Women in the small kingdom of Aeriana are disappearing.
Iris Daniels, a budding painter in the East Territory, is trying to keep her head down. In a kingdom filled with abilities, music, and Destined love, Iris is determined to build a career out of...
Rất tiếc! Hình ảnh này không tuân theo hướng dẫn nội dung. Để tiếp tục đăng tải, vui lòng xóa hoặc tải lên một hình ảnh khác.
"Most commonly, abilities are nothing more than a sense of intuition or affinity. But the kingdoms have seen stronger, sometimes incredibly powerful abilities. Though some researchers have speculated that it results from the strongest Destined bonds, others wonder if we've turned a corner in evolution, and that this is just the beginning."
— Abilities: Friend or Foe?, UndergroundAces Website.
Reese needed a moment. Just a moment to pull everything together before he went back in with the king. Outside the king's door, he stopped, hand on the doorknob, and tried not to let his head fall forward to hit the door.
He was of no use to the king or Wylan, like this.
Kara used to tell him he expected too much of himself. That his self-imposed requirements and rules were too much. "You need to be kinder to yourself, Reese," she'd tell him. "It's not fair for you to expect things from yourself that you wouldn't also expect from one of your men."
Kara had a lot of concern for his work and his work ethic when she'd been alive. Of all the Aces in the kingdom, no one had seen him the way Kara had.
He missed her.
Some days that missing was nothing more than a dull, burning ache. Other days, it felt as if he'd split his soul open.
Today, his soul felt serrated.
Standing there at the door to the king's chambers, it was all he could do to stay standing. What would Kara say if she knew the pain her son was in? What would Kara do if she knew her son's Destined would soon follow her back to the Stars?
Reese inhaled in a ragged breath. Then straightened.
He needed to be there with his son. If nothing else, he needed to guide his son through this.
But first, he needed to ensure the king was ready for the Sarians' arrival. And that he had all the updates available.
Kara, how am I going to do this?
One step at a time, she'd have told him. The only woman who knew him, down to his soul. The only other Ace who understood him so deeply, he'd known he'd never have that same understanding with any other Ace for the rest of his life.
One step at a time.
Reese entered the king's chambers. Demitri looked up when he walked in. The seat where Catalina was previously was now empty.
"Catalina had an appointment with her team," King Demitri explained to him. "I told her to be present. We'll alert her to any change." His voice was weaker today. It lacked the power usually behind it, as if he didn't have the energy to even voice his words the way he normally did.
