Chapter 4
Sometime later, Raven and Gabriel climbed into the big feather bed, both distracted with the weight of Raven’s unanswered question. He reached for her, but she scooted away to the edge of the mattress. “Not until you tell me what you’re so afraid of that’s making you bury yourself in your work!”
But the bed had other ideas. With a violent vibration, the mattress shrank, one inch, then two. Soon she had no choice but to roll on top of him or fall off the side. “Damn it!”
His eyebrows shot up as his hands landed on her hips. “Now, this is more what I had in mind. I’m beginning to like this cabin.”
“Gabriel!” She moved to climb off him, but he held her firmly in place.
“Fine!” he growled. With a deep, beleaguered sigh, he seemed to decide there was no putting her off, which was wise because Raven wasn’t even close to giving up.
With a resolved huff, he admitted, “I worry about the implications now that Charlie is taking on more and more responsibility. What if there comes a time when she—when the kingdom—again faces an evil force like my mother? What if she’s not ready, and I’ve allowed myself to drift so far out of the loop I can’t help her? ”
“We’re immortal, Gabriel. We might be ruling this kingdom for a very long time. I doubt that handing off more responsibilities to our daughter will in any way dull your ability to respond to an attack.”
He sighed. “The kingdom is at peace. Our people are content. Our system of governance is righting centuries of wrongs. It’s not that I don’t trust Charlie, or Marius, or any of my other siblings for that matter.
It’s just that I fear if I take my thumb off this kingdom for even a day, things will get away from me again.
Another one of the empress’s supporters will rise.
Some dark magic will bubble up from a long-forgotten well. ”
“You might find yourself locked in a cabin in Darnuith.” She shrugged.
Thankfully, he laughed. Raven stretched over Gabriel, straddling his hips and threading her fingers into his.
With their faces intimately close, she said, “There are no guarantees in life. We don’t know what will come, and this kingdom has probably not seen its last battle.
We knew this the day they crowned us. Haven’t we learned everything is easier if we face it together? ”
“But it’s different now. What if we let Charlie lead and she fails?”
Raven inhaled sharply. So that was it. She saw it so clearly now.
He wasn’t afraid of evil befalling the kingdom.
He was terrified of it happening on their daughter’s watch.
“Oh, she will fail. She’s bound to make mistakes, Gabriel.
Again and again, just as we did, and when she makes a mess, she’ll clean it up, just as we’ve taught her to. ”
“I’m not sure I could bear her going through that.”
“That’s how rulers learn. That’s how good leaders become great ones. And we’ll be here to back her up.”
“But...”
Raven pressed her forehead to his. “Allowing others to help does not mean we’re going anywhere.
We’ll still be here if something goes wrong.
But the best thing we can do for this kingdom is to prioritize us.
After all, long after the mountain falls and turns to dust, I’ll still love you, Gabriel.
I’ll love you until the end of this life and the next. ”
His body softened under hers, and his eyes burned for her in a way she hadn’t seen in weeks. There you are, she thought, feeling the bond between them tighten again. His chest rumbled against hers with his mating trill.
“How was I fortunate enough to be wed to such a wise and beautiful wife?” he growled, nuzzling her neck and trailing kisses behind her ear.
“Must have done something good in a past life,” she said. “Or maybe you’re just lucky.”
He flipped her onto her back and settled between her thighs. Lo-and-behold, the cabin must’ve liked that, because the bed returned to its original size and the door unlocked itself, blowing open on a gust of freezing air.
“It seems we’re not prisoners anymore,” she said, wondering if he’d want to leave. But he wasn’t looking at the door. He was looking at her, his mouth moving across her collarbone and down her breast.
“Close the door, little witch.” His breath feathered hot across her skin. “The cabin might be done with us, but I’m not done with the cabin.”
As a smile spread across her face, and Gabriel’s head sank beneath the covers and settled between her thighs, she turned her attention to the door and raised her hand to do as he commanded.
The carving on the front had changed. The tree depicted there, dead when they arrived, now bloomed like it was the height of spring. She smiled and mouthed thank you to the cabin.
And with a flick of her fingers, the door slammed shut.
Happy Holidays to you and yours from me and everyone in Paragon. May your days be bright, your nights be magical, and your home be filled with books!
—Genevieve Jack