Fantasyland, #4
Broken Dove
by Kristen Ashley
Contents
Chapter Thirteen
Overview
After the crisis in Karsvall, Apollo and Maddie reconnect through an intense, emotionally charged encounter driven by his awe at how fiercely she protected his children. In the quieter aftermath, Maddie learns Christophe and Élan are safe, while Apollo learns that Pol’s abuse caused her to lose two children.
The chapter deepens their intimacy and trust: Apollo comforts Maddie, places her in the dower house on her own terms, and makes clear he wants her eventually woven into his children’s lives. He also signals that the threat against his family is larger than a single attack, withholding the interrogation results until morning as he prepares his next move.
Summary
In the night after the attack in Karsvall, Maddie wakes from an anxious, blood-colored dream to Apollo pulling her fully awake. Apollo is intensely aroused and emotionally charged by what Maddie did for Christophe and Élan: although the children are not hers and she barely knows them, she fought to protect them without hesitation. That fierce loyalty changes how he sees her, and their reunion becomes rough, urgent, and mutually wanted.
Afterward, Maddie immediately asks whether the children are safe. Apollo explains that Élan was frightened by hearing the fight but did not witness the violence and that neither child was ever physically endangered. Maddie worries she overreacted, but Apollo does not mock her; instead, he is moved by her instinct to defend his children.
The conversation then turns unexpectedly to Maddie’s own losses. When Apollo asks about the children she lost, Maddie reveals that Pol’s violence caused the death of her unborn son and that she later miscarried a daughter at six months. Apollo reacts with anger at Pol and then shifts to tenderness, covering Maddie, holding her close, and calming the moment rather than pressing her further.
Once they settle together in bed, Apollo explains practical decisions. Maddie is housed in the dower house so she can control when she sees Christophe and Élan, and Apollo has already sent messages about their delayed return and the information gained from the captured attacker. He refuses to share the interrogation results until morning, says he must spend time reassuring his children, and makes clear that he also wants Maddie to meet them when she is ready because he believes love can grow between them.
Apollo then states that he will sleep in Maddie’s bed and hold future strategy meetings there with his men, keeping the children away from dangerous discussions while allowing him to stay close to Maddie. As they drift toward sleep, he thanks her for riding beside him without rest to help reach his children. He also openly notes that she enjoyed the roughness between them and hints that their sexual relationship will deepen further, ending the chapter by calling her a lioness and making clear that her ferocity pleases him.
Who Appears
- Madeleine "Maddie"Protective heroine; worries over the children, reveals her lost pregnancies, and grows closer to Apollo.
- Apollo UlfrMoved by Maddie’s ferocity, comforts her, asks about her losses, and plans next steps against his enemies.
- ÉlanApollo’s sensitive daughter; frightened by the attack but confirmed physically safe.
- ChristopheApollo’s son; one of the children Maddie rushed to protect and Apollo intends to reassure.
- PolMaddie’s abusive husband, identified as the cause of her lost son and later miscarriage.
- AchillesMentioned as having calmed Maddie earlier and helped her rest after the ordeal.