Greta and the Lost Army (Mylena Chronicles Book 3)

by Chloe Jacobs

  “I have some people to say thank you to before I can be married today,” she said as they approached Luke’s little cabin. It was abandoned now, but out back Isaac had built a massive greenhouse. She smiled to see it, but that wasn’t her destination.

  She kept going into the trees, to the circle where her pater was buried. Ethan hung back as if he could sense what this place was. She knelt in the grass and sighed. Luke had been the first person in Mylena to believe in her. He’d given her acceptance when it had practically been against the law to do so. She hoped, somehow, that her prickly pater who’d been so hard on her could see her today and be proud of her.

  But she didn’t come here just for Luke. She also felt close to her parents here, maybe because Luke had been a parental figure, and her parents had also given her the gift of acceptance.

  “Thank you, all,” she whispered.

  When she looked up a few minutes later, Ethan had disappeared. She was impressed that he’d managed to slip away without alerting her but wondered where he’d gone. With a frown, she got up and left the circle. When she got to the clearing where the greenhouse stood, she grinned.

  Ethan was there with a great big foolish look of utter adoration and hero worship on his face as he talked to Isaac—who leaned against the door of the structure looking as calm and strong and perfect as always.

  They both glanced up as she approached. Isaac’s gaze followed her with the heat and intensity of a goblin king who’d been waiting a couple of months too long to claim his queen. When she’d returned to Mylena, they’d both agreed to “wait,” not realizing how hard it would be. She shivered with anticipation and smiled with all the joy and love he’d brought into her life.

  His eyes melted into swirly pools of amethyst as he easily deciphered the words she hadn’t said and silently promised her a lifetime of those feelings.

  “What are you doing out here?” she finally asked.

  He glanced at Ethan and her bodyguard nodded. He bowed to her—which she’d specifically warned him never to do—and said, “I look forward to greeting you again at the end of the day as my queen, your high—” She crossed her arms and lifted her brow. “—er…Greta.”

  She bit her lip to keep from laughing as he turned to leave her alone with Isaac. She walked into her goblin’s arms, and he lowered his head to kiss her senseless. The end of this day couldn’t come soon enough.

  “So I guess Mylena doesn’t have the same rules about not seeing the bride before the wedding?”

  He shrugged. “My bride is not one for following rules.”

  She laughed. “You better believe it.” Wait until he saw the dress she was wearing to the ceremony, complete with a deep purple sash designed to match his eyes and a new scabbard for her sword.

  He squeezed her arms. “Are you sad that your family won’t be here today?”

  She shook her head. He knew that she came here every once in a while to feel close to them. “They know that this is where I need to be, and they’re happy for me. Just as I know that they are safe and living the life they’re supposed to live. I just needed to say a quick thank you.”

  She smiled. “Why are you here? Afraid I’m going to get cold feet?”

  He’d changed so much. He was less and less the boy who’d hidden away from his own people because of his curse, the boy who’d tricked her into saying his name, the boy who’d struggled against the weight of a kingdom. Isaac was now the goblin king, inside and out. He was confident, strong, and determined to lead his people into the future. She didn’t regret the man he’d become, and she knew she was responsible for at least a part of his transformation, but she would always have a soft spot for the boy who’d taken her hand that night in Maidra’s Tavern and asked her to stay and talk to him.

  His brow scrunched up like it did whenever she said something a little weird. He shook his head. “I wanted to show you something.” He pulled her into the greenhouse.

  “I’ve seen all the plants. The corn is doing really nicely.” Even though the weather had gotten warmer and the snow had melted, the land would need time before it was strong and rich enough to grow decent crops outdoors.

  “You haven’t seen everything,” he said. She felt his excitement, and her heart beat fast in response as she followed him down the aisles. It was exactly like the greenhouse he’d taken her to in his dreams, but even larger. They came here often together now that they couldn’t share their dreams anymore.

  Suddenly, she saw it, and tears burned the backs of her eyes. “Oh, Isaac.” A leafy bush stood on a pedestal at the back of the greenhouse, with one gorgeous, pure white rose blooming from the green foliage. “It’s gorgeous.”

  He wrapped his arms around her. “I had hoped to have enough blooms to fill the entire castle with them for our ceremony today, but the plant has proven to be just as finicky and stubborn as the queen it is named after.”

  She punched him in the arm. “I don’t need a castle filled with roses, or a marching band, or even the ceremony itself. All I need is you, for the rest of my life.”

  “Then we should be very happy together, because you’re not getting rid of me for the rest of your life…and maybe longer than that.”

  She bit her lip as she stood outside the massive double doors leading into the great hall, her heart racing a mile a minute.

  Siona looked back at her. She was gorgeous in her slinky purple dress, and from the look in Wyatt’s eyes as he smiled at her, he thought the same. Greta was glad she’d found a way to dye the fabric that color.

  “Ready?” she asked, and Greta took a deep breath and nodded.

  The entire wedding was Isaac’s way of honoring that his queen-to-be was human, with her own traditions and culture. If they had been doing this the Mylean way, it would have involved blaring a horn from the top of the castle wall as Isaac simply took her hand and claimed her for his own. The fact that she had a dress and he stood waiting for her at the other end of this massive chamber with as many Myleans as they could pack into the room watching, meant that he was telling all of his people that he respected who she was and where she came from. She loved him even more for it.

  Wyatt squeezed her hand. He had been speechless when she asked him to walk her down the aisle and was taking the responsibility very seriously.

  Siona pushed open the doors and started walking ahead of them. She carried a small bouquet of the same beautiful flowers that Isaac had showered his people with when he announced his intention to make her his queen all those months ago, but these blooms were sturdier now that the Great Mother had returned to Mylena with a vengeance, showering the land with warmth and sunshine.

  This world still had little to nothing in the way of music, but she didn’t need music because her head was filled with it as she started down the aisle. Isaac looked so proud as he watched her from atop the dais. She knew the exact moment he saw the sword strapped to her waist, because he laughed out loud, his strong, voice echoing through the hall with happiness.

  When she reached him, he swung her up into his embrace with his hands framing her face and kissed her until she was breathless.

  She put her hand on his heart to feel the strong, steady beat. “You’re supposed to kiss me at the end of the ceremony,” she said with a grin.

  “I intend to kiss you again at that time, and all through the night, for the rest of our lives,” he murmured.

  She felt giddy with love for him. “Then let’s get this show on the road and move on to the good part.”

  They faced the crowd, and Isaac’s voice rang out over everyone’s heads. “All shall bear witness that on this day in the goblin kingdom, the king takes a bride!”

  She smiled at the dramatic tone of his voice. He turned to Ethan, who stood beside Isaac with his hands behind his back. She gasped when he handed over a slim gold crown, and Isaac lifted his arms to place it on her head.

  She was blushing, certainly red to the very roots of her hair, when Isaac faced his people again. “I am
pleased to introduce my love, my bride, my future, and the future of all Mylena…

  “Greta, the Goblin Queen!”

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  Acknowledgments

  A series like this is more than the sum of each of its books. It becomes a living thing that grows stronger because of the love and faith of its readers…and I have the best readers in the world. THANK YOU to each and every one. From the Goblin Gang street team—who have all become fantastic friends—and the individuals who email me every day with their wonderful words of praise and encouragement, to the bloggers and reviewers who share their enthusiasm for the written word so selflessly. Thank you.

  Thank you also to my family for always believing in me. When the writing is hard, your support gives me the strength to push through. I’m blessed to have you on this journey with me.

  This series could never have been what it is today without the support of two people: Stephen Morgan and Heather Howland. Their dedication and vision has been invaluable to me, and I am forever grateful for having been given the opportunity to work with each of them. I hope to make beautiful books with them again in the future.

  In getting to this point, another person has become a crucial partner. As an agent and a friend, Courtney Miller-Callihan is the best any writer could ask for. Her guidance, wisdom, support, and faith in me means so much, and I can never say thank you enough.

  Thank you also to Kelley York for making the most fabulous covers ever! They’re beautiful and striking, and I spend hours and hours just staring at them. And thank you to all of the people at Entangled who put their hands on this project along the way to publication. I appreciate your hard work and expertise, and all you do to make every book shine.

  About the Author

  Chloe Jacobs is a native of nowhere and everywhere, having jumped around to practically every Province of Canada before finally settling in Ontario where she has now been living for a respectable number of years. Her husband and son are the two best people in the entire world, but they also make her wish she’d at least gotten a female cat. No such luck. And although the day job keeps her busy, she carves out as much time as possible to write. Bringing new characters to life and finding out what makes them tick and how badly she can make them suffer is one of her greatest pleasures, almost better than chocolate and fuzzy pink bunny slippers. You can visit her online at www.chloejacobs.com.

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  Discover the Mylena Chronicles…

  GRETA AND THE GOBLIN KING

  Four years ago, Greta fell through a portal to a world where humans are the enemy. Now a bounty hunter, she’s caught the attention of the darkly enticing young Goblin King, who invades her dreams and undermines her will to escape. But Greta’s not the only one looking to get out of Mylena…

  GRETA AND THE GLASS KINGDOM

  Greta the human bounty hunter has managed to defeat the demon Agramon, and win the love the darkly intense Goblin King, Isaac. Now Isaac wants her to rule the land by his side. The very announcement is enough to incite rebellion. To make matters worse, Greta is left tainted with a dark magick. With both the Goblin King’s life and the very peace of Mylena at stake, Greta’s only hope lies with the elusive faeries in the Glass Kingdom…

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  GOING DOWN IN FLAMES

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