Epilogue
Fayanna
I held my chin high when we walked into the throne room. It was immaculate as always, with finery dripping from the ceiling in the form of gold chandeliers and the silvery flagstones coating the ground. My mother sat on the throne, looking remarkably like me with our grass green eyes, though her hair had some silver streaks in it. We had the same heart-shaped face and the same slightly upturned nose.
When she saw me, she rose and looked at me pointedly. “My daughter, who do you bring?”
After we untangled ourselves, we went outside to see my aunt there with her guards. We had embraced, and she had taken us right back to the castle.
“Mother, these are my mates. All four of us are now curse- free.”
My mother's eyes widened, and then she smiled at me. “I’m glad to hear that. Your father would be most happy if he were here.”
My heart clenched at the thought of my dad, but I nodded to her and kept my mouth shut. Quillon squeezed my hand, giving me the comfort I needed.
“What are your names?”
I introduced them, and my mother had the first genuine smile on her face I had seen since my father died by the end of it. “It is lovely to meet you all. Now, go to my daughter's chambers, and we shall talk later. I have work to attend to.”
I was mildly disappointed she didn’t want to keep talking, but I knew we would later.
“Let's go,” I whispered to them.
I took Quillon and Tarian by the hands and smiled at Rafferty before pulling them down the way we came. I led them back to my room. When we walked in, they gasped and looked around, their mouths open. I looked around my silver and blue ornate room and sighed. “I know it's a lot and?—”
Tarian tilted my chin up so I looked him in the eyes. “It's perfect, just like you.”
I smiled and gave him a kiss before giving the other two a kiss. “Its going to be hard here, with a lot of expectations on you guys. Do you think you can deal with it?”
I gnawed on my lower lip, and Rafferty kissed me to make me stop. He looked me dead in the eyes. “As long as we are with you, we can handle anything,” he said.
“Agreed,”
“Sure can.”
My eyes welled with tears, and I smiled up at them. “I love you all, so so much.”’
Rafferty got a cheeky smile, "Want to show us how much?”
I grinned at him and answered him with a kiss.
It was funny how things changed in the span of one night. Before, I was alone with only my aunt and in so much pain, and now I had three mates who adored my mother and me,and actually spoke to me. After our lovemaking, I dozed in their arms, feeling completely content. As I watched them rest, I knew in my heart this was where I was supposed to be, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
About the Author
Arianna Barton is a New Zealand author who loves all things fantasy and thinks it’s extremely unfair that magical creatures don’t exist in this world. She’s always found with a cup of coffee and is always writing in the most weirdest spots on her phone or laptop. She is big on human rights, loves her family, and has more stories than she has time.
https://linktr.ee/ariannabarton
The Threshold of Fate
B.L. Brown
Blurb
For the run of his life, Tomasz has tended the tavern bar at the crossroads, welcoming travelers and villagers alike with a smile and a heavy pour of gorza. When a winter storm blows hard on the night of the Wild Hunt, he welcomes the most mysterious guest of all: a road-weary traveler cloaked in a cowl and a scarf who will change the course of his life. Forever.
Content Warning