“You knew all this time and never said anything?” Casimir whirled on Foster.
“He couldn’t even if he wanted to. He was under a royal alpha command,” King Julian was saying, but I wasn’t listening anymore.
She was safe. She was loved. And she was right here in front of me, after months of wondering and hoping and forcing myself not to ask questions that might put her at risk.
“Is that— Is she—” Zane danced around me in agitation. “I’m getting mixed signals here, bunny. Should I be dismembering someone right now, or is this a happy reunion?”
The question broke through my shock, pulling a watery chuckle from my throat.
“It’s happy.Veryhappy.”
Emerson moved closer, and the baby in his arms babbled and waved her free hand with a gummy smile.
“She’s healthy and happy,” Angelo said, his gray-green eyes watchful. “We’ve taken good care of her.”
“I can see that.”
Emerson studied me for a long moment before he seemed to come to a decision.
“Would you like to hold her?”
“Please,” I whispered, the word cracking. “Oh,please.”
And then she was in my arms, a warm, wiggling weight that healed the last broken piece in my heart. She blinked up at me, her tiny eyebrows drawing together, and I couldn’t hold back the sobby little laugh that bubbled out of me.
“Hi, baby,” I cooed. “Look how big you’ve gotten! Look how perfect you are!”
Her cheeks were rosy and her belly round, so different from the fragile bundle I’d carried into this palace. Closing my eyes, I pressed my lips to her forehead, just breathing in her and the scent of baby lotion. She grabbed my hair with a curious hand, and I didn’t even care that it pulled. When a sob escaped me, however, Angelo dove in, his scarred, callused fingers ever so gently working her tiny fist out of my curls.
“Sorry about the hold of death,” Emerson chuckled. “She does that to my little brother Thoreau all the time.”
“Is it hurting that much, blossom?” Zane asked as three handkerchiefs appeared in front of me. “Seems to be a baby target tonight.”
“No,” I choked, accepting Koa’s since he was closest. “I just… never thought… I’d see her… again.”
“She was always safe,” Queen Lilah assured me. “We made sure of it.”
I nodded, unable to speak as I cuddled my sister. She had no idea who I was, of course. She didn’t know that we shared blood, that I’d sacrificed everything to protect her. On the positive side, that also meant she didn’t remember Arabesque or Eluned or Amabel. She didn’t remember the rogues or being hungry or scared. And yet my heart wanted to believe she felt the connection between us, sister to sister.
“She’s beautiful.” Casimir peered over my shoulder. “She has your eyes, beloved.”
“She’s a fierce little warrior.” Koa, my gentle, terrifying Koko, brushed a finger against Josslyn’s cheek. “Just like her sister.”
“Has your strong will, too,” Emerson said with unexpected warmth. “She’sverydetermined.”
“We Bell women don’t give up easily.” Pride swelled in my chest, ridiculous and powerful.
“Don’t we know it?” Zane moved to where Josslyn could see him and made a funny face at her, drawing a delighted gurgle.
When Josslyn reached out toward my hair again, Casimir intercepted her little hand, which looked even smaller swallowed in his broad fist, and Emerson cleared his throat.
“We’re very bonded to her.”
Behind the words, I heard a father’s fear that I might want to reclaim what was once mine. That same protective instinct was what had driven me to agree to a marriage with an unknown vampire.
“She is precious to us.” Angelo had that intense look only a battle-hardened warrior could pull off: Arms folded, weight forward, eyes narrowed. He wasn’t trying to be intimidating. He justwas. “We have waited years for her, ourfarfallina.”
“Thank you for giving her a wonderful home and loving her. That’s all I ever wanted for her.” I smiled in spite of the bittersweet pang in my heart.
