1. In This House
Serafina “Seri” Cimmerian
Sunlight filtered through Evermere’s floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing our breakfast table in golden warmth. I unfolded my crisp linen napkin, letting it float onto my lap like a delicate cloud, and couldn’t help but smile at the beautiful life surrounding me.
Koa was slathering his toast with strawberry jam, his espresso eyes focused with the intensity he applied to everything. Zane was making a tower of bacon that threatened to topple at any moment. And there was Casimir, elegant even while drinking his coffee, reading something on his tablet with his brow furrowed in concentration.
Eighteen days ago, I’d been handing my baby sister Josslyn over to King Julian’s care. Eighteen days ago, I’d been terrified of what kind of husband I’d find waiting for me at Evermere as part of my stepmother’s truce with the vampire court. Eighteen days ago, I’d dared to beg the fates, the universe, and the Moon Goddess for only the basics:
Let him be kind. Let him be decent. Please, don’t let him hurt me.
Instead of the bare minimum, though, I’d found safety. Protection. And love.
So much love.
My heart fluttered with a happiness I’d almost forgotten was possible. The pain lingered, the hollow ache in my chest where the siphoning had torn something essential from me, but it was fading more each day, replaced by thisfullness.
I savored a bite of my eggs, humming at how delicious they were. Beneath the table, Brumous shoved his empty food bowl against my foot, accompanied by wide eyes full ofdesperatehunger, and I chuckled quietly.
Just a little, I thought, sneaking a piece of egg under the table. His tongue lapped at my fingers, gentle despite his eagerness.
“So,” Zane said, his voice taking on that teasing lilt that usually meant trouble for someone. “I hear you charmed our brother Sebastian into playing chauffeur while we were off hunting Claudio. Driving you and Lucian to the lake, was it?Verycozy.”
“He was polite and nice.” I felt heat rise to my cheeks, remembering how kind Sebastian had been.
“Oh, I’m sure he was.” Zane waggled his eyebrows. “Pops told us all about how you batted those big gray eyes and had Sebastian eating out of your hand in minutes.”
“I did not bat my eyes!” I protested. “I don’t even know what that means!”
Brummy nudged my hand. I fed him another bit of egg, marveling at how even his fur felt healthier already, less patchy than when I’d first rescued him.
“Sebastian’s not used to women who don’t want something from him,” Zane said. “Your complete obliviousness to his royal status probably short-circuited his brain.”
“But Ididwant something from him.” I frowned and tilted my head to the side. “I wanted to go to the lake.”
Koa snorted into his glass of orange juice, then set it down with a hard clink.
“Be quiet and eat your breakfast, Zane. Only those with nicknames are allowed to speak this morning.”
“Since when is that a rule?” Zane squawked.
“Since now.” The corner of Casimir’s mouth twitched upward, the closest he ever came to a smile at the breakfast table, and I felt that strange, wonderful warmth spread through me again.
I smiled at them all, these three powerful, complicated men who had become my world. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined finding this when I’d agreed to an arranged marriage as a way to escape my stepmother and her cruelty.
Papa would have liked them, I decided.He would have seen past their fearsome reputations to the goodness beneath.
Another piece of egg found its way to Brummy, who headbutted my thigh in thanks, and I could almost see him running through fields, his joy infectious.
Soon, I promised him silently.Soon you’ll be strong enough.
It was the same promise I made to myself each morning when I woke up and felt that empty space inside where my magic used to flow. Each day, the void felt a little less vast, a little less painful. Hopefully, in another few months, it would be full to the brim again.
“Right, moonbeam?” Zane demanded with a hot scowl at Koa.
I rubbed my forehead, trying to remember what we’d been talking about. My mind was still foggy from the siphoning, little gaps appearing where I was sure thoughts should be. Biting my bottom lip, I glanced over at Casimir, whose green eyes were locked on my face.
“Nicknames, Seri,” he prompted, and I flashed him a smile, although I was baffled how he knew my brain had hit a blank space.
