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  Chapter 1

  My eyes fluttered open as rays of early morning sunlight peeked in through the gap in the black curtains over my window, and my first conscious thought was it felt good to be back home in the Lunar Palace instead of in the terribly uncomfortable bed in Lord Calvin’s palace. I felt the warm, naked body of my wife, Alyona, curled up against my belly, but my back was surprisingly cool.

  I rolled over to search for Isabella, and I found the Nepin on the edge of the bed as she stared across the room with a contemplative look on her face. Her sky-colored skin was bare, and her silvery wings glittered, even in the low light of morning. My gaze was caught by the gold, silver, and black tattoos that dotted her skin, and they left whirls and twists across her back that reminded me of the tribal tattoos popular back on Earth.

  “Are you alright?” I whispered as I rubbed the bare skin at the small of her back. “It’s still early.”

  “I’m just nervous,” Isabella admitted in a soft voice.

  “About going back to Yrosa?” I asked.

  “Yes,” she confirmed and dropped her chin to her chest. “I don’t want to disappoint you.”

  “You won’t disappoint me,” I assured her as I slipped out of the blankets and wrapped my arms around her. “There is absolutely no pressure on you. We’re just going with you back to your home town. Everything else is on me, okay?”

  “What if they ask you to leave?” Isabella worried, and she leaned her slender body against me.

  “Then I’ll tell them no.” I shrugged with a smirk. “Alyona is the princess of Rahma, and I’m her husband. It isn’t unusual for us to visit the cities within our country.”

  “That makes sense,” she murmured, though her body remained tense.

  “Trust me,” I said and grinned. “I have a way with people. Besides, I’m very motivated to find the next Noble Spirit. We have to get the Breach closed, and we’re getting closer every day.”

  The Breach was a deadly tear in the fabric of our reality, and if it weren’t for the king’s powerful seal, demons and who knows what else would have invaded and destroyed our world already. Closing the Breach was my highest priority.

  “And you can help us do it,” Alyona added as she rolled over and sat up on her elbow. “We believe in you.”

  “Why?” Isabella cocked her head to the side with genuine curiosity. “I don’t even have magic.”

  “Neither do Aaliyah, Laika, and Rebecca,” my wife pointed out with a smile. “And they’ve found their own ways to help.”

  “I suppose that’s true,” the Nepin agreed as she lifted her head.

  “It is,” Alyona confirmed. “Besides, I know you have your own strengths. I can feel them.”

  “You can?” Isabella’s sapphire eyes widened in surprise.

  “Of course,” the princess giggled. “We’re bonded through our love for Lord Evan, and now, we also share love for each other. It’s a deep connection that reaches our souls. You can feel it, right?”

  “Yes,” the Nepin said and closed her eyes. “I’ve never felt anything like it. It’s… like flying over the ocean and tasting the fresh air and feeling the warm sun on my face all at once.”

  “I love that,” Alyona gushed. “Being able to fly must be amazing.”

  “It is,” Isabella and I said in unison, and she laughed.

  “And so is our bond, which is why I know you can do this,” the princess declared. “You can help us get to Yrosa, and I think you’ll even help us find the right person for the bond, even if you don’t realize it. And then we’ll be one step closer to closing the Breach and saving the world.”

  “Saving the world,” the Nepin murmured. “That’s a big deal.”

  “It is.” I smiled as I leaned back and took both women’s hands in mine. “And we’re just the family to pull it off.”

  “I don’t know how my other family will feel about my new one,” Isabella remarked with a glint in her eyes. “Nepins don’t generally approve of harems.”

  “I’d say we don’t have a typical harem,” Alyona countered and smiled. “Besides, how could they not love Lord Evan?”

  “Well, he isn’t the man they wanted me to marry,” the Nepin scoffed as she rolled her eyes. “Lord Evan’s much more exciting… and handsome, of course.”

  “Then I’ll have to show them I’m better than their choice.” I smirked. “Now, what about the rest of the city? Are they going to attack outsiders?”

  “It’s unlikely,” she replied. “You’ll most certainly stand out, however. Yrosa is not exactly, ah, diverse. Anyone who doesn’t have blue skin will stick out like a sore thumb.”

  “Great,” I muttered. “As long as they aren’t violent, I guess I can deal with being under scrutiny.”

  “And you will be,” Isabella agreed. “Yrosa doesn’t get many visitors since it’s so far from everywhere else. It doesn’t have a port, so there aren’t any outsiders in that aspect, either.”

  “Sounds rather isolated,” Alyona murmured with a frown. “Did you enjoy living there as a child?”

  “Umm, I guess.” The Nepin shrugged and seemed lost in thought for a moment. “I really didn’t know how much the rest of the world had to offer. It was a fight over my arranged marriage that led me to go explore it. I found Leyte, and, well, you know the rest.”

  “Then you’ll really enjoy our plans after Yrosa,” I chuckled. “We have to find the other Noble Swords, and the rest are past the Rahman borders. It will be quite an adventure.”

  “I’d say so!” Isabella gushed, and her wings fluttered adorably behind her. “I can’t wait!”

  “I’m glad to see you’re more excited than worried,” Alyona said with a smile. “Now, let’s get some breakfast. Baby and I are famished.”

  “Well, don’t keep my son waiting,” I teased as I stood and began to get dressed.

  A few minutes later, we headed downstairs to the dining hall, and it seemed we were the last to arrive.

  “Good morning!” My adoptive parents, Ruslan and Julia, were already seated together near my chair at the head of the table, and my father waved with a grin.

  “Morning, Pops.” I smiled back as I led Alyona and Isabella to their seats.

  Lord Nikolaus, my fellow Noble of the Sword and best friend, had a mouth full of scrambled eggs, and he started to smile before he thought better of it. Instead, he gave a very noble wave and returned to his breakfast.

  “My lord, I hope you slept well,” Laika said with a grim expression.

  The wolf Demi-Human wore a blue tunic over brown leather pants held together with brown straps laced up the sides. Her broadsword was strapped to her back, and her gray eyes were narrowed as she held one hand to the gorget at her throat. She was the leader of the Blue Tree Guild, a group of warriors who spent most of their time on missions, but they’d been helping Valerra guard Hatra while we were gone.

  “That doesn’t sound good,” I replied as I began to fill my plate. “What’s going on?”

  “I just heard from Pyotr,” she answered in reference to her grandfather who had been leading the guild in her absence. “He said he needs some help with a mission in Oktara Forest.”

  “Do you need to go with him?” Alyona asked with a note of concern.

  “No.” Laika shook her head vehemently. “I wouldn’t leave your side, milady, especially with the child. Besides, he actually requested the dryads.”

  The green-skinned sisters dropped their forks and looked at each other with surprise. Polina, Trina, and Marina were members of the Blue Tree Guild, but they had also left Hatra with us to work on closing the Breach.

  “Us?” Polina pointed to herself and her sisters with a grin.

  “We’ve been requested,” Marina joked with an upturned nose.

  “Of course, we have,” Trina added and winked. “We’re awesome.”

  “As is your nature magic,” Laika cut in with a smile. “Pyotr said it would be the perfect asset to accomplish the mission.”

  “Are you sure we shouldn’t all just go?” I asked as I chewed on my lip. “I can help with nature stuff, too.”

  “Lord Evan, we were warriors before we met you,” Polina pointed out with a gentle smile.

  “Exactly, there’s no need to worry about us,” Trina agreed.

  “I guess,” I grumbled, though I knew they were right.

  When I’d first met the dryads, they were in the midst of a battle with a trio of stone giants a hundred times their size. I’d helped Laika and the dryads defeat the beasts, but they’d been holding their own until I got there.

  “Ah, my lord, we’d like to go, too,” Aaliyah suddenly blurted out.

  My gaze drifted over to the lioness, and she bared her long, yellow canines in a feral grin. Aaliyah was a warrior in her own right, and I’d seen the damage her extended claws could do to an enemy. Her golden eyes didn’t waver, though she tugged the end of her blonde braid as she waited for my response.

  I looked to the bear Demi-Human who sat next to her, and Rebecca nodded her agreement. Sh e’d shredded more than a few of our enemies since she joined our family, and she and Aaliyah had become quite avid partners on the battlefield. Rebecca stood nearly six feet tall and had taken to twisting her auburn hair back into the same long braid that her lion counterpart often wore.

  And they were teaming up on me.

  “Why do you want to go?” I asked carefully.

  “It would be an adventure, my lord,” Rebecca answered with a shrug. “We go on adventures with you, of course, but this would be new and different. Plus, Laika and the dryads are our sisters, and if their guild needs help, we want to offer it.”

  “Thank you, Rebecca.” Laika flashed the bear-woman a quick smile before she turned to address me. “They’ll have the guild mission group with them, my lord, so you don’t have to worry. Also, I think it would be interesting.”

  “Interesting is not my favorite thing to let my women get involved with,” I grumbled. “What is this mission anyway?”

  “A group of explorers went missing in the forest,” the wolf explained. “Based on the party who requested our help, it would seem the group is simply very inexperienced and likely got lost.”

  “So, why the dryads?” I pressed.

  “We can track them with our nature magic,” Trina answered.

  “Yeah, we can sense changes within the natural environment,” Marina continued.

  “We can show you that someday, too,” Polina offered with a smile.

  “Alright,” I agreed after a moment of thought. “You can all go find them. I feel better about a rescue mission anyway.”

  “Oooh, yay!” Aaliyah clasped her clawed hands together. “Thank you!”

  “We’ll be back soon!” Rebecca added as they rose from the table.

  “You better be,” I muttered.

  Each of my lovers came to kiss and hug me goodbye before they scurried out the door to the Blue Tree Guild’s airship near the city gates.

  “They’ll be okay,” Ravi assured me.

  I looked over at the phoenix, and her blue eyes were bright with excitement. I could smell the remnants of smoke in the wisps of her orange hair that flowed down her shoulders in thick waves, and she popped a bite of a pink fruit in her mouth and flushed when my gaze dropped to her plump lips.

  “Yeah, I’m sure they will,” I sighed. “I just hate not having my women around.”

  “It’s your dragon instincts,” Valerra interjected. “They make it hard for me to stay here when you’re away, too, but my instinct to protect the eggs is even stronger.”

  “Wait, wait.” I held up my hands, and my dragon mate sighed. “You mean… you miss me when I’m gone?”

  Valerra’s golden eyes narrowed on me, and her skin nearly matched her crimson robes as she glared. She was one of my fiercest lovers, though she was not always so willing to admit it. She stayed behind on our missions to keep our egg and her sister’s egg safe. While closing the Breach was important, we had no idea if any other dragon eggs existed on Inati after the Sage had gone to such lengths to exterminate our species, so the future hatchlings in our possession were priceless.

  “You know I do,” she finally muttered through clenched teeth.

  “We aaaaall know you do,” Miraya giggled.

  The spirit of the Sword of Healing covered her laughter with a dainty, porcelain hand. She’d grown accustomed to spending most of her time in the physical world with us instead of in my spiritual sea, and I was happy to see her sister Aine had taken to joining us occasionally as well. It made Miraya happy, which was all good with me.

  “This soul bridge thing is both glorious and annoying,” Valerra grumbled as she went back to her meal.

  “I think it’s always glorious,” Isabella chimed in with a smile. “I’ve never felt so much love, not even with my own family.”

  “We’re your family now,” I reminded her. “So, you’ll always feel it.”

  “Good.” The Nepin grinned and finished her eggs. “So, what are we going to do once we get to Yrosa?”

  “Well, the first thing would be to figure out where the sword is,” I mused as I leaned back in my chair. “With Nike and I, that was easy enough. The lord of the city was in control.”

  “Yrosa doesn’t have a lord,” Isabella replied with a furrowed brow. “They only have the Noble Council.”

  “Let me guess,” Valerra said with a dry smile that showed her fangs. “A council made up of nobles?”

  “You got it,” Isabella confirmed. “Seven noble families lead the city. It’s been that way for centuries.”

  “It helps avoid dictators,” I offered. “We’ve come across a few of those.”

  “And jealous siblings,” Naomi chimed in with a grimace, but then she tucked a stray wisp of magenta hair behind her ear and blushed.

  The lizard mage referred to her brother who’d given her the scar that marked her eye. He’d been furious when he’d discovered their other brother had been chosen to lead her home city of Kana, and Naomi had been caught in the crossfire.

  “That, too,” I agreed in a soft voice. “Now, who in the Noble Council has a warrior?”

  “Or a knight?” Ruslan suggested.

  “A guard, even,” Nike added.

  “None of the noble families have children in the guard,” Isabella answered as she looked off into the distance. “In fact, I can’t think of a single one of them who’s shown any kind of ability to fight like you can.”

  “We should be able to sense when we’re close to our sister,” Miraya pointed out. “Just like we can tell when our blades are nearby.”

  “Perfect,” I said with a grin. “Then Isabella just needs to get us in to see the council, and you two can push us in the right direction from there.”

  “Sounds like a good plan to me,” Alyona agreed.

  “Then we’ll leave shortly,” I decided as I sat up to finish my plate. “I don’t think this one will be too difficult.”

  “Don’t speak too soon, my lord,” Nike warned and waggled his finger. “You never know what we could run into.”

  “Don’t jinx us now,” I chuckled.

  A few minutes later, our plates were clean, and I was itching to get to Yrosa. The sooner we got this sword, the sooner we could bond, and I loved feeling my power grow every day.

  “Please, be careful,” Julia murmured as we walked toward the great room to prepare to leave. “Lord Nikolaus is right. You never know what you might encounter.”

  “I was pretty surprised by the lava-slinging hellbeasts,” I laughed. “I don’t know what could beat that.”

  “Gods, Evan, you’re really trying to get some crazy creature to come after you,” Ruslan groaned as his fox ears flattened against his head. “Just promise your mother you’ll be careful.”

  “Of course, I will, Mother,” I agreed as I wrapped her in a tight hug. “I have some kiddos coming soon, and I won’t miss out on that.”

  “You better not,” Emma said and crossed her arms over her chest next to us. “They’re going to need their father.”

  “Speaking of your children, have you heard from Mona recently?” Alyona asked.

  As soon as she asked, I realized I hadn’t heard from the centaur queen in a few weeks. She’d been anxious to get pregnant with a daughter who would take her place on the throne of Lumin, and I’d been happy to provide her with the seed she needed.

  “I’ll send her a message,” I replied before I turned and explained the situation to Aunt Emma. “If I hadn’t helped her, she may not have had an heir to the throne, which meant Lumin wouldn’t have anyone. Centaurs only have female leaders.”

  “I’m both proud and astonished,” Emma laughed. “I can’t believe centaurs are real! I’d love to meet this Mona someday.”

  “You will,” I promised. “For now, we need to get to Yrosa.”

  As the women continued their goodbyes, I conjured one of my magical messengers in my palm. With a few words, I asked the tiny creature to find out how Mona was doing, and it zoomed off toward Lumin.

  “I like having Emma here with me,” Valerra said suddenly, but when I turned to look at my dragon mate, she flushed and averted her golden eyes. “She… she can still stay, right?”

  “Of course.” I smiled and decided not to tease her. “I think it’s good for both of you and the eggs.”

  “Then I shall stay,” my aunt declared with a wide grin at her new bestie.

 

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