Breaker (Ondine Quartet Book 4) Read Online Free PDF

reassuring. “You could go back and forth.”
    Rivelleu was a well-run community. She didn’t need to be there all the time.
    “I’ll think about it.”
    I hoped so. “Come back soon.”
    “I will.”
    She gave me a gentle hug and departed in a cloud of subtle perfume.
    A silver head of hair crossed into view. Jeeves caught my eye and motioned.
    Murmuring a few excuses, I slipped away from the crowd and followed him into the antechamber.
    “What is it?”
    “The confirmation ceremony is in a week.”
    I nodded. It was when I’d officially become Governor.
    “Do you know what will happen to the Irisavie seat on the Council?”
    “Well normally, it’d be reserved until my child was of age, but since I’m not…oh.”
    Realization dawned. Crap.  
    Jeeves looked grim. “Because you are currently unmated and without child, the Irisavies will be cast aside. Jourdain will determine a new Redavi family to replace your seat.”
    Immortals were supposed to possess a wealth of wisdom accumulated through time. Jourdain, however, had proven to be more spiteful than benevolent. She controlled us like dolls, using us to continue fighting her war with the Shadow.
    Her absence from Rhian’s funeral spoke volumes. I’d had the nerve to question her tactics in the Selkie Kingdom and she clearly hadn’t gotten over it.  
    She’d select a horrific replacement simply to make my life miserable. The Council was already problematic. We needed an ally, not another enemy.
    “That’s not good. Jourdain hates my guts, Jeeves.”
    He seemed to be expecting that answer. “There might be a way around it. But I’ll need a little time to put it together.”
    “Fine. We’ll go over it tomorrow morning.”
    He hesitated.
    “Something else?”
    “You’ll need to leave the Academy dorms and move into the Governing House as soon as possible,” he said gently.
    Over the past few months, I’d spent more time away from the Academy than in it. Part of me understood that my life as a Lumiere student had ended long ago.
    But another part of me still found it difficult to let go.  
    “Yeah, I’ll get to it.”
    “ Sondaleur —“
    “I said I’ll take care of it.”
    Jeeves gazed steadily at me, sympathy in his eyes.  
    “I know it’s important,” I said quietly.
    He touched my arm. “Let me know when you’re ready.”
    His unspoken words were clear. Time was now a luxury. The elemental world was currently without a leader. The sooner I moved in and established my presence, the smoother the transition of power.  
    We stepped out into the hallway. Council members swooped in, murmuring their sympathies. A few were genuine; some simply kissed my ass. Others remained distant, wary of what kind of leader I would be.
    Gradually, the crowds thinned. Night clothed Haverleau in a silk cloak of darkness. It slid across the top of the ocean and hugged the coast, wound through lush gardens and paved streets, and wrapped around buildings of marble and ebony.
    I leaned against the wall and briefly closed my eyes. A moment of blissful silence.
    I felt his warm presence a moment before his low voice caressed me. He’d waited until everyone left.
    “Are you okay?”
    No. “I will be.”  
    I turned to face him.  
    Tristan leaned against the chamber doorway, a lock of tousled dark hair curving against his cheekbone, the chain of his amber pedaillon resting against the smooth line of his neck. In the moonlight, his golden skin appeared luminous, almost otherworldly. He looked so good it made my chest ache.
    “Hi,” I said.
    He smiled. “Hi.”
    He leaned in, his breath brushing my skin.
    A group of gardinels and chevaliers exited the Justice Department, their boisterous conversation cutting through the night.  
    I jerked away.
      “Your Highness,” one of the gardinels called out.
    Tristan raised a hand in greeting.
    Elementals now looked to me for a solution to this war and a plan for our future. If they knew I was involved in a