Aeres (Book 3 of The Land of the Forgotten Series)

Six Months After Carwyn’s Death

Castell Iris

Tir Anghofi

Aeres Baudelaire stared at herself in the mirror and gave a small sigh. She still looked like she was in her twenties, even though she was over three thousand years old. Her blue eyes looked sad to her, but that wasn’t a surprise. Sorrow weighed heavily over her, and she hated it.

It had been six months since her son had killed her mate. She’d known it was coming, had foreseen it, but that hadn’t made it hurt any less. It annoyed her, though. Carwyn had been so mean over the last few hundred years, and she didn’t want to miss him. She didn’t want this heaviness over her. But here she was.

Aeres knew that the pain would lessen with time, and if she somehow managed to fall for someone else, that would also help ease her heartache. But it wasn’t easy for the Fae to fall for someone after losing their fated mate, and many of them remained alone, caught up in their grief.

That was part of the reason Aeres had changed everything with the relic she’d sought, using Lucian, the evil bastard, to help her find it. She’d used it to create interspecies fated mates.

At least he’d had a handful of good uses. He’d found that relic for her, and he’d given her Darius. She loved him so much, and he’d brought joy to her heart. She loved his mate, Darcy, and their new pup. It was one of the few bright spots in her life right now, and she didn’t have many.

Aeres scoffed to herself. She had plenty of bright spots in her life, but she’d chosen to focus only on her loss over the last six months. She needed to get her shit together. Carwyn had been terrible for her, had cheated on her, and had pumped her body full of toxicity before he’d died. The betrayal of those acts still weighed heavily on her.

Aeres had never blamed Caden for his parentage. She’d tried her best to protect him through the years, but it hadn’t been easy. Carwyn had been hard on him, and she knew he’d tortured him. It angered her, but there was only so much she could do. She’d blamed Aneira, Caden’s mother, for a bit, but she’d been lying to herself. She knew how manipulative Carwyn could be. Was she surprised he’d seduced a young female who was barely eighteen? No.

But it still didn’t make it much easier for her to see the female, and she was glad she rarely ever had to. It hurt to know that he’d slept with her, that she’d been able to give him a child while Aeres had struggled to get pregnant. No magic had seemed to help her either, and she knew deep down that it just wasn’t the right time. It hadn’t made it hurt any less, though.

But she needed to shove all of that out of her mind today. She needed to think about other things, like the crowning ceremony. Her son, Osian, had just married his mate, Dahlia Remington, a month ago in front of the entire realm, though technically, he’d married her six months ago. Today, she would be crowned Queen of the Tir Anghofi Fae. Today, Aeres would hand over her crown.

She studied her reflection in the full-length mirror, turning to eye herself. The dress was over the top, and that thought made her giggle. It was necessary, though, and she’d deal, even though she felt hot and almost like she couldn’t breathe. She turned this way and that, eyeing herself critically, and nodded. She looked damn good.

Aeres pasted a smile on her face, then turned for the door, waving her hands to open it before she walked out into the hallway, her chin up like the Queen she was, or rather, had been.

The ceremony was being held in the throne room, and it was packed full. Fae from all over Tir Anghofi, and many shifters, had come for the event. Most of Regal Eclipse had come as well.

Aeres was sort of glad she was taking part in the ceremony instead of having to be in that throng. She didn’t want to stay any longer than she had to, but this event was important. It was one of the most important events in the history of the Tir Anghofi Fae.

“Mom.”

Aeres looked up at her daughter, Carys, and smiled at her. Carys was quite pregnant, but she still looked absolutely beautiful in the rose gown she was wearing. Her mate, Luca, the future Alpha King of Werewolves, was by her side. “You look beautiful, Carys.” She hugged her daughter to her tightly.

“So do you,” Carys said, hugging her back.

The baby in her belly kicked, startling Aeres, who smiled before looking to Luca. “It’s good to see you, too.” She hugged him as well.

“You’re looking well,” he said quietly.

“Mostly,” she murmured, pulling back.

His gaze said he knew the truth, and Aeres bit her lip and gave a small sigh. She hadn’t seen much of them lately, but then, she hadn’t seen much of anyone. She’d been avoiding everyone and everything for the last six months, and she didn’t give a shit what anyone thought of it.

“We ready?”

Aeres turned at the sound of her son’s voice, and her breath caught. Osian did resemble his father somewhat, but he favored her more. Today, he looked like the King he truly was, his long dark hair flowing around him, his robes failing to hide his broad shoulders and large frame. The crown sat on his head, sparkling in the lights, and made her smile, remembering his own crowning ceremony. She’d been melancholy then, too, as her mate had just gone to prison. She hadn’t known then that he would be dead twenty-five years later.

Osian stepped forward and kissed her cheek, his gaze searching hers.

“I’m alright,” she said softly. It was the truth. She was alright, but not great.

His lips pursed, but he nodded and reached up to cup her cheek. “Let’s get this over with then.” He gave her a smile, and she couldn’t help but smile back. She loved him so much, and she was proud of him. She really needed to get to know Dahlia better, too. She did like her and knew Dahlia would be a good Queen; she’d foreseen that, but she’d barely spent any time with her at all, or Scarlett, Caden’s mate.

Her gaze darted over to the couple. Caden, too, reminded her of Carwyn, but he was the better male. He’d been to Osian, which is what she’d hoped Carwyn would be. Caden had mentored him, and even now, she knew the two of them were best friends. She was glad he had that, but at the same time, sad because Carwyn had never really been much of a father to him.

Her gaze darted to Scarlett, who was wearing a beautiful green dress that brought out her eyes. Scarlett was good for Caden and had brought out his softer side, something Aeres had only seen him reveal with Osian when he was still a boy. He stood now with his arm around her waist and kissed her temple. “We doing this? Or did we get dressed up for nothing?”

She smiled at his question.

Osian turned to him. “You ready?”

“Been ready for too long. These clothes are itchy,” Caden said, pulling at his tunic.

“Stop,” Scarlett said very softly to him with a smile.

He grinned at her, warming Aeres’ heart. She’d seen him smile so rarely before he’d met Scarlett, but they came more frequently now. She wondered if he knew that Scarlett was pregnant yet. Not that she’d say anything. It was very new.

Osian met her gaze, and she nodded, letting him know she was ready. He nodded back and turned to the herald, nodding as well. The male waved a hand, throwing the double doors open, and stepped inside. “Ladies and Gentlemen, Osian Baudelaire, King of the Tir Anghofi Fae!”

The ceremony was annoyingly long, and Aeres was glad when it was over. Food would be served, and she would mingle some before stealing away to her rooms after she’d spent an appropriate amount of time with their guests. Of course, most of them were more interested in meeting their new Queen, and she was glad to be out of the limelight.

“Aeres.”

She turned to look at Ranald Remington, Dahlia’s great-grandfather and the original werewolf and Alpha King. Aeres had known him for a few millennia now, and he was a good friend. “Hello, Ranald.”

“You look lovely,” he complimented her.

“You look dashing. Where is Melinda?” she asked.

He pointed to where his mate was sitting at a table, one of her grandpups in her arms, looking incredibly happy. She waved to Aeres, who waved back.

“I won’t ask if you’re okay, but I am glad to see you,” he said quietly.

“I shouldn’t miss him like this,” she said softly.

“He was your mate. You have every right. Doesn’t matter what others think. He was still your mate.” Ranald took her hand in his and squeezed it.

She breathed out a shuddering breath. “I hate that I miss him.”

“Well, soon you’ll have other things to occupy your time,” he told her with a smile.

She looked up at him in surprise.

He just gave her a knowing smile. “We’ll be having one of these events soon ourselves. Within the next year.”

“Xavier is taking the throne?” Aeres asked him.

“He is. Kyra never wanted to rule for very long. She almost didn’t rule at all.” Ranald’s gaze trailed over to where his three greats-granddaughter stood in a beautiful, dark blue dress, her arm on her mates.

“Caleb told me her story,” she said softly. She knew Kyra had lost her mate. He’d been human and had been in a terrible car accident. It had taken quite some time for her to get over it.

“We’ll expect you to attend.” Ranald smiled at her. “Come. Darcy just came back with their pup, and I’m sure you need a little one to brighten your day.”

She smiled at him. “Thank you, Ranald.”

He shook his head. “No, Aeres. Thank you. For everything.”