Page 91 of Three Scorched Kingdoms

I standat the entrance of the castle garden, watching the gnomes wrangle the kids. Three little dragons, all darting around with the boundless energy that only young ones have, weaving between trees and chasing after butterflies, or rather, attempting to torch them.

“Careful,” I shout when I see a stream of fire shoot out from Aelia nearly catching a butterfly mid-flight. “Don’t incinerate the wildlife!”

Ted waves his tiny arms at me as he races by on Kitty’s back. “Don’t worry, my lady! We’ve got it under control!”

Behind him, Zed is frantically trying to put out a small blaze Ignis, the oldest of the triplets, started in the bushes. Fred grabs a bucket of water, and Ned is running around with a butterfly net, trying to catch the butterflies before the children can. Or maybe he’s trying to catch the children. Who knows anymore?

I press a hand to my forehead, sighing with a smile. “Under control, huh?”

Aries chuckles beside me. “We’ll owe them big for this.”

“Think they know what they’ve gotten themselves into?” I ask, watching as Ignis takes off in the air, his tiny wings flapping furiously. At four, he’s still too small for proper flight, but that doesn’t stop him from trying.

“They’ll be fine,” Aries says, grinning as he watches our brood terrorize the garden. “They’ve defended the library against all manner of threats, including a full-grown hydra. Three little dragons should be easy.”

I snort. “Sometimes, I think I’d rather face the hydra.”

Aries chuckles as Aelia lets out another burst of flame, this time singeing the gnomes’ hats as she scurries past. Queen Dorthea watches it all from her vantage point on the veranda. Solaryn is perched on her hip with a cookie in each hand and chocolate icing covering her mouth.

Queen, indeed, I think, watching Dorthea dote on her grandchildren. It’s still strange sometimes to watch the former queen of Astronia spend her days chasing her grandkids around rather than being chased by courtiers and advisors. But Dorthea seems thrilled with her retirement, even going so far as to take the triplets camping last weekend up in the foothills—a trip that resulted in her wearing pants for what was apparently the first time in her fae life.

Leo hasn’t let her live it down.

Now, watching her and the gnomes wrangle the triplets is both a joy and a bit of a disaster waiting to happen. But I shove aside the worry, grabbing Aries’ hand. “Come on, let’s go before I change my mind.”

We slip out of the garden, heading back inside where Leo and Elyra are already striding toward us hand-in-hand. The diamond on her finger gleams even from here. It’s the largest, gaudiest thing I’ve ever seen, but she seems to love it almost as much as she does the mate who put it there.

“Ready?” I ask.

“Yes, sorry we’re late,” Elyra says. She runs her hand down her green dress as if to make sure it’s unruffled.

“We got held up.” Leo smirks at Aries, and my mate shakes his head.

“Right on time, actually,” I say, turning to the smooth section of wall and calling my magic to me. “This spot works as good as any.”

With a few mental nudges to the magic, a portal appears, swirling and whirling over the wall. The surface is murky, but it’s not the inky darkness that once would have given us all pause. This is a navy blue that winks with what looks a lot like stars.

A window to another world.

My home away from home.

I lead the way, stepping through with Aries’ hand still firmly twined with my own. He’s close behind me. Even after all this time, he won’t take any chances of being separated—not by magic or anything else.

On the other side, I inhale the scent of dust and paper.

A thousand memories wash over me, as they always do when the Athenaeum first hits my senses. Blossom and Mag have made changes, but the heart of this place remains unchanged. Maybe that’s why I see my childhood everywhere I look. Where it once used to feel like a prison, the library now feels like a second home. One I haven’t visited nearly as often as I’d like since the triplets were born.

“It’s quiet,” I say as we make our way through the stacks.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Aries asks.

Behind us, Leo and Elyra step through the portal.

I glance behind them to where the magic continues to swirl, beckoning.

“You think they’re going to be okay?” I ask with one last glance at the castle before it disappears behind us.

“The kids or the gnomes?” Aries teases.

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