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crazy. Elijah had to admit that he was no longer capable of protecting her if Nico and Ruth came at them while they were somewhere in the open alone together. Both had grown so tremendously in power that no one was safe from them. And since Nico had fed from Bella, acquiring the little Druid’s remarkable power ... and Ruth had boldly attacked Syreena ...
    Nicodemous laid waste everywhere he went, and his demented Demon mistress could destroy any mind she touched. It was a recipe for utter devastation and it was eating away at Elijah’s world from every direction.
    And so his first child, the product of the incredible love he shared with his Lycanthrope bride, was a point of fear and contention in his marriage when it ought to have been just the opposite.
    “Hello, Kitten,” he said softly as she moved eagerly into his embrace. She reached for his face, the fingertips of both hands smoothing over the blond brows that so perfectly matched her hair, rubbing away the creases that had formed between them. It was a common action of late, becoming a habit, really.
    “Worrying again?” she asked, although her free access into his thoughts easily told her that he was.
    “It’s time, love. You know that it is. Your people need to feel secure in the royal line, and ever since Syreena ...”
    “I know,” she sighed. “And I am not so able to hide this anymore.”
    Elijah drew her out of the main receiving room, turning the nearest corner with her. After a quick look around, he reached out for her belly and engulfed it in his big hands. She was just past her first flush of showing, warm with her high body temperature and full enough to fill his hands as he rubbed them over her. She smiled, unable to resist, letting herself enjoy the moment for a change. She had never thought she would be the sort to take to motherhood. To be honest, it still frightened her a bit. But being a substitute mother to Leah all these years had changed her feelings on the matter greatly. It had taken a great deal of clever work to avoid pregnancy during her heat cycles in the interim, her behavior very much the opposite of her sister’s. Syreena had barely been wed before she had begun to strive for a child.
    The thought of her sister ended all the warmth of her feelings, bringing them crashing down. Elijah felt the change, looked up into her sad eyes, and then reached to bring her close. He hugged her tightly, hushing her softly against her ear when tears pricked at her eyes.
    “If only ...” she said brokenly.
    “I know. But we can’t focus on our regrets. We can’t wish for something that wasn’t. And where do we change the past, even if we could? If only Syreena had been protected? If only Nico had never drunk from Bella, giving him and Ruth the power to get to Syreena? If only we had killed Ruth long before she had met Nico? If only Ruth had never been born? I hate to say it, but Ruth was integral to the birth of the Mind Demon ability. She was the first female born with that power. She was the first female to become Elder. All those who came after her learned from her experiences. Even Ruth’s madness was necessary. If she had never kidnapped Syreena, Damien would never have fallen in love with her.
    “Kitten, we can’t play with the past in our heads. We can’t do that to ourselves. All we have is the here and now. We must deal with the present and try to shape the future as best we can.” He smoothed his hand over her hair, a thumb drifting over her cheek. “We can try our best to be happy.”
    She sighed.
    “I’m afraid that it might not be possible.”
     
     
    A short distance away Leah was eavesdropping on their conversation, her thin arms wrapped tightly around her body.
    If only ... she thought.
     
     
    Later that night, Leah was sitting in a private alcove located outside one of the busier caverns of the Lycanthrope court. The hub of the court and castle consisted of a well-populated village aboveground that protected the