"Come here, Fate," I said softly.
She took my hand, and I pulled her against me. "Lucien, this is my mate, Alice Ravencrest." Pride swelled in my chest. "She's the one who got us out of the Elder Dimension. She's powerful. More powerful than she knows."
I kissed her cheek, feeling her tremble against me.
But when I called her my mate, something in her softened. She leaned into me, and I felt her shoulders drop. Mine. She was mine, and she knew it.
Lucien's eyebrows rose. He glanced at Raven, then back at Alice. A slow grin spread across his face.
"Two powerful females." He winked at me. "How are the males going to survive?"
The dragon shifted behind him—scales rippling, bones cracking, massive form shrinking. In moments, the terrifying creature was gone, replaced by a beautiful dark-haired woman with sharp amber eyes and a knowing smile.
My sister-in-law. Raven Acosta.
Completely naked.
Gasps echoed behind me. I turned and laughed.
Flint's jaw hung open. Steel had slapped a hand over his eyes—but was clearly peeking through his fingers. Caterpillar's smoke froze mid-curl, his dark eyes wide as saucers. Even Bunny had covered her children's eyes, her cheeks flaming red.
Chester's golden eyes grew impossibly large. Then his grin stretched wider than I'd ever seen it.
"Curious... very curious." He tilted his head, making no effort to look away. "In the Elder Dimension, the queens lose their heads. Here, the dragons lose their clothes." His grin sharpened. "I think I like this world."
"Eyes up here," Raven said dryly, utterly unbothered by her nudity.
Chester's grin didn't falter. "But the view down there is so much more interesting."
Lucien growled and stepped in front of his mate, wings flaring. "Watch yourself."
"Shifters shed their clothes when they shift," I said to the others from the Elder Dimension. "You'll get used to it."
Raven laughed—a warm, rich sound—as Lucien wrapped his cloak around her shoulders. "Welcome to Havenwood. I have a feeling things are about to get very interesting."
Lucien scowled. “Are those harpies?”
“Friends,” I said. “They helped us escape.”
He cocked his head toward Alice who was holding the hat. "What's with the hat, little brother?"
I smiled and winked at Alice. "Magical. Only I can control it."
"What does it do?"
"Compels you to tell the truth."
Lucien's eyebrows shot up. He took a step back. "Remind me never to get too close to that thing."
I laughed. "Afraid of a little honesty, brother?"
"I'm a married man," Lucien said dryly. "Some truths are better left unspoken."
"Darius?"
I turned, and more tears clouded my eyes.
Armond. My twin.
