By
Tessa Hale

My list of enemies is growing by the day. People I expect and those I never saw coming. But the one thing I know is that I’ll fight with everything I have to make it back to my mates.

My charmer.
My gentle giant.
My psychopath.
And my cruel prince.
Our powers are growing as our bond deepens.

And when they figure out who’s taken me? They’ll burn the world down around them…

If you haven’t read the other books in this series STOP! Go back and read them. This book begins where ‘The Last Aether’ left off.

Aura has been drugged and bound with elemental rope. As she wakens, she sees Aiden. This isn’t the first time he’s tried to kill her, but this time it’s not her he’s after, it’s Phoenix. Without his brother, he’s the next in line for the throne. Although Aura is certain his father would never pass the Kingdom to Aiden. The next hurt that comes is that Kerry is the one helping him. He’d managed to turn Kerry against her and Phoenix.

Needless to say, the way this plays out doesn’t end well for Aiden. There is much more betrayal to come as well. First from Riven’s father King Zephyr which forces them to the safe house they built in the Kingdom of Torrent. Zephyr again makes a move first with air messages to Aura with threats and then accusing Riven of trying to kill him, instead of the truth. King Torrent is willing to help in any way he can, but they need the neutrality of the Kingwood Academy.

Now two of the kings know of her quintessence. Phoenix’s father, King Ash is also on their side and will help if they need it. Aura is once again injured as they escape an attack on the safe house. Back on campus there’s even more at stake.

This is a favorite scene.

A commotion sounded outside the front door. “Get your hands off me, Carn,” Eva snarled.

“You aren’t permitted inside until you’ve been searched, and permission obtained,” he told her calmly.

“Then bloody search me,” she growled.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. What I didn’t have energy for today was Eva.

“I’m sorry,” Riven said softly. “I can talk to her outside.”

I shook my head. I didn’t want her to think she had power over me.

A few seconds later, the door opened, and Carn stepped inside. “Ms. Eva would like to see you, Your Highness.”

“I’m right here,” Eva snapped. “I can speak for myself.”

“It’s all right, Carn. Thank you for being so thorough,” Riven said.

Eva huffed.

The second Carn closed the door behind himself, Eva rushed to Riven. “What happened? I know you didn’t try to assassinate your father. You might wish you could, but you’d never act on it.”

“Wouldn’t be so sure about that, Ice Queen,” Kai said, plopping down next to me on the couch.

Her lip curled in his direction. “I didn’t ask you.” She turned back to Riven. “What happened?”

Phoenix took a seat on my other side, his hand slipping beneath my hair and kneading my neck. “Zephyr tried to assassinate Riv.”

Eva paled. A second later, color surged back into her cheeks, and she whirled on me. “This is all because of you. I warned you, but you wouldn’t listen. You selfish little—”

“Enough!” Riven roared.

Eva jerked as if she’d never heard Riven raise his voice before.

“You. Know. Nothing,” he growled.

The color drained from Eva’s face once again. “Riven—”

“Silence.” Riven prowled towards Eva. “Aura is my mate. Her soul is bound to mine in a way you’ll never understand. And I wouldn’t want it any other way. The only thing she has done from the very beginning is given me far more grace than I deserve. She’s fought for me when no one else would’ve. And yesterday?”

Eva swallowed. “She saved my damn life when my father poisoned me with black hemlock.”

Eva gasped. “That isn’t possible.”

“Sure is, Ice Queen,” Kai said almost lazily.

Sariah looked between all of us. “Black hemlock?”

Atlas nodded. “I saw it with my own eyes. Riv’s veins turned black, and it was taking root in his heart.”

“Aura pulled it all out of him,” Phoenix said. “At great cost to herself. Just like she gave us all a power boost today that almost cost her life. A power boost we wouldn’t have survived the battle without. So, if you’re still pulling some pissy jealousy act over Aura, just remember Riven wouldn’t be alive without her. She’s saved him more times than you’ll ever know.”

Tears brimmed in Eva’s eyes. The image was so shocking my jaw almost dropped. I’d never seen her anything but threatening or composed.

“You saved him?” Her voice broke on the word saved.

“I’ll always save him,” I said honestly.

Riven’s demeanor gentled. “She loves me, the same way I love her. I need you to see that. Because if you don’t let go of whatever animosity you have towards her, I won’t hesitate to cut you out of my life.”

Pain streaked across Eva’s face. “I’m sorry. I knew the danger she would bring into your life—”

“Through no fault of her own,” Atlas rumbled.

“I know. I just—” Eva’s gaze pulled to me. “—I was jealous. Riven and I have always had each other’s backs. I felt like I was losing my best friend.”

Damn it. I could hold onto my anger when Eva was cold and cruel, but her actually being vulnerable? I took a deep breath and pushed to my feet.

“I’m not trying to steal your best friend. I know things are different now and it’ll take time for all of us to adjust. But let’s all try to give each other the benefit of the doubt, okay?”

Eva bit the inside of her cheek and nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”

“The guys and I usually do family dinners on Fridays. Why don’t you come next time? You too, Sariah.”

Eva’s brows rose. “Really?”

I laughed. “I actually liked you when I first met you. It was only when the claws came out that I didn’t.”

Sariah tried to cover her laugh with a cough.

Eva blushed. “I liked you too. You keep Kai in his place.”

“Don’t be jealous, Ice Queen,” he shot back.

She rolled her eyes then sent me a hesitant smile. “I’d love to come to dinner.”

“Me too,” Sariah said with a smile. “No one usually invites us low-affinity folks to stuff.”

I frowned. “That’s bullshit.”

She grinned. “I knew I liked you.”

The door opened again, and Carn stepped inside. “Quincy and Headmaster Acker are here. They said they needed to speak with you about something. That it was important.”

And just like that, all the warm and fuzzies of mending bridges fled. What now?
Hale, Tessa. The Queen of Quintessence: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Romance (Royals of Kingwood Academy Book 3) Kindle Locations (1577-1620). Kindle Edition.

We all know that King Zephyr isn’t going to leave anything alone, then there’s also King Terra.

They need to fight together to beat the odds. Having a quintessence aether is a miracle and only two of the kings are willing to recognize that fact.

This book is full of action, romance, and many revelations. It truly wraps everything up neatly but not without pain and heartache.

5 Contented Purrs for Abigail!

Author of love stories with magic, usually with more than one love interest. Constant daydreamer.