“Ryder,” I said his name and then felt his magic as it washed over me. I had a scheduled playdate with my mother in the morning to figure out my abilities, since at the moment, I couldn’t even sift. The basics were gone, and I had to learn everything over again. It was like every time I figured out who I was, life would knock me down, and I’d get back up swinging.
This time, I could feel this most recent change was the last one I’d endure, but I wasn’t afraid of it. I was happy. I had my beast, and he loved me. I had beautiful children who would survive because there was no way I would let this world reject them. We were also on the brink of a massive war, but I knew in my heart that we would be victorious, because we had to be. The alternative was unthinkable.
I hadn’t spent half of my life protecting the world from these beings, to become one and let them wipe out the entire Human race. No; I was still me and I still had the same principles. Just because I was in their camp now and could see that they weren’t all monsters, it didn’t mean I’d allow them to consume the people I’d once protected. Which meant we had to win this fight, and quickly.
I looked down to find a beautiful white lace dress with a high imperial waistline, which had small flowers that matched the ring on my finger; it hugged my curves beautifully. I could feel the weight of the crown Ryder had fashioned on my head, and smiled since the beast had even done my hair for me. “Nice, but you forgot something,” I said as I lifted the dress to show him my naked feet.
“Maybe I like you barefoot?” he said. As I lifted my eyes to his, it was to find those beautiful golden eyes smiling.
“Maybe, but I still need my feet covered, Fairy.”
“As you wish,” he said, and I felt the cool touch of leather as it covered the soles of my feet. Next were the bands of silver that covered my biceps, and then bracelets that went halfway up to my elbows and jingled musically. Next he wiggled his fingers and a thin metal band slid over the soft column of my neck. I looked down at the thin band, and then back up at him.
Zahruk cleared his throat, and I smiled at Ryder, as if we were naughty children.
“Zahruk, is something in your throat?” Ryder asked him as he glamoured on his cloak, and his weaponry.
“No,” he said with a grin as he set Zander back in his crib just as Darynda walked into the room. The moment she did, his eyes slid longingly in her direction. But one minute his blue eyes were longing, and before I could even blink, they turned cold and indifferent.
I watched silently, observing Darynda’s own reaction to Zahruk’s presence. It seemed like Ryder and I were not the only couple in the room. Something was boiling between those two, and it was getting to a point that one of them was about to explode. My money was on Zahruk, because he was primal in everything he did, and I had a feeling Darynda was just as stubborn as I was.
“We’ve named them,” I announced, trying to cut through the tension in the room. “This is Zander, after his grandfather. We wanted to give him another chance at life, an un-cursed one,” I added quickly when Zahruk’s angry eyes seared into me. “This little lady is Kahleena, and this one is Cade,” I finished and watched as Ryder’s eyes dared Zahruk to say anything about Zander’s name.
“Beautifully chosen, my lady,” Darynda whispered as the rest of the handmaidens entered the room.
“I wanted to name her Larissa, but I settled for Kahleena Larissa, princess of the Horde. My friend told me she would be reborn, and I wanted to honor her.”
“It’s perfect,” Adam said from where he leaned against the doorway. “Larissa would have loved it.”
I smiled at Adam, and felt a pang of regret that I couldn’t feel him with me any longer. I walked over to him, smiling at the jingle of sounds I created with the jewelry Ryder had glamoured on.
“You look beautiful, Synthia.”
“Thank you, Adam.”
“So, she said yes?” he asked as he reached for my hand and held it up to get a better look at the beautiful ring.
“She did; she’s to be my wife, soon,” Ryder said as we started out of the nursery to where the other guards were waiting at a distance from the doors.
“This calls for a celebration,” Adam said as he winked and smiled at me wickedly.
“There will be no wedding until the babies’ futures are secured. They are our number one priority right now,” I said, more to Ryder than to Adam, and was relieved when he agreed with me.
“Speak,” Ryder said to the guards, their eyes on us as we approached.
It was amazing how he could change from my Ryder to the ruler of the Horde instantly. As if he wore two faces, and went from being my smiling doting beast, to the elusive yet very deadly Horde King in a blink of an eye.
“You’ll have to see it Sire, it’s not something we can explain,” Aodhan said as he glamoured on his own armor, as did the rest of the men.