by Rachel Jonas
She nodded. “It’s entirely possible and I’m rarely wrong about these things. If you’ll recall, I had it right when I said Evangeline didn’t have an ounce of it in her, despite Elise insisting otherwise,” she laughed.
I smiled a bit, but still didn’t understand.
“She was conceived while you were human, therefore, she’s half human, which would make it more likely for the abilities of my lineage to break through.”
I remembered something Hilda said before, something the Oracles alluded to. It was in regards to our daughter being ‘highly sought after’ because she’d be different. Hearing Hilda’s theory now only made me more grateful we were able to cancel Sebastian’s plans before her arrival. With him gone, any and all threats to her life had been eliminated.
Even the one Nick posed.
I stared at Noelle in Hilda’s arms and couldn’t imagine her not being here. I would’ve missed out on everything had it gone differently that night. It wasn’t lost on me that we were a mere breath away from all our lives being completely unrecognizable. Had Nick not been able to resist the curse, I would have lost my family. Had Evangeline’s dragon not showed herself, causing Nick’s life to be taken by fire, we wouldn’t have been able to bring him back. At the thought of it, the way Nick had sacrificed himself, I knew I would forever be indebted to him.
He hadn’t only given Evangeline a second chance.
He’d given me one as well.
So many had stopped by in the last two weeks—friends who wanted to check in, wanted to ask if we needed anything, but none had been here as often as Nick. I could only imagine what it must feel like to have the burden of his curse finally off his back, to know he was free to live his life without worrying he’d one day become something he’d hate.
It didn’t take him long to get comfortable in his new shifted form. Mostly, he liked that becoming his dragon was far less painful than turning into a wolf had been. His brothers were only grateful we found a way to bring him back, even if it did change him. As Richie put it, he was still their brother, still a member of the pack.
There were so many moving pieces, so many unknown factors that had come into play … one might think we had someone looking out for us.
Like Noah.
The more I thought about it, I believed Hilda’s theory was dead on as usual. Noah had always been a protector when he was living, it wasn’t so far fetched to think he would be one in the afterlife as well, looking after his only daughter like he promised.
“I suppose I should go get started on this meal,” Hilda said with a groan as she stood. Noelle was in my arms the next second and I wasn’t ashamed to admit I missed having her there.
It was just the three of us again and I turned toward Evangeline when she squirmed. A few seconds later, big, brown eyes were fixed on me, and there was so much love behind them, I felt it.
“You’re still here,” she said with a raspy whisper, smiling when her gaze locked with mine, and then slipped to Noelle.
“Where else would I go?” I asked. “Everything I’ll ever need is right here in this room.”
Her smile grew and the feeling of contentment that hadn’t left me in weeks did the same.
“Did she give you any trouble while I was out?” she asked.
I glanced down at the beauty I held. “Not even a little.”
“That’s because, hands down, in your arms is the best place to be on Earth,” she teased with a yawn. “Seriously. I can’t even blame the girl. She learns fast.”
I laughed. Between the two of us, I was definitely the lucky one.
I eased back against the headboard. Evangeline automatically leaned in and my arm went around her. I now had both my girls close.
She placed her hand on top of the tiny one against my chest.
“We really do have it all, don’t we?” she asked.
“More than I ever imagined.” And that was the honest truth.
For the first time ever, I felt whole and it was all because of her. And judging by the smile that hadn’t left her face in weeks, I was pretty sure she felt the same.
So many things we lost had been given back to us, restored in ways we never thought possible. Even Evangeline’s love for Rebecka and Todd hadn’t come back void. With a little encouragement, she put in a call to her parents a few nights ago. It turned out that the number her mother had given the night of the flood was still good. Grateful for the sacrifice Evangeline made for them, they insisted she come visit in Chicago soon. No, their memory of her would never return, but I had a feeling their love for her hadn’t faded. They might not understand why the girl they believed to be a stranger had a hold on their hearts, but they seemed open to keeping in touch. I loved the hope and peace this brought Evangeline. It was more than she ever thought she’d have.
“You’ve given me everything a man could ever want,” I admitted, placing a kiss in her hair the next second.
She looked up with a smile and I knew there was nothing to bring me down from this high.
‘And you’re the best warrior a girl could ever ask for,’ she said back, her thoughts bleeding into mine.
Our love was so strong it caused our worlds to collide twice. Some might consider that fate, nature’s way of bringing things full circle. In the coming months, as she stepped into her destiny, those of us who loved her would be there every step of the way. And as long as we were, she’d have the chance to reign in peace.
With Evangeline finally seated in her rightful place, our realm had hope, something we hadn’t been afforded in so long. Through her, the legacy of history’s most powerful kingdom had finally been restored, and there was no doubt in my mind or heart she’d wear the crown with honor.
With nobility.
Forever.
Long live the queen.
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***SCROLL FOR A SNEAK PEEK OF THE NEXT SERIES BY RACHEL JONAS, COMING FALL/WINTER 2018***
THE VAMPIRE’S MARK
BOOK ONE: DARK REIGN
(Synopsis on next page.)
SYNOPSIS
Four blood-sucking princes. A beautiful anarchist. One dangerous mistake.
To the vampires who dominate each quadrant of the Lydian Dynasty, I’m only known as “Blackbird”—a masked vigilante who, at nineteen, is already public enemy number one.
To what’s left of the human race, I’ve been called a superhero, a title I neither welcome nor deserve. My only objective is to offer the enslaved the one thing we all want …
Freedom.
However, a failed plan lands me in the last place I imagined, at the mercy of all four dynasty princes—Julian, Levi, Roman, and Silas. They’re monsters, each with a heart rumored to be as cold as his icy skin. And what’s worse, thanks to the slip-up, my fate is suddenly theirs to decide.
It’s up to them whether I swing from the gallows or not, and I’ve given them every reason to sentence me to such a fate. Yet, there was something in the way they looked at me when our paths first crossed.
Something that gives me hope.
We should be one another’s worst nightmare. Only, I’m beginning to wonder if, somehow … these four princes might be my saving grace?
***
THE VAMPIRE’S MARK is an action-packed, reverse harem, paranormal romance involving vampire royalty and the humans who fear them. This series is an upper YA/NA crossover perfect for fans of Bella Forrest’s “A Shade of Vampire”, E.M. Knight’s “The Vampire’s Gift”, and Sarah J. Maas’s “A Court of Thorns and Roses”.
***CLICK HERE to be notified the moment the new series goes live.***
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“Fate of the Fallen”.
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