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PROLOGUE

Three weeks ago

The i up at hi, ate at hiain He didn't even need to look at the clock; he'd been waking up at the same time for weeks

In his dreaun and walk away

Was she in danger and choosing to leave to keep hi, he rolled over onto his side and prayed for dreamless sleep

Chapter One

Arihis face For the past week he had been training with his commander and the unit leaders of the Gamma and Beta units Never in his life did he think that their enemies would ever find a way to not only ain entry to Éire Danu The protective measures created by the fae queen to reach their city were supposed to be inable

When he reached the dining room, he was surprised to see that both his parents and older brother had ain, he was probably the only one being plagued by nightmares, which caused his sleep to be brief and restless

Not to say that being an Elder ithout proble especially prickly thisdue to broken sleep No doubt Jedrek and Rex Lionhart would handle this sort of thing in stride, yet he found his He wished he were more like his mother Catherine Lionhart only lost her co happened to one of her sons He was nowhere near her levels of aplomb

"Goodher head for hi, he could no more refuse her than he could refuse to breathe

He dutifully bussed her cheek and inhaled her perfume She smelled like pride, and the perfu since before he had been born He would always associate it with his mother, and it never failed to calm him

"Goodexceptionally beautiful this "

His mother's eyes twinkled as she lifted a hand up to cup his face "It's because I have two of my boys home"

Rex chuckled "You'd be just as beautiful even if I weren't visiting"

"Well said, son," his father replied gruffly, lifting his coffee cup to his lips

Ari sat down in the empty seat by his mother "Any updates?"

Rex shook his head "Meryn said she'd textthe queen But between the two of us, I think she's at a snapping point"

"Meryn or the queen?"

"Meryn She, Darian, and Oron have tried broaching the topic of ferals many times and have been co restless, so has to be done"

Hiswith Queen Aleksandra, it's that tiny typhoon"

Ari sat back in his chair "Can you believe she is second in line for the throne?" he asked no one in particular

Rex shrugged "Yes and no"