The Archer (The Blood Realm Series Book 3)(137)
Mac arched a lupine eyebrow at that, rolling his eyes to look at the vampire. The woman had a kind heart, and was obviously a force to be reckoned with when she was protecting wolves. But she clearly didn’t have a head for strategy.
Kirill met his eyes for a brief second and then smiled at Loupe. “You’re right of course. Enjoy your evening, and tell Etienne I said hello.”
Author’s Note:
Those of you familiar with the Blood Realm series have no doubt noticed that this epilogue was a bit different. Usually, the epilogue is where the Blood Princes have a little meeting with the hero and heroine to formally invite them into the Blood Realm. In the original version of The Archer, that’s precisely what happened.
Then the epilogue turned out to be almost 17,000 words. For comparison, my average chapter length is about 3,000 words. That is obviously very long for an epilogue so I took the advice of one particularly loyal reader and wrote a new epilogue (which was originally going to be a bonus scene) and turned the old epilogue into a bonus short story entitled “The Unwanted Guest.” This short story is included free with The Archer, so please continue on and enjoy…
Jennifer Blackstream
Bonus short story: The Unwanted Guest#p#分页标题#e#
(Contains spoilers for The Archer, so read The Archer first.
You have been warned…)
“Robin!”
Adonis hefted himself away from the bookcase, ignoring the groan of old wood behind him. He’d been using the particularly sharp spine of an ancient book of maps to chase an itch behind his wing, but that endeavor was forgotten as his carefully chosen vantage point gave him the first view of the newest arrivals through the study’s open doorway.
It had been a few years since he’d seen Robin, but he’d have known the sidhe anywhere. Dressed in shades of forest leaves with hair so blond it was nearly white, he stuck out in the dark hallway like a will o’ wisp in a bog. As Adonis put himself in the center of the doorway, Robin’s face brightened with a broad smile. He squeezed the hand of the woman at his side and stepped into the room to embrace Adonis with the enthusiasm of true affection.
“It has been too long, my friend.” Robin clapped him on the shoulder, looking him up and down with an appraising eye. “The wings and horns suit you. If you’ll forgive my saying so, you were rather unremarkable as a human.”
“As are you,” Adonis responded easily. He spread his wings out for dramatic emphasis, the sharp snap of leather giving the gesture a satisfying flair. “It is good to be able to stretch again. And it’s so much easier to find one’s balance when one has the proper number of appendages.”
His gaze slid away from Robin, drawn to the beautiful woman he’d escorted into the room. Her hair was a glorious spill of color ranging from melted rubies to polished amber. It fell against her neck like a river of lava down a slope of ivory, wild waves combining with ropes of tightly wound braids. Her gown was simple, neat stitched panels of alternating shades of green, all of it held together at the bodice by darker green ribbons. She would have been truly stunning if not for the glint in her green eyes that said she was assessing him for the best spot to put an arrow.
“She’s not going to shoot you.”
Adonis glanced at Robin, only slightly assured by the upturned tilt of the sidhe’s mouth and the amusement sparkling in his eyes. “Lovely to hear it.” He flicked a wary glance at Marian then back to Robin. “You’re certain?”
“I am.” Robin chuckled, the sound moderately more reassuring than his smirk. “She’s thinking about it, mind you, probably has a soft spot all picked out. But that’s just her way. She won’t shoot you unless you annoy her.”
Marian pressed her lips together and glared at Robin, but there was no heat in it, and when she looked back at Adonis, her lips were pulled into an understated, but warm smile. “Robin’s told me a lot about you. He says you’re one of the few people who share his sense of humor. I find that both endearing and concerning.” Her smile widened. “And he’s right. I will shoot you if you annoy me.”
Adonis let out a short laugh, but the sound was cut off by Patricio’s sudden interjection.
“You’re as good as a pin cushion.”
Adonis’ tail twitched. “Ignore Patricio,” he told his guests. “He’s in a rather foul mood—as always. It’s something you just have to get used to, unfortunately, since he’s not one for self-improvement.”
It wasn’t the best opening for introductions, but it would suffice. With a sweeping wave of his hand, Adonis invited Robin and Marian farther into the room, opening his stance so he could see his guests as well as his fellow council members. “Gentlemen, meet Robin Goodfellow and his wife, Marian LeFey. Robin, Marian, meet Kirill, Prince of Dacia, Etienne, Prince of Sanguennay, Saamal, Prince of Mu, and Patricio, Prince of Meropis.”#p#分页标题#e#