“Do tell.” She leans closer. “No, wait.” She sighs and settles back again. “We need to get this done. Mother will be out here looking for me if I don’t check in with her soon.”
Emma’s right. Eloisa Druzy tried to get into our chambers as soon as resting hours were over, was stopped by the captain of my guard, and then fought like a drunken redcap to get past them. When I finally calmed everyone down, she marched into my room, ushered me out, slammed the door in my face, and spent an entire hour with my mate.Without me.
“Still pouting over mother-daughter time, I see.”
“I’m not pouting. I’m a king.” My feral falls into a pile of dismay, one paw over its eyes. We’re so dramatic sometimes.
“You’ll get used to my mother.” She kisses me softly, and I can feel what she left unsaid: “You’ll get used to my motherif we win this war.”
“We’ll win.”
“I’ve seen what Eraldon can do.” She grips my hands a little tighter. “He’s cruel and focused. He won’t let anything get in his way. And …”
“And?” I stroke my thumb over the backs of her knuckles.
“And I’m scared about being queen. I mean, I’m a terrible sock darner. Not a ruler.”
We’re both sitting cross-legged in the high grass, and yellow flowers dance in the breeze around her. She’s beautiful and lethal. I know she’s changed, but I still see her. Only her.
“You’ll be an amazing queen. I know it’s scary, especially since you didn’t grow up with royalty foisted on you from your first breath. But you’re what we need. WhatIneed.” I press my lips to hers gently. “There’s nothing you can’t do.”
“Why do you always make me melt?” she half scolds, half purrs.
“Because I’m the sun.” I lean back and hold her green gaze.
“I’ll forgive your terrible pun. Just this once.” She gives me an arched brow. “All right. I’ll play around in your memories first. Sort of ease me into it. Then you can come visit mine. Sound fair?” She tries and fails to mask her worry, but she plows ahead anyway.
Ancestors, I love this female more than my life.
“Fair.” I close my eyes and relax. “Come on in.”
She keeps her hands in mine as she lets out a deep breath. “I’m here.” She meets me in the magical space of our bond, and my feral comes loping through the golden light, almost tackling her with love and licks. “Hi.” She scratches him—me?—under the chin, and it feels so good my back leg starts shaking.
“We missed you.” I take her hand and keep pulling her closer to me, walking her into my mind and memories.
My feral walks on her other side, and she strokes my—his?—hair gently.
“Let’s start back when—”
“Not when he took me.” She cuts me a sharp look, her fear like a haze between us.
“All right. After that.” I think back to when I was in my war room preparing to go after her.
“I must find her.” My own voice repeats back to me, and my memories unfurl from there.
* * *
“Lunarie all along?” is the first thing she asks when we open our eyes. “Oh my Ancestors! I should’ve known. She had that, that, that—” She splays her fingers and looks at her claws. “That purple tint on her fingers. Remember when you threw me to the wolves in the female nobles’ salon?”
“I wouldn’t say I threw you to—”
“She was there! We had tea. We talked about Brunilla doing my portrait, and I saw her purple fingers, and she hid them!” She holds a finger up in the air like she’s stumbled upon something amazing. “Andshe tipped the servant with extra coin! I should’ve known.” She shakes her head. “Just wow.”
“So, after all that fighting, my time spent in the Nightkeep’s dungeon, and everything else that’s happened—Lunarie is what struck you the most?”
She shrugs. “I thought it was her sister who did the curse. I mean, Gwenarie’s a piece of work, so it makes sense.” She throws her hands up. “Fooled! No wonder they chose Lunarie to helm their cause. She’s … She’s devious, but in a good way.”
With a cry, she flings herself at me and tackles me to the ground. “And you came for me.” She kisses my cheeks, my forehead, my nose, my lips. Peppering me with warmth and love. “You did all that forme. Even though I wasn’t even really me. You told Brock to sod off and you suffered and you fought and you never gave up.” She finally lingers on my lips. “Because you love me.”
