Belle laughed. “I promise.”
Carter opened the door for Iola and was going to join her inside, but she stopped him.
“I can do this alone. I’ll be fine. Stay with Belle.”
He watched her enter the house, and despite the words of encouragement he’d offered her, a tingle of fear ran up his spine.
Chapter 8
Iola never expected to see Princess Tabaos again. And she certainly never expected to find her sitting in Carter’s family room, pretending to be from immigration. “What do you want?” she snapped.
“Eris sent me to check up on you.” The princess sneered.
“You mean to intimidate me.”
“Call it what you like.”
Iola stepped closer to the woman. “Eris has no power over me anymore. I fulfilled my task and saved a child. Now go away and don’t bother me again.”
“You think you can order me around! Not only am I a princess, but I am a goddess just like my mother, so you’d better watch out or you might wind up like that sniveling half-brother of mine.”
Iola was momentarily speechless in her surprise. “Prince Alexio was your half-brother?”
Tabaos narrowed her eyes, and her hate for him showed on her face. “Eris wasn’t his natural mother like she was mine—his was a mere mortal—but she doted on that fool as if he had been. However, you allowed me the opportunity to be rid of him, and I took it.”
Iola was barely able to control her anger. “You killed him. It wasn’t my remedy. It was you!”
Princess Tabaos met Iola’s icy stare straight on. “What if it was?”
Iola straightened herself with dignity, vowing never to let Tabaos or Eris have power over her again. “Get out. If I have to ask twice, you will surely regret it. You are in my world now, and you have no authority here.”
The princess shot her a look of disdain but headed toward the door.
Before she left, Iola said, “And you can give that message to your mother. The same thing applies to her.”
When Iola joined Carter and Belle out on the patio, her heart felt light and free. She’d known deep down that her remedy hadn’t killed the prince, but to have that confirmed made an enormous difference. That little seed of doubt had weighed heavily on her soul, and to have it gone meant the world to her.
“You did not cheat and look at my cards, did you?” Iola teased Belle.
“No, of course not. My dad is my witness.”
Carter laughed and put his arm around Iola’s waist, causing Belle to grin and say, “Looks like there might be a romance brewing,”
“Have you been talking to Maggie?” he asked.
The little girl shrugged, but the answer was written all over her face.
The three of them spent the rest of the day together, and after Belle had gone to bed, Iola told Carter about Tabaos.
“So she wasn’t from immigration?” he asked
“No. She made that up, so we don’t have to pretend to be engaged.”
“I didn’t mind.”
She was caught off guard by that and wasn’t sure what to say.
Carter didn’t wait for a response. “I’ll never stop loving Jenny, but because of you, I’m starting to feel again. I want you in my life, and I want you in Belle’s. We both need you.”
She was too surprised to do more than stare.
“What I’m trying to say is, I want you to stay…for a very long time.”
“Life with me may not be easy. Eris cannot be trusted to keep her word. She could pop back to cause trouble at any time. Are you ready for that?” Iola asked.
Carter wrapped his arms around her. “Happiness and love trump strife and discord every time.”
She couldn’t have asked for a more perfect answer, and to show how much she appreciated it, she pressed her lips to his and kissed him with all the passion and joy that she’d been waiting to express for the past three thousand three hundred and fifty-one years.
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Raine English began her career as a journalist, but writing romance novels was her passion. Her stories have won many awards, including finalling in the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart and winning the Daphne du Maurier Award. Along with sweet contemporary romance, Raine enjoys writing paranormal and Gothic romantic suspense. When not behind her computer, you can find her reading. She lives in New England with her family and her two French bulldogs, Dolly and Bailey. Website: www.RaineEnglish.com
The Oracle’s Guardian
Mara Amberly
The Oracle’s Guardian © 2020 Mara Amberly
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
The Oracle’s Guardian Mara Amberly
It is said that in ancient times, the Gods walked among us. Illyria, the guardian of the great forests taught her acolytes to hunt and keep a balance with nature. The God of War, Havian, helped defend the city of Merlas against a seaborne invasion. It was said he strode upon the waves and air as though they were earth, and when thrown with great force, his spear splintered the bows of ships.
I’ve always heard stories of the divine heroes who protected our people and guided us in times of need. I’ve wondered what happened to them, and no one seemed to know
