The Queen
Page 27
Father, I silently called out. How will I know when you’re here?
There was no answer.
Not that I expected there to be.
He was gone.
In another world. Exploring the vast universe and discovering all of its secrets. But still, I had hoped for a sign.
Anything to tell me that he was still with us.
Would always be with us.
I made my way back to the house, as I didn’t want Caroline to wake up this morning alone. We had a long life ahead.
No doubt there would be trials and tribulations.
There was so much to come.
We would have to learn to navigate this new world together. I knew she wasn’t ready to be a queen. She was still living her life here, as normal Caroline Ellis, and I wanted that for her. I’d be here through it all.
As long as we were together, we would be fine.
More than fine.
We would be perfect.
I reached the doors to Odin’s study. Before I went inside, I heard a rustle in a tree.
I looked up and my heart lodged in my throat.
It was an eagle.
A beautiful, majestic eagle, perched on a strong branch, staring down at me. He stretched out his wings and lifted his head to the sky, giving a loud cry. And then he took off, soaring through the sunrise, gazing down on us all.
Signs.
I had just asked for them.
And Odin had answered.
As he always did.
He was here.
With us.
Watching from above, fearless in the dark night, and majestic in the light of day.
And free.
Odin
“It is a wonderful world.
A beautiful, spectacular universe waiting to be discovered.
In every second, in every breath we take,
we must give thanks.
Find happiness.
Find your passion.
Above all, find love.
For in the end,
With the very last breath you ever take,
you will know in the light of God,
this life was only ever yours to live.”
—Odin
Acknowledgments
We’ve had an incredibly rough year with the loss of our father and continue daily to struggle with the magnitude of this void in our lives. Throughout our journey with his vicious illness, our friends, family, coworkers, fans of our novels, and our family at Diversion were (and continue to be) so supportive.
It was very hard for us to write anything when we were caring for him and even harder when he lost his battle with Glioblastoma brain cancer four months later. His disease was rare, aggressive, and evil.
So, we thank you all for your patience with us, for allowing us time to cry, vent, scream, and most importantly, time to heal. We are two very lucky sisters—our dad was a very unique and special man and we hope that wherever he is in heaven, he is proud of us.
We wouldn’t have ever been able to get through even a minute of it if it wasn’t for our mom and rock of Gibraltar, Effat. We love you Mom and you’re going to be okay because Dad is with us. Our husbands, Bahman and Farzin—you guys are the absolute best and we are so lucky to have you in our lives. Bahman, we truly owe you the world. You’ve taken over where our dad left off and there aren’t enough thank yous that we can say to you for everything that you did for all of us during the past year and half. We also wouldn’t have made it without our family. Mammanjoon, Babbajoon, Mina, Massoud, Mojee, Nina, Amir, Nedda, Sahar, Ali, Firoozeh, Iraj, Bobby…you guys are, quite simply, the absolute best.
For our special fairy of light and love, Ella…you are our ray of hope…the light of our eyes and a very special young lady. We can’t wait to see all the amazing things you’ll do and we know there is magikal life in store for you.
What can we say about the incredibly kind souls who cheer our passion project on from all over the world that would even do each of them justice. Elaine, Kerry-Ann, Jaclyn, Nicole, Emily, Kimberly C., and Logan you are very, very special angels and we can’t thank you enough for the kindness you’ve shown us. God bless you all.
To the amazing group at Diversion Books—Scott, Mary, Sarah, and Eliza—thank you for your patience, kindness, generosity, and support. We couldn’t have been in better or more caring hands.
Kimberly Brower, we are so grateful for everything you’ve done for us and are super excited to watch you wave your magikal wand and sprinkle your fairy dust in our direction. You’re a precious gem.
Lisa Gallagher, thank you for starting this journey with us. Life has led us all down different paths, but we want you to know that you will always have a very special place in our hearts and we thank you for all that you did for us when we first started down that dirt road in the middle of the fairy forest together.
xx
Jasmine & Colet
About the Authors
Jasmine and Colet Abedi are a sister writing team that dreamt up the world of FAE together …
Colet Abedi
Colet Abedi has been an entertainment industry executive for over ten years. In addition to working on many television programs for NBC, ABC, FOX, and most cable networks, she is best known for her work as head writer for the telenovela serials American Heiress and Fashion House on the FOX-owned MyNetworkTV. Colet currently has a series in television syndication, Unsealed: Alien Files and has completed Five Souls, her first feature film. She is also the author of the romance novel Mad Love. Colet is a native of California, graduated with a BA in English literature from the University of California at Irvine, and currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three dogs.
Jasmine Abedi
Jasmine Abedi is an entertainment attorney and has worked with entertainment powerhouses such as Fox, NBCUniversal, ABC, MTV, and E! She has also worn many different hats in the process, with Executive Producer credits for the program Posh Tots and the pilots Club Bounce (TruTV), Divas (VH-1), and Life With The Clarks (CMT). In addition to writing, Jasmine, alongside a law school friend, created the natural cosmetic company Generation Klean, Inc. Their products can be found online at www.generationklean.com and at major retailers nationwide. Jasmine currently lives with her husband and daughter, Ella, in California.
Visit Colet and Jasmine Abedi’s website at www.cjabedi.com Or follow them on Facebook at Fae Trilogy, on Twitter at @cjabedi, and on Pinterest at CJ Abedi.
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