Read Online The Twiceborn Queen (The Proving Book 2) by Marina Finlayson - Free Book Online Page B

are, um … together now.”
    “Really?” She clapped her hands and jumped up and down on the spot like a little girl. An oversexed little girl. “Ooh, that’s fabulous. About time!”
    “Yeah.” I grinned. It was pretty fabulous, despite everything. And what I felt for Ben went much deeper than any random dragon attraction to a well-built werewolf. “You won’t be seeing much of me any more. I’m moving in with him.”
    “Wow! That was quick.”
    “Well, we’ve been friends for such a long time—we know each other pretty well already. Now that we’ve realised how we truly feel about each other, there doesn’t seem much point waiting around.”
    “True. Didn’t I tell you you’d be perfect for each other? You should have listened to Mama Tanya ages ago.”
    “Yeah, yeah, you were right.” I rolled my eyes. “So how’ve you been? How are the girls?”
    “They’re good. I can’t wait for school to go back, though. They’re always fighting!”
    I nodded in sympathy, though I knew she didn’t mean it. She adored those kids. She liked nothing better than having them home where she could stuff them with some good Italian home cooking.
    “We’ll miss you. What are you going to do with this place? Rent it out?”
    “I haven’t had much chance to think about it yet.”
    “Well, don’t make a decision too fast. Just in case, you know? And keep your bank accounts separate! A girl can’t be too careful these days.”
    “Yes, Mum.”
    “I’m serious!”
    “I know, I know. Don’t worry.”
    “Can’t help it, hon. I’m a mum. That’s what we do. And I wouldn’t want to see you get hurt again.”
    Her usually mobile face held a rare serious expression, and I felt an unexpected wave of emotion, glad that somebody cared. But relationship problems were the last thing on my mind at the moment. Well, maybe not the last thing—but they were pretty far down the list. First I had to keep Ben alive to have a relationship with —and then I had my own issues to deal with. The proving didn’t end till either Alicia or I was dead. Like Highlander: there could be only one.
    Garth popped his head into the kitchen. “Do you want the rest of the stuff, or just the Lego?”
    “Ah …” There wasn’t much beside Lego. A couple of boxes worth of books, maybe, some board games. Would last summer’s clothes still fit Lachie? Boys grew so fast at this age.
    “What are you doing?” Tanya asked.
    “Packing up Lachie’s stuff. I decided you were right, it’s silly to keep hanging on to everything.” God, I felt so bad. If only I could tell her the truth—but it was too dangerous. “I’m going to donate it all to charity.”
    I guess that answered Garth’s question.
    “So pack it all up?”
    “Yeah, thanks.”
    Tanya put her hand on my arm as he left the room. “Good for you, hon. I know it must be hard, but I think it’s the right thing to do.”
    I gave her hand a quick squeeze. “Thanks. Well, I guess I’d better get back to it. Give Garth a hand.”
    “Sure. I won’t hold you up. You’re probably in a hurry to get back to that gorgeous feller of yours. I know I would be!” She grinned suggestively, then her face fell. “Can’t believe you’re moving out, though. We’ll miss you.”
    She pulled me into another fierce hug. Certainly no one could ever accuse Tanya of hiding her feelings.
    “I’ll miss you too.”
    She swiped at her eyes. “Oh, look at me, my mascara’s probably all over my face. I can’t believe how quickly things can change.”
    “I know.” God, did I know. This time last week I’d been a grieving mother, living a lonely, broken life, with Tanya and Ben my only friends. This time last week I’d been human.
    Now I had my beautiful boy back—an amazing, life-altering plus in the great scales of the universe. On the downside, I was no longer fully human, but some strange dragon-human hybrid, with my life at stake in a deadly game to see who would inherit the throne