They weren't the only lost souls he'd hid.
I could take Arlan, make him king, but he had another fate that was just as important.
My gaze moved on to the next Fae.
Eyes a soft brown, the shade of the land after weeks of rain. Ash blond hair fell over his forehead. Today, Niall was clad in silver armor, prepared for war. Cadell a step behind him.
I smiled. Niall was what I'd been looking for.
Power glowed in him, protected and shielded like Arlan's so none would know how strong he was. It glowed like a banked fire, but I knew under the right circumstances it would blaze like a wild fire.
Choose. Choose. Choose.
Pressure built. The crown would no longer be denied. If I didn’t choose, the crown would consume me.
My hand lifted almost of its own accord, both men pulling at me.
An indrawn breath from the crowd I had drawn warned me this moment would likely be retold and remembered again and again in the coming years.
The crown shone like a beacon.
Two possibilities. Two outcomes.
Both held potential. Both could end in disaster if they made the wrong choices in their lives.
I held the crown up between us.
"I had a feeling it would come to this." Arlan said, ever amused. His eyes met mine. "I think I will sit this choosing out."
He stepped back.
The magic squeezed me.
"Do you accept?" I asked in a voice that wasn't mine. It was too deep, too masculine. The king had kept his promise, even if it wasn’t in the way I intended. In this moment, I was his avatar, his shadows of night and twilight spilling from my shoulders like a mantle.
Niall hesitated. He and Cadell shared a look. Cadell's shoulders lifted, telling Niall this was his choice.
Niall's shoulders squared. "I do."
I set the crown on his head. Flames of shadow crawled around his head. Like a rubber band snapping into place, the power of the realm shifted.
Then it was lights out.
*
I woke to the king sitting at the edge of my bed, the edges of his form curling and fluttering as if they were no more substantial than smoke. He was focused on petting Alches where the monster dog rested his head on the king's lap. Alches’s eyes were closed as the King ran his fingers over his ears and forehead.
"Interesting choice, granddaughter."
I didn't get out more than an inarticulate grumble. My body hurt. Every muscle in it felt like I'd worked hard in the gym. Past muscle failure to a place where only pain lived.
"Side effect of the crown's power. It'll take a few days to recover, but then you’ll be better than new."
I relaxed into the bed.
Eyes of black fire met mine. "Your new king has his work cut out for him."
Alarm filled me as I realized I'd forgotten to warn them about the army waiting to descend when Travis got the crown.
