Hidden Heir
Page 14
“Father, we thank you for this day and all that it means, for the gifts you’ve given us and the opportunity to gather together to celebrate. We come to this day, to this meal, from so many different places and backgrounds, but we know that inside we’re all the same because we are loved by You. Please bless this food and the time we’ll spend together and be with each of us as we return to our own homes tonight. Amen.”
The humans and half-humans in the room repeat, “Amen.” Not sure what the Elves think about it all, but everyone’s smiling. I can’t ask for more than that.
Grandma announces, “Come and get it everybody,” and Mom offers to hold Maggie for me while I fill a plate.
As we stand in line together waiting our turns, Lad leans close to my ear and says, “When your father was leading the prayer, I added a couple of my own.”
“Oh really? What?”
“That we’ll never again go through anything like what we’ve endured the past few weeks.”
“Amen to that,” I say and give him a quick kiss. “We’ve had enough drama to last us the rest of our immortal lives.”
“Aaand that you’ll forgive me,” he adds.
I look up from the slices of turkey I just started loading onto my plate to see his guilty expression. “For what?”
Lad scrunches his face as if preparing to be punished. “I might have broken my promise… just a little bit.”
“Oh no. What did you do?” I ask with a mix of amusement and dread. “Please tell me you didn’t buy her a pony.”
He chuckles. “I didn’t buy her a pony.”
“Thank God.”
“I mean, it was free. Nic and Macy sent it as a baby gift. So all I did was have an enclosure built for it… and a little saddle made… and maybe some riding clothes. And… it’s not exactly a pony.”
I laugh, unable to be mad at him even if I should. “Do I even want to know what that means?”
“Well, do you remember what I told you about that special water the Nymphs drink from the Isle of Skye? Turns out there’s a reason it has such magical properties. You see, for centuries, visitors to Skye have been known to spot these elusive creatures that look like white horses but have a single horn protruding from their foreheads. They’re called—”
I hold up my free hand. “Hold on. I think I’m going to need to sit down before you finish that story.”
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Thank you for reading HIDDEN HEIR, book 10 of the Hidden Saga. If you can’t get enough of magic and true love, be sure to stay in touch because Amy Patrick will deliver a compelling new series in 2019!
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Afterword
Thank you so much for reading Hidden Heir, Book 10 of the Hidden Saga. I really hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please consider leaving a review at the retailer where you purchased it, and if your fingers aren’t too tired, at Goodreads, too. Just a few words is all it takes, and reviews help other readers find great books!
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I love to chat with my readers! Follow me on Twitter at @amypatrickauthor and visit my website at www.amypatrickbooks.com. I’m on Instagram and have lots of fun pics from the Hidden world on Pinterest. You can also connect with me on Facebook, where I hang out the most. I have a fun reader group there, and you’re welcome to join us!
Acknowledgments
This journey into the Hidden world has been one of the greatest in my life. Of course, I did not travel the path alone, and I am so grateful for those who’ve been with me and supported me along the way.
First, love and eternal thanks to my Hidden honeys, the best readers in the world. You make all the hours, days, weeks, months, and years of work worth every minute.
Thank you to my fantastic editor Judy Roth and to Cover Your Dreams for never failing me even once.
Thank you to my husband John, who always believes in me and expects the best, and to my incredible kids Jack and Sean, who make me laugh every day and would be the ultimate book boyfriends if they were fictional teens.
To my lifelong best friend Chelle, who loves me and has my back no matter what, to Margie for being a cheerleader and true friend, and to the Westmoreland Farmgirls, who are always ready to read and celebrate.
I would be exactly nowhere without my incredibly talented, generous, and kind critique partner McCall Hoyle. Love and thanks to the rest of the fabulous GH Dreamweavers for the friendship, loyalty, honesty, and support, and to my Lucky 13 and Savvy 7 sisters for getting me off to a running start, for all the good advice, and continuing support. Friends are everything in the writing business and in life!
I’ll wrap this up by thanking my first family— my mom who always told me I could, my loving dad (who’s quite a storyteller himself,) my funny and loyal brother Richard, and Bethany, the best sister anyone’s ever had. Thank you to my precious in-laws for all the love and encouragement over the years and to the rest of my friends and family for just making life good. I love you, and I am blessed.
About the Author
Amy Patrick grew up in Mississippi (with a few years in Texas thrown in for spicy flavor) and has lived in six states, including Rhode Island, where she now lives with her husband and two sons.
She’s been a professional singer, a DJ, a voiceover artist, and always a storyteller, whether it was directing her younger siblings during hours of “pretend” or inventing characters and dialogue while hot-rollering her hair before middle school every day. For many years she was a writer of true crime, medical anomalies, and mayhem, working as a news anchor and health reporter for six different television stations. Then she retired to make up her own stories. Hers have a lot more kissing.
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I love to hear from my readers. Feel free to contact me on Instagram, Twitter and my Facebook page (where I hang out the most and respond to every comment.) Join my reader group for behind-the-scenes info and fun extras. And be sure to sign up for my mailing list and be the first to hear the latest news from the Hidden world as well as other new books I have in the works!
Also by Amy Patrick
Hidden Deep
Hidden Heart
Hidden Hope
The Sway
Hidden Darkness (Dark Court, 1)
Hidden Danger (Dark Court, 2)
Hidden Desire (Dark Court, 3)
Hidden Game (Ancient Court, 1)
Hidden Magic (Ancient Court, 2)
Hidden Hero (Ancient Court, 3)
Also by Amy Patrick
THE STILL SERIES- EMOTIONAL, WARM AND WITTY CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
STILL TRUE (Heidi and Aric)
STILL YOURS (Mara and Reid)
STILL ME (Kenley and Larson)
STILL BEAUTIFUL (Cinda and Blake)