the children from the Blood Kingdom, threatening to keep them from me if I leave. Kahleena is supposed to be the cure to saving this world, and my guess is she will also be the child he keeps hidden from me until this war is over. I could only get his men to bring the boys this morning for a visit. If you take them, at least I know they will be safe from this war and those who would seek to use them against us.”
“That will be a problem,” Eris muttered, pushing long, black fingernails through her silky hair. “I told you I would take all three of them, not just two.”
“Unless you have a way to figure out where she is, I can’t change it. Don’t you think I want you to take all of my children away from the war marching toward my gates? I don’t even know where to look for her.”
“He slept with another woman, and you accepted it?” she asked, lifting her brow in question. Eris watched the pain pinch my features as she pushed her hair away from her face. “I’ll take that as a yes. Why not just end his life?”
“He’s my husband.” Sucking my bottom lip between my teeth, I absently moved Cade’s hair out of his eyes. “He is the father of my children, and one day they will wish to know him. I’m not giving up on him yet. Last night he was vigorously pleasurable, and that’s something a lot of men can’t do. I also love him, which didn’t happen overnight. We’ve been through hell together, Eris. I didn’t come this far to lose him to some feeder who offered him a moment of pleasure during his lapse of judgment. He’ll return to me.”
“Hmm, if you become a good plaything for him?” she asked, snorting. “Girl, you deserve better. We all deserve better than what the gods give us for our future. Men are pigs, and they know one thing about women, and that’s where they fit within us—and some can barely figure that much out. I need you to think. Where would Ryder hide the third child?”
“Her name is Kahleena,” I grumbled, watching Eris closely. “I told you, I don’t know. I spent the entire morning sifting to every location I thought he would hide her, and yet I can’t even sense her anymore. It’s like she’s no longer in this world.”
“He’s fae. There’s no place else he would hide her than in Faery. I won’t be able to come back for her later, so put that pretty mind of yours to work.”
“Maybe if you wake him up, and we hold him in a trance, we could ask him?” I offered, watching as Zander moved closer to Eris, touching her. She frowned at him, shrinking away from his tiny hand.
“I can’t interrupt the change, or he may never wake up,” Eris mused, staring at Zander while he continued to look at her. “Shoo,” she said, flicking her hand at him like he was a dog.
“He’s a child, not a pet,” I snapped.
Her eyes widened at the tone of my voice, and she bent down, staring at Zander. “He’s got wise eyes. Say your goodbyes. I guess two will have to be good enough.”
I brushed my hand through Cade’s hair, kissing the side of his cheek. He grabbed my boob as his other hand touched my face, kissing my mouth, then licking his tongue over my lips.
“Is that normal?” Eris asked, scrunching up her face in disgust. She stared down at Zander, who held his arms up, motioning for her to pick him up until she finally gave in.
“No, but he’s a boy. Boys have little brains,” I shrugged, setting Cade down as Zander rested his head against Eris’s shoulder, staring at me.
“If he starts drooling, I’m dropping him.”
“He’s a child,” I pointed out, watching as she stepped closer to Cade, preparing to take them. “Wait,” I whispered, turning worried eyes on Ryder. “What if he doesn’t wake up?”
“He will wake up, eventually,” she said with