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from the back wall stopped her. Kai slept on the sofa between the

bookshelves, his dark hair fanned over his face. Tucked into the crook of

his neck, Hamlet squeaked and grunted, nudging Kai’s jaw with his pink

nose.

“Hamlet, sit,” Kai mumbled, his eyes still closed, and his voice husky

with sleep.

The
bekshin
plopped his butt down on Kai’s shoulder, his twin tails

wagging excitedly.

Ivy’s heart flopped over in her chest and melted. “I see you two are

getting along.”

“He’s still a beast,” Kai answered groggily, but he scratched under

Hamlet’s chin with his forefinger. “How was your meeting, dove?”

“It was good. Wyn’s okay, a little stiff, but he’ll come around. What

about you? How was your morning?”

Swiping his hair back from his face, Kai yawned as he rubbed the

tiredness from his eyes and looked up at her. Ivy knew the moment his

gaze landed on her bruised cheek, because he sat up on the sofa so fast

he sent Hamlet rolling down his chest and across the cushions.

“What happened?” he demanded, shoving to his feet and stalking

toward her, all traces of sleep gone. “Who did this?”

“Kai, calm down, it’s not a big deal.”

With a shaking hand, he held the side of her face, urging her to him

so that he could brush his lips tenderly against her swollen cheek. “Tell

me what happened.”

“I was sparring with Sion, and I guess I’m a little off my game.” She

hadn’t been able to use her abilities to slow down her perception of time,

and she’d been unusually distracted. All in all, not a good showing for

her. “It’s not his fault. These things happen.”

“Where is he?” he asked, his tone deceptively calm.

“Not here.”

“Tell me.”

“Kai, let it go. I’m fine.”

“Tell me, dove, or I’ll find him myself.”

Knowing he could—he had an entire army at his disposal after all—

Ivy closed her eyes and released the breath she’d been holding. “He’s in

the Valley, but Kai? Don’t kill him.”

A soft wind breezed across her face, and when she opened her eyes,

only she and Hamlet remained in the library. Bending at the waist, she

groaned at the ache in her back, and scooped the piglet into her arms.

“That went well, huh? Do you think he’ll hurt him too much?”

Hamlet grunted twice and pressed his nose to her cheek. “Yeah, me, too.”

Ivy whirled around when a loud crash rent through the library,

echoing off the ceilings and vibrating the floors. Stars, she’d never get

used to people popping in and out of existence, especially when they

reappeared so…violently.

Kai had Sion trapped against the wall by the throat, leaning over him

until their noses almost touched. The rage in his eyes held Ivy immobile,

and anything she might have said lodged in her throat.

“If you
ever
touch her again, I will end your pathetic existence.”

Ivy held her breath, waiting for Sion to explode, and when he didn’t,

she examined the scene more closely. Whatever magic Kai used, it

pinned the shifter to the wall completely, rendering him unable to move.

It didn’t, however, prevent him from speaking.

“Get the fu—” Sion choked and coughed when Kai applied more

pressure to his throat.

“Don’t speak. It inhibits your ability to listen, and I want to make

certain you remember this conversation.”

Ivy finally found her voice and unstuck her feet from the floor.

Rushing forward, she curled her fingers around her mate’s forearm and

tugged, but she might as well have been pulling on a two-ton boulder

for all the good it did.

“Damn it, Kai, let him go.”

“Don’t fret, dove. I won’t kill him, because that would upset you.”

His fingers flexed around Sion’s throat momentarily, his entire frame

vibrating with fury. “I simply want to assure we understand one

another.”

“Now who’s acting like a barbarian?” She loosened her grip and

rubbed his forearm in calming strokes. “I’m not some damsel in distress

who needs saving. I’m a soldier, a warrior, and like it or not, a few bumps

and bruises come with the job description.” Setting Hamlet on the floor,

she pressed in closer to her mate’s side and wrapped her arms around

his waist. “Let him go, Kai.”

Slowly, his fingers unfurled from Sion’s throat, and the corners of his

eyes softened when he turned to look at her.

“You’re right,” she pressed, “it would upset me if you killed him. I’m

also not keen on the idea of you maiming him, either.”

With a frustrated grunt, he flicked his wrist, sending Sion sailing

across the room to crash into one of the many bookshelves. “Very well,

my sweet dove, but if he harms you again…” He trailed off, leaving the

threat open-ended.

“I know.” She’d have to find a new sparring partner. Better yet, it

would probably be safer for everyone if she spent some time alone in the

training sim. “Consider me properly avenged.”

“You mock.” With a wave of his hand, he vanished Sion from the

library before the guy could even make it to his feet. “He’s back in the

Valley,” he said, answering Ivy’s unspoken question.

“Good idea. I think you both need some time to cool your jump

drives.”

Gathering her into his arms, he rested his chin on top of her head and

sighed. “I have no idea what that means, but if you’re implying we need

distance to calm ourselves, you would be correct.”

Echoing his laughter, Ivy rested her uninjured cheek against his chest,

thankful the crisis had been averted, at least for now. “That’s what I

said.”

“It would have been simpler to let me kill him.”

Ivy relaxed into the king’s embrace, and a shiver of pleasure rippled

down her spine when he began stroking her hair. “Probably, but I kind

of like having him around. Plus, this won’t be the last time I get knocked

on my ass during training.” Tilting her head back, she glared up at him.

“I have to train, Kai. It’s who I am, and you can’t freak out every time I

show up with a bruise or a scraped knee.”

Staring back at her, he lifted his hand to lightly caress the side of her

face with his fingertips. “I make no promises. You may be a warrior,

dove, but you are
my
warrior, my queen, my soulmate.” After several

heartbeats of silence, he offered her a concession. “You may train with

Tira.”

She didn’t remember asking for permission, but she tried to put

herself in Kai’s shoes. While she doubted she’d have overreacted to a

simple black eye, the idea of someone seriously hurting him filled her

with a cold rage that sank to the pit of her stomach.

Tira would be a worthy opponent, and she trusted the captain

wouldn’t take it easy on her just because she was the king’s mate. “And

what happens if she clocks me a good one?”

“I suspect you’ll both be bruised and bloody at the end of your

sessions. I won’t like it, but I will try to understand.”

Ivy blinked several times. “How is having my ass kicked by Tira any

different than getting my ass kicked by Sion?” It sounded sexist as hell,

and she didn’t like it. “I can take care of myself.”

“I don’t like him touching you,” he answered, the undercurrent of a

growl in his voice.

“Oh.” Realization dawned. “Oh!”

He didn’t want her sparring with Sion, because he didn’t want

another male touching her, not because he doubted her mad skills on the

mat.
That
she understood. Thinking of another female touching her mate,

even in the most casual of gestures, awakened a nearly uncontrollable

jealousy.

“Okay, big guy.” Arching her neck, she rubbed their lips together and

grinned. “Deal.”

“Thank you,” he breathed before capturing her mouth in a sweet,

lingering kiss. “Come, dove, a warm bath and a bit of hollygrass oil will

ease the discomfort.” He looked down to where Hamlet ran circles

around their feet. “And bring the little beast.”

Laughing, Ivy bent, catching the piglet on his next rotation, and lifted

him off the floor. “Can you just poof us to the bath?”

Kai frowned. “Yes, but I thought you didn’t like to be transported.”

“I don’t really.” It made her dizzy and a bit queasy to her stomach. “I

like the new guard even less, though. He’s waiting out in the hallway.”

“Has he done something?”

She rubbed Hamlet’s belly and shook her head. “No. He just gives

me a weird vibe.” Lowering her voice, she looked up, watching Kai for

his reaction. “I don’t trust him.”

Technically, Wyn hadn’t done anything wrong, and he said all the

right things, but something about him set off all her alarm bells. Maybe

because she knew he’d been sent by the elders to keep an eye on her.

Whatever the reason, she preferred to keep her distance as much as

possible.

“Who is he?” Kai asked, his gaze flickering toward the closed door.

“Wyn-something Nightstar. I can’t pronounce it.” She furrowed her

brow and scrunched her nose. “Why can’t he have a normal name like

everyone else?”

Surprisingly, Kai laughed at her. “My full name is Kaireedtheryl

Ignarian Blackthorn. It’s a tradition from the old days to give our

children lengthy names, because the ancestors believed an enemy must

know our true names to invoke magic against us.”

“Is that really true?”

Kai shook his head. “No, dove. It’s just a superstition that has

survived through the ages.”

“Yeah, well, I still don’t like him.”

“I’m not familiar with the name, but I trust your judgment. I’ll ask

Tira to research his background.” Winding his arms around her again,

he pulled her close and kissed her temple. “Close your eyes, dove. Let

me care for you.”

Warmth and safety surrounded her, and Ivy did as he asked without

argument. She had friends, people she cared about, and some she even

considered family. Never had she
needed
someone, not the way she

needed Kai.

She was barely treading water, struggling to keep herself from

drowning, and if she wasn’t careful, she didn’t doubt she’d soon find

herself head over feet in love.

“I’m not doing it.” Ivy crossed her arms over her chest and barely

resisted the urge to stomp her foot like a toddler. “This is ridiculous.”

“The celebration is in two days,” Cami reminded her. She sat curled

in one of the armchairs in the quarters Ivy shared with Kai, both Olive

and Hamlet sleeping peacefully in her lap. “Do you want to make a fool

out of yourself in front of everyone?”

Ivy felt sick. There would be hundreds of people in the dining hall,

everyone there to see the king’s new consort with their own eyes, all of

them judging her. Obviously, she didn’t want to embarrass herself or her

mate.

“My lady,” one of the female attendants with more bronze than black

in her long hair held up yet another dress for Ivy to consider. “This one

is quite lovely, and it matches the color of your eyes.”

It was indeed a beautiful dress. Dark green with bell-shaped sleeves

and gold trim around the collar and hem, it would certainly make an

impression at the celebration. It was also the ninth dress she’d been

presented with, and honestly, they all looked the same to her.

Cami wrinkled her nose. “No, that’s no good. It would look awful

with your skin tone.”

Ivy didn’t have a clue about any of that stuff, so she deferred to her

friend’s expert eye. “This is hopeless.”

Giggling, Cami eased the piglets out of her lap and rose to her feet.

“Honey, relax. We’ll find the perfect dress, and everything is going to

just fine.” She turned to the attendant and winked. “Isn’t that right,

Luci?”

“Yes, Lady Cami, that’s correct.” With a warm, motherly smile, she

draped the green dress across the mattress and turned to take Ivy’s

hands, squeezing them affectionately. “Calm yourself, child. We have

time, and no matter what you choose, you will be stunning.”

Ivy sucked in a deep breath, held it for a heartbeat, and released it in

a rush. “Thank you, Luci.” Curiosity got the better of her, and she had to

ask, “Will you tell me your full name?”

“Lucileendra,” she answered readily.

She rolled the name around on her tongue a few times and smiled.

“That’s beautiful.”

Since Kai had told her about the Xenon tradition, she’d asked both

Tira and Lorcan for their full names. She’d also inquired about Kai’s

parents, as well as the other elders, and a few random staff members

she’d passed in the corridors. At first, the long, complicated monikers

had seemed entirely strange, but the more she learned, the more

fascinated she became. Each name she learned was more unique than the

previous one, and she wondered if any two people on the planet shared

the exact same one.

She’d never given much thought to her own name. It was just