PROLOGUE
One week later...
We have left off from the book, the Empire and the Wolf King.
But also, you don’t need to know that,this is what you need to know:
It is a time of peace, a lot of terrible things just happened, but Lady Mairead used a time travel vessel to loop around and fix it.
We can put that in the past.
Now we are in the beach house inFlorida, about mid-month,June, 2025.
Magnusis here. He is a king in the year 2391, but that’s unimportant for this story, his mother,Lady Mairead, runs his kingdom.
Kaitlynis here with Magnus in Florida.
They love each other, still.
They have three kids,Archie(about 8, almost 9),Isla(4), andJack(almost 1)
Their house is full.
Fraoch(Magnus’s half-brother by Donnan) lives with Mags and Katie with his wife,Hayley, Kaitlyn’s high school best friend.
Lochinvar(another half-brother by Donnan) is off with the new love-of-his-life,Ash, at her house in downtown Fernandina.
BeatyandQuentinlive here, with their new son,Noah(almost 1). He’s a month older than Jack.
EmmaandZachlive here, with their kids,Ben(8) andZoe(4)
SophieandJameslive here, with their newborn,Junior, now, almost a month old.
James, Zach,andQuentinhave had the opportunity of a lifetime — they went to Colonial Virginia to find one of Lady Mairead’s devices, and then, that mission over, they went to The Second Continental Congress in 1775 in Philadelphia.
They are expected back at any time.
This is all you need to know, except Mags and Katie are about to go visitSeanandLizbeth, His half-siblings at Balloch Castlewhere he grew up. Lizbeth is married toLiam. Sean is married toMaggie.
The lord of the castle isthe Earlof Breadalbane*, who is a real historical figure. He is Magnus’s uncle, Lady Mairead’s brother, older than her by at least 20 years.
Sean and Lizbeth have recently been convinced by Magnus and Lady Mairead that they should move to the Kingdom of Riaghalbane in the year 2391 and help run the kingdom.
And then, there is Wilfred (Wilfrey) Weaver, the young actor, who looks a bit like Robert Redford who has married Lady Mairead. He is devoted, despite all her faults.
And this is where our story begins — in Florida, with Magnus trying to be romantic.
*There is a lasting belief that the Earl of Breadalbane, known for double-dealing, had a direct hand in the Massacre of the MacDonalds of Glencoe in 1692. He was imprisoned for it, but later released.
CHAPTER 1
KAITLYN
FLORIDA - EARLY JUNE 2025
Iwoke up and squiggled over and put my head on Magnus’s chest and felt him shift. I whispered, “Are you sleeping?”
He chuckled, “Aye, fast asleep.”
