Page 83 of The Time Of Queens

“Dominic,” he corrected, and it was just even more proof that I was not currently facing my husband.

“I can’t stay,” I said, my voice dejected as his expression hardened.

“You will not leave,” he stated in return, his own voice now hard and unyielding. All playful banter and teasing was long gone. Which was when I knew it was time to hit him with the truth.

“I have been married to you for thirty years, we built a life together, we…”

“It does not matt…”

I sighed before interrupting him.

“We have children, Dominic.” This must have shocked him enough that he actually gasped. This was when I got up and swept my big red dress back, so I could scoot my chair closer to his before retaking my seat. Then I placed my hand on his thigh and told him in earnest,

“I have a family I need to return to.”

His eyes finally found my own, searching for the sincerity in them.

“It’s true… what you say is true.”

“I would never be so cruel as to say otherwise,” I pointed out, causing him to take in a deep breath.

“We truly have a family together?” he asked again, as if needing to hear it once more.

“Triplets. One girl and two boys,” I told him, and again he flinched in shock.

“Three… two boys and a girl?” he repeated, making me smile.

“Yes,” I replied, not wanting to get into the complicated matter of our boys and how to protect them, we could only have them in our lives when they were grown teens. Nor did I want to mention how Thane refused contact with us. How he still refused to accept being part of the family, let alone the powerful Demon he was.

Give it time, is what Draven had always told me whenever I got upset about this. For Theo might have welcomed us as his parents with open arms, but his brother had been quite different. It pained me in a way that tore at my heart whenever I thought about him. The monthly reports we would get, checking that he was still alright were always bittersweet. I was happy to know he was making his way in the world but pained that he still didn’t want us in it.

So no, I would not burden him with this knowledge, for I knew that my Draven suffered enough, just like I did. This despite always living in hope that one day he would need us. That one day he would tame his Demon side enough not to blame us for bringing him into the world. That in time, he would accept who he truly was and make peace with it.

But that day had yet to come, and with each year that passed, it only made it more difficult to bear.

“Gods, but I never dreamed such a thing possible… I am… I am a father.”

“Yes!” I was up out of my chair and hugging him tight, unable to hold back the emotion anymore. However, before our sweet moment could grow into anything more, suddenly there was a mighty booming sound before the house actually shook!

Draven was quickly out of his seat, holding me to him and walking us both to the window. Then once he opened it, the haunting smell hit us and with it, a memory of the tragic end to Witley Court.

It was the smell of…

Smoke.

31

THE PAST THAT BURNS

Whatever Draven saw with his enhanced eyesight meant he wasted no time in knowing how to act. He pulled me closer to him, turned me to face the room, and smashed the window, shielding me from any potential shards. Then he released his wings and before I could speak a word, he had me in his arms and was flying us out of the broken window.

I gripped on tightly, burying my face in his neck, waiting for it to be over. Because no matter how many times I had done this before, it still didn’t eradicate my fear of heights. The second we landed, I could then see the blazing inferno that ensued, making me gasp. I could also see everyone running out, along with those I cared deeply for. Vincent and Lucius were the first to join us, with Adam, Pip, Sophia, and Zagan quickly following where we stood not far from the conservatory.

“What happened… did everyone make it out?” Draven asked quickly, his concern for his staff his first priority.

“We managed to save all of the servants, the last few you see coming out now. As for what happened, I’m afraid it’s as we feared,” Vincent said tensely.

“How so?” Draven asked, his frown deepening by the second.

---