I am. But I ask anyway, “What would you do if I said no?”
“Work until you were.” He licks his lips.
“I can appreciate a hard worker.”
“As can I.” The movement of Ruvan’s hand stops at mine. Our fingers lace together. “May I ask you something?”
“Anything,” I say, and mean it.
“You’ve said you would never have a choice in who you married in Hunter’s Hamlet. Was that true?”
“You know I can’t lie to you.”
He chuckles. “Very true.” His expression grows more serious as our bodies cool and our heads clear. “Whydid you never have a choice?”
“Everything in Hunter’s Hamlet is kept in order and we all put our faith in that. For that reason, there’s almost no crime in the hamlet. No one goes hungry outside of extreme circumstances. People are clothed and sheltered. The security is our reward for the sacrifices we make in keeping the world safe from the vampir.”
“It sounds like a lot of sacrifices.” He runs his fang along his lower lip in thought. I allow him to stew on his next words. “If your mate would be decided for you, who made that decision?”
“For regular people in the hamlet, it would be themselves. They’d need the approval of their parents, or maybe the town council, of course, but matches were rarely refused. The master hunter has that honor for the forge maiden, since it is a position of great esteem. Usually one of the strongest hunters is selected as the husband of the forge maiden, to help protect the line and solidify the union of forge and fortress.”
Ruvan watches me as I speak, lips pressing into a hard line that I don’t understand.
“What is it?”
“Did you ever think of running away?”
“Not once. I had accepted my destiny.”
“And what will that destiny be once you are free?” He shifts closer, caressing my cheek and neck. His hands on me are a familiar, welcome feeling. “Once the curse is broken and the vampir have sworn never to attack again, what will you do?”
I roll onto my back and stare up at the ceiling. His fingertips draw lazy circles all over my body. But the touch doesn’t pull me from my thoughts. I exist in a place that is still only hypothetical. Not quite real. Notyet.
“It’ll take you a while to completely get rid of all the Succumbed. I’m sure there will be a need for Hunter’s Hamlet and a hot forge for a bit longer to keep the Succumbed from wandering into the Natural World.”
“But is that what you want?”
“I love the smithy.” I look up at him. “I love the heat, the possibilities. It is home for me and always will be.”
“My forge maiden—though not so maiden any longer, I suppose.”
I laugh and Ruvan leans forward, planting a firm kiss on my lips before pulling away with a sigh. He lies back as well and his side looks so empty that I am compelled to roll over and curl against him. His arm is around my shoulders, my head on his chest.
“Is that all?” he asks. “Just the smithy for you?”
“I’m not sure… Perhaps some travels, perhaps a family… I think I want to figure it out as I go.” I yawn. “What will you do when you are free of the curse?”
“The council agreed three thousand years ago when the long night began that the vampir lord or lady to break the curse would be our ruler. All the lords and ladies chosen in the line of succession were selected based on how close they were in title or bloodline to the throne when the night began. So, if—when—we break the curse, I will be king.”
I try and imagine it. My thoughts are becoming murky and dreamlike. I imagine a throne room, somewhere in this castle that I have yet to see. The throne is iron, like the crown resting on the statue of Solos in the chapel. He is swathed in a cape of crimson velvet and everything shines. The world is bright. Tempost is warm.
“You’ll be a good king,” I murmur, lids heavy and slowly closing.
“I will try. For the vampir…and for the humans of Hunter’s Hamlet.”
“Do you promise?” I ask, vaguely realizing that in none of our plans was a mention of what the future was for him and me.
“I swear it to you. As long as I draw breath, I will protect you and your home.”
