Chapter One
I stared out across my territory with a satisfied smile. My werelion husband Kirill was teaching our daughter how to stalk her prey. They were crouched in the high grass; a massive, black lion and little, golden cub. Lesya was nearly two years old; it was just a little over four months until her birthday. But with her werelion genes, she was more like a five-year-old, already running around and talking people's ears off. Speaking of birthdays, my twin sons were having one soon. Arach was planning a huge party for them in Faerie. They had matured at an accelerated rate as well and although they were only turning four, they were physically and mentally closer to nine. I often lamented the baby years I'd missed, but I consoled myself with the knowledge that I'd have them forever. Fair enough.
Out on the grassy plain, my black lion pounced on the practice target I'd made for Lesya; a small, fake deer. He went straight for the neck to show our daughter the way to kill mercifully. I could have gone out there with them, but I wanted Kirill to have this. Lesya was more of a miracle for him than she was for me. I'm not saying that I don't love my daughter; I love her deeply, but Kirill had longed for a child and spent centuries believing that he would never have one. That was longer than I'd been alive. So, as much as it's true that there is nothing like a mother's love, Kirill's love for our daughter might just surpass it. She had literally brought him back from death before she'd even been born. I'd be jealous if I didn't love both of them so damn much.
Behind me, my angel husband was spreading an assortment of books across my bed. Another student in our midst; one much older than little Lesya.
“Which class should I take first?” Azrael asked me.
I turned away from the balcony and headed back into the bedroom. It had been almost three months since I had returned from my honeymoon with Re and in that time, I'd made a few changes; the largest being an addition to the towers that bracketed my balcony and Lesya's bedroom directly above the balcony. Each tower had a new room on the bottom level; one for Re and one for Toby.
Re wasn't about to give up his palace in Aaru, but I wanted him to have a space here where he could keep a few things for when he spent the night. The same went for Toby, who had recently built a Tuscan-inspired villa at the base of the mountain where he used to live with his twin brother in a cave. It was a nice cave but Toby had needed his own space. So, now all of my men had a place in my home. Well, all of them who lived in the God Realm. We were becoming quite the family and a lot of it had to do with Trevor.
Trevor had stepped back into his role as Alpha among my men with more grace than any of us had expected. He was still Trevor; my laughing, loving werewolf prince who used “dude” too often (thanks a lot, Griffin) and grinned lopsidedly. But he was also the Wolf; my sexy, savage lover and possessive husband. The Wolf had been pushed down beneath Trevor's desire to make the other men and me happy, but he had emerged recently due to some trauma we'd experienced. He'd revealed a lot to me; mainly, how Trevor had been suffering. I had promised Trevor that he would always be my first lover—my alpha mate—but I'd forgotten that promise somewhere along the way, and Trevor had allowed it because he loved me.
The Wolf reminded me of my vow and took back his position; reestablishing his dominance in our family. He'd done it in a wild way; absconding with me to the Froekn's cabin where he drew me down into our baser desires for days. When we finally surfaced from our lusty ride, I was pregnant, and he was Alpha. As much as I'd wanted to wait awhile before I had another child, now that my son was on his way, I was overjoyed. Trevor was right; it was time for Vero to be born.
Because of the Wolf's conquering manner—the way he swept in and took over—my other husbands and boyfriends (Re was still my fiance at the time) expected Trevor to behave like a dictator. But that wasn't the case at all. Trevor was used to the hierarchy of a pack and once he'd been reconfirmed as the head of ours—joint head with me, thank you very much—he became a confident leader who directed our family unit with expertise and compassion. Trevor had been the one to suggest the new tower rooms. He'd also been the one to encourage Azrael when he started to doubt himself.
Azrael was going to school; the Angelic University to be exact.
I looked over the textbooks the Principal had given Az to help him decide what courses he wanted to take. My fingertips coasted over the supple leather covers of books on human studies such as Art History, Modern Cultures, and Politics. Then there were the larger books on Angelic courses such as Guiding the Will, Generating Compassion, and The Gentle Presence.
“What excites you?” I asked even though I already knew the answer.
“Well, Art History, of course,” he said with a little frown.
Even the frown looked good on him but then he'd always been irresistible to me; from the very first moment we met. With the classic face of an angel, a jawline for days, a body that just wouldn't quit, eyes that could shift from sky blue to sparkling diamond, and a pair of midnight, feathered wings, it would seem obvious why I found Azrael so damn attractive. But it was more than his outward appearance. Az had once touched my soul, and there is no connection like that. And believe me, I have some amazing bonds with my lovers; I know all about them. From Werewolf bindings to the Dragon-Sidhe blood-tasting, I had connected with my men in such profound ways that I could say with absolute certainty that I knew exactly what kind of men they were. But only Azrael had touched my soul.
“You don't think I should take something I'm not familiar with?” Azrael asked.
“This is purely for pleasure, Az,” I pointed out. “Learn what you want to learn and take as many classes as you like. You have nothing holding you back and no goals to reach besides the ones you set for yourself.”
“You're right.” His smile was radiant, nearly as radiant as the Sun God who walked in.
“Off to school, kid?” Re asked Az.
“Choosing my classes,” Azrael said brightly. “I'm going to start with some art courses.”
“Excellent!” Re declared. “Before you run off and gather your paints, do you think you could help me carry in a gift for our wife?”
“A gift?” I asked.
“Sure,” Az said at the same time.
“It's a surprise.” Re winked at me.
Azrael followed Re out with a shrug directed at me. Re loved giving me presents. Sometimes it was something little and sometimes large, but ever since we'd gotten married, the gifts had started coming more frequently. The other men merely shook their heads at his behavior, but it made me nervous. What was prompting the excessive giving? Did Re feel insecure? There was no reason for that; my other husbands had welcomed him into the fold with open arms. Had I done something?
That was the one downside of Trevor allowing the Wolf to take over and seize back the alpha reins. Discovering that Trevor had been unhappy left me wondering if the others were harboring secret resentments as well. I'd always thought that our bonds would let me know if my husbands weren't satisfied, but it seemed that I was wrong. They could hide things from me if they wanted to.
“Surprise!” Re declared as he and Az lugged in a giant mirror.
I blinked in shock. No wonder Re needed help. The thing was nearly twice my height. It hadn't been the weight but the awkwardness of its size that had necessitated assistance. The mirror looked old, perhaps even ancient. But that may have just been the frame. The mirror itself didn't have any of the wobbly surface qualities or black spotting an old mirror usually possessed, and they didn't even have glass mirrors in the ancient world. Unless it was a god mirror.
I peered closer.
The frame was hand-carved wood that had been gilded. Greek columns stood on the vertical sides; flowers wrapping around them and extending up to form a garland that was the top of the frame. The bottom was carved to look like grass. It was extremely detailed work and the gilding was pristine; pressed tightly into the carving to show every blade of grass and even the veining in the leaves. It was also enormous; large enough to show Re, Azrael, and myself together.
