The Compeer (Royals of Rodina #1)

by Jamie Applegate Hunter

Emmy Traxus had been her best friend since she started working at Hayward’s Place five years ago.

She’s beautiful with shiny dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and smooth, amber skin. Her legs are long, and her shape is curvy.

Spring Equinox Gala in Uruk, the Spring Kingdom’s capital,

Chazriel, Winnie's older brother,

Emmy perked up at the sight of him and began to bat her lashes shamelessly. Chaz was handsome with golden hair and eyes that look either blue or green depending on his clothes, just like their mother.

Luther deGrey is a general in the Winter battalion and had become a father figure to Winnie and her brother.

Silas, the King of Spring,

Thad once fell in love with a woman and thought her to be his compeer, also known as a gods-blessed soulmate.

Larkin, the King of Summer,

The Summer King had tan skin, golden blonde hair, and

eyes the color of t...

The kings are immortal, but there was still civil unrest from time to time, and while they could not die from a mortal wound, it was still painful.

Silas was the charismatic Spring King who drew people in; Thaddeus was the brooding, mysterious king of Winter whom people rarely saw; Larkin was the carefree, easy-going Summer King, and Archer was the hard-handed, strategic genius king of Autumn.

Thad stood in front of Tillian, his current conduit bride,

Their hands were flat together in front of their bodies as he recited the words of the breaking ceremony, "I break my bond to thee. My blood is my blood. My power is my power. My home is my home. My land is my land. Under the gods."

It was strange to think a man beautiful, but there's no other word for it. He towered over her like a behemoth, with strong, corded arms she could

make out through his shirt that pulled taut across his chest. His dark hair fell in short waves over his forehead, and he had a defined nose, square jaw, and plump lips that she wanted to taste. His most striking feature, though, was his eyes. They were the palest blue she had ever seen and stood out in stark contrast to his hair.

He was a strong-looking man of average height with light brown skin, short black hair, and golden topaz eyes that ...

"That's right. It is why the kings must marry every year, for they can only be married for life to their compeer. They are the only ones who can rule beside the kings as equals and provide the gods-blessed heirs. She is the king's True Queen."

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around his middle. The moment their bodies pressed together, a shock ran through him that felt like iced lightning. She snapped her gaze to his, and he stared back, wide-eyed. He had never felt a jolt like that before, and he didn't know what it meant. He had to admit the pull to her was getting impossible to ignore, and as he stood there with her in his arms, the thought of leaving her was agonizing.

"She could

rip my heart wide open, and I would happily bleed for her."

"I think she could be my compeer," he rasped.

"I love you too, Thad. I'll love you until my dying breath." She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed. "Even then, I'll love you from the stars." "Even from the stars," he murmured.

"I love you. Even if you shatter my heart like glass, I'll love you still."

“You have no idea the way I feel about you, or you wouldn’t ask that question. The way I loved Lana is nothing compared to the way I love you. It was foolish, fickle love with her. It is world-shattering, heart-binding love with you,” he insisted. “Don’t you see? You are my soul. Without you, I am no one and nothing.”

I will spend every day of my life loving you, and even when it’s over, I’ll love you from the stars.