by A. P. Marie
“Mm-hmm. I’m sure it was quite the juicy gossip for a while. Anyway, I figured that if anyone would be guaranteed to go after Burris’s murderer, it would be her. So, I left a book in the kitchen before I left. With details of what happened. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a way to leave her any evidence that Cam murdered Burris, and I knew she wouldn’t believe an unsigned note left in the kitchen. So, I left her a genealogy book, with hints about something else I learned.”
Smugness radiates from my every pore as I tell them about my well laid plan.
“Did you know that the surname ‘Stonebrook’ doesn’t appear in the fallen genealogy until five generations ago?” Caiden and Zander both shake their heads ‘no.’
“The Fallen are big on their pedigree, but I don’t think learning that their leader isn’t from an original family will cause quite the drama you are hoping for. They will probably just remove him and hold another election.” Zander shrugs nonchalantly.
“What if the fallen leader isn’t actually fallen?” This time shocks shows on the faces of the men I love. “The ‘Stonebrook’ name wasn’t in the fallen genealogy book until five generations ago. For some reason that struck me as odd. So, I did some digging. It looks like a couple hundred years ago, there was a divine Nephilim family named, ‘Brookston.’ I guess they were exiled. Two generations later, the ‘Stonebrooks’ entered the fallen hierarchy system. Somehow, Cam’s great-great-great Grandpa was able to fool the system into thinking he was fallen.”
Zander and Caiden sit there as my news settles in. This was the only way I could see to work my way out of Cam’s control and the Divine Nephilim will not need to do anything. When word gets out about their leader, the fallen will go crazy. They’ll obviously remove Cam from power, but hopefully it will create enough suspicion that they investigate the other claim left in the book. Hopefully, they look into Burris’s murder, and when they realize that Cam is guilty there too, they’ll probably clean house. They’ll be so worried that other families could have slipped into their ranks that they will be desperate to sort them out. Cam will lose power, and the fallen Nephilim will be unusually busy. It’s a win-win for me, because no one will even look my way again for a long, long while.
I can see when Caiden and Zander have reached this same conclusion, because they look at each other, and then at me, with heart stopping smiles on their faces.
“Then we move out. Let the fallen take care of themselves.” Zander seems shocked by the outcome of the day’s events, but the most joyful look comes across his face as he says, “Let’s go home.”
The End.
Epilogue
Being back home, at Zander’s, is the best feeling in the entire world. Especially as news slowly trickles in. The word coming from the fallen Nephilim is grim. They have found an impersonator in their midst. His family pretended to be fallen, gained respect in their community, and then killed the leader and blackmailed the fallen families into voting him into power. It’s been a mess. And it all went exactly as I hoped it would.
It doesn’t take any time at all to get back into a comfortable routine at home. Zander decides to work from home again and Caiden is able to do his work from anywhere, so he sets up shop in the house. Zander decides that I probably don’t really need a tutor anymore, but he now allows me full access to his history library, and I take advantage of it. I need to learn as much as I possibly can if I want to survive this life. Thankfully, some of the previous Reginas left diaries detailing what they know about their curse.
We settle into our lives, Zander, Caiden, and I, one day at a time. I know that one day I will have to choose between my mates, between my soul mate and my addiction. I know that the prophecy that brought us together is still hanging over our heads. I know that until I complete the mating with either Zander or Caiden our lives will still be hanging in the balance, and Queen will still be a threat.
I haven’t forgotten what it felt like to lose complete control to her. I know that it could happen again, but I also know that she only has power over me until I am mated. Once the mating is completed, she will settle into the background. Granting me access to her power, but no longer capable of controlling me. I look forward to that day, even if I dread the choice I must make to get there.
Afterword
Thank you so much for reading! This will be a three book series, with book two coming soon. Come back to see how Emily, Caiden, and Zander's story ends!
The Curse of the Regina Book Two
Coming Soon!
About The Author
A. P. Marie
A. P. Marie lives in Kentucky with her two perfect boys and one incredibly supportive husband. She is an avid reader and spends her time (when she isn't chasing said boys) between the pages of a book. During the day she can be found in a high school classroom teaching.