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    The Lion, the Witch, and the Werewolf


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      The Lion, the Witch, and the Werewolf

      Amy Sumida

      CONTENTS

      Title Page

      Copyright

      More Books by Amy Sumida

      Sign up for Amy's Newsletter and get a free gift:

      Pronunciation Guide at the back of the book.

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Twelve

      Chapter Thirteen

      Chapter Fourteen

      Chapter Fifteen

      Chapter Sixteen

      Chapter Seventeen

      Chapter Eighteen

      Chapter Nineteen

      Chapter Twenty

      Chapter Twenty-One

      Chapter Twenty-Two

      Chapter Twenty-Three

      Chapter Twenty-Four

      Chapter Twenty-Five

      Chapter Twenty-Six

      Chapter Twenty-Seven

      Chapter Twenty-Eight

      Chapter Twenty-Nine

      Chapter Thirty

      Chapter Thirty-One

      Chapter Thirty-Two

      Chapter Thirty-Three

      Chapter Thirty-Four

      Chapter Thirty-Five

      Chapter Thirty-Six

      Chapter Thirty-Seven

      Chapter Thirty-Eight

      Chapter Thirty-Nine

      Chapter Forty

      Chapter Thirty-Seven

      Chapter Thirty-Eight

      Chapter Thirty-Nine

      Chapter Forty

      Chapter Forty-One

      Chapter Forty-Two

      Chapter Forty-Three

      Chapter Forty-Four

      Chapter Forty-Five

      Chapter Forty-Six

      Chapter Forty-Seven

      Chapter Forty-Nine

      Chapter Fifty

      Chapter Fifty-One

      Chapter Fifty-Two

      Chapter Fifty-Three

      Keep reading for a sneak peek into the next book in the Godhunter Series:

      Chapter One

      Pronunciation Guide

      Glossary of Characters

      About the Author

      Copyright © 2019 Amy Sumida

      All rights reserved.

      ISBN: 9781797514802

      Legal Notice

      This book is copyright protected. It is only for personal use. You cannot amend, distribute, sell, use, quote, or paraphrase any part of the content within this book without the consent of the author or copyright owner. Legal action will be pursued if this is breached.

      More Books by Amy Sumida

      The Godhunter Series(in order)

      Godhunter

      Of Gods and Wolves

      Oathbreaker

      Marked by Death

      Green Tea and Black Death

      A Taste for Blood

      The Tainted Web

      Series Split:

      These books can be read together or separately

      Harvest of the Gods & A Fey Harvest

      Into the Void & Out of the Darkness

      Perchance to Die

      Tracing Thunder

      Light as a Feather

      Rain or Monkeyshine

      Blood Bound

      Eye of Re

      My Soul to Take

      As the Crow Flies

      Cry Werewolf

      Pride Before a Fall

      Monsoons and Monsters

      Blessed Death

      In the Nyx of Time

      Let Sleeping Demons Lie

      (The Lion, the Witch, and the Werewolf)

      Beyond the Godhunter

      A Darker Element

      Out of the Blue

      The Twilight Court Series

      Fairy-Struck

      Pixie-Led

      Raven-Mocking

      Here there be Dragons

      Witchbane

      Elf-Shot

      Fairy Rings and Dragon Kings

      Black-Market Magic

      Etched in Stone

      —Completed Series—

      The Spellsinger Series

      The Last Lullaby

      A Symphony of Sirens

      A Harmony of Hearts

      Primeval Prelude

      A Ballad of Blood

      A Deadly Duet

      Macabre Melody

      Spectra

      Spectra: A Cynical Superhero

      A Gray Area

      Erotica

      An Unseelie Understanding

      Fairy Tales

      Happily Harem After Vol 1

      Including:

      The Four Clever Brothers

      Wild Wonderland

      Pan's Promise

      Beauty and the Beasts

      The Little Glass Slipper

      Happily Harem After Vol. 2

      Including

      White as Snow

      Awakened Beauty

      Codename: Goldilocks

      Twisted

      Historical Romance

      Enchantress

      Sign up for Amy's Newsletter and get a free gift:

      http://google.us11.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=398603e0fc6b3876340e37356&id=3abd32edce

      And dive further into the worlds of the Godhunter, Twilight Court, and Spellsinger, at Amy's website:

      AmySumida.com

      Pronunciation Guide at the back of the book.

      Chapter One

      I stared out across my territory with a satisfied smile. My werelion husband Kirill was teaching our daughter how to stalk her prey. They were crouched in the high grass; a massive, black lion and little, golden cub. Lesya was nearly two years old; it was just a little over four months until her birthday. But with her werelion genes, she was more like a five-year-old, already running around and talking people's ears off. Speaking of birthdays, my twin sons were having one soon. Arach was planning a huge party for them in Faerie. They had matured at an accelerated rate as well and although they were only turning four, they were physically and mentally closer to nine. I often lamented the baby years I'd missed, but I consoled myself with the knowledge that I'd have them forever. Fair enough.

      Out on the grassy plain, my black lion pounced on the practice target I'd made for Lesya; a small, fake deer. He went straight for the neck to show our daughter the way to kill mercifully. I could have gone out there with them, but I wanted Kirill to have this. Lesya was more of a miracle for him than she was for me. I'm not saying that I don't love my daughter; I love her deeply, but Kirill had longed for a child and spent centuries believing that he would never have one. That was longer than I'd been alive. So, as much as it's true that there is nothing like a mother's love, Kirill's love for our daughter might just surpass it. She had literally brought him back from death before she'd even been born. I'd be jealous if I didn't love both of them so damn much.

      Behind me, my angel husband was spreading an assortment of books across my bed. Another student in our midst; one much older than little Lesya.

      “Which class should I take first?” Azrael asked me.

      I turned away from the balcony and headed back into the bedroom. It had been almost three months since I had returned from my honeymoon with Re and in that time, I'd made a few changes; the largest being an addition to the towers that bracketed my balcony and Lesya's bedroom directly above the balcony. Each tower had a new room on the bottom level; one for Re and one for Toby.

      Re wasn't about to give up his palace in Aaru, but I wanted him to have a space here where he could keep a few things for when he spent the night. The same went for Toby, who had recently built a Tu
    scan-inspired villa at the base of the mountain where he used to live with his twin brother in a cave. It was a nice cave but Toby had needed his own space. So, now all of my men had a place in my home. Well, all of them who lived in the God Realm. We were becoming quite the family and a lot of it had to do with Trevor.

      Trevor had stepped back into his role as Alpha among my men with more grace than any of us had expected. He was still Trevor; my laughing, loving werewolf prince who used “dude” too often (thanks a lot, Griffin) and grinned lopsidedly. But he was also the Wolf; my sexy, savage lover and possessive husband. The Wolf had been pushed down beneath Trevor's desire to make the other men and me happy, but he had emerged recently due to some trauma we'd experienced. He'd revealed a lot to me; mainly, how Trevor had been suffering. I had promised Trevor that he would always be my first lover—my alpha mate—but I'd forgotten that promise somewhere along the way, and Trevor had allowed it because he loved me.

      The Wolf reminded me of my vow and took back his position; reestablishing his dominance in our family. He'd done it in a wild way; absconding with me to the Froekn's cabin where he drew me down into our baser desires for days. When we finally surfaced from our lusty ride, I was pregnant, and he was Alpha. As much as I'd wanted to wait awhile before I had another child, now that my son was on his way, I was overjoyed. Trevor was right; it was time for Vero to be born.

      Because of the Wolf's conquering manner—the way he swept in and took over—my other husbands and boyfriends (Re was still my fiance at the time) expected Trevor to behave like a dictator. But that wasn't the case at all. Trevor was used to the hierarchy of a pack and once he'd been reconfirmed as the head of ours—joint head with me, thank you very much—he became a confident leader who directed our family unit with expertise and compassion. Trevor had been the one to suggest the new tower rooms. He'd also been the one to encourage Azrael when he started to doubt himself.

      Azrael was going to school; the Angelic University to be exact.

      I looked over the textbooks the Principal had given Az to help him decide what courses he wanted to take. My fingertips coasted over the supple leather covers of books on human studies such as Art History, Modern Cultures, and Politics. Then there were the larger books on Angelic courses such as Guiding the Will, Generating Compassion, and The Gentle Presence.

      “What excites you?” I asked even though I already knew the answer.

      “Well, Art History, of course,” he said with a little frown.

      Even the frown looked good on him but then he'd always been irresistible to me; from the very first moment we met. With the classic face of an angel, a jawline for days, a body that just wouldn't quit, eyes that could shift from sky blue to sparkling diamond, and a pair of midnight, feathered wings, it would seem obvious why I found Azrael so damn attractive. But it was more than his outward appearance. Az had once touched my soul, and there is no connection like that. And believe me, I have some amazing bonds with my lovers; I know all about them. From Werewolf bindings to the Dragon-Sidhe blood-tasting, I had connected with my men in such profound ways that I could say with absolute certainty that I knew exactly what kind of men they were. But only Azrael had touched my soul.

      “You don't think I should take something I'm not familiar with?” Azrael asked.

      “This is purely for pleasure, Az,” I pointed out. “Learn what you want to learn and take as many classes as you like. You have nothing holding you back and no goals to reach besides the ones you set for yourself.”

      “You're right.” His smile was radiant, nearly as radiant as the Sun God who walked in.

      “Off to school, kid?” Re asked Az.

      “Choosing my classes,” Azrael said brightly. “I'm going to start with some art courses.”

      “Excellent!” Re declared. “Before you run off and gather your paints, do you think you could help me carry in a gift for our wife?”

      “A gift?” I asked.

      “Sure,” Az said at the same time.

      “It's a surprise.” Re winked at me.

      Azrael followed Re out with a shrug directed at me. Re loved giving me presents. Sometimes it was something little and sometimes large, but ever since we'd gotten married, the gifts had started coming more frequently. The other men merely shook their heads at his behavior, but it made me nervous. What was prompting the excessive giving? Did Re feel insecure? There was no reason for that; my other husbands had welcomed him into the fold with open arms. Had I done something?

      That was the one downside of Trevor allowing the Wolf to take over and seize back the alpha reins. Discovering that Trevor had been unhappy left me wondering if the others were harboring secret resentments as well. I'd always thought that our bonds would let me know if my husbands weren't satisfied, but it seemed that I was wrong. They could hide things from me if they wanted to.

      “Surprise!” Re declared as he and Az lugged in a giant mirror.

      I blinked in shock. No wonder Re needed help. The thing was nearly twice my height. It hadn't been the weight but the awkwardness of its size that had necessitated assistance. The mirror looked old, perhaps even ancient. But that may have just been the frame. The mirror itself didn't have any of the wobbly surface qualities or black spotting an old mirror usually possessed, and they didn't even have glass mirrors in the ancient world. Unless it was a god mirror.

      I peered closer.

      The frame was hand-carved wood that had been gilded. Greek columns stood on the vertical sides; flowers wrapping around them and extending up to form a garland that was the top of the frame. The bottom was carved to look like grass. It was extremely detailed work and the gilding was pristine; pressed tightly into the carving to show every blade of grass and even the veining in the leaves. It was also enormous; large enough to show Re, Azrael, and myself together.

      “Are those narcissus flowers?” I asked Re.

      The Sun God beamed at me and nodded. We had the flowers at our wedding and they would always remind me of him. Not just because of their presence at the ceremony but also because of the laugh we'd had over them when we decided to include them in the first place. Narcissus flowers for the narcissist. It had been perfect.

      “It's beautiful,” I said.

      “Where would you like it?” Azrael asked.

      “The dressing room,” I said absently.

      Something about the mirror unsettled me.

      “Where did you get it?” I asked as I followed the men into my dressing room. “Right there; just move the other one aside. I'll make it into something else later.”

      They moved the full-length mirror that was propped against the wall in my dressing room and replaced it with Re's gift. The gold gleamed brightly despite the fact that we hadn't bothered to turn on the light when we came in. The new mirror took up twice as much space as my last one—both in width and height—and fit snugly between the built-in cabinets that bordered the clothing racks. Thank goodness I'd left space around the last mirror.

      “I found it at an auction,” Re said. “A human auction. Can you believe that? It's a god mirror.”

      “I thought it felt odd,” I murmured.

      “Yeah; there's definitely some magic in it,” Re said. “Probably something to do with appearances. Just don't go asking it to do anything until I've had more time to research it.”

      “You gave Vervain a magical mirror that you haven't researched?” Azrael asked in horror.

      “Magic needs to be activated,” Re huffed. “It's been in human hands for years and no negative incidents have been connected to it.”

      “That doesn't mean anything,” Az said. “For all you know, it could eat people and leave no trace of them behind.”

      “There are mirrors that can eat people?” I asked as my eyes widened and I backed away.

      “No; there aren't,” Re assured me with a disgruntled glance at Azrael. “This mirror is harmless unless you try to invoke something. Honestly, even if you did shout commands at it, I doubt it would work. You have to know what magic to
    activate and the correct words to use to do so. You can't just throw random spells at god items and expect them to function.”

      Azrael simmered down. “Yeah; I suppose he's right.”

      “I'll be careful with it,” I promised.

      We all headed out of the dressing room. My eyes strayed to the mirror as I reached the threshold; just a quick glance. Something moved within the glass. I froze and did a double take but there was nothing there.

      “Must have been shadows playing tricks on me,” I murmured.

      Chapter Two

      Later that day, I received a text from an old friend who I haven't heard from in awhile. My life had been consumed by the God world and it had been a long time since I'd had a free moment to connect with my human friends. I'd taken to keeping in touch through text. Not because I was too much of an ass to call but simply because texting from the God Realm was easier than calling. The transfer was made through a vein of Internet that was connected to my territory and text went through fine while phone calls often ended up getting garbled.

      I felt horrible about letting my human friendships fall by the wayside, especially since my friends had been such strong supporters of mine, even after they found out about the godhunting. But, in the way of long distance relationships, several friendships had faded away. Tristan and Jackson had held on the longest but both of them had stopped texting me about six months ago. So, it was with surprise and pleasure that I read Tryst's text. He was asking if I had time for a visit, and it just so happened that I did.

     


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