The Journal Keeper (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Read Online Free PDF Page B

completely freaked by the fact that they were real. Either way, she knew she would have to find a way to return home. While she and her parents weren’t exactly close, she enjoyed her job, and Dr. Cull relied on her to do the grunt work he couldn’t pile on the students. Just the thought of one of those graduate students getting their paws on her text had her gritting her teeth.
    No, she couldn’t stay in this weird place. She had to get back home.
     
    * * * *
     
    Nikolas noticed the way Rianne seemed to retreat into herself and wondered if maybe he and Dorin should have waited to tell her about her future as queen. He tried to remember that all of this was new to her, that she hadn’t grown up hearing stories of their world the way he and Dorin had of hers. The human realm was studied in all areas of Laurasia and Gondwanaland, along with their own history.
    There was once a time when the two realms coexisted, where humans, shifters, and magi walked between the two worlds without issue. It was so long ago, though, that no one alive could remember such a time. The humans began to fear the shifters and magi, creating weapons to use against them. In an attempt to keep their realm safe, they blocked off ancient passageways between the worlds. They built monuments on their side of the portals, barring shifters and magi from crossing.
    The shifters who became stuck in the human world were forced to keep to their animal selves, slowly losing their humanity until they became completely wild. Because of the swiftness with which the portals were closed, the magi who were barred from returning to Gondwanaland began working on spells that would allow them to create their own portals. It had taken them centuries, and by the time they returned, they had aged well beyond their families.
    Time began to move differently with the closing of the portals. The human world sped ahead of the shifters’ and magi’s world, creating a time flux. Human lives decreased rapidly over the course of a few millennia, resulting in the human population being unable to live past one hundred years where they had once lived for millennia. The humans forgot about their once-connection with the magical realm, and the memories of the portals faded into extinction.
    At least until the Hunters returned.
    Nikolas knew he and Dorin would have to teach Rianne about the history of the three species, how they came to be, and how her species had forced the divide. He wondered how she would take the news, whether she would accept her place with them or attempt to return to her own world.
    He had no illusions that she would give up her home without a fight. Dorin was deluding himself if he thought it would be easy to get her to give up the life she had known before them. Nikolas understood her situation better, having been removed from his home as well.
    Nikolas knew his place would not be as a delegator or peace-maker. He was a warrior, through and through. Despite Dorin’s claim that the three of them would rule together, Nikolas knew his place was on the battlefield. It was why he and Dorin made such a good team. Nikolas was the muscle, Dorin was the intellect. And Rianne would be the one to soften them both, offering a sanctuary that could only be found with the right woman.
    He looked down when Rianne shifted in his arms, pressing her body closer into his. He knew she was probably freezing, the red tint to her nose and cheeks making the rest of her skin appear as white as the snow around them. Instantly, his thoughts went to what clothing he would have made for her. It would be difficult to find fabric thick enough to keep her warm, but he would travel to the Tethys Sea and back if need be to find her proper clothing.
    In the meantime, he had no doubt he and Dorin could keep her plenty warm.
    “You know, you look a lot less scary when you smile,” Rianne commented.
    “Don’t let my men know,” Nikolas murmured, allowing his face to settle into a blank