by R. E. Butler
“Not quite real yet.”
“When do you get to say ‘off with their head?’” Kinsley asked.
“I’m pretty sure that only happens in fairy tales,” Hadlee said.
“Boo. But at least you’ve got a kicking crown. You look amazing.”
“You do,” Delaney said. “I wish we could’ve been there.”
“Me too, but the nest’s ceremonies are closed to outsiders, even if they are the queen’s besties.”
She’d told Anders that as future queen, she should be able to change the rules and invite her friends, but he’d reminded her that she was going to vow to uphold the laws, not change them willy-nilly to suit her needs. So she’d capitulated and asked him to live stream the event, and since her sexy mate didn’t know much about computers, she’d been able to dazzle him by setting up everything to make it happen.
“Not to put a damper on things,” Kinsley said, “but we got word from the Convention that they have that psychic in custody. It’s a witch who tapped into dark magic and passed herself off as a psychic. She was basically using demons to make fake premonitions come true and help people get what they wanted by whatever means necessary. They think she’s helped dozens of people kill in the name of getting power over the years.”
“She won’t be causing trouble anymore, you can be sure of that,” Delaney said.
Hadlee smiled. “It’s a relief to hear. I wondered how long it would take them to find her.”
“They were determined,” Kinsley said.
“Hello all,” Anders said as he leaned over and smiled at her friends. “We’re going to eat now, so we must close the connection.”
“Thanks for letting us be part of the fun,” Delaney said. “It was magical.”
“We’re still having our party tomorrow,” Kinsley said.
“So long as you have a cake from my favorite bakery, I’ll be there.”
“You know it,” Delaney said. “Safe travels tomorrow, my friend.”
“Thanks! Love you guys.”
“Love you too,” Delaney and Kinsley said.
The connection ended and Hadlee closed the laptop. She tipped her face up to Anders for a kiss, which he gave her. A sweet and chaste one, that only revved her engines. “Tease,” she whispered.
“Oh, I’ll make up for it later, you can count on that.”
She loved his wicked promises.
He took her hand and led her to the long buffet table that was laden with enough food to feed an army. Darla had been in charge of the food and had asked Hadlee for her favorite dishes. While she wasn’t a super picky eater, her favorite thing on the planet was mac and cheese, especially if it had bacon on it. She was delighted to see a huge pan of mac and cheese topped with crumbled bacon.
“Oh yum, I didn’t realize how hungry I was,” she whispered.
“Eat up, you’ll need your strength,” Anders murmured, wiggling his brows.
She giggled and her cheeks heated with anticipation. He was so sexy, and so very hers.
Osiris and Lily sat nearby with plates of their own. The nest doted on both of them. Hadlee adored how easily and quickly she and her familiars had been accepted by the nest.
The meal was spectacular. Hadlee had a great time talking to the falcons and was looking forward to really getting to know everyone. Cygnet Island was her home now, and while a part of her would always love Sable Cove, she was starting a new chapter of her life with Anders as queen of his people.
Whatever the future brought, she knew that with Anders by her side, they could handle anything.
After they cut the cake—a beautiful fruit-filled three-tiered cake decorated with sugared fruit and edible flowers—they took a few turns around the dance floor and then said goodbye to their people.
At the back door, Anders swept her up into his arms and the nest cheered.
“You’re blushing, my queen,” he said with a low voice as he carried her over the threshold.
“I can’t help it,” she said with a laugh, resting her head on his strong shoulder. “I’ve never had so many people know what I’m up to.”
Phoenix jumped onto the porch, waiting for Osiris and Lily to get inside the house, then closed the back door and gave her a smile and nod.
“They’re happy,” Anders said. “Happy to have a queen, happy I found you, happy for our future.”
“I’m happy too. How about you?”
He made his way up the stairs, carrying her as if she weighed nothing. She loved how strong he was.
“Sweetheart, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life,” he said. He paused in front of their bedroom. “Could you get the door?”
She reached down and pushed on the handle, giving the door a little shove to open it. The room was glowing with candlelight.
He carried her over the threshold and turned. “We’ll see you two in a bit. It’s time for a little privacy.”
She smiled at her familiars who seemed to understand what Anders said. He shut the door and then carried her to the bed. She looked around the room, where candles flickered on every flat surface and rose petals had been scattered over the bed.
“It looks amazing,” she said.
“I wanted something special for us. I wish I could take you away on a long honeymoon.”
“This is perfect,” she said.
“You are.”
He joined her on the bed, and they spent their first night together—as king and queen, husband and wife, and mates—tangled up together, chasing the night from the sky with their pleasure.
Chapter Twenty
Note to self: Boats and cold weather do not mix.
Hadlee huddled into the coat she’d borrowed from Anders. The center console boat they were on had lots of seating, but it was cold as heck out on the open water with the wind whipping her hair like crazy despite the ponytail. She and Anders were inside the zippered enclosure next to Johann, who was driving. A heater blew out some air through small vents and it was enough to keep her from freezing into a big block of ice, but she was still fully chilled.
She couldn’t imagine how cold Phoenix and Westlan were as they sat on a padded bench at the bow and watched the water.
“You should invest in a helicopter,” she said, peeking up at her mate.
“Oh?” He chuckled. “It’s probably cold in one of those too.”
“If I didn’t need clothes, I’d say we could turn around.” She liked the clothes that Devorah had let her borrow or made for her, but she also wanted her own things. Comfy pajamas, leggings, and her favorite shoes. Plus, she really needed Osiris’ things.
Her two familiars were snuggled together on the floor at their feet, Lily snoring loud enough to be heard over the engine.
“We’ll be there in no time,” Anders said, lowering his head to her ear so she could feel the wash of his warm breath over her skin. Her whole body erupted into goosebumps.
“The next ceremony I have to go back here for is in December. That will be a terribly cold boat ride.”
“That’s the winter equinox?”
“Solstice.”
“What’s the difference?”
She mused on that question. “The easiest way to explain is that the equinoxes are the two days when the daytime and nighttime are equal in length. The solstices are the two times when the days and nights are unequal. The summer solstice has the longest day and shortest night, and the winter solstice is opposite.”
He hummed. “I didn’t know.”
“Some covens celebrate them like holidays. Ours casts special spells on those four days, blessings are stronger during those times.”
“Do you want to do a celebration on the island for the winter solstice?”
“Nah.” She tilted her face for a kiss and he gave it to her. “I want to have a great big Christmas celebration though. What do you guys normally do?”
“Classic Christmas stuff. Big tree, lots of presents, goodwill for all.”
Her mind spun as she tho
ught about how her being a witch could be beneficial to the falcons. She could use her witchy power for blessings and help keep their borders safe. And then there were the hunts, when he’d leave the island for hours with the other males. She could take a boat to the mainland to be near him. She didn’t know what she’d do if something happened to him. Sure the threat against him was gone, dead at his own hands, but that didn’t mean either of them were safe. The only guarantee in life was that there were no guarantees.
“You look so serious,” he said.
“I’m thinking about the hunt.”
His brows rose. “That’s not until January.”
“I know. I just...you almost died on the last one. It’s so risky.”
“True.”
He didn’t say anything else and she didn’t either. She stared out the windshield and watched the waves as the boat cut through the water. She could see the Sable Cove lighthouse in the distance. Kinsley and Delaney would be waiting to drive them to the house so they could pack and also hang out for a bit. She was excited to see them.
Johann slowed the boat when they finally neared the cove and the small marina next to the lighthouse. Someone was waving at the end of the dock. She spied dark hair and knew it was Delaney. Behind her was Kinsley, also waving her arms like a loon.
Cassian and his mate Zia were at the end of the dock, waiting to help tie up their boat, as well as the patrol boat the falcons had stolen when she’d been abducted. It was driven by two falcons who were right behind them.
Anders unzipped the enclosure and she stepped out onto the boat as her friends cheered and clapped.
“Welcome to Sable Cove,” Cassian said as Phoenix handed him a line to tie to one of the cleats on the dock.
“Thanks,” Anders said.
“That’s an amazing dress,” Zia said. “You’re glowing!”
The dress that Devorah had made for her had long sleeves and was lined with a thin layer of fleece. It had come with a pair of leggings and warm socks, too, and she was very thankful for all those layers once they’d hit the water and the wind had been frigid.
“Thank you so much.”
Anders hopped up onto the dock and helped Hadlee up. Then he turned and introduced himself to Cassian and Zia, and Delaney, who he hadn’t met in person.
“My mate is at home since he can’t be out during the daytime,” Delaney said. “You’ll get to meet him tonight.”
“I look forward to it.”
Hadlee hugged her besties. “I’ve missed you guys so much.”
“Let’s see the rock,” Delaney said.
Hadlee lifted her left hand, showing off the gorgeous sapphire ring. “It belonged to Anders’ grandma on his mom’s side.”
“You falcons really love sapphires,” Kinsley said.
“Our royal colors are navy and silver. The first queen of the nest loved blue and sapphire was her birthstone. It became a tradition for falcons to use sapphires in any kind of royal jewelry, including wedding bands and crowns.”
“You guys moved at warp speed,” Delaney said. “Have you gotten used to being a queen yet?”
“It hasn’t even been a full day, so no,” Hadlee said with a chuckle. That morning, Dretti had met them in the kitchen for breakfast and bowed, calling her Your Highness. She’d loved it and it made her feel really regal, but she’d also thought it was kind of nuts.
“We’re so happy for you,” Kinsley said. “Even if you’re moving.”
“I’ll be back for the solstice in December.”
Honk!
“Oh! Is this Lily? She’s beautiful,” Delaney said.
Phoenix put the swan on the dock, and she stretched her wings and shook herself from beak to tail. Osiris did not like being lifted out of the boat and took a swipe at Westlan as he tried to place him gently on the wooden planks.
“Bad kits,” Hadlee chided, hiding a smile at the shocked look on the falcon’s face at having a murder paw with deadly needles nearly take his eye.
When the introductions were all made, they split up into separate vehicles. They’d made sure that Hadlee’s car was waiting at the lighthouse so she could drive Anders and three of the falcons to her house.
“Sable Cove is nice,” Anders said, looking out the window as she led the way.
“It is. Mostly human, but aside from us witches and Cassian the merman, Delaney’s mate is a vampire, and you already met Venice the fallen angel. There’s a brother and sister who are timber wolves too.”
“Do the humans ever bother you or have a problem with supernatural beings?” Johann asked from the backseat.
“No. I mean occasionally someone will have a problem with a supernatural person, I think that’s just part and parcel of being inherently different, but I can’t think of a time when there were any serious problems related to how we’re different from humans.”
“That’s good,” Phoenix said. “We grew up on the island fairly sheltered from other types of supernatural beings and humans. Except for when we go to the mainland to stock up on supplies, we don’t have a whole lot of interaction with others.”
“After this weekend, I’ll get to work on my first official queenly duty.”
“I thought I was your first official queenly duty,” Anders said, giving her thigh a squeeze.
She was not blushing!
“Anders,” she said with a glance at him. “You’re incorrigible. And that’s the first time in my life I’ve ever used that word.”
“I aim to please, trust me.” He wiggled his brows and she pressed her lips together to stop from giggling like a schoolgirl.
Clearing her throat so she didn’t sound all breathy, she said, “What I mean is that I want to create an app to make it easier for your people to place orders for things on the mainland, and also streamline deliveries for pickup during the monthly trips.”
“We’d love whatever help you can offer,” Westlan said. “We definitely don’t do it as efficiently as we should.”
Hadlee knew she was beaming. She was so excited to have something of value to bring to the island. While her witchy powers were definitely valuable, it wasn’t like she could go around zapping everything with her power, so she needed a purpose, something to do to help her new people. Creating an app and helping them get what they needed from the mainland was a great idea and she couldn’t wait to get started.
At the house, she took the falcons on a quick tour of her little place and then gave them tasks. They didn’t have a ton of room on the boat, and she wasn’t planning to sell the house since she and Anders would need a place to stay when they came for the ceremonies. But she did need her things.
Hadlee got busy packing up her witch books, which included her family’s spell books and various ones she’d picked up over the years. She put Delaney in charge of packing her magical items from the hall closet. She and Anders hit the bedroom for her clothes and toiletries, and Phoenix packed up Osiris’ things. She had a long list of items she needed for the cat and swan to make it through a month and sent Westlan and Kinsley to the store.
“The party’s at seven,” Delaney said. “We’ve got lots of time to pack you up and stock the boat and get over to the rescue.”
“The party’s at the rescue?” Hadlee asked.
“Yep. Well, it’s actually in our new place, which isn’t finished but we can still use it,” Delaney said.
“That’s so awesome, I can’t wait to see it and the other familiars too.”
They worked for hours, packing and sorting, and loading boxes and bags into Kinsley’s and Delaney’s cars. When Kinsley and Westlan returned from the store, they were ready to load up the boat. It took far less time to load the boat than she thought, but the old adage of many hands making light work was definitely true. She and Anders cleaned up in her bathroom, getting very distracted—twice—by roaming fingers and lips, and then she drove them all to the rescue. Her friends had decorated the interior of what would be Delaney and Brody’s new house that was attache
d to the rescue. A long table was set with candles and flowers, twinkle lights hung from the exposed beams in the unfinished ceiling, and space heaters ensured that it wasn’t too cold inside.
Tia and Tyce, the wolf shifters who owned the town diner, catered the meal with BBQ chicken, potato salad, and fresh salad, with vegetables from Zia’s greenhouse.
Her friends gave speeches, teased her mercilessly about being a queen, and told her how much they loved her. She was so sad for the time to be over. She wanted to stay but she also wanted to leave, because while Sable Cove was home in many ways, it truly wasn’t the home of her heart. That was Cygnet Island with her husband and his people.
Their people.
She was a lot of things: queen of the falcons, a witch, a computer geek with a penchant for sci-fi movies. But her favorite title was wife. She adored belonging to Anders and having his last name, and she especially adored that he belonged to her too.
As the boat pulled away from the dock, she waved at her friends until she couldn’t see them anymore because of the darkness. She turned into Anders’ arms and hugged him. “I love you.”
“I love you too, sweetheart,” he said, kissing her forehead. “And I’ve made a decision.”
“You have? A sexy one?”
He barked out a short laugh and kissed her on the lips. “I will later, yes. But I mean that I’ve decided to stop the quarterly hunts.”
“Why? Don’t you need them?”
“I need to be in my shift, but I don’t have to fly hours to the mainland to hunt. In fact, I was thinking I might take to fishing instead of hunting.”
“You can do that?”
“You bet. I haven’t fished in my shift since I was a teenager. It takes skill to do it, but I’m sure I can get back into the groove. And then I don’t have to leave. No one does. No more out of touch for hours, no more leaving our females and young unprotected. It’s just smarter.”
“How will your people feel?”
“Hopefully they’ll be happy for the change. Phoenix and Westlan are on board.”