AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We heard Gage was a bit upset over your lack of exposure, so we decided on the way to share with you all our favorite foods,” Ramsey explained.
She looked to Gage and smiled. “I bet it was Peter.”
Gage stood and grabbed Aeson’s forearm, then pulled him in for his own hug. “I have the best warrior brothers in all the pillar cities.”
“Considering I get electrocuted and glued to bell towers in Lycaonia, I’m inclined to agree,” a white-haired warrior said from an adjacent table.
“Sascha, I shock you because I love you,” Meryn quipped, causing her mate to growl and the white-haired warrior to sputter.
Moments later, Dav handed her another pint. “Enjoy!”
Throughout the rest of the afternoon, warriors came and went. The men joked that with them getting mates, they should get more name tags. The ones they wore were peeling on most of the corners.
She was on her third beer when a runner came through the door and looked around. She was surprised when he hurried over to her. “Urgent message from Storm Keep, for Lady Appleblossom,” he said, before handing her a scroll, and then he jogged away.
Storm Keep? Caroline?
She unrolled the scroll and read the contents. Standing abruptly, waves of anger coursed through her.How dare they!
“Zoe!”
She heard Kendrick call her name before flames erupted around her. Instead of moving back, Kendrick, Kincaid, and Carson all ran to her side. Carson took her free hand while Kincaid placed a hand on her back. Kendrick reached out and rested his hand on her head.
“All is well, be calm,conquiescere,” Kendrick repeated, sending soothing magic through her.
“I’m here, Zoe.” Gage’s voice penetrated her anger.
Exhaling slowly through her nose, she managed to quell her anger. When her legs gave out, Carson supported her long enough for Gage to step forward and lift her into his arms. “Zoe, what happened?”
She buried her face in his chest. Everything was so perfect, and now the council was ruining it.
“May I?” Kendrick asked, gently tugging at the partially singed scroll.
She looked over at him, nodded, and released the scroll.
When he read the contents, he began to clench his jaw. “Those parasitic sycophants,” he hissed.
Thane stepped up beside him. “Witches’ Council?” he guessed.
Kendrick nodded. “They are ordering Zoe back to Storm Keep and have heavily implied she may be charged for abandoning her post.”
“Can’t she just tell them to fuck off like Serenity did?” Meryn asked.
Kendrick stared down at the scroll. “They haven’t stripped her of her Temple Head status. They are using it as the reason why she needs to return.”
“I won’t go back. There’s nothing there for me anymore except Caroline. I can’t go back, Gage, I can’t,” Zoe began to have trouble breathing as she started to panic. It had been less than one day, but she had had a small taste of what she had been missing. She couldn’t go back now.
Gage rubbed her back soothingly. “You aren’t going anywhere. You’re forgetting Zoe. You’re mated now. Your place is with me, and if you want that place to be here in Éire Danu, then that’s where we’ll stay.”
Aiden held out his hand to Kendrick for the scroll. Kendrick looked surprised but handed it over.
“Zoe, with your permission, will you let yourathairsrespond,” he said through gritted teeth.
Zoe looked over at him. “Really?”
Aiden gave a short nod. “Technically, Darian has more political clout, but Gavriel is a close second. I outrank them both as Unit Commander, though that’s a matter of opinion,” he waved his hand in front of him as if it didn’t matter. “What I’m getting at is between the three of us, no matter which one is officially recognized as yourathair, the Witches’ Council would do well not to get on our bad sides.”
Meryn poked her mate’s side. “What about Colton?”
