Chapter 1 Lyla

A thunderous pounding roused me from my bed. Whoever was at my door, better pray this was an emergency. What the hell time was it? I checked my glamor in the mirror just to be safe before I opened the door. If it were anyone other than a fellow supernatural, they’d be shocked by my lavender hued skin.

“What?” I flung open the door.

Milo and Xavier stood before me. Xavier had his arms folded over his chest, his face a picture of menace with his tight jaw and surly frown. His dark hair stood in untamed spikes around his head. Milo mirrored his posture. His dark, shaggy hair covered his amber eyes. He was laser focused on me, and I knew something was wrong.

Milo was the first to speak. “Your mother sent us to protect you. Seelie has been attacked.” Milo brushed his hair back from his eyes..

“What?” My mouth hung open in shock. It took me a moment to recover. “Why aren’t you protecting her? She’s the one in danger.” My heart raced. My mother was the strongest woman I knew. She’d been thwarting the king for years. Why now? What changed?

“On her orders, we’re here for you. Come with us, now.” Xavier took a step forward, dropping his arms, his body rigid. Someday, this man will learn some kind of politeness. I was set on it.

It was my turn to cross my arms. “Take me where, exactly?” There was no way I was going to just go with them. I knew they were my mother’s best men, but I wanted to know the plan. These two often had a, react now, figure it out as we go, attitude. I liked to plan things out. I wanted to know what I was getting into if we left. Besides, I’m not sure it would be the best plan to go running out in a cami and boy-shorts in the middle of the night. It wasn’t exactly winter in Minnesota, but it was still chilly out.

“We’re to take you away to where we can protect you.” Xavier responded in his deep, commanding voice. I had to admit, him ordering me around made my heart do a somersault and my core clench.

“Do you even have a plan as to where that safe place might be?” I wandered back into my Midway duplex. I rolled my eyes at the silence. Leave it to these two to jump first and ask questions later. "Wouldn’t it be better to stick around here and not let the king know I’m alive? Besides, where exactly would we go?” I glanced back at Milo. He was biting his lip, and I could almost see the wheels turning.

Xavier shrugged and stepped through the door. I lived in a small duplex near St. Thomas University, where I attended school. He took a seat in the red chair facing the door and rested his ankle on his knee. I guess he’d made his decision.

“You do make valid points.” Milo walked in and took a seat on the couch, angling his body toward the door. I shook my head. I would never understand these two. They had been my guardians for as long as I could remember. They trained with me when we were all children ourselves. My mother said it would make us stronger if we were bonded and learned each other's strengths and weaknesses at a young age. I hadn’t really minded. Now that I was an adult, trying to go to school on top of keeping up with whatever mayhem was going on in Fae, I was less inclined to have them around all the time. Well, maybe that wasn’t entirely true.

“So, if you’re here, who’s guarding my mother?” A shiver ran up my spine at the thought of her being in danger. I pushed away those thoughts. She was a strong woman who”€™d won against the king many times before. Yet a cold spike of dread attacked my heart. Something felt different. I couldn’t dwell on that. I pushed away my fear. The hollowness of disbelief had taken hold in my chest.

“The entire guard is with your mother in the kingdom.” Milo reassured me. “We’ve been your personal guardians since day one. Anytime anything happens there, your mother sends us here.” Milo’s gaze raked down my bare legs. It’s not like we hadn’t seen each other in less, but his eyes seemed to linger longer than usual. I walked around and sat on the couch next to him, my back to the door.

“What can we do?” I asked.

“Nothing. It is your responsibility to stay safe and away from the king.” Xavier’s gruff voice had me nibbling my lip.

“So, what you’re saying is we all get to stay here and enjoy each other’s marvelous personalities for the rest of the evening. Are you sure we shouldn’t be going to help my mother? We’ve all been trained for battle.” Xavier’s eyes flicked up to me in annoyance.

“You will not be going anywhere.” Xavier’s jaw set and he stared back at me with determination.

“Are you sure? A few minutes ago, you were telling me we needed to go to Seelie.” I blinked at him. I knew I was starting to annoy him. I couldn’t help it. Annoying Xavier was so easy.

“You are not going to Seelie.” His gaze was intent on me.

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I blinked my eyes open, surprised to be surrounded by the lush colors of the Fae forest of my childhood. The trees in shades of evergreen, to jade, to mint and everything in between huddled me in their warm embrace. A tiny yellow calendula tickled my nose. I sneezed. Fuzziness cleared from my vision bringing each tiny leaf into focus. How had I ended up here? Alone, no less. The men were with me when I’d left the party, weren’t they? I blinked again. There was something I was supposed to be remembering. Something important was happening. But what? The lush smell of the birch mixed with the heavenly scent of lavender and jasmine. I could smell the lingering aroma of the orange groves. My mother had only taken me there a few times when I was a child, but oh how I’d loved to be surrounded by that heavenly scent. The silken softness of the pedals against my fingers, the burst of juiciness in my mouth from a freshly peeled orange. It was as close to heaven as I’d ever felt. The closest I’d been to my mother. Most of our time in the orange grove was when she’d needed to take me far away from the palace to share the secrets of our lineage. Things only the Queen could know.

I was the future Queen and the only heir to the Seelie throne.

On this particular day, my mother wished to share a story about my father. “You know I love my mates more than life itself,” she began, “but none of them will bring you the power you require to be our future Queen. So, I chose to form an alliance with another. One which will make you a worthy adversary when it is time for you to take over our realm.” She stopped, her ivory gown swishing against the grass as she turned to face me. “I know you will not understand this now, as you are far too young to be privy to such information. I will tell you only that your father is a powerful mage. You will be blessed with the powers of a Fae Queen and of a mage father.” Her lips spread into a kind smile. “You will be a magical, my love, more than anyone King could withstand, or so I hope. Our Kingdom depends on it.” Her silken hands left the whisper of a trail on my face replaced by large calloused hands that cradled my cheeks.

“Lyla, please, open your eyes.” Milo’s panicked voice filled my mind, blurring the vision of my mother. The orange grove became a distant memory. The scent lingered on my nose, before my eyes fluttered open. Pain followed as an unwelcome companion. Everything in me ached.

“Wha—” Milo’s face was above me. He crushed my face against his chest. I struggled against his chest. “Can’t…breathe.”

“Oh, sorry. I’m just so happy to see your eyes open.” His hand still held my head, but he’d leaned back giving me the space to breathe. Xavier paced behind him in the dim-lit room.

“What happened?” I asked.

“You don’t remember?” Xavier stopped abruptly his eyes darting to me.

I bit the inside of my cheek. “I was dreaming of my mother.” I closed my eyes. “We were in the orange grove. My favorite place.” I let the memory of her face, the sweet scents of the flowers and orange blossoms, and the love I felt, linger for a moment before I opened my eyes back up to the room. The tension in Milo and Xavier vibrated in contrast to the serene grove.

“What about before that, before the dream, what do you remember?” Xavier pushed.

“Oh shit, did I get my paper turned in? Did I miss the due date? Shit, the professor isn’t going to give me an extension. He’s an asshole. I’m totally fucked, aren’t I?” I glanced between the two men who stood in stunned silence. “What? I’ve worked hard in that class, despite the professor being a complete ass about the extended courtesy of you two hovering around. Failing biology is not an option if I want to go into the medical field.” I chewed my lip again. Milo’s mouth opened and closed, like he wanted to say something but couldn’t figure out what to say. Xavier wore the mask he hid behind when he didn’t want anyone to see his emotions. “What?” A knot formed in my stomach. It tightened the longer the silence stretched. “Seriously, you two are freaking me out.”

“You really don’t remember anything else?” Milo rubbed my arm.

“What’s going on? Why do I feel so strange, weak?” I held my hand to my head, a piercing pain shot behind my eyes.

Milo moved closer, his hand cupped my cheek. “What is it? Are you feeling pain?”

“My head? What’s going on?” The pain hadn’t subsided. I tried to remember something, anything, but the pain just got worse. “Aaaahhhh.” I clutched my head as a searing sharpness stabbed behind my eyes. Squeezing them shut, I bit my lips to stop from screaming again.

“What is it, Lyla?” Milo wrapped his body around mine, pulling me into his side. The pain lessened. Pain only came when… My head snapped up to meet Xavier’s eyes. The hardened look on his face told me everything.

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Chapter 1- Lyla

Blood coated the entryway to my mother’s house. Reece stood, dejected, in the center of what was left from the chaos. The living room couch was half sticking out of the bay window. The dining room table was in splintered pieces that littered the floor. I swallowed hard. Blood spatters littered every surface. It was the blood of my mother and Braydon. I could only hope some of it was her enemies.

“Where’s Hunter?” My voice came out hollow.

“His body was found in Seelie. We believe it was the traitor who killed him.” Xavier stood near the kitchen. I knew he was blocking me from seeing Braydon’s body. I’d insisted on coming here after we returned from Seelie. Reece hadn’t left. He just stood in the middle of the room. Surveying what was left.

“Reece, maybe you should join the pack.” Milo stepped closer to Reece. His calm voice was a comfort in the wake of destruction.

“She’s dead?” He looked at me, unshed tears made his eyes glisten under the light.

“Yes, we left her in the catacombs in Seelie. I cloaked her body, and she will stay in stasis until we can give her a proper burial.” I wanted him to know my mother had been taken care of in the best way possible. I didn’t know if it would bring him comfort. I couldn’t imagine losing my mates, my lovers, my family all in one night. My heart broke for him. Everyone he was close to was dead. Standing there he looked so lost.

“Lyla, we can’t stay here long. The mages know about this location. We should leave.” Xavier pushed. I wasn’t leaving until I knew Reece would be okay. I would take him home with us. He was one of my fathers and I loved him fiercely.