PROLOGUE
Hunter leaned against the doorframe of the playroom, arms crossed over his chest and a soft smile playing on his lips as he watched his children. The evening sun streamed through the tall windows, casting golden light across the scattered toys and makeshift fortress of pillows and blankets.
“Fear not, fair maiden!” Aedan crowed dramatically, brandishing a wooden sword above his auburn head. His green eyes sparkled with mischief as he struck what he clearly believed was a heroic pose. “I, Prince Aedan the Brave, shall save you from the evil demon!”
Lucie, perched atop the pillow fortress with her arms crossed, rolled her eyes in a manner that was far too mature for a seven-year-old. Her brown hair caught the sunlight as she shook her head firmly.
“I don’t need saving, Aedan,” she said matter-of-factly. “I can save myself. I’m just as strong as you are.”
“But I’m the prince! Princes do the saving!” Aedan protested, waving his wooden sword for emphasis.
“And I’m the princess. Princesses can save themselves too.” Lucie hopped down from her fortress with surprising grace, snatching up her own wooden sword from where it lay nearby. “Besides, what if YOU need saving? What then?”
Aedan’s mouth opened and closed as he struggled to find a counterargument. “That’s ... that’s not how the stories go!”
Hunter couldn’t contain his chuckle. The sound caught both children’s attention, and they turned to look at him with identical expressions of determination, though they’d never admit how alike they were.
“Daddy!” Lucie beamed, her previous seriousness melting away. “Tell Aedan that I can fight demons too!”
“Yeah, Dad, tell her that I’m supposed to protect her!” Aedan countered, moving to stand beside his twin.
Hunter pushed off the doorframe and walked into the room, kneeling down so he was at eye level with both of them. His silver eyes softened as he looked at his daughter, seeing so much of Freja in her fierce independence.
“You know what, son? Your sister is right. She can save herself.” He ruffled Aedan’s hair affectionately as the boy deflated slightly. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t fight side by side. The strongest warriors protect each other, not because one is weak, but because they’re stronger together.”
“Like you and Momma?” Lucie asked, tilting her head.
“Exactly like me and Momma.” Hunter’s smile widened. “Your mother never needed me to save her. Trust me, she’s saved me more times than I can count. But we’re better together than apart.”
Aedan seemed to consider this, then brightened. “So Lucie and I can fight the demons together?”
“That’s the spirit.”
“But ...” Aedan’s expression shifted, becoming more somber. His green eyes met his father’s with a seriousness that seemed too heavy for such a young boy. “When Lucie goes to the Vampire Kingdom, she won’t be here to fight beside me anymore. Will she?”
Hunter felt his chest tighten at the question, at the reality behind it that he’d been trying not to think about. Lucie was still so young. They had time. Didn’t they?
Before Hunter could formulate an answer, Lucie spoke up, her voice clear and confident.
“Of course I’m going to go to the Vampire Kingdom, Aedan.” She set down her wooden sword and straightened her shoulders, every inch the strong little princess she was. “I’m going to marry Prince Derrick and unite the werewolves and vampires. It’s important.”
Hunter’s heart clenched. She spoke with such certainty, such conviction, as if she’d already accepted a future that terrified him to think about.
“Luce ...” he started, but she was already continuing, her words tumbling out with innocent enthusiasm.
“Derrick and I get along really well! We play together all the time when I visit. He’s nice to me, and he teaches me things.” Her green eyes sparkled with genuine fondness. “I’ll protect him, and he’ll protect me. We’ll be best friends and close, just like you and Momma!”
The comparison hit Hunter squarely in the chest. She didn’t understand, couldn’t understand, the difference between the partnership he and Freja shared and what she was being promised. But how could he explain that to a seven-year-old? How could he tell her that what he and Freja had was born of choice, of a fated mate bond that destiny had woven for them, while she ...
“Sweetie.” Hunter reached out and brushed a strand of her brown hair behind her ear, his voice gentle. “That’s not something you have to think about right now. You don’t need to worry about any of that.”
“But I want to!” Lucie insisted. “It’s going to be wonderful, Daddy. I know it.”
Hunter pulled both his children close, wrapping an arm around each of them. “Right now, you’re my little princess. And I’m going to hold onto you as long as I can. Both of you.” He kissed the top of Lucie’s head, then Aedan’s. “You’re my little Luce Luce, and nothing changes that. Not now, not ever.”
“Even when I’m the Vampire Queen?” Lucie asked, her voice muffled against his chest.
“Even then. You’ll always be my daughter first.”
