“Sorry we can’t all smell like vanilla,” I replied, swallowing sobs. “Some of us were just at literal war.”
Thea held me tighter, voice lowering. “You won though, didn’t you?”
“Yeah,” I whispered. “We won. No more enemies. And no more Queen.”
Eloise pulled back slightly, her brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I gave it up,” I said, meeting her confused stare. “They don’t need me as much as you do.”
“But you’re the Queen,” Ginny sniffled without pulling away. “The magical Queen who saves the day.”
I brushed a hand down her unruly hair. “Not anymore. From now on, I’m just me.” I’d explain the wholeGuardianthing to Thea later without little ears to know about the skull. “And we don’t live in a castle anymore.”
That finally had Ginny pulling back, pouting hard. “No castle?”
I shook my head sadly. “Nope.”
The lip quivered. “No toys?”
“Oh, I’m sure if you ask nicely, the guys will get you all the toys you need,” I replied, cupping her red cheek. “No castle. But we have an island a little like this one where I plan to take you. Does that sound okay?”
Ginny nodded silently. When I looked at Eloise, she looked uncertain. “What’s wrong, El? You can tell me anything.”
“What about school? Life? Friends? Do we not get to have that anymore?” she asked, sounding much younger than she usually did. She’d given up so much when we brought her here, my little social butterfly. And I could see how much the isolation was starting to affect her.
With my other hand, I cupped her cheek, too. “Of course you can,” I replied. “Once the dust settles a bit. I don’t really know what’s going on there, but…”
“But there are a dozen schools for you to choose from,” Adrian said, appearing behind me—well, all of them were here now. “And I’ll get you into any one you want.”
Eloise looked away from me to stare at my mates. “There are more of you now.”
That had Maisie perking up. As Thea rose, Maisie pulled back to stare over my shoulder at the nine mates gathered behind me—five she knew, and four new faces for her to learn.
“I guess it’s time to introduce everyone,” I murmured, glancing at each girl warily. “Are you okay with that?”
“That one is so tall,” Maisie whispered, staring at Damon most likely.
“Yeah,” I said, “and he has horns.”
Maisie’s eyes widened as they met mine, full of wonder and intrigue. I knew she’d have no problem meeting the others. Ginny was wary—though I knew her hesitancy stemmed from not wanting to make a bad impression. Hopefully, I could pull the confident little girl back out of her shell again. And Eloise…
The oldest of the three stood and crossed her arms, eyeing all my mates with a pout. “Why are there so many?” she asked without looking at me.
With a grunt, I heaved Maisie into my arms. My nearly seven-year-old sister used to be heavy, but the extra strength from my mates helped with being able to cradle her again. Ginny pressed into my side shyly, though she didn’t look away from the group.
Even Thea appeared intrigued, though when she looked at me, there was a spark in her eyes and a flash of gold that made me swallow thickly. It was something to deal with another time.
“These are my mates,” I said. “You already know the team: Elias, Maeve, Rowan, Adrian, and Hawk. But there are a couple of new ones for you to meet.” Over Ginny’s shoulder, I pointed first at Orion. “That one there is Orion. He was actually my first mate, and he’s Fae.”
“Oooh,” Maisie said, leaning her head against mine. “Like a Faery?”
“Sort of,” I murmured. “And next to him, thereallytall one is Damon. He’s a demon, and he’s super old.”
“How old?” Eloise asked, moving to stand behind Ginny and resting her chin on my shoulder.
“Over three thousand years,” I said, smiling a little to myself knowing she didn’t hate me. Realising we were going to be okay after this. “And next to him is Xerxes. He’s not from Avalon or Faery or the Underworld. He’s from the Old World, and he shifts.”
“What does he shift into?” Ginny whispered, looking up at me.
