Would you stop that? Amber thought, fighting back a laugh. Olivia flicked a gaze over to her eldest sister and bit her bottom lip abashedly. “And with this knowledge,” he continued, ignorant of their byplay, “we can say unequivocally that the three of you bring everything that is good about humanity to this plane with you. We are honored to welcome you.” “Thank you, commander Raphael.” The last group was the Elphresti. Their commander was another female. She wore a beautiful black and gold sari. Her dark skin and black eyes combined with her curling black hair made her look like an exotic Middle-Eastern princess. She wore a gold headdress and a delicate gold stud in her nose. Her every movement tinkled musically with the many rows of bracelets she wore. “Archigos Jabari has experienced more depth of feeling in the few months he has known the three of you than he had in his entire previous existence,” she said, looking at each of the sisters in turn. “This is something none of us ever anticipated. It is also something all of us long to experience. We are none of us perfect and beg your patience as we learn your ways, much as you have learned ours. We are

confident that we can build a harmonious future together.” “Thank you, commander Khalidah,” Gabriel said. Then he turned and offered Amber his arm to lead her to the table with the elders. Olivia took James’ arm and followed them, listening to Skye’s clicking footfalls behind them as her glass-like slippers connected with the wood floor. There was a moment of whispering sound as everyone around the hall settled into their seats. Olivia felt all of the curious eyes on them as James pulled her chair away from the table and she sat down. She wondered if she could actually eat anything while being the object of such scrutiny.

Won’t stop me, Amber thought in response. I’m starving. What if they serve us sautéed monkey brains? Skye thought. Will you still eat then? Oh, gross, Skye. Seriously. Olivia covered her mouth to prevent her laugh from escaping, but her shoulders shook with the effort. James reached over to touch her shoulder, but when she caught his gaze he realized there wasn’t anything wrong. “We asked each of your Gloresti to select a meal that you would enjoy,” Sebastian said from his end of the long table. “All of us will be partaking of these same menu options as a

way to begin familiarizing ourselves with you and your human experiences.” She raised her eyebrows and glanced again at James, who winked at her. The action surprised her, but she kept her reaction to herself to keep him from feeling uncomfortable. Instead, she gave him a smile. Curious as to what he told them to prepare for her, she turned and watched the Lekwuesti walk out of two sets of doors on either side of the hall. Three of them walked up behind each of the sisters and placed covered silver platters in front of each of them. And then, with a great flourish, they pulled the lids away. The scent was amazing. Olivia felt her entire mouth flood with saliva. When the steam cleared, she studied her plate with no small amount of amazement. “An Italian beef sandwich?” she asked, not believing her eyes. She leaned closer and breathed in its aroma. It was exactly like she recalled from her life in Chicago. It had been weeks since she mentioned the foods she missed to James, but he had clearly remembered, just like he had remembered that she had collected unicorns as a child. When she turned her gaze to him and saw him watching her with an expectant smile, she had to swallow against the emotion in her throat.

Of all the things, she thought ruefully, being careful to keep the realization to herself, it would be a sandwich that prompted her to realize how very much she loved him.

Chapter Twenty-Four Gabriel had ordered up a meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, collard greens and fresh biscuits for his wife. Olivia thought that Amber might actually start crying right there at the table, especially when an assortment of condiments from butter and fresh jam to salt, pepper and vinegar were set on the table before her. The look she exchanged with Gabriel spoke volumes. Skye, on the other hand, gasped and brought her hands to her face at the sight of her cheeseburger and fries. “Oh, Caleb, this is perfect! The only way it could possibly be better is if it came with—” She stopped when another Lekwuesti set a frosty glass filled with something pink topped with whipped cream and a cherry in front of her. Then her face registered astonishment. “…a strawberry milkshake,” she finished. She caught Caleb’s gaze. “You remembered. Right down to the cherry.” When Caleb saw the tears fill her eyes, he blinked in surprise, his gaze lighting with alarm. James evidently conveyed a thought to him to ease his worry, as they

exchanged a look and Caleb nodded. “You are happy,” he said when he looked back at Skye. “I am,” she replied, giving him a bright smile as she dabbed at her eyes with her napkin. “Truly beyond words, Caleb. Thank you.” The hall then filled with the noise of Lekwuesti placing platters of food on all of the tables. Brenna was among the Lekwuesti serving the first tier of Estilorians. Olivia noticed her getting many curious glances and imagined some of the beings around her didn’t even recognize her. When the Lekwuesti female caught Olivia’s gaze, she nodded with a twinkle in her eye. “I’m looking forward to trying this sandwich,” James said, drawing her attention. She realized then that he had been served the same meal as she had. Similarly, Caleb and Gabriel each had the meals that they had ordered for Skye and Amber. And then she thought about what he had just said. More specifically, how he had said it. “You just said ‘I’m,’” she pointed out in a low voice. He nodded. “Yes, I did. I’ve found that contractions are a convenience. See? I did it again.”

Her mouth opened, but she couldn’t think of a thing to say. So she grinned. “There are a few ways to eat a traditional Italian beef sandwich,” she said. “Let’s start with ‘hot.’” She spent some time explaining the different toppings that the Lekwuesti had brought out: Giardiniera (a spicy pickled relish of mixed vegetables), provolone cheese and some sweet roasted Italian peppers. They sampled each of them. She got tremendous enjoyment out of watching him experiment until he found a combination of flavors that appealed to him. In the end, he finished every bite of his sandwich and the thin, crispy potato chips that had been served with it. “I like these, too,” he said around a crunch. “I don’t know if they match your Jay’s chips, but they seem good to me.” She laughed. He had even remembered the name of her preferred brand of chips. “Yes, well, I wouldn’t recommend getting used to them. They’re really not all that good for you.”

Have you realized how quiet it is in here? Skye thought toward her from across the table. Olivia tuned into the atmosphere around her for the first time in at least fifteen minutes and realized what Skye meant. She fought her discomfiture when she noticed that nearly everyone was still looking down at them. She

wondered if she had said anything loud enough to be overheard and figured she probably had, it was so quiet. Now that all of the food had been delivered to the tables, the noise was barely above a slight murmur. Several Lekwuesti circulated with pitchers of water, refilling glasses as needed. Other than that, it didn’t even appear that many of the guests were eating. Gabriel was sitting next to Zayna on Sebastian’s end of the table. Amber sat beside him and across from Caleb, who sat next to Uriel. Skye sat between Caleb and Malukali. James sat beside Amber, and Olivia was on his other side next to Ini-herit. She leaned forward and caught Amber’s gaze.

Yeah. Not awkward at all , her sister thought sarcastically. She had put her fork down and was pulling a biscuit apart. Olivia took a sip of her water and looked around again. It wasn’t even so much the stares as the lack of expression in those stares that she found disconcerting. The silence was eerie. And then Skye started humming the Jeopardy! theme song. It was so unexpected that Olivia choked on her water. James reached over to pound her on her back as she issued a cross between a cough and a laugh. Then Amber started laughing and the three girls were soon giggling like loons.

They’re going to think we’re absolutely nuts, Amber thought as she wiped a tear from her eye.

They already do, Skye rejoined. Their fit of laughter lasted for several minutes. It was compounded by James and Caleb exchanging shrugs that conveyed bewilderment and resignation. They looked at Gabriel, who was smiling. He silently conveyed the general idea of what had cracked the girls up. They didn’t seem to understand it any better. “So, does everyone speak telepathically here, or what?” Skye asked Caleb in a quiet voice after their humor had abated. “I mean, why isn’t anyone speaking? Is this normal?” Olivia watched Caleb for an answer, as well, since she was wondering the same thing. “No, it is not normal,” he said in a slightly raised voice, and he looked around them with a glower. “They’re too busy staring to talk.” “Oh.” Jabari heard the comment. He had been conversing with Knorbis and Ini-herit and finally clued into the conversation. He looked around and realized what was causing the girls’

concern. “Perhaps some music is in order, Sebastian,” the Elphresti suggested. All of the sisters perked up at that. They exchanged interested gazes as Sebastian nodded and waved his hands toward the far end of the ground floor. A collection of instruments appeared in the corner, floating and playing themselves. Olivia felt the amazement on her face, but couldn’t help it. She noted several stringed instruments that looked very similar to a traditional human string quartet, if not exactly like one. There were some instruments she didn’t even recognize.

Is that a Pan flute? Amber thought with a raised eyebrow. I have no idea, Olivia responded. But I think that’s some kind of bongo drum over there. I guess expecting an electric guitar and keyboard was a bit of a stretch, Skye mused. But it was still an improvement, no matter how different it was from what they were used to. The sisters gave their thanks to Jabari and Sebastian and finished their dinner in relative peace. When the dishes were cleared, everyone got to their feet. Sebastian waved his hand again and the elders’ table

disappeared. Their chairs were all moved to one end of the room. The girls walked over to stand near their seats, joined by Gabriel, James and Caleb. “Please feel free to interact socially,” Jabari called out to the crowd. “If you would like to dance, archigos Sebastian is open to taking requests.” There was a flurry of movement as everyone rose from their seats. “What kind of dancing?” Skye asked curiously. Her question was drowned out by the sound of rising voices and movement throughout the hall. It wasn’t long before the floor began filling with Estilorians. They paired up and began a dance that made Olivia think of the movie A Knight’s Tale . She imagined it was something from the period where courtly dancing was the fashion. She noticed Skye watching with an observant eye. Olivia stood awkwardly, seeing that some of the guests had gathered along the railing leading down to the dance floor. She couldn’t determine whether they wanted to speak with them or were simply staring out of their continued curiosity. She wasn’t sure if she should approach them on her own to break the ice, or whether that was some kind of breach of propriety. Deciding to follow everyone else’s lead, she took hold of James’ arm and watched as the dance morphed

into a waltz. She had seen some competitive ballroom dancing before, and, of course, Dancing with the Stars. This group seemed to have the mechanics down like pros, she thought. But it seemed like there was something stilted about it. “Well?” Caleb asked then, holding a hand out to Skye. Her eyes lit up and she flashed a brilliant smile. “Yay!” She reached out and took his hand. They moved onto the dance floor and Caleb turned her so they were facing each other. And when he pulled Skye so close that there was barely a sliver of light visible between them, Olivia instantly realized what all of the other couples were missing. Emotion. From the moment Caleb stepped them into the first beat of the dance, the floor belonged to just to him and Skye. Their gazes never parted. It was about the most romantic thing Olivia had ever seen. “Might as well work off some of that fried chicken,” Gabriel said, taking Amber’s arm and leading her onto the floor. Although Amber protested, he completely ignored her. He simply grasped her around the waist, pulled her up so that her feet were barely touching the ground, and twirled onto the dance floor. Amber’s breathless laughter floated across the hall. “Do you dance?” James asked Olivia.

“I’m afraid not,” she admitted. “I only took the most basic lessons in school.” “I can teach you.” She smiled up at him. “Well, I am an avid student.” Returning her smile, he led her to the edge of the dance floor and showed her how to position her arms. He explained the steps and the beat as the song transitioned to another waltz. Some of it she already knew from the televised dance competitions. The trick would be to actually try and implement the knowledge. She lacked Skye’s natural grace and Amber’s precision of movement. “Are you ready?” he asked. She nodded, praying she wouldn’t make a fool of herself. And then he pulled her against him. Suddenly, it didn’t matter to her whether she tripped over her own two feet, as long as he continued to hold her. They moved into the first twirl and she was no longer thinking about what beat it was or how she was supposed to hold herself. She simply looked at James and allowed herself to enjoy the experience of being in his arms.

They danced for hours. By the end of the evening, as the Lekwuesti circulated with water and a stronger beverage that Gabriel informed them was off-limits, they had participated in dozens of different kinds of dances. Skye had even taken it upon herself to demonstrate what humans called line dancing. It was something the Estilorians enjoyed tremendously. James, however, preferred the waltz. He was sure there was no better feeling in the world than holding Olivia so close. He was relieved that the guests became more cordial as the event wore on. He, Caleb and Gabriel had all grown extremely concerned during the dinner about the strange behavior of their peers. At one point, Gabriel had even begun conveying plans to them about how to get the sisters away without causing an uproar. But things leveled out and opened up when the dancing began. Of all the classes, the Gloresti, Corgloresti and Lekwuesti were the friendliest and most accepting of the sisters. He supposed that was logical seeing that each of the sisters was in some way attached to a Gloresti, had a Corgloresti father and the Lekwuesti were the Estilorian equivalent of hospitality ambassadors. Still, none of them treated the girls poorly. He suspected they all had a multitude of questions, but no one broached them. It would have been rude and unacceptable by the elders. He didn’t even

perceive any attempts by Orculesti to access his thoughts. Gabriel dictated when it was time to leave. Well, James thought, perhaps it was more accurate to say that Amber dictated it. She fell asleep in her chair. They all departed in the early hours of the morning, Amber having been roused enough to walk out on her own. As soon as they were out of the room and away from public view, Gabriel lifted her into his arms so she could go back to sleep. “That was so much more fun that I thought it would be!” Skye declared. Her eyes were bright with excitement. “It certainly ended better than it started,” Olivia allowed, yawning behind her hand. “Now that you’ve all been introduced to the classes, we can start a more normal routine tomorrow,” Gabriel said in a quiet voice out of deference for Amber. “We need to get back to training. Sebastian has an area reserved for us.” “Yay,” Skye and Olivia said in the same unenthused tone. The males all smiled at them. When they reached their rooms, it was to find the same Lekwuesti who had assisted the girls in dressing once again standing outside their doors.

“I hope you had a nice time tonight,” said the female who had stayed with Olivia until she left for the dinner. “We did, Brenna, thank you so much for everything,” Olivia said with a smile. James stepped forward and opened the door to Olivia’s room as Gabriel and Caleb did the same on their ends of the hall. He tossed a couple of balls of light into the room and opened his senses. Seeing nothing of concern, he allowed Olivia and Brenna to enter. Leaving their adjoining door open enough to hear inside her room and making sure of the same regarding Skye’s door, he sent a mental nudge to Caleb to go ahead and get himself changed. He offered to wait until Caleb was done to keep an eye and ear on the girls. Caleb gratefully accepted. The sounds of female voices rose and ebbed from both sides of his bedroom. James simply stood between the rooms, not willing to lie down and possibly grow less than alert. Now that nearly everyone knew where their rooms were, there was no saying that someone might not take it upon themselves to venture over here. Even if they didn’t intend harm to the sisters, it was inappropriate for them to make contact near their personal quarters without an express invitation.

I’m out, Caleb thought. Okay. Going to shower. After receiving Caleb’s acknowledgement, James went into the bathroom and disrobed, intensely relieved to be out of the constrictive clothing. Although Olivia had complimented him several times on his attire that evening, he would be perfectly happy if he never had to don such a thing again in all of his existence. The shower was hot and welcome. He let the water beat on his shoulders for as long as he dared remain removed from Olivia’s general vicinity. Then he dried off and pulled on the sleep tank and shorts he had brought into the bathroom. After completing the rest of his nighttime regimen, he left the bathroom and sent a mental thanks and good night to Caleb. He quietly closed the door to Skye’s room. The silence issuing from both rooms was blissful after the busy day. James grabbed his pillow and blanket and then went to work hauling his mattress off the bed. He was tossing his pillow and blanket onto the mattress on Olivia’s floor when she emerged from her bathroom with a freshly scrubbed face and damp hair. Without speaking, she walked up to him and grabbed his hands, quickly positioning him and pulling him into a waltz. Grinning at her

happy expression, he indulged her and did a couple of rotations with her around the room. He took her hand and allowed her to twirl away the full extension of her arm before pulling her back in against him. It was only when he felt her pressed against him without all of their layers of formal clothing that he realized just what an intimate dance the waltz really was. As if coming to a joint decision, they both suddenly stopped dancing. His arms remained around her, holding her close enough that her body heat warmed him through their pajamas. Her hands were on his shoulders. He was held captive by her bewitching gaze. It was all he could do to keep his hands planted where they were rather than caressing her soft skin. As he had when they stood in the olive grove, he sensed they were on the verge of something beyond anything he had ever experienced. And he was very, very eager to learn. Because she had leaned toward him in the olive grove, he now leaned toward her. She reached up with equal enthusiasm, bringing her lips straight to his. He realized almost immediately that he had been waiting for this moment since her brief kiss earlier that day. But he had been wholly unprepared for the more passionate version of this particular human expression.

He couldn’t explain the power of sensation that flashed over him when their mouths connected. Nothing in his entire existence compared to it. It was as though all of the energy on the Estilorian plane had centered itself in that connection. His entire body was a sudden wash of heady sensation, from his lips straight down to his feet. She slowly moved her lips against his, teaching him without words what he needed to know. Ever the ardent student, he moved his hands up to cradle her face, slowly moving his mouth against hers. Once. Twice. Then again, and yet again, varying the positions and the amount of pressure exerted. When she opened her mouth beneath his, he followed her lead without a thought. Somehow, although he probably should have found it at least mildly shocking, he was unsurprised when she gently touched her tongue to his. It just seemed to him as though that was a perfectly logical transition for this amazing experience, and he responded in kind. He savored the taste of her. It absolutely defied description. She made soft sounds indicating her pleasure as her hands caressed his back and shoulders. His body felt as though it was going to erupt in a rapturous flare of pleasure. Abruptly realizing the effect the kiss was having on him, he jerked away from her. Holding her at a distance so he could

catch his breath and try to regain some control of himself, he said hoarsely, “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be,” she said, equally breathlessly. When he caught her gaze, she gave him a smile filled with feminine delight. She flicked a wrist and extinguished the lights as she stepped toward her bed. “Good night, James.”

Chapter Twenty-Five The private courtyard that Sebastian had arranged for them to train in was rather similar to Gabriel’s own. It helped them get back into the standard training routine without too much difficulty. Of course, by the time they were all up and moving the day after the welcome dinner, it was much, much later in the day than they were used to. Still, without a word of complaint, the sisters completed their weightlifting routines under Uriel’s supervision and then moved into their body sculpting exercises. They worked on those for thirty minutes and then transitioned to their cardio workout. Inspired by last night’s event, today that would be dance. James enjoyed watching them develop workout dance routines to some of their songs from the human plane. The style of dance they knew was vastly different from anything on this plane. He found it invariably energetic and provocative. Skye was always the choreographer, as she had the most experience and talent when it came to dancing. Because she could convey the intent of her movements to her sisters with her thoughts now, they didn’t even have to rehearse much before a new routine anymore.

“What should we start with?” Amber asked as they lined up beside each other in the middle of the courtyard. “How about Hey Soul Sister?” Olivia suggested. “Sounds good to me,” Skye agreed. “Slow and controlled, then build.” Amber and Olivia opened up with the chorus, their voices blending harmoniously as they danced. The sisters moved with near-perfect synchronization now. James wondered if they realized how far they had come in the past couple of months. Something that probably seemed so simple to them now had been hours of effort to achieve when they first started learning. Amber and Olivia hadn’t even had an interest in dancing back then. Now it appeared to be their most preferred exercise. He watched Olivia move, read the happiness in her expression. His mind returned time and again to the kisses they had shared. Despite his exhaustion, sleep had eluded him. He had lain awake staring mindlessly at the ceiling, thinking of how amazing kissing her had been and how much he would enjoy doing it again. The intoxicating flavor of her had lingered on his lips long after she had fallen asleep. He couldn’t help but wonder whether his reaction to the entire experience had been normal. He certainly wasn’t about to ask his leader, the only male who might be able to tell him.

It was during the course of the sisters’ fourth dance routine, this one to a song called “So What?” by someone Caleb identified as Pink, that the courtyard began to draw an audience. First to arrive was the Gloresti commander, Hitoshi. James greatly respected his commander, and from what he had learned since Olivia’s transition, Hitoshi had done a very good job of filling in during his elder’s absence. Gabriel and Hitoshi had developed a very synchronous relationship before Gabriel transitioned to the human plane, so it was nice to see his leader smiling at the commander and slapping him on the back in welcome. That, at least, didn’t appear to have changed. During the fifth and final song in the girls’ routine, another handful of Gloresti along with the Waresti commander Harold and around twenty other Waresti appeared, lining the edges of the courtyard. James found their presence odd and glanced at Caleb, who shrugged. As the sisters completed their dancing and walked over to get a drink of water and towel off their perspiration, Harold came forward. Amber paused with a towel pressed to her throat and gave him a smile. “Hi, Harold,” she said. Then she glanced behind him. “Hi, guys.” She turned to Olivia and Skye. “These Waresti were with me when I transitioned. Come

and meet them.” She rattled off each of the names of the twenty Waresti who had helped protect her Estilorian form as though they were good friends. James noticed Gabriel’s surprised expression. “What are you guys doing here?” Amber asked curiously before she drank some water. Harold looked mildly uncomfortable with everyone’s attention on them. But he responded, “I understand you have been practicing with your sword. We wanted to see you wield it. Perhaps even practice with you.” “Oh.” She blinked, then glanced at Gabriel. “Well, we’ll be practicing hand-to-hand combat first,” she said. “That is fine. We will wait.” Olivia sent James a look under her lashes while the conversation was going on. Something about the heat in that look combined with the flush of exertion in her cheeks made his heart pound mercilessly. “As to that,” Hitoshi said, stepping forward, “I was hoping to engage you in hand-to-hand combat this afternoon.” “Ah,” Amber looked at Gabriel again. “Wow. I’m rather popular, aren’t I?”

“My warrior,” Gabriel said with a smile. But James sensed his leader’s underlying worry. Anyone sparring with Amber who was unaware of her condition could cause her and the unborn child considerable harm. He watched Gabriel weigh his choices and make his decision. His leader caught and held Hitoshi’s gaze for a long moment. Whatever he conveyed didn’t cause a flicker of a reaction on the impassive Gloresti’s face. Hitoshi simply nodded. So before long, Amber and Hitoshi faced off in the center of the courtyard. Olivia moved over to stand in front of James, so he placed his hands on her shoulders. It was a magnificent expression of movement. The two of them were very evenly matched, which James thought surprised his commander. Indeed, the first time Amber landed a blow to Hitoshi’s upper body that knocked him back a full foot, he paused to glance at Gabriel as if he hadn’t been properly prepared. Her natural Estilorian abilities as well as her modern human knowledge of karate and kickboxing gave her the edge she needed to match Hitoshi’s centuries of Estilorian experience in hand-to-hand combat. They advanced and feinted, kicked and blocked. Each gave and received considerable blows, though James noted that Hitoshi completely avoided Amber’s midsection.

She, apparently, was doing the same, trying to keep things even between them. The first time Hitoshi connected with Amber’s face, James saw Gabriel clench his jaw. She recovered quickly, however. Gabriel had to call a draw when he saw his wife was tiring. Hitoshi didn’t argue and instead spent several minutes praising Amber and asking if they could exchange lessons. She readily agreed. The sword match with Harold had to be postponed. Gabriel argued that Olivia and Skye needed their training, as well, and wouldn’t get that if every practice session was dedicated to Amber’s skill sets. The Waresti commander willingly respected Gabriel’s wishes on the matter, but offered to assist in the sisters’ training. There turned out to be many such offers, all of them by males. James and Caleb muttered to each other that it was getting damned crowded in the “private” courtyard. They both missed Gabriel’s quiet home more and more as the days passed. True, the girls were definitely expanding their knowledge base. Amber avidly absorbed Hitoshi’s tips. He even taught her specific defense moves to guard her midsection more effectively and worked with her on special exercises meant to teach her better balance as her weight and shape changed. And under Harold’s tutelage, she added to her

swordplay skill set enough to defeat him by their third match, something that astounded every Waresti including Uriel. Skye made tremendous strides in throwing weapons, developing a strong penchant for the star-shaped disks created for her by Uriel. Within the space of a few days, she hardly ever missed her target. She worked closely with Raphael, the Corgloresti commander, in her training, something that seemed to bother Caleb to no end. James completely understood. Olivia was even now receiving another lesson on bo fighting from Alexius, Uriel’s second commander and the Waresti who had led the contingent working with James to guard Olivia’s Estilorian form while she was on the human plane. Alexius had created a practice weapon shaped like Olivia’s bow so that she could learn how to use her blessed weapon like a staff if she became engaged in face-to-face combat with an opponent. While James’ Gloresti self was greatly pleased with her progress and easily identified the increase in her self-confidence with the weapon, he couldn’t deny that another part of him deeply resented Alexius. Watching him stand behind Olivia and put his hands on her during their lessons made James’ fists clench. He initially didn’t understand this part of his reaction. She had received training from Ini-herit, Knorbis and Uriel for weeks without it making him think twice. It wasn’t until their

third lesson that James figured it out. Alexius looked at Olivia in a different manner than the elders did. His gaze showed an interest in more than just her skill with a bow. Once James made this connection, he quickly realized that Alexius wasn’t the only one. He caught many of the males studying each of the sisters—even the avowed Amber— with a deeper interest than was normal or even appropriate. It was driving him insane…but for the life of him, he couldn’t imagine what he could do about it.

A week after their arrival, Olivia was in her bathroom brushing her teeth after another long day. She had again spent most of the day working with Alexius on her bo training. She was quite excited about how much progress she had made in just a matter of days. Because the Waresti second commander had a particular talent with the staff weapon, he was able to effectively teach her how to correct the consistent errors she had been making. It was like having a different math teacher explain a complicated formula in a slightly different way than a previous teacher. It just clicked for her. She was particularly happy to know that she wouldn’t be the only one of her sisters without the ability to defend herself

one-on-one. True, her hand-to-hand was still abysmal, but now she felt that if she could get her hands on any staff-like weapon—even a thick tree branch—she could effectively protect herself against an opponent. Still, she missed her more consistent contact with James. While he did work with her on her strengthening exercises and occasionally some of her other weapons training, Alexius had certainly taken over a large part of her daily activity. And by the time they got to their rooms at the conclusion of the day, there wasn’t much time for interacting before they went to sleep. Gabriel wanted them training as much as possible over the next few weeks before Amber’s pregnancy started to show, which meant they were going strong all day from the early hours of the morning. What they would all do once Amber’s pregnancy became impossible to hide was still up for debate. The elders hadn’t decided if they would all be safer at the Estilorian stronghold or somewhere more removed, such as Gabriel and Amber’s home. There was the matter of Amber’s health and the safe delivery of the baby to consider outside of any possible problems arising among the many Estilorians at the stronghold when the news got out. It was a quandary. She finished rinsing her teeth and then left the bathroom.

The ball of light that had been in the room with her followed her into the bedroom. She was surprised to see James standing in the middle of the room rather than already lying on his mattress. Smiling in puzzlement, she asked, “What’s up?” “Put on your robe,” he instructed her. “We’re going to see Aurora.” Blinking at his serious tone, she instinctively tried to send a thought to her feline friend. He held up a finger and wagged it back and forth, further astonishing her. “None of that,” he said. Only because she saw him fighting a smile did she do as he told her. She tried not to worry. Aurora wasn’t due to deliver her cubs for at least a few more weeks, and she had some very talented Lekwuesti tending to her now that her condition was known. Still, there was truly no reason for James to be bringing her out to the cat at this time of the night. The halls were vacant, a blessing. She wasn’t comfortable being out in public with her hair undone and dressed in just her pajamas and robe. When they reached Aurora’s accommodations, she hurried into the forested area, seeking her friend. James followed,

allowing her to take the lead. Aurora? We are over here.

We? She hurried into a small clearing and then drew to an abrupt halt. Sitting together in the middle of the clearing, side-by-side, was Aurora and a black panther. She froze, confused and worried the black panther would react like any other wild animal and attack. But he remained sitting beside Aurora, looking at Olivia with a patience and wisdom in his yellow gaze that made her understand that he was no longer quite wild. Using her power, she reached out to the black panther’s mind. And she realized she could read his every thought. “James,” she breathed, reaching out for him and grabbing his arm. “I can hear him. I even think he would respond to my commands. I don’t know why or how, because I haven’t had any success like that with other animals on this plane before right now. But it’s true.” She turned and caught his smiling gaze. “You did this. You arranged for him to be brought to Aurora. He’s telling me how thankful he is.” He shrugged. “I knew it would make Aurora happy. And

you, of course.” Of course. There was absolutely no way to thank him for his gift, and she knew he didn’t want or need thanks. He had done it because he knew it would please her. As his words and the realization of what he had done flooded her, she lifted her hands to touch his face and spoke right from her heart. “I love you so much, James.” He jerked away from her. Surprised by the response, she almost laughed. But then she saw the horror dawning on his face. He staggered back, pressing himself against a tree trunk. James, the Gloresti who went through doors for her, was so appalled by her declaration that she thought he might be sick. Shock and humiliation kept her rooted to the spot. “I can’t—I don’t—” He couldn’t even finish a sentence, she had so horrified him. It didn’t matter. She didn’t need him to. His reaction certainly filled in the blanks very effectively. I can’t and I don’t…love you. “I see,” she managed through numb lips. She stepped

back, struggling to maintain her composure. “Well, thank you for this wonderful gift.” She turned and left, not caring if he followed. Clinging to the numbness like a shield, she kept her thoughts carefully contained. In truth, she wasn’t sure how she managed to make her way back to her room. She vaguely realized that James had, indeed, followed her, despite how she had upset him. He entered her room first, and the moment he allowed her in, she walked straight into the bathroom and closed and locked the door. Then, even though she knew he was aware she had already showered, she turned the water on as high as it would go. And with the noise to mask her sobs, she sank to the floor and allowed her heart to break into pieces.

PART III: Acceptance Excerpts from the Great Foretelling: “Not only will she and her sisters teach us, but they will

unite us.”

“He will only learn the true depths of human emotion when

he has experienced what it is to lose everything that matters.”

Chapter Twenty-Six Grolkinei sat with his commanders in a large, subterranean location that he called his War Room. It was miles away from his home, though the two locations were connected by an intricate series of tunnels. Only his commanders knew the very secret location. Tonight was Kanika’s first visit to the War Room. She was here years earlier than she would have been otherwise, all because she had proven so exceptional with her gift. Thanks to her, they now had a great deal more information about Saraqael’s daughters and even the rest of Estilorian society than they ever had before. None of them could figure out why she was able to so successfully pull thoughts, however rarely, from within the Estilorian stronghold when no other Mercesti in all of history had been able to do so. Grolkinei thought it might be a result of her heightened mental powers. Another theory was that her abilities had been enhanced because the actions that had converted her to Mercesti had been against the half-human. The elders hadn’t implemented their mental protections with humans in mind, after all. The War Room had been very carefully sculpted. An

enormous stone table the height of Grolkinei’s waist filled the center of the vast chamber. On the surface of the table had been etched a detailed and exact map of the entire Estilorian plane. Surrounding the table were stools, also carved out of the stone. In fact, all of the furniture in the room, from a smaller table with chairs for dining, a tall series of storage niches against one wall and nearly twenty cots crafted in a bunk bed style, had been created from the stone. They only used this room when they were preparing to welcome new Mercesti to their ranks. Thanks in large part to Kanika’s abilities, they felt confident that they would soon be doing just that. “So,” Kanika said from her position around the huge center table, “you have been luring Estilorians from the other classes away from the Estilorian stronghold by creating difficulties around the plane to draw them out?” They had spent the beginning of this session educating her on the scope of their plans. In the past few weeks, she had developed more of an interest in understanding the ways of her new class. “Yes,” Grolkinei responded patiently. He gave her an indulgent look. “We are constantly scouring the plane to root out locations of Corgloresti forms that have transitioned, as that provokes the largest scale response.

Once they are away from the stronghold, we are able to more easily influence them to turn against one another.” “That means you are filling your ranks with mostly Waresti,” she guessed. “They are the ones who respond to incidents away from the stronghold.” “Also correct. The Waresti, as it happens, have a tendency to react more aggressively than other classes when given the right amount of provocation.” Here, Grolkinei turned his approving gaze to Layla. “And Layla is quite exceptional at supplying that provocation through their subconscious thoughts and dreams. She has even managed on occasion to influence some of the weaker minds existing beyond the elders’ protections.” The blonde Mercesti lifted her chin. “Of course.” She looked at Kanika. “And we also get the occasional Estilorian who strays on her own.” Rather than rise to the bait, Kanika kept her gaze on Grolkinei’s, ignoring Layla completely. “I imagine the Waresti make good converts. They are already trained to be warriors.” “Indeed. Ryce and Angius were both Waresti.” Kanika flicked a quick glance at each of those commanders. Then she looked toward Cesaro, the slightest and most intelligent of the commanders. She knew

he was prized because of his ability to strategize as well as ferret out information among the non-Mercesti Estilorians. And he used every means necessary to do it. “What was I, you are wondering?” he asked her in his smooth voice. Receiving her curious raised eyebrow, he responded, “I have always been Mercesti.” Grolkinei nodded. “Cesaro is the only commander left of my original council. The centuries have admittedly not been as easy for us as they have for the rest of the Estilorians.” “Because you lack the protection of all of the elders that the others have,” Kanika stated. That earned her frowns from the entire table. “We do not need to hide behind some elder’s power,” Angius snapped. “They are the cowards who will not face us.” Looking thoughtful, she returned, “But would we survive it if they did all emerge from that protection to face us head-on, as you propose?” Glancing around the table at each of them, she added, “Will they not significantly outnumber us?” Now, Grolkinei smiled. It didn’t reach his eyes. “That is what they think.” Obviously sensing she shouldn’t press for more details after only just joining the council, she simply nodded.

“Very well,” he said briskly. “Let us move on to reviewing what we have learned.” He sipped from his glass as he collected his thoughts. Then he began, “As we already knew, Saraqael’s eldest daughter, Amber, is avowed to Gabriel. He calls her his wife, making us believe that he retains his knowledge from the human plane. This particular daughter has gold and blue-gray markings and has been training as a warrior.” He caught Kanika’s gaze. “Kanika has sensed that she above both of her sisters will prove the most resistant to thought invasion.” She nodded. “I conducted mental probes of each of the daughters at the Becoming ceremony. Hers were the only thoughts I could not read.” There were nods around the table. “Next eldest is called Olivia. She is protected by a young Gloresti named James, as well as by her white panther, Aurora. Her markings are light green. She is being trained in the way of a ranger with a focus on archery. She has not shown much aptitude for other types of weapons or combat in general.” “How perceptible are her thoughts?” Cesaro asked. “Moderate,” Kanika said. “Probably more so if I had direct access to her. I could not conduct a thorough scan with

Malukali so near her.” Again, they all nodded. Grolkinei continued, “The youngest daughter is called Skye. Her guardian is another young Gloresti named Caleb. Her markings are light blue. She has been training in throwing weapons. Her skills in hand-to-hand defense are better than Olivia’s but not nearly as strong as Amber’s. It is her pure spirit that allows her to generate holy light. It also leaves her the most susceptible to thought intrusion.” Layla and Kanika both nodded. “But we will probably need direct contact with her to have any influence,” Layla clarified. “Not easy with her abilities.” “Very true,” Grolkinei allowed. “Which is why we have recently determined that our best option for a quick and successful plan to span the planes lies with the second daughter, Olivia.” Ryce nodded. “She presents the least threat, especially if we can get her away from her animal as well as her Gloresti.” “Agreed,” Angius said. “She should be easy enough to overpower. If we can capture her, Kanika can mine her thoughts for all of the information we will need.” “To that end,” Grolkinei said with another smile, this one

lighting his eyes, “Kanika has detected a weakening mind among those surrounding the daughters. It is this mind that has provided most of the information we have obtained this past week. She believes this Estilorian is teetering on the brink of conversion.” He turned his gaze to his right. “Layla, my sweet. I believe that with just a touch of your special talent, this Estilorian will take that final step. And if you are feeling particularly devious, you could even implant the right suggestion to send Saraqael’s middle daughter right to us.” Returning his smile, she bowed her head. “As you wish, my lord. I am confident it will not present much of a challenge.”

Olivia sat in her room eating breakfast. As he did every morning, James was meeting with Caleb and Gabriel in Caleb’s room to discuss the day’s plan. Amber was still sleeping and Skye was in the shower. Brenna was in Olivia’s room with her, changing her bedding. The Lekwuesti female had been the one to primarily work with Olivia these past two weeks. Similarly, Brenna’s friends Tabitha and Pavati continued to assist Amber and Skye with their needs. Olivia had grown incredibly fond of all of them. After a few moments of working in silence, Brenna left the

used bedding in a pile on the floor and took a seat at Olivia’s small dining table. “Will you tell me what troubles you?” she asked gently. Looking up from her almost untouched food, Olivia blinked. “What do you mean?” Giving her a knowing look, Brenna said in the same soft voice, “You have not been the same all week as you were when you first arrived here. You hardly eat, your bedding is more rumpled, telling me you are not sleeping well, and you rarely smile. What has happened?” Olivia wanted to lie to the Lekwuesti, just as she had been lying to everyone. She wanted to say that she was fine, just tired. She truly wanted to pretend that there wasn’t a constant ache in her chest. She wanted to brush off her crushing heartache as just one more of life’s lessons and move on. Surely she was strong enough to do that. But Brenna’s kind expression and genuine concern made her realize how very much she needed to tell someone who wasn’t connected to James that things really weren’t all right. That she had spent every night of the past week crying in the shower and trying to pretend that he wasn’t in the room just feet away as she tried to sleep. That she couldn’t stand the pained and pitying looks he gave her when he thought she wasn’t looking. That pretending to be okay with just being the girl he was sworn to protect was no

longer enough. So she did, speaking quietly since the doors between the rooms were open. When she started crying, so did Brenna. The Lekwuesti took her hands in a sincere expression of compassion. And then she used her power to create a small pile of handkerchiefs. That made Olivia emit a watery laugh. “Thanks.” Using one of the cloths to wipe her lavender eyes, Brenna said, “Do not get too grateful. They are as much for me as you.” Olivia’s laugh was stronger this time. “I am sorry that you are in such pain, my friend,” Brenna said, her gaze somber. “I am certain there is a solution to this somewhere. I am quite happy to help you look for it.” Overcome, Olivia fought back more tears. “Brenna, you are unbelievably sweet. I don’t know how to thank you for all you do for me…for your friendship.” Brenna blushed. Then she gave Olivia a long look. “Would you allow me to be your paired Lekwuesti?” “What do you mean?” Olivia asked. Then her eyes widened. “You mean, so that you can assist me no matter where I am?”

The Lekwuesti nodded, her face growing pinker. “Oh, Brenna, I would love that! What do we need to do?” “Thank you, Olivia,” Brenna said, her eyes alight with excitement. “This will be such an honor for me.” She held out her hands, palms up. “It is a rather simple exchange of vows. You must put your hands on top of mine and accept that our minds will always be partly connected. Only as applies to your hospitality needs,” she clarified. Without hesitation, Olivia reached out and placed her hands palms down on top of Brenna’s. “I, Brenna, vow to serve you, Olivia, using my Lekwuesti abilities to see to your comfort and care. I open my mind to yours that you may connect with me whenever needed. In turn, you agree to not abuse this connection and will limit your requests to one per day when we are not together. This connection is binding unless broken by either of us for valid reason.” She looked right into Olivia’s eyes. “Do you accept?” Deeply touched, she said, “I accept with gratitude.” There was a wash of lavender light. Olivia felt her head spin, then resettle. “Whoa.” “I second that,” Brenna said, bringing a hand to her head.

Then they exchanged wide grins.

From Amber’s room, Tabitha watched the exchange through the small crack in the door where it met the hinges. As Amber was still sleeping—and holy light, she slept a lot—the Lekwuesti was in no danger of being admonished for her eavesdropping. Shock rolled through her as she witnessed the exchange of vows. Brenna would surely be censured by their commander for doing such a bold thing. Of course, commander Caoilinn hadn’t been seen since Saraqael’s daughters arrived a week ago. Rumors abounded as to what had happened to her. Tabitha personally thought her commander had surely been sent off on a special mission. Nothing else would have pulled such a model Lekwuesti away like this. Still, archigos Sebastian would most certainly not sit idly by while Brenna—certainly no more powerful than her by holy light—exchanged the sacred Lekwuesti vow with one of Saraqael’s daughters. What had come over her? Tabitha wondered, much as she had over the course of the past two weeks. Brenna had always been so calm and complacent, content to let Tabitha and Pavati guide her. She would never have

overstepped herself to exchange vows with one of the sisters who were surely destined to be paired with beings much older and more powerful than they were. For Brenna to undertake something like this seemed inconceivable. Until she looked at the smile that Olivia gave Brenna. That was when she finally understood. This remarkable change had less to do with Brenna herself than it did the presence of Saraqael’s daughters—Olivia in particular. And for a reason that eluded Tabitha, that knowledge angered her.

Chapter Twenty-Seven James knew that he had screwed up terribly with Olivia. The past two weeks since they had gone to greet Aurora’s mate had been beyond agonizing, made all the worse because he had no idea how to fix what he had broken between them. Every attempt he made to talk to her about it, she deflected. And the more time that elapsed, the further he felt her pulling away from him. It was ripping him apart. To say her last sincere words to him had caught him completely off-guard was a tremendous understatement. He hadn’t even been able to fully process what she was saying before she was walking away. And here they were. She had explained the concept of love to him while Gabriel and Amber had been on their honeymoon. At the time, most human emotion had been entirely beyond his grasp of understanding. But he remembered the conversation very clearly, as he did all of the conversations he had with her. “What does it mean to humans to be married?” he had asked.

As always, she had given the question her careful consideration. Her patience with teaching him about humanity had been one of the things he had first most appreciated about her. She had answered, “I suppose the best answer is that marriage means different things to different people. There are some people who consider marriage a convenience… there are all kinds of reasons for that. And there are still a few cultures that marry only for the reason of continuing a certain bloodline, or for the sake of making political or social alliances. But Amber and Gabriel wanted to get married as an expression of their love and commitment to each other. This is the ultimate way to seal such a vow on the human plane.” He had considered this for a long moment. “And what does it mean to love?” That had caused her to pause for a longer period of time. “Well, the same basic answer applies. Love means a great many things. Many of them don’t apply on this plane. A human parent loves a child, for example. A sister loves a brother. These are connections by blood and heritage. “Love like that shared between Amber and Gabriel usually begins as friendship. A person establishes some kind of kinship with another person. They may have similar lifestyles or interests. In Amber’s case, she moved into the

same foster home as Gabriel when she was twelve and they went through part of middle school and all of high school together. They became best friends, meaning that for them, there was no one else they trusted more, no one they would rather turn to for support or comfort. For humans, having that element of friendship before any other type of connection often results in the strongest relationships. “So,” she had concluded, “if your goal is to find out what Gabriel means when he says he loves Amber, he is essentially saying that to him, she is his other half. He trusts her, and he has faith in her. She embodies what he considers the very best qualities in another individual.” Thus, he had heard Olivia’s definition of love before her unexpected declaration. But that conversation had been one of many that had occurred months before and wasn’t at the forefront of his mind when he brought her down to see Aurora and her mate. Instead, his first and most overriding thought when he absorbed her words had been that his leader—Olivia’s brother—was going to kill him as painfully as possible. As his confused thoughts had tumbled through his dazed brain, he had reasoned that she must be saying such a thing because of their kissing, seeing as he had thought of little else since then. And Gabriel had warned him and Caleb about taking such liberties with the girls when he first

met with them after the girls transitioned. His threats had been quite clear and very, very anatomically specific. Thus, James’ rather natural fear about his leader’s vengeance for disregarding one of his primary tenants had been at the base of his initial reaction. And even then, when he saw Olivia’s expression fall when he stumbled crazily away from her, he had wanted to explain his response to her…let her know that he had absolutely no idea how he was going to explain this to Gabriel, and, more importantly, that he couldn’t believe that she meant it toward him of all beings. But somehow the words hadn’t gotten past the hammering of his heart in his throat. And then she had left him. Nothing had been the same since. He would never forget the devastation on her face when she said she understood what he was saying. Her words had been emotionless, as if she couldn’t manage to put more than the basic emphasis into them. The look in her beautiful eyes told him that she actually didn’t understand a thing he was trying to say, yet he hadn’t been able to command the words to stop her from turning away from him. He had regained some semblance of control over himself during the walk back to her bedroom, and had intended to talk to her then. But she had walked right past him into the

bathroom and locked the door against him. Instead of explaining himself, he had listened at the door as she wept. Knowing he had been the cause of that painful emotion— one he had never before heard from her—had just about shredded him. “Olivia—” he had said the moment she emerged from the bathroom. “Don’t,” she had responded in a colder voice than he had ever heard from her, the evidence of her emotion all over her face. “I can’t stand it, James. Just don’t.” And so he hadn’t. He hadn’t been willing to cause her even more pain while trying to fix the hurt he had already caused her. That night, he had lain awake, composing all manner of logical thoughts to share with her about what had happened. He knew that she would listen to him, as she always did, and they would come to a joint resolution about everything. In the morning, she had risen and gone directly into the bathroom. He had listened to more weeping, the sound like daggers through his chest. But he had borne that, believing they would get to talk about it when she was out of the bathroom. Once again, she went completely outside of her habits and emerged from the bathroom wearing only a towel around

her. When she had calmly asked him to leave the room so she could get dressed, he hadn’t had any choice but to retreat to his bedroom to give her the privacy she sought. And once she was done getting ready, she had walked through the hallway to Skye’s bedroom, spending the rest of the morning in there. She had gone to very similar lengths to avoid him since then. Every night she walked straight into the bathroom, changed into her pajamas and then crawled into bed, claiming exhaustion. But he knew very well that she slept only fitfully, often shedding tears that she probably thought he wasn’t aware of. Every morning, she now walked into the bathroom without her change of clothes, forcing him from the room when she emerged. Almost worse was being around her throughout the course of the day, interacting with her and watching her interact with those around her, all the while being unable to really communicate with her. He saw the strain on her face, recognized her smiles as false, and could do absolutely nothing about it. He saw her sisters exchanging glances and realized even they had no idea what was wrong. Gabriel had given him a few considering looks, but if there was one being he did not want to share his thoughts with, it was his leader.

And so, here he was, two weeks later, ready to crawl on all fours through demon fire just to have Olivia give him one more smile. He wanted nothing more than to have a full minute of her attention so he could convey one overriding fact. He was simply not worthy of her. She deserved someone who understood what love meant. Someone who didn’t fumble so very badly when she expressed something so important to him. The only problem he found with this seemingly simple fact was that whenever he considered saying such a thing, he didn’t believe it. He didn’t truly believe that he could ever let her go to someone else, no matter how much better it might be for her. She belonged with him. So the question became, how could he convince both of them that he was right?

Olivia got through one day at a time. She couldn’t say they got any easier. Whoever said that time heals all wounds and distance makes the heart grow fonder was full of crap. Somehow, the more she worked to distance herself from James, the worse she felt. She had noticed his attempts to talk to her, of course. But her heart had been so wounded

by him that she just couldn’t open herself up again. Not yet. Following the dating rules she had learned on the human plane, she had worked very hard these past two weeks to separate herself from him. She had enmeshed herself in her required studies, actually quite pleased with the results she was achieving. Alexius had also expressed a great deal of enthusiasm for her achievements. If she had gained a very small—okay, maybe a small—amount of satisfaction over the expression on James’ face during her interactions with the Waresti, what did that signify? she told herself. He had his chance. It had passed. Why that thought so pained her, she couldn’t say. Okay, so maybe she could. Regardless of his ridiculous response to her proclamation, she really did love him. That wasn’t about to change. She was on the brink of having a real conversation with him about everything when Tabitha approached her at the conclusion of their daily training session. “How are you this eve, Olivia?” the Lekwuesti female asked cordially. “Oh, not too bad,” she said with a smile she didn’t feel. She glanced to her right and saw James talking to Amber, just out of hearing distance. Her sister was frowning, but that wasn’t unusual. When they walked out of sight, Olivia had

visions of the nightmarish workout routine to come the next day, certain they were plotting it together. “Well, maybe slightly less than okay,” she added dryly. Then she attempted another weak smile. “What are you doing out here?” Tabitha waved a hand to indicate the emptying courtyard. “I was enjoying the sparring sessions this afternoon. You draw quite a crowd these days, do you not?” “I suppose so,” Olivia allowed, wiping her brow with a towel. At the moment, most of what was left of the crowd was gathered around Skye on the other side of the courtyard. Her younger sister was quite the social butterfly. Judging from Caleb’s expression as he stood beside her scowling at the males in the crowd, he wasn’t too pleased about that. “Where’s Brenna?” she asked to fill in the silence when Tabitha continued to linger. “When I left Amber’s room, she was preparing something special for you.” “Oh,” Olivia said, figuring she was referring to a meal. She sighed, not hungry in the least. “I hope she doesn’t go to a lot of trouble.” “Oh, yes…the whole situation with James,” Tabitha said sympathetically. She clucked her tongue and shook her

head. Olivia felt the color draining from her face. “What do you mean?” “Oh, Olivia,” the Lekwuesti replied with pity in her voice. “You know we all speak with each other about such things.” If at all possible, Olivia thought she lost even more color. “Are you saying that all Lekwuesti know everything that another Lekwuesti knows?” Tabitha seemed to consider this. “I suppose you could look at it that way.” “Oh,” Olivia said in a weak voice. She thought that mortification was far too mild a term for what she felt right then. “I do know about your claim of emotion to the Gloresti, and I further know that he rejected you.” It was like a slap to Olivia’s already aching pride. She felt herself standing straighter. “It wasn’t like that, exactly.” “I am sure it was not easy to hear. Learning that a male has a romantic relationship with another is always difficult.” Even as she felt the blood returning to her face in a wild surge, Olivia found herself saying, “That’s ridiculous. James

isn’t like that.” “But I saw him not even three weeks ago in a notably amorous embrace with commander Caoilinn. Does that not mean that he has feelings for another?” The unemotional and matter-of-fact tone of the Lekwuesti’s comment made Olivia pause. Was it really possible that James had been seen in an intimate encounter with Caoilinn? She thought back as far as she could and remembered that James had left her to go and check on Aurora the morning after they arrived. Did he stop and visit with Caoilinn on the way? “I must admit that he did not seem interested at first. But then she captured his attention with some of her more clever enticements.” Olivia didn’t stop to consider that most Estilorians didn’t even know what the term “enticements” meant. She was so ready to grasp any reason that James didn’t want her besides she was wasn’t worth wanting that she listened to Tabitha’s words. “I was surprised when archigos Gabriel grew so angry with commander Caoilinn,” Tabitha continued conversationally. “It was not as though she had done anything egregious. Yet he had archigos Sebastian ban her. Very sad.” Brenna had said herself that commander Caoilinn had all

but disappeared and that no one knew why. Tabitha’s explanation made it all perfectly clear. It also made the remaining pieces of Olivia’s heart bleed profusely. Tabitha touched her arm sympathetically. “I am sorry, Olivia. I did not mean to cause you such pain.” She blinked the moisture from her gaze. “No. Thank you for your kind words.” Giving her a considering study, Tabitha said, “You know, I believe Brenna’s surprise will be just what you need. Would some time in a nice, hot, bubbling spring with some fragrant oils be of interest?” Olivia’s eyes widened. “Brenna planned that as a surprise for me?” For the first time in days, she found a genuine smile. “I really think I would love that. Thanks.” “No problem at all. Just follow me and I will bring you to Brenna.” “I have to tell James where I’m going,” Olivia said, glancing around. She didn’t see him. “No need to worry about that,” Tabitha said, giving her an understanding look and pat on the arm. ”Brenna had the foresight to mention this surprise to your Gloresti and family. Why else would James step from within sight of you when he would normally never do so?”

Olivia thought that made sense, and further reasoned that Brenna would be waiting at the spring, so she would be perfectly safe. And truth be told, she was simply too wrung out to argue. She fell into step with Tabitha as she tried to process everything that had just been relayed to her. It wasn’t only that James wasn’t in love with her, he was instead engaged in a relationship with someone else. It didn’t seem possible, really. But she remembered her instinctive reaction when Caoilinn had first spoken to James and he had responded. She had definitely gotten the impression there was more there than a casual acquaintance. Could she have really been that blind? She was so absorbed with her thoughts that she only vaguely paid attention to where they were going. Ultimately, she glanced around and realized they were below-ground. That actually made some sense to her. The bubbling hot spring that Amber had shown her on their trip to this location had been below-ground. “I think that this will help you take your mind off everything,” Tabitha said as they walked. “You should truly not have to suffer so on behalf of an ignorant male. Really, what does an Estilorian know about love, anyway?” That was what finally had realization dawning for Olivia. Although her feet continued to move one in front of another, her mind was working a mile a minute.

The truth of it all was that James was a full Estilorian. The only concept of love that he had included what she had explained to him combined with what he witnessed between Gabriel and Amber. She had sprung something on him that had no real basis in his reality. Yet she hadn’t given him more than a few seconds to process what to him combated nine decades of knowledge. And when she thought again to these past two weeks, putting his expressions into this new context, she realized that he hadn’t been watching her with pity in his eyes. He had been watching her while suffering his own pain. She had been so stupid. “Oh my—” Was all she got out before the whole world went black.

Chapter Twenty-Eight “Amber, can I speak with you?” James had been waiting for days to find an opportunity to speak with Olivia’s older sister alone. It was much more difficult than he had ever thought. Gabriel was nearly always in sight of her, and if he wasn’t, she was usually with one of the elders, one of her sisters or one of the Lekwuesti who had assumed the responsibility of caring for the sisters. So when their daily training session had ended and James realized that Amber was standing alone, he decided to seize the opportunity to speak with her. Gabriel had gone to discuss something with Uriel and Ini-herit. Olivia was standing in plain sight of Caleb, and the Lekwuesti female, Tabitha, was with her. She would be okay for a couple of minutes. And he desperately needed to talk to someone or he thought he would go completely out of his mind. “Sure thing,” Amber responded, looking at him expectantly. He glanced around. Seeing Olivia not far from earshot, he turned back to her and asked, “Do you mind if we speak somewhere a little more private?” She frowned. “Okay.”

They ended up around the corner behind a stone wall along the outer edge of the courtyard. There was no one around and a bench for them to sit on, which suited them perfectly. “What’s up?” she asked when they were both seated. “First, I have to ask if you could please keep this conversation between just the two of us.” “Okay, James…you’re really kind of freaking me out here with all of the drama. I’m not going to have any gossipy chats with anyone about our conversation. That’s not how I roll.” “I know.” He looked at the ground. “But I also know that archigos Gabriel shares your thoughts, and, well, I would like to live to see the end of the day.” Her left eyebrow lifted. “Oookay. You’d better explain from the top.” Nodding, he met her gaze and said, “I want to speak with you about Olivia.” Now she looked mildly panicked. “Wait a minute here. Are you telling me that you’re about to explain why the two of you have been acting like beaten puppies these past couple weeks?”

He nodded again, though he had no idea what she meant by the whole “beaten puppies” comment. She looked perplexed. “And you’re actually coming to me about this? Me?” She pointed to her chest as if to illustrate her meaning. “About this?” And here, she waved her hands around in a vague manner that he supposed was meant to include him and Olivia. “Yes,” he said firmly. “Amber, you’re the only female I know who is avowed, married and in love. You are my best avenue for aid.” “Oh, good Lord,” she managed. After running a hand through her already mussed hair, she seemed to give his point some consideration. Finally, she huffed out a breath. “Okay, okay. Fine. Spill it.” “Thank you, Amber,” he said, truly grateful. Then he paused as he tried to figure out what to say. Finally, he just went right to the point. “I screwed up.” “I could say something punchy like that’s usually the case when it comes to guys and girls, but I won’t kick you while you’re down.” “Ah…okay.” He shook his head, bringing himself back on topic. “On the day that Aurora’s mate arrived, Olivia told me she loved me.”

When he paused, waiting for her response, she just stared at him. “Uh-huh. And?” Her frankness caught him off-guard. She didn’t seem surprised at all. Had Olivia’s feelings been that clear to everyone else? Pushing to his feet, he started pacing. “I reacted poorly. I had been thinking about how much I liked kissing her and was trying to figure out how I could do so again and then she said she loved me and I knew that archigos Gabriel was going to kill me.” She took his quickly-spoken, rambling words in stride. “So, you were thinking about Olivia in a…we’ll say ‘sensual’ way, and when she said she loved you, you associated that with kissing her?” “Yes. And I feared for my life.” “Yeah, I got that part,” she said, waving away that concern with an ease he could only envy. “I’m guessing when Olivia told you she loved you, and you started imagining how Gabriel was going to react, that your response was…” He threw his hands out to the sides helplessly. “I couldn’t even form a coherent thought. I pushed away from her to try and—” She winced.

“What?” His voice rose in concern. “Well, I hate to say it, but pushing away from her after she confessed such an important thing to you was the body language equivalent of a flat-out rejection.” The words struck him like a blow to the gut. He had to sit back down. “I didn’t mean it that way. I wasn’t even thinking clearly. I thought—I don’t know why, but I thought I had done something to make her believe that she was in love with me, but she surely couldn’t mean it. How could I possibly deserve it? I thought she must be confused.” She studied him silently for a moment when he abruptly stopped talking. “Do you think you were confused because you don’t know what it means to love someone?” He braced his elbows on his knees and ran his fingers through his hair, staring down at the ground. He knew this was the very worst part of his actions, the part that continued to eat at him the most painfully. “No. Olivia once told me what it means.” “And what did she say?” “She said that loving someone means that you consider them your other half. You trust them and believe in them and think of them as the embodiment of all of the things you consider good in another individual.” He looked again at

Amber. “In watching you and archigos Gabriel, I have also learned that it means you look after each other. You make each other laugh and offer comfort to each other. You serve as a friend as well as…well, more than a friend.” He felt his face flush and he looked down again. “I will always remember what your experience at the hands of Angius did to archigos Gabriel. It was very like the Mercesti had done the damage with his blade to him. In fact, it seemed to me he very much wished that had been the case.” He sighed. “I suppose that is what it means to be a person’s other half. To love them.” “That sounds like as good a definition for something as indefinable as love as I could offer,” she admitted. “But when Olivia told me she loved me, I wasn’t thinking about all of that. I was just thinking about—” “Yeah, yeah. Kissing. Death by Gabriel. I get it.” He frowned. “Even now, I don’t know what to say to her, even if given the chance. I don’t see how I can be the one who causes such deep feelings in someone like her. I’m so inexperienced with human emotions…” There was another pause after he trailed off. Then she ventured, “Hmm. Well, I’m pretty confident in Olivia’s ability

to determine how she feels. But I’m the first to admit that I don’t know you quite as well. Maybe you just don’t know Olivia well enough to determine if you love her.” His eyes widening, he again surged to his feet. “Don’t know her well enough?” he repeated, feeling anger building behind the words. He resumed his pacing to try and release some of his frustration. “I believe I know her better than anyone here. We have lived together for months—day and night. How could I not know her? I know that she loves to read, but her favorite subjects in school were math and science. I know that her favorite color is pink, but she tells everyone else it’s red because it’s less ‘girly.’ I know that she’s frightened of spiders and bats, though they fascinate her. I know that her favorite scent is fresh citrus and her favorite ice cream is cinnamon. I know she misses her human mother, Jean, and her friends from school. I know that she used to enjoy baking and attending events at the local theater and she participated in her school’s choir. I know her favorite flowers are daisies because she thinks they look whimsical and sweet. I know she wishes that she was as strong as you and as graceful as Skye, and fails to recognize her own many strengths and talents. I know she’s beautiful and perfect and…” He again trailed off. He realized that Amber was staring at him calmly, as if waiting for him to finally make his point.

And then he knew exactly what that point was. He sank back down onto the bench. “And I know that I love her more than anything in this world.” “Sounds like,” she said, giving him an understanding smile. “But she won’t speak to me,” he said, hearing the desperation in his own voice. “She’s going to elaborate lengths to avoid me.” “Sure she is. Makes perfect sense.” She nodded. Then she added, “Don’t let her get away with it.” He held her gaze for another moment. “Thank you, Amber.” Again, she nodded. Then she reached over and briefly touched his upper arm. “Listen, James…you said earlier that you didn’t believe Olivia meant it when she said she loved you. That you didn’t deserve her love. Well, you’re wrong. I think you’re perfect for each other.” “I agree.” They both looked up and spotted Gabriel stepping out from behind a wall a few feet away. James hurried to his feet, looking at Amber in confusion. “She didn’t have anything to do with it,” Gabriel said, walking closer. He stopped a few feet from James. “You’re

broadcasting quite clearly.” He tapped the side of his head. “Oh.” James was appalled. “I’m sorry, archi—” “Enough of the title, James,” Gabriel said mildly, reaching out to put a hand on his Gloresti’s shoulder. “We’ve moved well past that relationship over the last few months.” James nodded, looking both pleased and confused. “And all of those threats of mine that have you in a lather… those were extended toward you and Caleb right after we all transitioned to this plane. They were made from the perspective of a protective brother, not as your leader.” Gabriel smiled. “As you and Caleb are as much my brothers now as anything else, I can’t exactly follow through on those threats with you.” Blinking, James struggled to find a way to express his relief, appreciation and shared sentiment. In the end, he simply stepped forward and threw his arms around Gabriel in a hard, brief hug. “Thank you.” Gabriel nodded. “Now please go and put Olivia out of her misery. All she needs to hear is that you love her. Everything else will work itself out.” “I think I can handle that.”

As he turned and hurried away, Amber rose and walked over to Gabriel, putting her arms around him. “Not bad, wife,” he said, leaning down to give her a light kiss. “Yeah, well, I guess you’ve managed to teach me a few things over the years. Some of it was bound to come in handy eventually.” He grinned. “While we’re on the topic, have I told you today how much I love you?” She gave that some thought. “You know what? I don’t think you have. You’re slacking.” Leaning to kiss the dimple winking at him from her cheek, then to brush her lips again, he said, “Allow me to remedy that.”

James felt lighter than he had in two weeks. He couldn’t wait to find Olivia to tell her how he felt about her. It didn’t matter if she was surrounded by Estilorians, he was going to find a way to speak with her. If he had to confess his love with witnesses, so be it. Just as long as she knew it.

Seeing that she was no longer around the corner from where he had been sitting with Amber, he walked toward the small crowd still surrounding Skye and Caleb. Olivia had been wearing a deep green training tank and matching pants with brown combat-style boots. He didn’t immediately see anyone in those colors in the crowd. Catching Caleb’s gaze, he conveyed the thought, Where’s

Olivia? It was only when Caleb looked around, obviously having no idea where Olivia was, that James began to grow concerned. She knew better than to leave the courtyard without telling him. Had she so wanted to avoid speaking with him that she had breached protocol? That wasn’t like her. She was normally very responsible. Even if that was the case, why hadn’t she at least said something to Caleb? Trying not to let his imagination run away with him, he conducted a thorough walk-through of the courtyard, looking around corners and down some of the shaded alcoves surrounding it. She wasn’t anywhere he could see. When he again neared the place where he had been conversing with Amber, he saw Gabriel and Amber making their way across the courtyard.

Did either of you hear from Olivia as to where she was going after the training session? he thought toward Gabriel.

Frowning, Gabriel conveyed the thought to Amber. They both shook their heads. Now on the brink of panic, he asked in a deceptively calm voice, “Amber, can you please try and reach her and find out where she is?” She paused and then looked concerned and puzzled. “She isn’t answering.” Skye and Caleb walked up to them then. “I can’t reach her either,” Skye said, obviously having been contacted by Amber. “It’s like she’s not on the other end of the thought.” Catching Gabriel’s gaze, James sought reassurance. Surely Olivia hadn’t fallen to harm because he had left her in the courtyard to speak with Amber. Surely not. There were plenty of beings around who would have seen her. She couldn’t be harmed in plain sight. “Let’s conduct a search,” Gabriel said, looking at each of them. “I’ll notify the elders and they can send out a broadcast to all of their commanders. We’ll find her.” But in the end, they didn’t. Olivia was missing.

Chapter Twenty-Nine James sat at the long wooden table in the primary conference room used by the elders during their consulting sessions. Also around the table were all of the elders, their commanders, Amber, Skye and Caleb. He held his hands clenched together on top of the table, listening to the various scenarios proposed by everyone around him while deep, clawing fear tightened its hold on him. Olivia was missing. Her sisters couldn’t hear her. The reasons for this were highly limited. “James did not experience a Gloresti surge,” Ini-herit was saying, his black brows drawn into serious lines over his silver eyes. “That would indicate that Olaya did not experience anything to escalate her fear.” James took a small amount of comfort from that thought. “But she could have been incapacitated before fear could take hold,” Uriel countered. “That would have been the wisest course for someone wishing to harm her.” James’ fear experienced a violent resurgence. “When was the last time anyone remembers seeing her?”

Knorbis asked. “She was in the courtyard at the conclusion of the practice session,” James responded, wanting to feel somehow productive. “She was talking to the Lekwuesti, Tabitha. I stepped away from her to speak with Amber.” “Okay.” Knorbis gave him an understanding look. “Caleb, when was the last time you saw her?” “It was the same for me,” he answered. He gave James an apologetic glance. “I didn’t see her leave the courtyard.” “Same here,” Amber added. “Me, too,” Skye chimed in. “Where is Tabitha now?” Jabari asked, looking to Sebastian and Caoilinn. The Lekwuesti commander had been invited to the table because they wanted the best chance of finding Olivia. Caoilinn’s added insights and thorough knowledge of the Estilorian stronghold could make a key difference in their success. Now she frowned and exchanged a look with Sebastian. “We have not located her, either. Brenna, the Lekwuesti who has paired with Olivia, last saw Tabitha in Amber’s room this afternoon. They did not speak of anything

significant. Tabitha apparently did not convey her intent to visit the courtyard during the practice session.” “Can Brenna find Olivia?” Amber asked. James glanced at her. It was an excellent question. One he should have considered. “No,” Sebastian said, looking around the table. “She has tried to establish a connection without receiving a response.” “Can anyone connect with Tabitha?” Gabriel asked. “No,” Caoilinn replied. She looked again at Sebastian. “She is not yet paired with anyone, so we cannot check that way. And my ability to summon her as her commander is not working. This is highly unusual.” “What could cause two minds to just disappear?” Skye wondered. Her knee was bouncing under the table and her hands were clasped in a death grip in her lap. Caleb subtly reached over and placed a hand on top of hers beneath the table. She gave him a grateful look. “They could have both been taken unaware,” Ailfrid supposed. “Rendered unconscious at the same time.” “The likelihood for something like that is astronomical,” Gabriel argued. “One of them would surely have seen an

assailant and reacted…drawn attention from someone nearby.” “Unless there were two assailants,” Raphael countered. There was a pause as they considered this. “Someone must have seen them,” Amber said at last. “They certainly weren’t attacked right there in the courtyard, for heaven’s sake. They must have walked out of there on their own.” “Right,” Malukali agreed. “So what would prompt them to leave?” James had a sudden flash of Olivia’s face after she told him she loved him and he reacted so harshly. He sent an anguished glance toward Gabriel. Remain calm. Focus. Nodding to himself as well as to Gabriel, he simply tightened his grip, literally and figuratively. His knuckles were white. “Olivia wouldn’t have left without telling someone,” Skye said. “She would’ve sent a thought to me and Amber, even if she didn’t mention it to anyone else.” “Maybe she was distracted,” Amber murmured, her gaze

flickering to James. “Oh.” Skye blinked, also glancing at him. “Right.” This really was all his fault, he realized, the numbness surrounding his chest beginning to ease into a low ache. However indirectly, he had contributed to whatever had befallen Olivia. He had driven her to the point where she was willing to overlook protocol just to escape his presence. Stop it. The thought came from both Gabriel and Caleb. He issued an abrupt nod, not looking at either of them. “Could they have been influenced mentally by someone here who could have led them away without drawing attention?” Amber asked. Malukali and Ailfrid exchanged glances. Then the Orculesti leader turned her dark green gaze back to the group. “It is always impossible to be absolutely certain, but we do not believe so. We have both been highly conscious about monitoring the thoughts of all Orculesti, especially after the incident at the welcome reception. We would have definitely sensed something of that magnitude.” “The same applies to the Wymzesti,” Mena added.

“If we believe they were not attacked at the exact same time by two separate assailants and they were not influenced by another’s thoughts,” Zayna said, “that leaves us with few explanations.” “As I see it, there is truly only one other possibility that explains their absence as well as their mental inaccessibility,” Khalidah responded, her black eyes potent and soulful. “They have left the area of enchantment.” James almost came out of his chair. “No!” he exclaimed, his palms now flat against the table. “Olivia would not have left.” He caught Gabriel’s gaze, willing him to believe him. “She wouldn’t. Regardless of her emotional state.” Gabriel slowly nodded. “James is right. At her core, Olivia is a rule-follower. And she wouldn’t leave her sisters.” “Not willingly,” Ini-herit corrected. “But even if they did leave for some reason, can’t you connect with Tabitha even outside of the enchantment?” Skye asked, looking at Caoilinn and Sebastian. “Lekwuesti who live here can reach minds on the plane, right?” “Only if they are paired with a being on the plane,” Sebastian replied. “We had to keep the ability to send thoughts beyond the enchantment highly limited for safety’s sake.”

“If we argue that Olivia left the courtyard with Tabitha—” Knorbis began. “Which has not been established,” Sebastian added in a calm voice. Knorbis nodded to accede the point and continued, “—then the argument would follow that they either left here together willingly, or Tabitha somehow overpowered Olivia and abducted her.” Amber frowned. “No offense to the Lekwuesti, but Olivia could have kicked Tabitha’s butt from here to Bangladesh.” “Not if she was taken unaware,” Uriel reiterated. “Olivia could have been led from the courtyard under a pretense,” Hitoshi agreed. “Perhaps she was told her panther needed her, or some similar fabrication that caused her enough concern to temporarily overlook the typical protocols in place with her Gloresti.” Caoilinn had grown incredibly pale, quite a feat in light of her already fair skin tone. Her lavender eyes reflected grave concern. “No. Tabitha would not have lured Olivia away with something that would alarm her,” the commander said, apparently having put herself into the mind of one of her Lekwuesti. “She would know that would potentially alert James. She would have made their goal something mundane. Something that would not arouse Olivia’s

suspicions.” “‘Come and see this fabric that I created for your sister’s dress,’” Zayna offered as an example, “‘but do not tell her you are going to see it because it is meant to be a surprise.’” “‘We will be right back,’” her commander, Cadence, added. “‘No one will miss us.’” Now Sebastian had picked up on the logic of the scenario. He wore a dark frown. “Tabitha would have given Olivia sincere assurances that she would pass along her whereabouts, perhaps even indicate that she already had, just to get Olivia away from the courtyard unnoticed.” James felt like his veins were pumping ice water as he visualized the picture they painted. It all sounded far too plausible. “Tabitha would not have waited long after leaving the courtyard to make her move,” Harold said. “She would know that every moment was another one where Olivia could convey a thought that would disrupt her plan.” “But what would Tabitha do with Olivia once she… incapacitated her?” Skye asked. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. “She would have to drag her somewhere or…something.”

“That is true,” Uriel observed. His eyes flashed brilliant orange for a brief moment. Then he said, “The Waresti who are already investigating will begin looking for obvious signs of someone dragging someone else.” “Be sure they focus on the loading bays,” Sebastian suggested, receiving Uriel’s nod. “But why go to all of this effort?” Amber asked. She had gone from looking puzzled and frustrated to very troubled. “If Tabitha wanted to harm Olivia, there are far less complicated ways to do it. She was around us every day.” “There is obviously a reason Tabitha wanted to get Olivia away,” Caoilinn mused quietly. “Perhaps she did not want to cause serious or permanent harm to Olivia, but merely wanted her away from here.” James gave that some consideration. It was certainly a far less menacing option than some of the others that had been going through his mind. “But why Olivia?” Skye asked. “Tabitha usually assisted Amber and had the most access to her. She was alone in the room with Amber while she slept sometimes, but she didn’t try anything then.” Catching Gabriel’s suddenly blazing gaze as Skye’s words hit home, Amber said, “I think we should have a conversation with Brenna and Pavati.”

They didn’t have long to wait, but every minute they sat there in silence and contemplation was utter torture for James. He wanted to be up and doing something —anything—to try and find Olivia. If she was away from Central, then he should be, too. He knew that there were others looking for clues and indications of what had happened and that they wouldn’t stop until they found something. But he had never felt so powerless in all of his existence. Brenna and Pavati hurried into the room. Both females looked pale and shaken. Sebastian and Caoilinn rose and walked over to greet them. “Thank you both for coming so quickly,” Sebastian said. “We have a few questions for you that we believe may help us understand what has happened to Olivia.” “Of course, archigos Sebastian,” Brenna said, bowing her head. Pavati agreed with a quick bow. “What can we answer for you?” “Has Tabitha been acting strangely lately?” Gabriel asked without preamble. Brenna and Pavati exchanged a look. “Actually…” Brenna

began. “Tabitha was unhappy that Brenna paired with Olivia,” Pavati finished. “She did not come right out and say as much, but she frequently insinuated that Brenna should have been censured for engaging in the pairing without the approval of archigos Sebastian or commander Caoilinn.” Brenna flushed uncomfortably. “She was correct about that, of course,” she admitted, looking at her commander and leader. “Though you were both kind enough to forgive the oversight when you realized that Olivia had welcomed it.” “She was jealous of the pairing?” Caleb asked, exchanging looks with Gabriel and James. Kanika’s actions against Amber had also been motivated by jealousy. “I think it is more than that,” Pavati said. “She made a few comments to me recently that I found concerning.” Here, she looked at Caoilinn. “I had intended to speak with you about this soon, commander.” “What is it that concerned you?” Sebastian asked. “It is rather difficult to put into words. I do not want to embarrass you, Brenna, and I apologize if I do.” Brenna touched her arm in understanding and permission. “I believe Tabitha does not like the changes Brenna has

undergone since Amber healed her scar.” Gabriel, James and Caleb exchanged thoughts. None of them knew what she was talking about. Amber sent a thought to Gabriel. He nodded and conveyed the information to his Gloresti. “But Brenna has finally opened up,” Caoilinn said, obviously confused. “She is blossoming. Why would Tabitha dislike this?” “Because Brenna is getting all of the attention,” Skye guessed in a soft voice. “She and Olivia have become good friends.” Brenna suddenly nodded as though she was gaining an understanding of their line of thought. “Olivia has been a wonderful friend. She has encouraged me to blossom, as you say, commander Caoilinn. She has always treated me like a friend, right from the start.” “But Tabitha was only happy when she was in the driver’s seat,” Amber realized darkly. “She wants to be the one at the forefront,” Gabriel interpreted for the Estilorians. “When Brenna changed, Tabitha’s role changed. Tabitha sees Olivia as the source of the change.” “The pairing would have possibly pushed her into rash

action,” Sebastian hypothesized, exchanging a look with Caoilinn. “The Lekwuesti pairings with Saraqael’s daughters are seen as very prestigious roles. We intended to take some time to determine the best candidates for pairing.” Gasping, Brenna said, “Wait—are you implying that Tabitha has in some way harmed Olivia? To remove her from here because of me?” Her complexion was almost gray. “I think it is the most logical line of thought we have to pursue,” Ini-herit answered. Brenna all but fell into a chair. She looked like she had taken a violent blow. “But where is Tabitha?” Pavati asked, placing a bracing hand on Brenna’s shoulder. “If she sent Olivia away from here to get her away, would she not have remained behind?” “That would have been the smart thing to do. Try to keep suspicion from her,” Amber said. “She would have been found out,” Malukali responded. “Her thoughts would have been scanned the moment we realized something happened to Olivia, much as we have already done.”

“Then what good does this do her?” Skye demanded, slamming her hand on the table. “If Tabitha knew she couldn’t return to this place even with Olivia gone, why would she do this? It makes no sense!” And then Knorbis stiffened. He had obviously intuited the answer at last. Gabriel’s eyes flashed when he caught Knorbis’ thought. His emotion seared through the rest of the elders, their eyes lighting in a similar fashion. He bowed his head, all but making James’ heart seize in his chest. When Gabriel looked up, his eyes were the Gloresti dark blue. “Tabitha knew exactly what would happen as a result of her actions. She knew she would be forever unable to return here. Because she believes her hopes of achieving status among the Lekwuesti are now beyond her reach, she intends to do what she can to achieve status among a different class.” It wasn’t just fear that choked the breath right out of James then. It was stark rage. Gabriel clenched his hands into fists, then uttered the words that everyone was already thinking. “She intends to bring Olivia to the Mercesti.”

Chapter Thirty A young Waresti named Sean found the drag marks and smears of blood by a docking station a surprising distance from the courtyard. The travel platform was missing. “Aren’t there Estilorians working around here during the day who would have seen something?” Amber asked as they flew to the identified docking station. “Not necessarily,” Sebastian responded. “This is a private docking station, operated by a visiting Scultresti named Rosalynn. She uses the platform for loading and unloading some of her larger creations. When it isn’t in use, it is secured against entries, but not departures. Tabitha would have known this.” When they reached the docking station, James landed and retracted his wings, hurrying the rest of the way to the waiting Waresti on foot. He came to a stumbling halt when he saw the blood. It was much more than he had expected. Still, he forced himself to continue forward and squatted next to the tracks. When he reached out to touch the blood, he felt his Gloresti power surge. “This is Olivia’s blood,” he said hollowly.

“How do you know that?” Skye asked. She was clutching Caleb’s arm as she stared at the smears. “Maybe Olivia hurt Tabitha instead. Anything is possible.” James puzzled over that for a moment. “I’m not sure how I know, but I do.” “Yeah,” Gabriel said, having seen the flash of James’ eyes. “He’s certain.”

How? Caleb thought. A combination of his Gloresti connection to her and the fact that they have…shared bodily fluids. Caleb and James both gave Gabriel confused stares.

When you kissed Olivia, I’m assuming you both opened your mouths? Gabriel thought, clearly uncomfortable. Caleb’s expression when he looked at James would have been comical if not for the circumstances. The memory invoked by Gabriel’s question wounded James. He thought it was quite possible his heart was actually bleeding. Not bothering to respond, he got to his feet and followed the blood trail to the slot where the travel platform had been docked. The trail ended right at the lip of the dock.

“We’ll be able to confirm the correct platform when we find it,” he said levelly, not looking at the others. “It will have her blood on it.” Gabriel turned to Sebastian. “We have to get down there immediately. Amber and Skye can open their minds to Olivia as soon as we’re free of the enchantments.” The Lekwuesti elder nodded. “Travel platforms are already being readied for you, as are provisions. Fortunately, Rosalynn’s platform is designed to move slowly to protect her creations. Please follow me and I will show you to the docking station you will be using.” They once again flew, making as much haste as possible. James felt the passing of each second like the passage of another year. It had been almost two hours since they discovered that Olivia was missing. It felt like a century. He knew that every moment she was gone from Central was another moment she could be in the clutches of the Mercesti. They might never find her then. With this thought making him want to scream in fury and frustration, they reached the loading platform. There were at least thirty Lekwuesti standing there, carrying all manner of items. He saw weapons, armor, waterskins and sacks that probably contained food. They were all moving with

incredible speed and precision to load a series of travel platforms. It was with some surprise that he recognized the expressions of sadness and worry on the faces of most of them. Three weeks ago, before the sisters had arrived, that would not have been the case. Another indication of the remarkable changes already wrought by the sisters was the number of Estilorians gathered in the docking station. He even noticed Gabriel exchanging surprised looks with the other elders. It appeared that almost every Estilorian within flying distance had turned up. “We will accompany you,” Hitoshi said to Gabriel, indicating the two hundred or so Gloresti behind him. James realized that he was looking at every Gloresti in the immediate vicinity just then. “As will we,” Harold added. There were nearly twice as many Waresti standing behind him. They all nodded in agreement. Even as his words faded, Raphael and about a hundred other Corgloresti stepped forward to voice their participation in the search and rescue. James watched with astonishment as representatives from each of the classes offered to take part in finding Olivia. Even the Elphresti, who were very few in number and never left Central, wanted to send along a few members to lend their experience and

knowledge to the mission. Looking over at Caleb, he saw his shock mirrored on his brother’s face. In only three short weeks, the sisters had managed to unite them in a way that nothing else in history ever had. Suddenly, a fierce cry filled the cavernous loading bay. His head whipping to the side, James watched the crowd part. Breaking into a run, he shoved his way to Aurora and her mate, who had both run into the loading dock. “I could not stop them,” Lucas said as he trailed behind the two huge cats, sounding bewildered. James fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around Aurora’s neck, burying his face against her fur. I’m so sorry. She mewled against him in response, nudging him with her nose. I was unobservant and now Olivia is missing. But we’ll find her. I won’t stop until we do. He easily interpreted the next sound in her throat. With regret, he pulled away so he could look into her green eyes and shook his head. I’m sorry, my friend. You can’t come

with us. Olivia would never forgive me if something happened to you or the cubs you carry.

The sorrow in her next cry went straight to his heart. His eyes burned and he had to blink rapidly to dilute the foreign, stinging pain. Then Aurora turned to her mate. Using her nose, she lifted James’ hand and nudged him toward the black panther. Startled, he hesitated. No one had touched the wild beast since his arrival. The tom had proven edgy and uncomfortable around the Estilorians, generally hissing and growling when they neared. Now, however, he made no sound whatsoever as James reached over and touched his neck.

You want to come with us? he thought toward the male cat as he ran a firm hand along the animal’s powerful muscles. He was following his instinct and trusting the animal would “hear” him. The cat’s answering growl made several of the surrounding Estilorians back up a few steps. James didn’t even flinch. Instead, he nodded.

You do make a fine warrior. A veritable titan. Olivia will surely benefit from your hunting skills. With one hand on Aurora’s neck and the other on her mate’s, he thought, I thank you both with everything in me for your courage and willingness to help. Then he stood and faced the crowd. He realized as the

silence registered that he must have looked rather strange kneeling and staring at the cats without saying anything. “So,” Gabriel said, moving beside James and squatting beside Aurora’s mate. “Titan, huh?” The animal growled again, showing his fearsome teeth. One of Gabriel’s eyebrows rose. “Right. Well, welcome aboard.”

Tabitha watched the shore come into view from her perch on the travel platform.

Finally, she thought. The realization came with a great deal of self-pride and relief. The trip had taken longer than she had thought it would. It had to have been nearly three hours already, she gauged. She hadn’t ever left the stronghold before. Being less than a century in age meant she hadn’t received enough preparation to be deemed ready to face life outside of the haven they called home. Brenna’s scarring brush with the Mercesti on her first venture away from home was proof of the potential dangers they faced on the mainland. But she would show them all she was more than ready.

They would soon realize what a treasure they had lost by forcing her away. She would put her many skills to good use among the Mercesti instead. They would all but worship her for bringing them one of Saraqael’s daughters. Of all the classes, the Lekwuesti knew the most about the elders’ protectiveness surrounding the sisters, knew how valuable the three half-humans were to Grolkinei. The constant presence of the Lekwuesti among the elders, seeing to their every need and being present during some of even the most delicate conversations, made overhearing this information inevitable. They weren’t blind and deaf, after all, she thought with her chin raised. However overlooked they might be. As the shoreline grew closer, her eyes widened. She had never realized how much land there was outside of the stronghold. What was all of the white, powdery substance covering the ground? What kinds of trees were those with the odd spikes and dangerous-looking bark? Why were there no dwellings here? Where did all of the land-based Estilorians live if not near the travel platforms? These thoughts filled her with unease. If such basic things were outside of her knowledge base, might there also be other things—more deadly things—awaiting her of which she was completely ignorant? The silent question confused her. She shook her head as if

to clear it. Before she had dragged Olivia onto the travel platform, she had been filled with unshakable conviction. She knew that she was worthy of more recognition than she was receiving by her peers and leaders. She was talented and skilled, at least as much as Brenna was. And it was only because Olivia was paying Brenna such attention that Tabitha’s efforts were not being properly appreciated. She had to dispose of Olivia to set everything to rights. There was no question about this. Now, however, as she glanced behind her at Olivia’s still form, her conviction wavered. It wasn’t as though she had gone to her commander or leader to discuss her concerns and ask for equal consideration to become paired with one of the sisters. She had completely disregarded that option and moved straight into this admittedly dramatic course of action. Bringing her hands to her head, she let out a pained sound. What was happening to her? As their platform began its descent, her mind drifted to the past few weeks working with the sisters. They had all been remarkably polite and appreciative, even surprised, by the hospitality efforts of the Lekwuesti. A day didn’t go by when they didn’t each thank Tabitha personally for something or

other. They didn’t treat her like a being who was obligated to serve them, as many Estilorians tended to do. They treated her like a friend. She nearly fell off the platform when it suddenly touched the water. They sped along toward the shore. She again looked down at Olivia, filled with uncertainty. The usually vibrant young woman was pale and still. Blood continued to seep from the back of her head where Tabitha had struck her with a tool she had found. Why had she done this again? It was all growing very hazy. Her head suddenly pounded with pain. Righteous anger reestablished itself in her mind in an unexpected flash. She pictured Brenna sitting at the table with Olivia, making their pairing. Now she remembered. It should have been her. When they reached land, she was so eager to get off the platform that she didn’t hesitate to grab Olivia’s arms and drag her off the thing. The unstable surface of the powdery ground made her stagger a bit as she pulled Olivia away from the water. She somehow knew that she needed to be a good distance from the enchanted platform if she was going to be found. Her efforts quickly exhausted her. She eventually sank to the ground, breathing heavily and looking around. Her

thoughts were again growing fuzzy. Beside her, Olivia groaned. Tabitha started in panic. She knew she wouldn’t be able to subdue her if she regained consciousness. But…why had she knocked Olivia unconscious again? Then she glanced up and saw the flurry of movement in the sky. Red wings were quickly approaching. A number of them, she realized a bit numbly. And then she remembered. She was bringing Olivia to the Mercesti. So she could be worshipped. It sounded so ridiculously unbelievable now. “Tabitha?” Olivia whispered. Nearly dizzy with confusion, Tabitha looked into Olivia’s green gaze. The sister was struggling to push herself up. She had to pause halfway up. She made a wretched noise and then spit some fluid from her mouth. It was obvious she was nearly incapacitated by the pain from the blow to her head. “Where are we?” Olivia managed, getting herself into a sitting position. “Are you all right?” It was that unselfish question that made Tabitha realize she had made a tremendous mistake.

“Olivia, I am so sorry. I do not know what came over me,” she said, getting to her knees and moving closer to her. “Please, you must get up. We must get back to the platform before—” “Tsk, tsk,” said a voice from nearby. Both females whirled and scrambled to their feet. Olivia staggered a bit, but maintained her balance. She quickly positioned herself in front of Tabitha. They faced one Mercesti with many others growing closer by the second. This one looked enormous to Tabitha. His red eyes made her knees feel like water. She had wanted to become one of these evil creatures? She must have been possessed. “Let’s go,” Olivia said in a voice so level and confident that Tabitha’s panic ebbed enough to release her paralyzed limbs. “Toward the platform.” Tabitha slowly edged in that direction, keeping her eyes on the dark-skinned Mercesti advancing on them. When the male made a lunging grab for Olivia, Tabitha screamed. Olivia never hesitated. She evaded the sloppy maneuver and swiftly brought her foot up, directly into his groin. His roar of pain and outrage made the hair on Tabitha’s neck stand up. She whimpered. Amazingly, the powerful blow

didn’t stop him. It merely seemed to aggravate him into more aggressive action. He got his hands on Olivia, grasping her arm and attempting to wrench it behind her. In a move that had Tabitha’s jaw dropping, Olivia twisted with the Mercesti’s grip, bringing both feet from the ground in a flip that left her directly facing him. Then she brought her hand back and in a blindingly fast move, smashed the heel of her palm straight into his nose. The sound was grotesque. Blood poured down his face. He fell to his knees with an amazed expression on his face. Then he hit the ground, unmoving. But by then, the rest of the Mercesti had arrived. Tabitha knew it was useless to try and escape. They were surrounded. Many of them had landed close to the water, as well, knowing that it would prevent the females from getting back to the platform that only they could see. Still, she found herself stepping forward. It was because of her that Olivia was now in grave peril. She would do what she could to reverse her actions. “Thank you for your efforts, Lekwuesti,” said the male at the front of the group. His polite tone, curly blond hair and attractive features confused Tabitha. He looked like any other Estilorian in his light blue tank and dark blue pants. How could such a being

be evil? Then his red eyes moved to Olivia. The look in them was decidedly unholy. “I have changed my mind,” Tabitha blurted. “I sent thoughts back to the base before we arrived here. Reinforcements are already on the way.” Now, the blond male tilted his head. He looked humored, as much as his unsmiling face could. “We expect them to come after her, Lekwuesti. And you have now made your choice.” He drew his sword then. Tabitha’s knees trembled uncontrollably and another whimper escaped her throat. Olivia moved again to stand in front of her. She had yet to speak. “We have use for you yet,” the Mercesti said to Olivia in a placid tone. “I suggest you move aside. We can keep you alive even with stab wounds.” She didn’t move. Tabitha didn’t know what Olivia planned to do against the sword with no weapon outside of her own two hands. But Saraqael’s daughter managed to look ready and willing to take him on. The Mercesti hesitated. Then strong hands grabbed Tabitha from behind. She shrieked and kicked, trying to get away. Then she saw

Olivia, temporarily distracted and turning to assist her, fall to the ground. Tabitha realized the blond Mercesti had used the pommel of his sword to once again knock Olivia unconscious. Oddly, her terror abated into an unnatural calm when the Mercesti approached. Her gaze remained on Olivia’s unmoving form, the knowledge that she had caused all of this settling into her brain along with acceptance of her fate. “They will come,” she said, her voice strong and certain. “And you will die.” “You first,” her handsome killer said. And brought his sword up to end her life.

Chapter Thirty-One There were a limited number of express travel platforms at Central. Sebastian sent Gabriel, James, Caleb, Amber, Skye and Titan on one of them. It was a tight squeeze, but they were willing to forgo comfort for an hour or so if it meant remaining together and getting to Olivia with all speed. The commanders and their most skilled class members rode on the other express platforms. Sebastian and Caoilinn were able to enchant them all to follow the same path as the platform Tabitha had commandeered. The remaining elders and other participating Estilorians were following on the regular platforms. Gabriel would communicate their location to them as soon as they landed, hopefully leading them right to Olivia by then. James sat at one corner of the platform. He was focusing intently on not allowing his emotions to overtake him. He knew it would affect Gabriel and Caleb as much as it did him, and he very much needed their full concentration on helping him find Olivia. Every time he allowed himself to think, he was inundated with visions of her facing the Mercesti on her own. Guilt, anger and fear all blended into one powerful and almost debilitating wash of sensation.

He found himself wondering why humans so favored their powerful emotions when it left one feeling this way. Then he thought of Olivia and his deep love for her. And he answered his own question. Gabriel insisted that Amber sleep during the journey. The sun was sinking and they didn’t know how long it would take to find Olivia once they reached land. She needed to build her energy. Incredibly, she was able to doze. The sky was deep orange and pink as the platform neared land. James leaned over the side to see as much of the landscape as possible. He saw the bright yellow platform that Tabitha had stolen in the water. Then he saw the two prone figures on the ground.

Neither of them is Olivia, Caleb thought quickly. He had obviously felt the wave of panic that washed through James. One is dark-skinned and the other…appears to be

Tabitha. Swallowing, James nodded. He forced his emotions back down. Caleb’s observations proved correct. They docked and everyone stepped off the platform. Then they walked closer to the two bodies lying on the sand. “Oh, Tabitha!” Skye exclaimed, bringing her hands to her

mouth in shock. She looked very pale, her eyes huge. It was little surprise, James thought. Tabitha’s head had been all but severed. The amount of blood and gore was enough to make even him and Caleb look away. They hadn’t really been exposed to such things in their relatively short existences. The other body was clearly a Mercesti male. “That’s my girl,” Amber said, nodding with approval as she stood next to the body. “Olivia got one?” Skye asked, recovering admirably from her shock and horror over Tabitha’s condition. Although she still looked a bit haunted, she was holding her own. “Yep. Looks like a nose through the brain.” She caught James’ eye, her gold gaze hard. “I hope he suffered.” “Why does it look like he’s, um, dissolving?” Skye asked. Gabriel explained. “Dead Estilorian forms dissolve into colored sand. It takes a couple hours.” Titan was prowling. He picked up a scent that made him growl. James hurried over to him. He easily made out the outline of Olivia’s form in the sand. There was more blood. He touched it and identified it.

“She lay here,” he said, forcing his voice to remain steady. “By the looks of the prints in the area, I’m thinking no more than thirty Mercesti. I believe they took flight after…” he glanced at Tabitha’s body. Gabriel nodded agreement. “Grolkinei wouldn’t have risked more than that to acquire two females. He would have suspected a possible trap. Sending thirty of his soldiers would have been seen as a safe enough risk.” “I still can’t sense Olivia’s thoughts,” Skye said. She caught Amber’s gaze. “But I think our connection with her feels stronger now.” “I agree,” Amber said. “I think she’s just unconscious. We should get under some kind of cover and keep our minds open to her. Once she regains consciousness, we can ask her to describe where she is.” It was all they could do. The other express platforms arrived minutes later. While a couple of the Waresti who had come over on the platforms took flight and spread out in different directions to scout, the others started scouring the land mass on which they were presently settled. They held little hope that it would be that easy to find Olivia, but it wouldn’t do to leave the possibility unexplored. Hitoshi and the Gloresti who had traveled with him set up a perimeter around the collection of tropical trees comprising

the bulk of the land. Everyone else just settled down to wait until they either found Olivia or the other transport platforms arrived with reinforcements. Amber and Skye were each seated on a couple of fallen trees. Gabriel, James and Caleb remained standing. They all prayed that Olivia regained consciousness soon and began broadcasting to them. The wait was awful. Sebastian had insisted that they all arm themselves and don some armor before they left. James had only ever worn the enhanced black leather breastplate during his training. Although it had been designed to be more flexible and less weighty than metal armor, the feel of it seemed to impress more weight on him nonetheless. It made everything so much more real. His gaze moved to Gabriel, who was wearing very similar armor. His arms were crossed over his chest, his gaze centered on Amber. There were daggers strapped to each of his thighs and both of his boots. He wore his sword on his left side. His eyes had not diminished from the Gloresti dark blue. The expression on his face was fierce. Caleb, on the other hand, looked unaffected. James knew that was simply the way his brother dealt with an overabundance of emotion. He was watching Skye with the same intensity as Gabriel watched Amber. His sword was similar to Gabriel’s, but instead of the daggers, he wore a

wide assortment of darts and throwing stars woven into small seams throughout his armor and the clothing he wore beneath it. Amber and Skye were identically garbed in speciallycrafted armor. He knew that the thin black material was incredibly difficult to create. It was completely impenetrable, but as fluid and supple as any other clothing fabric. Zayna had worked with Sebastian to create it specifically for the girls before they even transitioned to the Estilorian plane, uncertain how fragile their half-human forms would be. Due to the rarity of the armor, it only covered the girls’ most vital areas. In essence, they were wearing high-necked tank tops with skirts that reached the middle of their thighs. They also wore armor-quality thigh-high boots and bracers on their forearms made of black reinforced leather. Amber wore her blessed sword and Skye was stocked with throwing weapons on a thin belt around her waist as well as in her bracers and boots. James was similarly outfitted. They all certainly looked ready for battle, he thought. They now had to have the faith that their abilities were up to the task. They had to believe in each other. As he looked around at what had essentially become his family, he knew that there was no one else he would have wanted with him.

They were lucky. Olivia’s connection opened for them within thirty minutes of making landfall. Amber and Skye had been sitting utterly still on their individual logs the entire wait. Then they both suddenly paled and sat straighter. “Oh, God,” Amber said in an odd voice. James watched in confusion as both sisters turned swiftly in their seats so that they were leaning over the backs of the logs. The sounds they made were violent and miserable. Gabriel rushed to Amber’s side and Caleb did the same with Skye. Skye’s spirit guardian suddenly appeared, hovering a foot behind her.

What’s wrong with them? James thought toward Gabriel, standing helplessly as the girls continued to gasp and issue low moans.

It’s called vomiting, Gabriel explained with a concerned frown. It’s a human physical ailment that empties the stomach. I’m thinking since it affected them both at exactly the same time that they have reconnected with Olivia. They’re funneling her pain. James clenched his hands into fists at that thought. He

noted how shaky and wrung-out both sisters looked as they gradually straightened and rinsed their mouths with water from the waterskins. If Olivia was in a similar condition, she would never be able to defend herself. Amber evidently agreed. “She needs healing. She must have a concussion. The pain is—” she flicked a glance at James. “…bad,” she finished. She caught Skye’s gaze. “We had to close off our connection to keep it from affecting us. But we have to try and help her. She won’t be able to broadcast any clear thoughts to us otherwise, never mind protect herself.” Skye nodded resolutely. “Join hands,” she directed, rising from her seat and stepping into the center of their small clearing. “All of us. Make sure you’re touching the mark on the wrist of whoever’s next to you. Everyone open your thoughts and push whatever power you can toward Olivia.” It may have been an odd request, and Skye delivering orders was outside of her character. But if there was one among them who had an instinct about things typically beyond belief, it was the youngest sister. And when her spirit guardian nodded and disappeared, they all found confidence in the idea. They quickly moved together and joined hands, palm to wrist. James stood between Caleb and Amber. Gabriel connected Amber to Skye, and Skye took Caleb’s other

hand. When Titan nudged himself between Amber and James and plopped down to sit in the center of the circle they made, they all looked at each other and shrugged as if to say, “Why not?” “Okay,” Amber said, taking a bracing breath. “Let’s do this. Try to make it a slow and steady progression so we don’t hurl again. I’ll try to push my healing power to her as we open the connection. Hopefully that will help with the nausea, too.” James closed his eyes and concentrated. The first thing he noticed was the tingle of the mark on his wrist. Encouraged, he opened his thoughts further. The second thing he noticed was the pulsing pain. It sat at the base of his skull like someone had driven a hot poker through it. Waves of some indefinable agony made him feel like his insides were trying to twist themselves into knots. A bitter taste entered his mouth. It was all he could do to not try and spit the offensive flavor away. Olivia was experiencing this on an even greater scale? The thought horrified him. It also compelled him to push past it and focus every bit of his Gloresti energy toward helping her. Beyond his eyelids, the world glowed gold. He had never felt or seen Amber’s healing energy at such a peak. He

was sure that to open his eyes would have meant blindness from its brilliance. Bit by bit, the pain ebbed. The overwhelming vise around his gut eased. His head stopped throbbing. Amber? Skye? His eyes flew open. They all looked at each other. He had directly heard Olivia’s thought and felt the fear and hope behind it. His heart somehow managed to swell and ache at the same time.

We’re here, Liv, Skye thought, her eyes glistening. He was astonished that he heard her, too.

Can we sit down? Amber asked. She looked ready to fall over. They sat.

We need you to tell us as much as you can about where you are, Liv, Amber thought. Tell us anything you see, hear, smell. Anything. Better yet, Skye thought, try your best to open your thoughts and senses to us. We’re trying something a little different. I can’t see anything, Olivia thought immediately. Her fear

pervaded all of them, but the thought had been communicated in a clear and level tone. I’m blindfolded.

Someone’s carrying me. Don’t move, Gabriel thought. Try to stay limp, as though you’re still unconscious. There was a moment where they could sense her processing this.

Gabriel? If a thought could be stunned, this one was. Yes. We’re all here, Liv. Another pause. James? The thought was hesitant. But her fear had notably eased.

Yes, Olivia , he thought. He didn’t have to project anything to know he was sending his love and emotion through to her with the thought.

Do NOT cry, Amber demanded, obviously sensing Olivia’s emotions reaching a critical point. We need you to focus. I know. I’m sorry! But I have to get this in. I love you, James. I’m sorry for being so miserable.

I love you, too, Olivia. It felt so good to simply convey the words to her that he was able to truly focus for the first time since learning she was missing. Everyone surely felt his

intense relief.

I repeat— Amber thought. It smells dank, like a basement or something, Olivia interrupted quickly, recognizing Amber’s tone. Hang on… let me try what Skye suggested. There was silence. But a few seconds later, they could sense what she was experiencing. Their combined effort to connect with her and her effort to push her senses toward them was actually working. James felt painful pressure against his diaphragm. He realized she was being carried over someone’s shoulder. There was pain in his wrists and ankles, telling him she was bound, tightly. The only sounds were of an unknown number of Mercesti breathing as they walked with her.

It’s echoey, Skye observed. She was right. And the smell that Olivia had mentioned was very apparent.

They’re below-ground, Caleb thought. That narrows it down, as does the fact that they got there in less than hour. How can you be sure of that? Amber wondered. We don’t

know when Olivia got here. The bodies were still warm and fairly solid. Oh.

I’m not sure whether they returned the same way, Olivia thought, but they flew to that spot from the west. Gabriel immediately relayed all of the thoughts to Hitoshi, trusting him to spread the word. Much to James’ surprise, Titan suddenly leaped from the center of their circle and ran off. He suspected the panther was following his hunter’s instincts. Excitement shimmered among them. They had just greatly narrowed down the possibilities and were pursuing a lead. The brief surge of hope that flashed through him rapidly subsided as he realized that the person holding Olivia had slowed. “Open it,” someone barked. Olivia’s fear spiked. They all did what they could to send her calming thoughts.

Courage, Liv, Amber thought. Her grip on James’ wrist was vicious, telling him she wasn’t as calm and unaffected as she sounded. We’re here.

“Put her over there,” someone else said in a bored voice from across the room. There was an abrupt movement when the male holding Olivia leaned down and let her fall from his hold. She kept herself as loose-limbed as possible. The surface she landed on was hard. Cold. Then James flinched when a searing pain exploded in his abdomen and rib cage. They all cried out in shock as the blow impacted them. Someone had kicked her, he realized. Kicked her while she was lying bound and blindfolded and unable to protect herself. He thought his fury could know no greater bounds. He was wrong.

Chapter Thirty-Two “She is awake,” said the male who had been holding her. Olivia hunched, curled into the fetal position in an attempt to protect her midsection in the event her assailant decided to take another shot. Even as she gasped for breath, she felt Amber send more healing energy through their connection. It helped tremendously.

Thanks, she thought. No problem. “Was the kick really necessary to determine that?” came another male voice. It sounded more curious than anything else. “She expelled some disgusting fluids all down my back,” snapped the first male. “I think some got in my boots.” Inexplicably, she felt herself blushing.

Good, Skye thought. Her sister’s genuine satisfaction served to alleviate Olivia’s embarrassment. Then she heard footsteps nearing. Trying

to ignore the thumping of her pulse in her ears, she forced herself to stay as attuned to her surroundings as possible to assist her family in finding her. It helped to have something to focus on besides her mind-numbing fear. She felt hands beneath her armpits. Her heartbeat jackhammered. She was lifted and set on her feet, an awkward stance because her ankles were tied so tightly together. Then she unexpectedly felt the bindings around her wrists sliced away. She just as suddenly realized that she had lost nearly all feeling in her hands. Before she could even consider trying to fight her way free of his grasp, he had lifted her left arm and clamped something around her wrist. When he released that wrist and grabbed her right one, the left one remained secured above her head. This was not going to improve the circulation to her hands, she realized. “This is an unusual marking,” said the male holding her. “I wonder why it glows.” She fought the urge to yank her wrist out of his grasp, reasoning it would draw more attention to the mark. When he simply secured her right arm above her head as he had her left, she knew she had dodged a bullet. At least the shackle would cover the mark from view.

Good girl, Amber thought approvingly.

A door opened. Olivia was once again struck by the odd idea of doors underground. Even the place where Amber had transitioned had contained only open caves, not doors.

A good point, Gabriel said. That means it isn’t a temporary place where they’ve got you. If they’ve built doors, they’re established there. She wasn’t sure how that helped, but maybe once he shared that thought with the elders it would jog something loose. “Well, well, well,” said a voice. “Looks like we have perfect timing.”

Ryce. She couldn’t prevent another surge of fear. Beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead. His voice immediately invoked the memory of being held by him with a dagger to her throat after the Becoming ceremony. If Amber hadn’t healed her, she would have died.

You’re not the same now as you were then, James thought. You could break that hold a hundred times now. She gave a mental nod even as she registered the impression of more than just one new presence in the room. She also realized that Ryce’s footsteps were getting closer.

“Are you sure you got the right one?” he asked suddenly. His voice sounded as if he was directly in front of her. “What are you talking about?” asked the male who had carried her into the room. He sounded petulant. “Of course she is the correct one. I saw her green eyes myself before I had to knock her unconscious. She was trying to protect the weak, sniveling Lekwuesti. She killed Gregor.” “Hmm,” Ryce said consideringly. And then she felt his hands running along both of her arms. She froze in shock and revulsion as his touch continued down her arms and along her body. The outrage that blasted through her head was not her own. She was too horrified to react. “She is stronger now,” he said appreciatively. “Ryce, did I give you permission to touch her?” asked yet another male. This voice was smooth and commanding. And since he was speaking as though Ryce answered to him, she knew exactly who it was. “I beg your forgiveness, my lord. You know I have been thinking of her for some time now.” “Yes, well, we have far more important plans for her than to simply hand her over to you to play with.”

“Yes, my lord.” “We can remove the blindfold now. I would like to see those green eyes for myself.” Her stomach turned. She could taste her own fear.

Better to see what’s coming, Caleb conveyed matter-offactly. And we’ll get more clues this way. That very excellent point helped calm her a bit. Her head jerked when the person behind her—she didn’t think it was Ryce—reached up and began loosening the knot. Within a matter of a few seconds, he had the blindfold free. She expected to have to blink against bright light and was surprised to find the room only dimly lit.

Most Mercesti can see in the dark, Gabriel informed her. Even as she absorbed that thought, she swiftly looked around the entire room. The walls, floor and ceiling were all made of some kind of polished stone, again confirming that she was underground. As her eyes touched on the door, she realized it was made out of wood and reinforced with some kind of metal bands. The entire chamber was about the size of Gabriel and Amber’s bedroom back at Central. She realized that she was actually chained in the middle of it and everyone stood

around her like she was some kind of offering on display. A quick count told her that there were twenty Mercesti in the room with her. All of them were male. When she spotted the long table on one side of the room containing a wide variety of wicked-looking instruments, she deliberately pulled her gaze away as panic flooded her. Dear Lord…how was she ever going to have the strength and courage to get through this?

James knew that the fear and alarm that coursed through them all at the sight of the instruments of torture was not all Olivia’s. He worked very hard to suppress his emotions, knowing that she needed their support right then. But heaven help him, he was terrified. What did they have planned for his sweet Olivia? And why her? They were all very specifically stating that she was the one they wanted. But why? At the moment, none of that really mattered. What mattered was helping her get through this and finding her location with all speed. While James very much wanted to be the one who walked into that room and freed her, he would gladly settle for helping her remotely like this as long as she was freed. He realized then that their part in this battle

would not require their physical armor and weapons. It would instead rely on their unique connection with each other. That didn’t mean that he wouldn’t hunt Ryce down and saw his hands off at the wrists with a blunt instrument for touching her like he had, of course.

I’ll hold him down for you, Caleb offered. They all again focused. Grolkinei was approaching Olivia, his expression curious and pleased. “Ah, yes. There are those eyes. Welcome, Olivia.” When she didn’t respond, the Mercesti leader smiled. “I am sure you have heard of me. I am Grolkinei.” She remained silent. With a look of distinct interest, he took another step closer. “My commanders failed to mention that you are quite beautiful.” His gaze moved to the side. Angius and Ryce stood beside each other, their arms crossed over their chests. “It makes me think that they are each making their own plans for you and your sisters.” He started walking a slow circle around her. She stared straight ahead. “If so, I can certainly understand why. You are definitely

more fit than Ryce led me to believe. It appears that you have been training.” James felt a strange sensation at the back of his neck. Then he realized that it was the fall of Olivia’s hair being released from its knot. His jaw clenched painfully. “Indeed, I do not know that ‘beautiful’ quite captures it,” Grolkinei continued, reaching up and caressing her hair. “What is this strange coloring?” She didn’t respond. Her eyes followed him when he moved back in front of her. Nodding, he said, “Very well. I respect your silence for the moment. We shall see whether your mind will respond to my questions where your lovely mouth will not.” He looked at Angius. “Send Kanika in.”

Olivia watched the door. When it opened, she strained to see beyond it. All she saw was a dark hallway. Deflated because she had no more clues to send her family to aid them, she returned her attention to the former Orculesti who had tried to kill Amber. She looked very much the same with the exception of her new red eyes and red markings around her eyes. Amber had once told her that

Kanika’s second power was the ability to conjure objects with just her mind. Her hips swayed as she walked. It was a surprise to Olivia that the males in the room seemed interested in that sway of her hips. Other Estilorian males weren’t generally like that.

Mercesti are, uh, different, Gabriel said hesitantly. She knew he was censoring his thoughts to keep her from being alarmed. It didn’t help, especially after the way Ryce had felt her up. She finally started noting some of the looks being sent her way from the unknown Mercesti males standing around the room. They sent a shiver up her spine. Kanika paused a foot from her. Her eyes shifted to Olivia’s hair. “The green hair is new.” Grolkinei stood right behind Kanika. “What do you suspect it signifies?” “I am uncertain. Perhaps some alteration of her mental status.” Kanika looked thoughtful. Then she said, “I will certainly find out for you.” And she reached up to put her hands on either side of Olivia’s face.

Remember Knorbis’ techniques, Amber thought. I need a song.

Understanding, Amber returned, Beatles, “Help!” Olivia and her sisters did a mental dance routine to the song. It took all of Olivia’s focus to concentrate on the mental movements, releasing no information to the probing mind of the Mercesti. As Kanika’s brows knit in frustration and they neared the end of the routine, Skye said, Rhianna, “Hard.” They completed that one and were in the middle of Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie” when Kanika shoved Olivia backwards with as much strength as she could muster. It didn’t move her much. “I can get nothing,” she snarled, turning and stepping away from Olivia. “What?” Grolkinei grasped Kanika’s shoulders and whirled her around to face him. “You said she was the easiest to read.” “I did not,” Kanika returned with a great deal of heat. “I said the youngest was the easiest and the one avowed to Gabriel was unreadable. You were the one who decided that this—” she waved at Olivia, “—was a better option than fighting the holy light.” Olivia felt Skye’s gasp and knew her younger sister had just

realized she would have been their target if it wasn’t for her abilities. Olivia was personally happy to be there instead of her sister.

Stop it, Liv, Skye thought, obviously intensely pained. Before she could compose a response, another set of thoughts entered her mind. She realized immediately that she was in the mind of Aurora’s mate.

Titan, James offered. Titan had a distinct mental signature. He was telling her he was close. He scented her and the Mercesti who had been on the beach with her. He was, essentially, hot on her trail. As the series of thoughts bounced from Titan to Olivia, then through to Gabriel and on to the elders and everyone searching for her, she was filled with hope. And it occurred to her that there was every possibility this could end here forever. Grolkinei himself was present. His death and the deaths of his commanders would bring the Mercesti down. It was a goal worthy of sucking it up for a few more minutes, she decided. She refocused only to realize that Grolkinei was standing in front of her, staring at her intently. “Her eyes were just glowing. What does that mean?” he asked.

None of them knew. Even Ryce wouldn’t have known, as her back had been to him when she had communicated with Aurora after the Becoming ceremony. His jaw working, Grolkinei crossed his arms over his chest and continued to study her. “It seems you are full of surprises, Olivia. You come to us having conditioned yourself physically as well as mentally. I cannot say that this displeases me. It actually makes my future plans for you much more exciting.” His gaze moved over to the table of instruments. “The stronger they are, the harder they are to break, after all.” Her heart soared into her throat. She knew she wasn’t completely successful at masking her fear when she saw the commanders giving her knowing smirks from their spots around the room. Grolkinei turned and walked over to the table, selecting a sharp, two-pronged tool. It looked something like a meat skewer that could fit into the palm of a hand. As he got closer, she focused on his face, refusing to give him the satisfaction of staring at the object in his hand. She could hear her own rapid breathing and felt a line of sweat drip down her back and knew she wasn’t fooling anyone, but it was the point of the matter.

Damn right it is, Amber agreed. But Olivia felt her sister’s agonized fear.

“I understand that today’s humans,” Grolkinei said, moving close enough to place one prong of the fork just below Olivia’s navel, “are oddly modest creatures.” The sound of fabric ripping filled the room. She felt the air touching her midriff as her tank top was sheared. She also felt her face flame with the modest embarrassment he was referencing. And lastly, she felt the prong of the instrument pressing against the middle of her breastbone where it had completed its ascent. “My next cut will completely remove the garment,” he said, his red eyes looking incongruously dangerous and coaxing at the same time. He moved the prong so that she could feel its sharpness. Looking at him with a disinterest she didn’t feel, she finally spoke. “It’s only skin, Grolkinei.” Then, when his eyes flashed angrily, she smoothly added, “But what do you want to know?”

Chapter Thirty-Three Harold found Titan, Gabriel conveyed. The relief and excitement that coursed through them was intense but short-lived. After all, they didn’t know how many Mercesti were within whatever holding contained Olivia, and she needed to remain safe until her rescuers could reach her. They all refocused their efforts on doing what they could to help her through their connection. She would surely need it in her face-off with Grolkinei. If James had harbored a rather nebulous dislike of the Mercesti elder before that day, it had most certainly crystallized into full-blown, want-to-break-every-bone-inyour-body hatred the moment Grolkinei picked up the tool from the table with the intent to use it on Olivia. Watching the Mercesti’s advance with that tool while feeling her warranted fear and being powerless to help her had been gut-wrenching beyond words. Now, after she issued her nonchalant question—earning brief smiles from her sisters—Grolkinei responded, “Why did your eyes glow?”

“A result of my efforts to block Kanika’s intrusion,” she lied easily, obviously having thought of the falsehood in the brief span of time she had been given. Grolkinei stared at her consideringly. As he had no reason to doubt her, he swiftly switched subjects. “I want to know how to travel between the planes.”

Tell him things he likely already knows, Gabriel told her. Like what? she returned, clearly panicked. The Gloresti-Corgloresti connection. Her brow wrinkled. “I don’t get it,” she said out loud. “Everyone here seems to know how the transition between the planes works. I can’t imagine how someone as powerful as you wouldn’t know the specifics.” James gave her a mental nod of approval. The scattered and perplexed tone was exactly the one she needed to strike. Raising his eyebrows and waving the pronged instrument in his hand, Grolkinei responded, “I believe it would behoove you to indulge me.” Giving a long-suffering sigh that had Amber and Skye issuing mental chuckles, she responded, “Fine.” As if she was reading from a textbook, she continued, “The transition

between the planes must be done by a Corgloresti with the aid of a Gloresti.” She tilted her head and looked at Grolkinei expectantly. For a long, humming moment, they all thought that he might use the pronged tool on Olivia again. Fortunately, he seemed more amused than angry. “You really are a spectacular creature,” he said with notable wonder, looking her up and down again as though really seeing her for the first time. On the far side of the room, Kanika issued a sound of obvious surprise and anger. Her relationship to the Mercesti leader seemed abundantly clear. And she, along with everyone else, was apparently quite clear regarding Grolkinei’s interest in Olivia. James felt things starting to slide sideways. Causing this kind of reaction certainly hadn’t been the plan. “Are your sisters just like you?” Grolkinei asked. Olivia affected as much of a shrug as she could manage in her restraints. “We look alike, anyway.” “Hmm.” He gave her another long, assessing look. “What was it like for you to transition between the planes?” The expression of confusion on Olivia’s face wasn’t

contrived. She had no idea why he would ask such an odd question.

Tell him you don’t remember, Gabriel urged her. “None of us remember the transition itself,” she said. “I remember part of my human existence, if that interests you.” Now, Grolkinei looked less indulgent. His face again fell into threatening lines. “Where did you transition to?” You can tell him that. “It was a forested area. I’m not familiar enough with this plane to be able to say for sure. We were far inland. It took us at least two hours to reach water. I don’t remember seeing any dwellings nearby. This plane is much different from what I remember of the human one.” She truly didn’t know more than that, but James could tell her vague answer further prodded Grolkinei’s temper. “You have just described more than half of the Estilorian plane,” he said blandly, tapping the pronged tool against his palm. Perhaps reading sincerity on Olivia’s face, however, he didn’t pursue it. Instead, he asked, “Do you look the same here as you did on the human plane?” She hesitated, uncertain whether she should answer him

honestly. Since Gabriel didn’t seem to know, either, she responded, “No. Similar, but not exactly the same.” Starting to pace, Grolkinei considered this. “So it was a transition between two different forms, just as it works for full Estilorians. You and your sisters were able to transition like your father because he was a Corgloresti. Your Estilorian form remained on this plane during your time on the human one. That confirms our logic. What we do not know is how the human side of your blood affects things.” She didn’t respond, generally as in the dark about this as he was. “You are obviously strong. Ryce claims he sliced your throat, yet you bear no mark,” he observed. Now he paused, seeming to give that closer consideration. “Can you heal yourself?” “No,” she responded honestly. “Hmm.” His gaze shifted thoughtfully to the pronged tool. Seeing the look, James wanted to reach right through her thoughts and strangle him until he fell on the thing. “There is an Estilorian who can heal us,” she said. It was true as far as it went, and served to divert Grolkinei’s thoughts. “The Corgloresti elder, Ini-herit.”

That seemed to assuage the Mercesti leader. He nodded. Then he added, “You can control animals with your mind.” “One animal,” she lied. “A white panther.” “A unique ability nonetheless,” he responded. He once again began walking slowly around her. James felt his palms dampen when Grolkinei stood behind her, out of sight. “Show us your wings.” She didn’t want to, but couldn’t see a way around it. Clenching her hands around the chains above her head, she closed her eyes and did as he demanded. “Marvelous,” he said with a great deal of admiration in his voice. “Absolutely marvelous.” He reached out to touch one of her wing segments. She felt it like he was touching her skin and shuddered. “Are your sisters’ wings the same?” “No.” He stroked her wings for another full minute. The stretch of time seemed interminable. James sent Olivia comforting thoughts even as he suppressed his own impotent fury.

Where the hell was Harold? As Grolkinei walked back in front of Olivia, she retracted her wings with a great deal of relief for all of them. “Perhaps it would help matters if I explained a bit more why I am asking such questions,” he said consideringly. When she just stared at him, he continued, “As has probably been expressed to you, I was rather…we shall say ‘unhappy’ about the creation of this plane. I believed then, and still do, that it was a foolish mistake that rousted us from our rightful place in the world. We should be ruling over humanity right now, not sitting here behind this false cloak of powerlessness and equality. The Mercesti have always understood that Estilorians and humans evolved together for a reason. Removing ourselves from them has been detrimental to our future.” Ironically, he was exactly right. But where he felt it was detrimental because Estilorians no longer got to experience worship by and dominance over humans, the truth was that it was detrimental to them because they no longer benefitted from human relationships and emotions. “In light of your thoughts about humans, I don’t understand why you’d be interested in me,” she responded. “I’m just a diluted Estilorian.” He looked at her for a very long moment. Then he smiled in

a way that seemed both charming and malevolent. “Olivia, my sweet, you and your sisters are anything but what I expected. I would never have thought that any being of less than full Estilorian blood could make an elder like Gabriel commit his entire lifetime to her. Yet your sister has apparently done so.” James felt Gabriel’s surprise and concern over the direction the conversation had taken. The Mercesti elder seemed to know much more about them than they had assumed. What did that mean about his intentions? Grolkinei continued, “And I admit, his interest did pique mine. If a being such as the ‘lauded’ archigos Gabriel, an Estilorian whose teachings are supposedly focused on a skillset far beyond someone as ‘lowly’ as myself, would consign himself to one of you half-breeds, then perhaps it would behoove me to look more closely at you.”

Deflect. Downplay it, Amber thought. “Well, as I understand it, Amber and Gabriel were the only two who showed any interest in each other on the human plane,” Olivia adlibbed, trying to inflect the right amount of helpfulness, snarkiness and resentfulness into her voice. “I’m sure they were just thinking they wouldn’t find anyone over here who would give them the same attention.” She gave a deliberate pause. “Insecurity is a common human issue.”

“Is that so?” he asked. He stood just a foot from her. “You see, Olivia, I simply do not believe that Gabriel would ever do such a significant thing as avow himself because of a lack of confidence. Females such as the lovely Kanika have long made it clear that they are available should he only show an interest in them. Yet he never did.” His expression was thoughtful. “So, the question remains: what is it about you half-breeds that has generated such an interest among the Estilorian elders? What is it that they know about you that makes you so valuable to them? And how far will they go to try and save you from harm?” Olivia blinked several times as she processed this. “Are you saying you intend to ransom me or something?” Grolkinei appeared as puzzled by the term as James felt. Gabriel sent a quick definition through his thoughts. James realized the Mercesti leader was trying to establish how valuable Olivia was. The very idea appalled him. “If by ‘ransom’ you are asking whether I intend to ask the elders for something in exchange for your safe return,” Grolkinei answered, “that all depends upon whether I believe they will even entertain such an offer.” He raised his eyebrows and gave her another careful study. “Do you believe they would find you worth negotiating for?” Frowning in confusion, she responded, “I don’t have any idea. What is it you consider valuable?”

He smiled. “An excellent question. You are quite intelligent. Braver than I thought you would be, as well. Full of surprises.” Then he turned and walked back over to the table containing all of the tools. He replaced the pronged instrument and glanced back at her over his shoulder. “But I believe I will leave your question unanswered. I do not want to influence your responses to our questions about the abilities you and your sisters have.”

Why is he asking these questions? Olivia thought toward her family. What am I supposed to tell him? I think it boils down to him trying to find a way to cross the planes, Gabriel answered. He wants to hear that you can make that happen. But you can’t. Mercesti simply can’t cross the planes, regardless of the will of the elders or your abilities. So, he wants an answer I won’t be able to provide? There was a long silence. Olivia knew the answer to her own question, and it filled her with dread. “Since you will not allow the lovely Kanika to enter your mind and pull the answers I am seeking that way, we will simply have to turn to alternative methods of eliciting the information from you,” Grolkinei said. Her heart raced in response. James felt panic and fear

circulating among them all. Grolkinei glanced at the thin, white-haired Mercesti standing quietly beside Ryce. “Cesaro here is my chief information officer. He excels at acquiring information and has many means by which he does so.” Then he looked again at her. “These are his tools.” Struggling to keep her voice level, she said, “You haven’t even really asked me any questions yet. Why don’t we start with having a regular old conversation instead of leaping right to ‘eliciting’ anything?” “Because I do not believe you will be honest with me, Olivia. You have an assessing mind. I have noticed you weighing every response you have given me. How am I to rely on the fact that you are being completely forthcoming?” He shook his head. “There are always ways to learn the truth, you know. Some are more effective than others, I have learned over time. And I know you will be screaming the answers I seek by the end of the night. “I also know that my commanders enjoy their solitude as they exercise their particular talents. Thus, I will leave you in the care of Cesaro and Ryce. They will get my answers for me.” “But—” “Enough,” he snapped, waving a hand at her. Turning to

Cesaro, he said, “Do not mar her face. I find it appealing. And try not to break too many bones unless it becomes absolutely necessary.” With a glance at Ryce, he added, “You have my permission to touch her now.” James felt her terror like a tangible object in his gut. She was thinking she might embarrass herself and start crying. None of them could blame her, though they all sent her bolstering thoughts even as Gabriel sent another thought to Harold to check on his progress. Skye was already openly weeping over the threats to her sister. Even Amber looked dangerously close to losing her composure. Grolkinei left the room, followed by everyone except for Cesaro and Ryce. The door closed ominously after the last Mercesti departed. When the two remaining males approached, Olivia focused on keeping her breathing steady and her expression contained. “Well, well, well, chickadee,” Ryce said with gleaming red eyes. “I believe it is time for a little fun.”

Chapter Thirty-Four Amber, can you restart the circulation in my hands? Olivia thought, deliberately ignoring Ryce’s comment because it made her want to whimper like an infant. Sure. Suppressing her towering fear was all but impossible. Even if by some miracle she had managed to calm her own roiling emotions, she then had to contend with the potent feelings being conveyed to her, however unintentionally, by the five people now mentally connected to her. She felt every bit of their murderous fury and intense fear for her. She felt Skye’s heartache and James’ sense of utter helplessness. She felt Gabriel urging Harold to hurry and felt Amber wishing she could send more of her power through the connection to be of some kind of assistance. She also sensed Caleb’s almost constant stream of thought evaluating her environment and weighing possibilities. She knew he was as concerned for her as everyone else, but he was most easily able to place a certain distance between those emotions and the thoughts focused on getting her out of there safely. It was to his thoughts that she latched onto, prompting her into action.

She expected there to be pain as the feeling returned to her hands, just like when any limb wakes up after being asleep. Fortunately, however, Amber’s healing ability also alleviated that discomfort. She was soon flexing and unflexing her hands, making sure she had full feeling in them. “What manner of tool shall we use first, eh?” Cesaro asked. He seemed to be seriously considering the question rather than merely taunting her. It was both creepy and alarming. “No tools for now,” Ryce responded, stepping closer to her. “Our lord said that I can touch her. I do not want to have to wait to do so until after you have finished with her. She would be in no condition for what I have in mind.” “You cannot do what you have in mind with her bound like she is,” Cesaro argued. That was exactly what she was counting on. She felt the whispers of understanding in her mind as her family caught up with her thought process.

Can Lekwuesti only send food through their connection with another? she wondered. At the same time, Ryce was glowering at Cesaro. “I know that, you bloody idiot. I am going to release her.” He turned his gaze back to Olivia. The look he gave her was a

repulsive leer. “It will only be more fun if she fights me, anyway.”

No, James responded carefully to her question, understanding her meaning. But there are limitations. Weapons are not permitted. What about kitchen utensils? Like a carving knife? “It will be on your head if you end up killing her because she resists you,” Cesaro warned. She felt James considering and dismissing her suggestion as the two males in the room with her argued. Your skills don’t lie with weapons like that, he explained. If he’s well

enough trained, he could disarm you and use the weapon against you. “I will not kill her,” Ryce said dismissively. “And I will not mar her face or break her bones, so you can just stop arguing.” When he pulled out a dagger, she realized James had been correct. She felt lightheaded as she focused on the gleaming blade. Unable to stop herself, she pulled ineffectively against her restraints, scraping the skin of her wrists raw.

What about a broom or some other cleaning tool with a handle? Amber suggested.

Yes, James quickly agreed. Olivia, as soon as your hands are free, instruct Brenna to send you a kitchen tool with a long, sturdy handle that you can wield like a bo. She gave a mental nod as Ryce bent down and sliced through the ropes around her ankles and her heart thundered in her chest. Now she just had to find the strength and courage to do it.

Grolkinei led the way through the tunnels back toward his home. He imagined it would be a long night for Saraqael’s daughter. Ryce wouldn’t be satisfied with a brief encounter, he was sure, and Cesaro knew very well how to draw out the information-gathering process. But by morning they would certainly have the answers they needed. She really had surprised him. Her powerful beauty aside, she was much more complex and remarkable than he had ever envisioned. Although he was certain she must have been terrified, she only rarely allowed that emotion to show during their conversation. Her answers had been wellcrafted, answering him without really telling him anything. She was obviously protecting herself, but he strongly suspected she was also protecting her sisters. Such loyalty was unheard of among the Mercesti. He admittedly found it intriguing. He wondered if her sisters were as devoted to

her as she was to them. Could he use that connection to draw them out and into his grasp? It was something to consider. Although he had serious doubts that the other elders would bow to his demand to abolish the Estilorian plane for the sake of one of Saraqael’s daughters, the question certainly remained to be answered if he had all three of them. There was also the thought that the girls themselves could help him transition to the human plane. He was confident that he would know the answer to that by the morning. Not too far from his home, he suddenly paused at the entrance to one of the tunnels, alerted to the sound of frantically beating wings. Angius and the soldiers around him drew their swords. Kanika’s eyes grew wide. Within a minute, a guard nearly flew right into them in his haste. He was bleeding heavily from a wound to his left side. “My lord,” he gasped as he jerked to a halt. “We are under attack. Hundreds of them—Gloresti, Waresti, Corgloresti… even the classes we have never battled before. We are sorely outnumbered and they are fighting as if possessed. They have breached the tunnels.” He winced and clutched his side. “And there is a panther among them. Huge. Black.”

“They have come for the girl,” Angius said as he caught Grolkinei’s gaze. His voice rang with shock and disbelief. “They sent all of their soldiers and even those who do not usually fight to recover one girl?” Whirling as realization set in, Grolkinei pushed past the soldiers behind him and moved to fly back to the chamber they had vacated. He hadn’t gone ten feet when he heard fighting coming from the tunnels that led back to the chamber. They would have to battle insurmountable odds to get back to her now. They would never succeed. He threw his head back and screamed in outrage. But he had the answer to one of his questions. He now knew Olivia’s worth.

Without Olivia having to ask, Amber quickly sent a surge of healing energy through their connection to return feeling to her feet as soon as her ankle bindings were released. Olivia realized that she could have kicked Ryce in the face or even disarmed him if she had wanted to. Of course, she would have still been chained and at the mercy of Cesaro, so it didn’t make any sense to do so. It did tell her, though, that he was so distracted by his thoughts of what was to come that he was being careless.

“Give me the key,” Ryce said to Cesaro as he resheathed his dagger. “I think you are making a mistake.” “Allow me to be the judge of that,” Ryce said through his teeth, obviously straining to maintain his temper. “Very well.” Cesaro handed the key to her chains over to Ryce, his expression bland. “I will wait over here and consider which tools to use when you are done with her.” His eyes gleaming with twisted excitement, Ryce turned back to her. He moved to within a few inches of her and ran the tip of the key along the skin of her now-bare midsection and up over her breastbone. She didn’t have to fake the fear that he obviously sought, but she did have to struggle not to lose whatever contents were left in her stomach. Then he reached up and unlocked her left wrist. When the cuff opened to release her, he immediately encircled her wrist with his right hand in a ferocious grip. Keeping her left arm in his hold, he reached over with both hands and unlocked her right wrist, swiftly catching her with his left hand before she could pull away. Leaving the key in the cuff, he hauled her up against him, crushing her wrists in his effort. Then he caught her off-guard by swiftly throwing his leg

behind hers and falling on her with his full weight. Her head connected with the stone floor, unprotected. The excruciating pain that rocketed through her had darkness ringing her vision and her eyes rolling back in her head. Amber hurried to try and heal her. Olivia vaguely felt Ryce’s groping hand at her waist. Her mind was screaming at her to get up, joined by the united voices of her family, but she couldn’t command herself to move.

Oh no, you don’t, Skye seethed when Ryce took hold of the fastening at Olivia’s waist. She used her fury to focus on sending the only weapon at her disposal to Olivia’s aid. The blast of holy light she sent through Olivia’s mark had Ryce screeching in pain and leaping off her, clutching his left hand in agony. It bought them enough time that Amber was able to finish healing Olivia’s injury. Scrambling to her feet, Olivia sent a thought to Brenna, who had assured her she would be ready. Now. The wooden pole appeared in her hands even as Cesaro approached with a curved, bladed tool. She faced him with unnatural calm, feeling suddenly as though she had prepared for this moment for her entire life. Even as she deflected Cesaro’s first swing of his weapon,

she saw Ryce getting to his feet. His left hand was an angry red. Blisters were already forming. He was spewing a stream of foul words at her. She noted with one part of her mind that Ryce wasn’t wearing a sword as she deflected another attempted strike from Cesaro. But he had his dagger and his injured hand wasn’t his dominant one. On the next deflection, she spun her weapon into a countermove and struck Cesaro in the face. She missed her target of his nose and hit his mouth instead. When he staggered back and spit, blood and a couple of teeth poured from his mouth. That was all she saw before Ryce advanced. “You little bitch,” he hissed. “When I get my hands on you, I will knock you straight into oblivion. You will not feel the things I do to you until you wake, and I promise you, you will —” “Oh, shut up,” Olivia ordered, bringing her weapon up and back like a baseball bat and swinging it at his midsection. He was only able to partially block the shot, not prepared for the untraditional manner in which she wielded the weapon. His breath left him in a heaving whoosh. Still, he remained on his feet and brought his dagger up.

“Don’t forget,” she reminded him in a ridiculously cheerful tone, “you can’t kill me. Grolkinei’s orders and all.” His lips curled as his red eyes blazed with fury. She easily deflected his attempts to reach her with the blade. They circled the room, him taking lurching swipes, feinting and attacking, her watching him for an opening. And then, during one of his more awkward attempts, she held her weapon in both hands horizontally in front of her, blocking the knife. Then she brought her booted foot up into his groin. Cheering erupted in her head over his tormented, gagging moan. When she swiftly followed that with another blow of her weapon, this one to the side of his head, he crumpled to the ground like a sack of wheat. Cesaro! The warning sounded in her head. She moved, but not in time to avoid getting sliced on her left bicep by the Mercesti’s weapon. “You have some skill,” he said, taking another swipe at her. “And you have more determination than perhaps any Estilorian I have encountered.” His eyes flashed with dark humor. “But you will soon feel the effects of the poison from

this blade coursing through your veins. We will see how well you fare then, half-breed.”

I’m on it, Amber said, her tone calm and confident. You’ll be fine. Kick his ass, Skye added. Olivia smiled. The expression made the humor in the Mercesti’s eyes vanish. She felt the pride of her family behind her as she deflected several more blows and struck her opponent again and again. He was tough, despite the fact he was much smaller than most other males, and was obviously as skilled in accepting pain as he was in doling it out. Finally, she issued the coup de grace. Bringing up the end of the weapon, she caught him under the chin in an uppercut. She followed that with a vicious blow to the throat using her fingers in a straight jab she had learned from Amber. As he choked and gasped unsuccessfully for breath through his crushed windpipe, she stepped back and swung with all of her might. The weapon broke in half as it connected with his skull and he joined Ryce on the ground. Then she stood, clutching what was left of the weapon and breathing in harsh, choppy gasps of air. Her blood pounded in her ears. Sweat coated her from her exertion.

I’m so proud of you, James said. She felt his love flowing through her and she closed her eyes briefly to enjoy the sensation.

They’re almost there, Liv, Gabriel added. Hang in there. You did good, thought Amber. Keep an eye on the door, Caleb instructed. If it’s one of us, they will identify themselves before entering the room. He didn’t have to finish his thought for her to understand that if the door opened without someone calling out to her that she would have to defend herself. She eyed the broken weapon for a moment, then simply held it at the ready.

We’re here with you, Liv, Skye assured her in a gentle tone when her arms started shaking in reaction to the adrenaline rush she had experienced. The wait, as filled with tension as it was, was blissfully short. A couple of minutes later, the sounds of battle started outside the door. Her eyes widened. She listened to the crashing of blades against each other, shouts of anger, screams of pain and cries of victory. Then, when things grew quieter, shuffling outside the door. “Olivia?” It was Harold. “Yes,” she managed to call out over the emotion in her

chest. For some reason, she couldn’t make her legs move to walk to the door. It opened and the room swiftly and silently filled with Estilorians. Harold and Alexius led the way, but she couldn’t see down the hallway for all of the warriors filling it. She realized then with a tremendous amount of shock just how many Estilorians had come for her. Glancing at the two bodies on the floor, Harold nodded. “Excellent work.” His burnt orange eyes moved to hers. “Thanks,” she said with a small smile. “I had the best training available.” “We should get you to your sisters,” Alexius said. “They are waiting for you.” “No,” she replied with a great flood of love filling her heart. “They’re already with me.”

Chapter Thirty-Five They maintained the connection with Olivia until she was surrounded by Estilorian warriors and on her way to where they still sat near the loading platform. As soon as the danger had passed, they all realized the connection was fading. It was evidently something that could only be invoked during a time of great need. James paced as Amber and Skye kept their thoughts open to Olivia. It was full-dark by then. The moon shone on the water, providing enough ambient light that none of them felt the need to generate balls of light to be able to see. It took more than an hour, but eventually he saw the advancing lights of hundreds of pairs of wings in the distance. His heart leapt and he rushed back into the cover of the trees where everyone else still sat. “They’re nearly here,” he said. “Thank goodness,” Skye breathed, pushing to her feet. Everyone else followed her lead. They walked with James out onto the beach and watched the group in the air approach. His emotions seemed to heighten the closer she got. The thin veil of emotional distance he had forced into

place time and again throughout her ordeal completely evaporated as she again neared. The realization of how close he had come to losing her had his hands trembling. She landed ten feet from them. Her hair was still unbound and her fully healed arm was covered in dried blood. The tear in the middle of her tank top served as another stark reminder of what she had just gone through. Without pausing, she ran to him and threw herself into his arms. The moment he put his arms around her, she started sobbing. He held her tightly against him, squeezing his eyes shut and breathing in the sweet apple scent of her hair, his love for her coursing through him, and listened as she wept. He felt every shudder as if it was his own. “Please don’t cry,” he whispered in an anguished voice. The words could barely get past the tightness of his throat. She finally pulled away enough to look up at him. He opened his eyes to look at her and had to blink to clear his vision. Although her tears continued to flow, she managed a small smile. “Why not? You are.” He reached up with amazement and touched his face, felt the moisture there. He really was. “Quit hogging Olivia,” Gabriel griped from a foot behind them.

Releasing his hold, James turned with her and watched as she gave Gabriel and Caleb each weepy, grateful hugs and then latched onto Amber and Skye in a three-way hug. All of the girls were crying and babbling, their emotions ranging from relief to happiness to remembered fear. As they stood together on the beach, the elders approached from the group that had landed behind Olivia. “We have to get back to Central,” Gabriel said as he intercepted the elders’ thoughts, though he was obviously hesitant to interrupt the sisters’ tearful reunion. “We’re not safe here.” Olivia nodded and wiped ineffectively at her face. Her wrenching sobs had stopped, but the tears continued to drip in a steady flow from her beautiful eyes. She was expelling a great deal of pent-up emotion. Turning, she faced the huge number of silent beings behind her. “There isn’t a way to thank all of you for coming to get me,” she said in a loud voice, wanting her words to carry. “You saved my life.” “Actually, Olivia,” Uriel said, giving her the first smile any of them had ever seen from him, “you saved your own.”

It was nearly dawn before they made it all the way back to Central and got showered and ready for bed. Olivia had

been greeted by the Estilorians still remaining at Central with more warmth and enthusiasm than James had ever seen. Brenna and Pavati had shed tears when they learned everything that had happened, prompting Olivia to shed even more of her own. Then there had been Olivia’s reconnection with Aurora. Watching her interact with the two panthers had been quite an emotionally-wrought experience. She had simply sat on the ground and clung to their necks as she wept. He knew despite his lack of experience with such things that by the time they got up to their rooms, she was emotionally wrung out. He and Caleb did their usual swap in listening for Olivia and Skye while they each showered. He moved his mattress into Olivia’s room while she showered, then took his turn to shower in his bathroom as soon as Caleb was out and on guard duty. Washing away the day’s grime was a welcome relief, but he hurried through the task so that he could get back to Olivia. After finishing his routine and dressing in a sleep tank and pants, he closed the door between his room and Skye’s, bid Caleb a mental good night and walked over to Olivia’s room, extinguishing all but a single ball of light as he walked.

She was standing in the middle of the bedroom. The light pink nightdress she wore with a filmy, sleeveless overwrap served to enhance her innocence and vulnerability. He had never seen another being as beautiful as she appeared to him just then. When she held her arms up, he walked right to her and pulled her against him. The weight that he hadn’t even realized had settled on his chest suddenly eased. “I’ve been waiting for what feels like a lifetime just to hold you and tell you how much I love you,” he whispered as he pressed his cheek against the softness of her hair. “This entire experience has shown me how foolish I was to not acknowledge my feelings sooner.” He felt her smile against his chest and shake her head. “You’ve had nearly a century of life without any concept of love or similar emotions,” she responded. “How could you have understood all there is to know about such an emotion in just a few months? I was the foolish one for not considering that and placing such expectations on you.” Pulling away enough that he could look down at her, he said, “Olivia, I feel as though my life didn’t truly begin until you transitioned into it.” She slowly lifted her head and stared at him incredulously. Thinking she didn’t believe him, he explained, “When I think

back to my life even four months ago, it seems…without color. Perhaps there were a few interesting lessons during my training just after I transitioned, and there was always the potential to grow and advance among the Gloresti. But I only accepted that depth of existence because it was all I knew. Now I know better. “Now I know what it is to experience joy. To watch someone learn to use her wings for the first time. I now know what it is to laugh. To tease and to encourage. I now know that I have with Caleb and Gabriel what you do with your sisters. Brothers in every sense to me. “And most importantly, I now know you. I can’t imagine my life now without you, Olivia. I can’t imagine not getting to see your smile every day, not hearing your laughter. I can’t imagine not getting to show you all of the many things about this plane you have still to learn and watch you absorb and enjoy every experience with your unshakable enthusiasm and intensity. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without your love to fill me so completely.” Her expression had only grown more stunned the more he spoke. He was becoming alarmed, wondering if he was saying something wrong. How else could he possibly convey what was in his heart? Then she said a little breathlessly, “You have absolutely no idea how romantic all of that just was.”

His brow knit. “Romantic? Is that…good?” And then she laughed, obviously delighted. She reached up to touch both sides of his face. “You always speak the truth. It’s one of the things that I first loved about you. And when you say things like you just said, with the full force of that honesty behind them, it hits me like an arrow.” She reached down and lifted his hand, placing it over her heart. “Right here.” “Oh.” He blinked at that. His gaze settled on his hand where it rested against her breastbone. He felt her heartbeat beneath his fingertips. He was suddenly mesmerized by the rise and fall of her breasts. Flushing, he started to pull his hand away. She grabbed it before he could. Then she slowly guided his hand until it was near the base of her neck. “Would you kiss me again, James?” she whispered, her gaze not moving from his. “I would very much like that to be the memory in my mind before I go to sleep tonight.” Unable to deny her, he lightly wove his fingers into her silky hair and cupped the back of her head, pulling her closer. He settled his other hand on the tantalizing curve of her hip. Then he bent his head and touched his lips gently to hers. She responded by bringing both of her hands up and

holding his head down when he would have stood back up after the one brief kiss. She wasn’t willing to allow the restraint he was trying to impose on himself. No…she wanted his passion. The kiss didn’t remain gentle for long. Before he even knew it had happened, his hands were both in her hair and cradling her head so he could encourage the tilt of her mouth toward his again and again. And he finally tasted her again as he had envisioned for weeks now. It was every bit as glorious and arresting as he remembered. His heart pounded like it was going to launch itself out of his chest. His body felt like it was on fire, nerveendings blazing in foreign but incredible ways. When her hands moved to stroke his chest, he understood just how much impact mere touching could have on the entire experience. His hands moved along her shoulders, bare arms and back, and he noticed the sounds she made indicating pleasure. It served to escalate his own to a point he instinctively knew was unwise. Finally, he tore himself away from her, almost stepping back and falling on his mattress due to his weak knees and fuzzy brain. Remembering what Amber had said about the feeling of rejection that such a move could cause, he caught Olivia’s gaze as he tried to steady his breathing. “I didn’t stop because I wanted to,” he explained a bit

hoarsely. She nodded, breathing raggedly. “I know.” Then she gave him a rather dazed smile. “Wow.” After a moment of just standing and staring at him with that same dazed expression on her face, she took a few backward steps until she felt the bed behind her. “Well, good night then,” she said, climbing into her bed and pulling the covers up to her chin. “Good night, Olivia. I love you.” She sighed happily. “I love you, too. Thanks for the nice memory.”

The nightmares began an hour later. James was dead asleep, but he heard the murmur from Olivia’s bed. His eyes flew open, adjusting very quickly in the darkness. Not seeing any visible threats, he rose and moved closer to the bed. She made a pained sound in her throat and arched her back. Alarmed, he reached out to wake her. When she sat up in the bed, her face was white as bone, her eyes haunted. He didn’t think she even recognized him

or her surroundings. Tossing a dim ball of light toward the ceiling, he sat beside her on the bed and gently touched her shoulder. “Olivia, are you all right?” She started shivering in reaction to her dream, but managed to give him a weak smile. “I’ll be fine. It was just a nightmare. I kind of figured it would happen after all of the drama today. Thanks for waking me up.” Not knowing what else to do, he sat and held her until she again grew drowsy and insisted he go back to bed. He did, only falling asleep when he heard her breathing steady. The next nightmare occurred not even thirty minutes later. He went through the same routine, waking her up and calming her down, holding her as tremors coursed through her. His heart started to ache at the terror he saw on her face each time she awoke. Was it not enough that she had defeated her demons in person? Now they must plague her dreams as well? This time, he left the ball of light near the ceiling, hoping it would help. It didn’t. Three hours after everyone else had gone to bed, with the sun likely high in the sky, James held an exhausted Olivia as she wept. He simply couldn’t bear it. She was utterly exhausted and needed her rest. So this time he remained

in her bed, lying on top of the covers while she was mostly underneath them, and let her sleep against him. Only then did they both sleep peacefully.

James came fully awake hours later, sensing another presence in the room. He found himself staring right at Gabriel, who was looking at him with his arms crossed over his chest and an eyebrow raised. Glancing down and seeing Olivia pressed against him, no longer under the covers since she was warmed by his body heat, James felt his face flooding with color. There simply was no way to get out of this gracefully, but he certainly had to say something. “Good morning, Gabriel,” he said sheepishly. “Um…I can explain.”

Chapter Thirty-Six Two days after Olivia’s abduction, there was another meeting of all the elders and their commanders. Also in attendance were the three sisters, James and Caleb. They sat around the long conference-style table, discussing what had happened and its implications on the future. Olivia stifled a yawn. She still hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep, even with the generous two-day delay in having this meeting. Her nightmares embarrassed her. She hadn’t discussed them with anyone except for James. After being found together by Gabriel after the first night, he had attempted to sleep again on his mattress the next. That hadn’t lasted more than two nightmares. They both decided they would have to risk their brother’s wrath just to have some semblance of rest. But now she was rather exhausted and truly dreading rehashing her experience in front of all of the Estilorians seated around her, no matter how dear they were to her. “We traced Grolkinei to his home,” Uriel was saying, “but by then he and his commanders had fled. From what we have

gathered, one of the commanders, the one called Layla, had been left behind in the home while the others were with Olivia. She must have received some kind of alert that allowed her to pack up some items they needed and escape before we found it.” “Kanika probably sent her a thought,” Malukali responded. “They are both former Orculesti, so such a connection might be possible even after their transformations.” There were agreeing nods around the table. “We do not believe that Grolkinei’s main forces were present at this location,” Hitoshi said. “Their numbers were too small for that to be true.” “He didn’t expect us to find him,” Gabriel added. “He’s probably been at that location for decades without it being indentified.” “It was heavily camouflaged,” Harold acknowledged. “If it had not been for the Orculesti and Wymzesti along with us, we would not have found it, even with the cat’s considerable aid. The enchantment was quite powerful.” Olivia suppressed a shudder at how close they had come to not finding her. James reached over and put his arm around her. She leaned gratefully into his side. “The commander known as Cesaro died as a result of his

injuries,” Uriel said, making Olivia’s eyes widen in shock. “And the commander known as Ryce is now also deceased. Apparently, the cat, being a bit wild, attacked the Mercesti commander just as he regained consciousness. It was…” he trailed off briefly and met James’ gaze, “unfortunate.” Catching the look, Olivia also glanced at James, but he was looking at the Waresti elder and didn’t notice her considering stare. “Yeah,” Amber said dryly. “We’ll light a candle.” Gabriel winked appreciatively at her, running a hand briefly along her hair. “I was able to read Tabitha’s lingering essence,” Malukali said then, her voice deeply saddened. “She had been led astray by implanted thoughts. I fear the Mercesti have found a way to prey upon some of us through our enchantments. ” “We will need to consider new ways of enhancing the protections already in place,” Ailfrid added. “The Mercesti have continued to evolve as a class, and we must make adjustments for that.” “You are correct, Ailfrid,” Jabari said. “We will consider the best way to make these adjustments in the coming weeks. It will involve a great deal of planning and preparation, but it should be done. We do not want anyone else to go through

this.” Olivia noticed the glances in her direction and shifted uncomfortably. James’ grip on her shoulder tightened in response. “The search for Grolkinei continues,” Ini-herit said in his unflappable tone. “He will be highly angered by this turn of events. We do not know what it might lead him to attempt. We can only hope that whatever it is draws us closer to him.” “How do we know he won’t try something like this again soon?” Caleb asked with a frown. “We do not know that,” Ini-herit replied. “And we must be prepared for it.” “Now that we know about the invasion of some of our thoughts, we can warn all Estilorians to be aware of it,” Knorbis advised. “We will begin more thorough training for everyone immediately. Even without the additional protections yet in place, we can make everyone more prepared to defend themselves against that form of attack.” More nods. “I believe it would be wise to take Amber, Olivia and Skye to the different homelands of each class,” Raphael said. “Their interactions with the Estilorians housed here in our

central location have prompted some notably positive changes in a very short amount of time.” “You are probably right, Raphael,” Jabari said after a moment of thought. “Arrangements will be made.” “In the meantime, we’re going to continue with our training,” Gabriel said. “Anyone who wants to participate will be welcome. A variety of disciplines won’t hurt.” The sisters exchanged eye rolls and groans. For some inexplicable reason, though, the very natural reaction lifted Olivia’s spirits more than anything else had in the past two days. She found herself grinning when Amber glowered at Gabriel. “What?” he asked, appearing genuinely baffled. “I believe we should also host another social event,” Zayna suggested. “The first one went quite well. It served as another way for everyone to interact, and I believe it relieved tension.” “I agree,” Mena said. “Knorbis and I both noticed an easing of the minds by the night’s end at our welcome dinner.” “We would be delighted to plan something,” Caoilinn replied, receiving Sebastian’s nod. “Very well,” Jabari responded. He exchanged a look with

Khalidah. “We also believe that meeting as a group such as this is important to our future. We have always met as a council of elders, and that served us in the past. However,” and he looked at the sisters, “These are different times. Thus, we believe that we should meet once every other week just as we are now.” Agreement was voiced around the table. “Very well,” Jabari said again with a nod. “I believe we will consider this meeting adjourned.” Olivia got to her feet. She felt achy and tired and that she just might hit someone if they so much as hinted that she had to go and train right then. It would not be pretty.

Uh-oh, she heard Skye think. Time for an intervention. Come on, Liv, Amber thought. You’re coming with us.

James sat on a rock overlooking the hot spring currently being enjoyed by Olivia and her sisters. Caleb stood on the other side of the wide room, keeping watch from that end. The grotto was, of course, Estilorian-made. It had been carved into rock and was completely enclosed with the exception of a single round hole in the ceiling that allowed in natural light. Because Estilorians, in general, didn’t understand the concept of leisure time, it usually didn’t get

much use. The Lekwuesti had designed what the girls called bathing suits for them. James personally thought they might as well not be wearing anything as wear the specially-designed tank tops and unusually short briefs that showed every inch of their long legs. But who was he to argue? Olivia was happier than she had been since returning to Central. Seeing her smile and hearing her laugh was nothing short of miraculous to him. After a while, Gabriel walked up to him and sat down. “So…you ready to talk to me yet about your intentions?” James didn’t pretend that he didn’t understand. He looked at the water and watched Olivia splash vigorously toward Skye, who was singing something outrageously loudly and off-key by a human musical artist that Olivia disliked. He grinned. “You already know,” he said, glancing back at Gabriel. “Of course I do,” he said, returning the grin. “I’ll have to teach you about guarding your thoughts more closely now that you’re dealing with all of this emotion. It isn’t as easy as one might think.” “Thanks,” James said. He looked back into the water. “I’m not sure what to do, though.”

“No problem. I’ve got you covered.”

Later that day, James convinced Olivia to walk with him as the sun began its daily descent. She happily agreed. When she took his hand and smiled up at him, he held hers with a great deal of wonder over the feelings she held toward him. They walked in silence for a while. Then she asked, “Did you kill Ryce?” He hesitated, surprised by the question. “I was nowhere near him.” “That isn’t what I asked,” she said gently. “I know Titan can hear your thoughts.” Frowning, he asked, “Would it matter to you if I did?” “No,” she answered simply, catching his gaze. “I’m just curious.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “Let’s just say that I didn’t try to stop what happened.” She nodded in understanding and, much to his relief, didn’t press him about it any further. The sun continued to head toward the horizon. He ultimately led her to a forested area

not far from where Aurora and her mate were housed. And then, not too far in, he found the perfect tree. “Shall we climb?” he asked her. Surprise and pleasure flashed across her features. “Why not?” He gave her a boost to the lowest limb and then set about climbing up behind her. She moved up the tree’s branches like a nimble creature, completely fascinating him. Finally, they settled up among the highest limbs that would still support their weight. He situated himself across from her. Then he sat for a long while just watching her enjoy the moment. It was such a pleasurable experience to witness her unbridled joy. But he had come up into this tree with a purpose, and the sun was sinking lower in the sky. So he reached across and took her hand in his, settling his face into deliberately serious lines. “Olivia, there is something that I need to discuss with you.” His intent tone caught her attention. He saw the concern and puzzlement in her gaze when she said, “Of course. What is it?” “Well, the thing is, in light of recent events, I’m not happy

being your Gloresti anymore.” Her mouth fell open. He saw shock and hurt enter her eyes. “What?” she managed. One corner of his mouth rose. “That is to say, I’m not happy being only your Gloresti.” Now she closed her gaping mouth, blinked and tilted her head, obviously perplexed. Not wishing to draw out the suspense any further, he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the gift that Gabriel had given him earlier, something his brother had commissioned through Sebastian several days ago. When she looked down and saw what he held, her eyes goggled at him. The reaction made him laugh heartily. “Don’t do that!” she shrieked, reaching out and covering his hand with hers. “Holy Moses, you could drop these gorgeous rings.” They had been crafted from the lightest yellow gold achievable. Her ring was feminine and delicate, created to look like a series of vines woven together. The vines ended in two thin, gold leaves that gently framed the center stone, which was comprised of two circles. The outer circle was thinner than the center one. The left half of the outer circle was formed from a curved, light green gem and the right half was a curved, dark blue gem. In the center, the colors

were reversed: the left side of the stone was dark blue and the right side light green. His ring was a wider, more masculine version with a solid, etched band. “I was hoping you’d like them,” he said. “Sebastian has much insight about such things.” She was looking at him with a combination of wariness and hope. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” “Actually, I’m asking you.” He smiled. “Will you exchange vows with me?” “You mean…you want to become avowed to me?” When he nodded, she threw herself at him, making him clutch the rings in a fierce grip. “Oh, yes, I will,” she declared. Then she kissed him, long and deep. “I love you, James.” “I love you, too, Olivia.” He reached over and handed her his ring. “I’ll speak my vows first and present you with your ring. Then you must repeat them and present me with mine. Then we join our left hands and kiss to seal the vows.” “I like that part,” she said, smiling widely. “Okay. Let’s do this.” Then, before he spoke, she held up a finger. “Wait. First, I want to thank you for doing this just this way. It’s perfect.”

Smiling back, he said, “I know.” Then he grew serious. “I didn’t really prepare anything, so I’ll follow the model I remember from Gabriel and Amber’s vows.” She nodded encouragingly. Her smile flooded him with love, and the words were suddenly right there, waiting to be spoken. “I, James, believe that you, Olivia, are everything that my life has been missing. You embody the very best qualities this world has to offer. I love everything I know about you and trust everything I don’t know. I offer you this ring as a symbol of my love and my unbreakable commitment to you.” He slid it onto her left ring finger. As she took his hand, she held his gaze and spoke her vows. “I, Olivia, believe that you, James, are everything that my life has been missing. You embody the very best qualities this world has to offer. I love everything I know about you and trust everything I don’t know. I offer you this ring as a symbol of my love and my unbreakable commitment to you.” She placed the ring on his left ring finger. Then they both grinned foolishly and entwined their left hands. Leaning forward, they kissed, allowing their love for each other to fill their hearts and closing their eyes against the brilliant light that represented the sealing of their vows.

From a distance, Gabriel and Amber watched the exchange. Amber sighed and smiled when the symbolic light flared, leaning into her husband’s one-armed hug. “How long do you think I should wait to inform James that he has to marry her before they can have sex?” he asked her thoughtfully. After a moment of consideration, she said, “Oh, give them an hour.” He nodded and reached down to kiss the top of her head. “They’ll be very happy together,” he said after another moment. Staring into the treetops, she smiled and replied, “They already are.”

Epilogue The mood was far from cheerful at the Mercesti backup location. It was, in point of fact, about as mournful as their class could manage. Grolkinei sat with Layla, Kanika and Angius in a small parlor, brooding in a wing-backed chair, his elbows propped on the chair’s arms and his fingertips steepled together. He hadn’t spoken since they congregated nearly an hour ago. In fact, he hadn’t spoken much since they had been rousted from their base of operations. They all knew Ryce and Cesaro were dead, though they didn’t know exactly what had happened to them since they couldn’t access the caves any longer. Cesaro, a wily Mercesti who had survived more than two millennia— largely by avoiding direct battle—was gone. As a result, so was one of Grolkinei’s key sources of information. Ryce, though significantly younger, had still been a seasoned fighter and loyal to Grolkinei, which was all but invaluable. The loss of him was a stunning blow. And that didn’t even account for the thinning of the Mercesti ranks caused by the battle with the other Estilorians. All because of Saraqael’s daughter.

His jaw flexed again as he fought back the insane rage that once again threatened to overpower him. Reaching over to the table beside his chair, he lifted a glass of honey-colored liquid and brought it to his lips. Downing most of the contents of the glass in one swallow, he reached over and refilled it with the half-empty bottle sitting on the table. “We have to consider suitable replacements,” he finally said into the silent room. All eyes moved to him. He took another drink. “I would like you each to consider who among our ranks is most useful to our purpose.” Angius frowned. “And just what purpose is that right now? We have just learned quite soundly that acquiring any of Saraqael’s daughters is all but beyond our reach.” In a move so fast no one even had time to flinch, Grolkinei threw his glass against the closest wall. Since that wall was made of stone, the glass shattered into pieces that showered over all of them. One of the shards sliced right through Angius’ cheek. “Do not dare say something is beyond my reach!” Grolkinei roared. His eyes flashed brilliant, dangerous red. He gripped the arms of his chair until his knuckles turned white. “Where there is a will, there is always a way.”

Usually subdued by Grolkinei’s outbursts because he respected the elder’s dark power, Angius now didn’t back down. He was furious over the loss of two of his fellow commanders. After all, now the brunt of the work would fall on him. “Saraqael’s daughters are obviously protected by all of the Estilorians,” he countered. “Each of the other classes united to acquire that one breeder when they have never done such a thing before. How are we supposed to prevail? Tell me that!” Kanika and Layla both winced, certain Grolkinei would completely lose his control. But when they looked at their leader, they realized he looked rather stunned. “What did you call her?” Angius frowned. “What?” “You called her a breeder.” Grolkinei pushed himself to his feet. Then he cursed loudly. “Why did I not consider that before?” The three commanders all exchanged puzzled looks. “Saraqael’s daughters are half-human,” he said almost to himself as he paced. The crunch of glass beneath his boots didn’t even seem to register with him. “If they can transition between the planes like a Corgloresti, then why would they

not also be able to breed like their human mother?” Now, the commanders’ eyes widened with understanding. “That has to be it,” Layla said. “That is why they are so valuable to the others.” “You believe the other Estilorians intend to increase their numbers by breeding with the half-humans?” Kanika asked with an odd expression on her face. “I do not care what their intentions are,” Grolkinei answered as he strode back to his chair and sat back down. “They could plan to use them like brood mares for the rest of their existences, as far as I am concerned.” He once again steepled his fingers. “No…what I just realized is that their offspring will likely have similar abilities to theirs. Those offspring will also invariably assume some of the characteristics of the male who sires them.” Angius raised an eyebrow but remained silent. Layla and Kanika both exchanged glances, strangely united in their unease with the conversation’s direction. His gaze intent, he instructed, “Kanika, you must begin screening all thoughts for anything about a pregnancy among the three daughters. We believe that only Amber is paired, but that does not mean the other Estilorians are not attempting to impregnate the other two.”

Because he paused and stared at her, she nodded in agreement. He looked at Angius next. “We should meet with Eloy and Baldemar. Both have shown great strides in their training. Baldemar is at least as skilled as Ryce with a sword, and Eloy can defeat everyone but you in hand-to-hand combat. I am willing to take them each under my wing for a few weeks to focus on enhancing their natural abilities. You will do the same.” Angius simply nodded. The two other Mercesti would handle the tasks that Ryce and Cesaro vacated. That was all that mattered to him. “And you, Layla my lovely, will continue to infiltrate the thoughts of the Estilorians who are vulnerable to your suggestions. We will lead them to us and rebuild our ranks.” She bowed her head submissively. His face transformed with a dark smile. “I can be quite patient,” he said, sitting back in his chair and tapping this fingertips together. “Saraqael’s daughters will not be protected forever. And the moment I discover whether they can conceive, I will do whatever it takes to get my hands on one of them. “I can also be flexible. If I cannot find a way to cross the planes, then I will send a child of my blood across for me

and rule over humanity through him.”

Ini-herit offered his home as the location for the wedding. Olivia had mentioned several times during her stay there how much she loved it. His offer was, of course, gratefully accepted. Although there was a tremendous number of Estilorians who insisted the wedding should be at Central so that they could witness it, James and Olivia were just not the types who wanted such a large audience for something so deeply personal. Thus, as it had been for Gabriel and Amber, the ceremony was attended only by the elders and their family. Twilight was settling among the forest clearing while they exchanged their vows. It was the same spot where James received his lesson in touching Olivia, a thought that was at the forefront of his mind as he held her hands in his and repeated his vows after Jabari prompted him. “I, James, take you, Olivia, to be my wife…” He spoke his vows clearly and from his heart, but he could only half-focus on what Jabari was saying. How was he supposed to focus when Olivia was standing before him and gazing at him with her captivating eyes? The dark blue leaves that now joined the light green ones

on the thin vines around her eyes only made her gaze have more of an impact on him. She was a breathtaking vision in her simple, flowing white gown. It was sleeveless, leaving the mark on her right shoulder, now with a dark blue olive branch curving toward her light green one, bared. Two long, thin panels of sheer, white fabric crossed over the straightline bodice of the gown and lay over each shoulder, trailing down the back of the gown to the hem of her floor-length skirt. Part of her softly curling hair was captured on top of her head in a light-gold circlet decorated with dark blue and peridot gems while the rest cascaded down her back to just beneath her shoulder blades. Thin gold earrings dangled at her ears, the only other jewelry she wore besides her ring. “I, Olivia, take you, James, to be my husband…” she said in her soft, sweet voice. He heard the vows in her mind before she recited them, something they were both getting used to. It had only been a little over a week since they became avowed, so it would take more time yet for them to learn how to properly communicate through their shared mental connection. Nearly mirroring his thoughts about her, he heard her thinking that she was the luckiest female in the world. Beside her stood Amber and Skye in their bridesmaids’ gowns. Amber had even deigned to wear the strapless,

rosy pink dress without complaint, wanting the wedding to truly represent Olivia’s tastes. The sisters carried bouquets of white and pink daisies and wore bright smiles as they watched the ceremony. Gabriel and Caleb were dressed like James in white dress shirts with navy blue vests and matching pants. They went without ties, as none of them liked wearing them. The elders were in a wide assortment of dress to suit their individual styles. It was absolutely perfect. “I now pronounce you husband and wife,” Jabari declared. “James, you may kiss your wife.” Grinning widely, he did just that.

They celebrated after the wedding in Ini-herit’s sprawling back gardens. Food stations had been set up by Sebastian along the back deck. Small tables and chairs were situated on the lawn for anyone interested in partaking of the elaborate spread. Music played softly. “I hope Aurora’s cubs don’t arrive until after we get back,” Olivia said. She was sitting beside James on a bench, her head against his shoulder. “We’ll keep an eye on her,” Skye promised from her chair across from them. She and all of the others would be

leaving in the morning to give James and Olivia some time together to enjoy their honeymoon. “Thanks.” Olivia smiled as she once again reminded herself that she had just gotten married. She was trying to store every minute of the experience away to enjoy later, as the day was passing much too quickly. Not too far away, Amber was slow-dancing with Gabriel. They were in their own little world, lost in each other’s gazes. When they were all getting dressed earlier, Olivia had noticed a very subtle roundness to her sister’s lower belly that hadn’t been there even a couple of weeks before. She imagined the fact of her pregnancy would soon become common knowledge. Caleb sat beside Skye, sprawled in his chair in a more relaxed pose than she could ever remember seeing from him. Because their chairs were close enough, he had his arm thrown over the back of Skye’s. Whenever she sat back, he ran his fingers through her unbound hair. They were both pretending the touching was casual, but Olivia wasn’t fooled by either of them. It wouldn’t be long before they had to deal with the obvious feelings they had for each other. Is it tomorrow yet?

She glanced up at James when she felt his thought. Her cheeks heated when she realized why he was asking. They had agreed to wait until everyone had left before consummating their marriage. It would be much less awkward that way.

You’re terrible, she thought with a mental laugh. Well, at least I can sleep in your bed tonight without having to sneak in and out of it. She heartily agreed, squeezing his hand. Then she spent the next few minutes filling his thoughts with all of the many reasons why she loved him. By the time the celebration came to an end and everyone retired to bed, she thought she would drop from exhaustion. It made her glad that they had made the decision to wait. Though when she climbed into bed with James, she had to admit her mind wasn’t entirely on sleeping. He shook his head at her. “You should be ashamed of yourself, having those kinds of thoughts,” he said with mock disapproval. Then he grinned when she pinched him. “Don’t even go there. You started it.” “I can’t help it,” he said, pulling her into the crook of his arm so she was lying against him. She began to idly trace the mark on his right bicep that matched the one on her

shoulder, promptly encouraging more inappropriate thoughts. “I now have the most beautiful wife in the world, who, for reasons that escape me, is in love with me.” He tilted his head to catch her gaze. “I keep having to convince myself that I really do get to spend the rest of my existence with you now. It’s going to take me a long while to feel worthy of such a gift.” She simply melted. “You’re a natural at this husband thing,” she sighed happily. “I’m utterly powerless against you when you wield words like those.” “Does that mean you’ll change your mind?” he teased. “No, it means I’ll kiss you chastely goodnight,” she replied in a prim tone, pressing her lips into a tight O and batting her eyelashes at him. His laughter was exactly the reaction she had been seeking, of course. In the end, their kiss goodnight wasn’t exactly chaste, but they stuck by their decision to wait. And when the nightmares threatened her during the night, James was there to chase them away. He always would be.

Note from the Author

Central took longer to write than the first and third books in the trilogy. It was very challenging writing a book with a clear beginning and end when, by its nature, the story was continuing from the book before it and leading into the book after it. But it was very important to me that Olivia have her own story, and in the end, I had the most fun on her book. Now that Olivia’s story is complete, I hope you’ll check out Foretold, the third book in the Daughters of Saraqael Trilogy, now available everywhere e-books are sold.

Website: http://www.RaineThomas.com twitter: http://twitter.com/Raine_Thomas Foretold: http://www.RaineThomas.com/books/Foretold

If you missed the first book of the Daughters of Saraqael Trilogy, check it out now, available on your preferred digital platform.

Becoming: http://www.RaineThomas.com/books/Becoming

About the Author

Raine Thomas is the author of a series of young adult fantasy/romance novels about the Estilorians. She has a varied background including such professions as wedding planning and mental health…two fields that intersect more often than one would think. Residing in Orlando, Florida with her husband and daughter, Raine is hard at work on her next series of books about the Estilorians: the Firstborn Trilogy.

Table of Contents CENTRAL Copyright 2011 Raine Thomas. This book is dedicated with love to my brothers, Prologue PART I: Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen PART II: Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five PART III: Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Eight Chapter Twenty-Nine Chapter Thirty Chapter Thirty-One Chapter Thirty-Two Chapter Thirty-Three Chapter Thirty-Four Chapter Thirty-Five Chapter Thirty-Six Epilogue

Table of Contents CENTRAL Copyright 2011 Raine Thomas. This book is dedicated with love to my brothers, Prologue PART I: Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen PART II: Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five PART III: Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Eight Chapter Twenty-Nine Chapter Thirty Chapter Thirty-One Chapter Thirty-Two Chapter Thirty-Three Chapter Thirty-Four Chapter Thirty-Five Chapter Thirty-Six Epilogue