With everything that had happened lately, it was almost surprising that relationships had survived. Old wounds were opened and alliances remained on shaky ground. It was a testament to how resilient the Gods were that they would fight to keep the things that they regarded as sacred.
“We’re good. We’ve been talking,” she said with a shy smile.
“About?”
“About maybe extending our family.”
I blinked a few times before grinning at her. “That would be amazing.”
“You think so?”
“Yes.”
Elva looked up at her old spot on the dais. “We never approached the topic before. We were lucky that Hunter granted us his blessing to get married. I think we both assumed we’d be pushing our luck to start a family. Even Ig didn’t think he had it in him to sway that.”
“You don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
Hunter. Even though he was gone, still lingered. There was no way to cleanse him from the heavens so rapidly. It would take time for us all to heal from the things he had done and said. To untangle all the messy threads so we no longer tripped over them. The repercussions of his actions still had us tripping over words and looking over our shoulders before we remembered he could do no more harm.
“Quentin, what have I said about going places without me?” Gray’s voice echoed through the chambers.
I rolled my eyes at the comment. Gray had taken to being my shadow, as if I was the one who had almost lost my life. Sometimes I wondered if I should give him a spot back on the council so that he could bother everyone else and give me some peace. But even in my moments of mild irritation, I was grateful that he cared as much as he did. The feelings of inadequacy crept up sometimes in the middle of the night as I watched him sleep. The fear that he might think I had dragged him through too much and leave. That was all before common sense kicked in and I reminded myself that we were made only for each other. No matter the bumps, no matter the difficulties, we would only find peace in each other’s arms.
Elva snorted beside me, and I bumped her shoulder with mine.
“Save me,” I mumbled to her.
“You’re on your own,” she whispered. “I’m not getting on his bad side.”
“Traitor.”
Gray joined us, a look of disapproval and love etched across his features. His feelings clearly mirroring my own.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” he asked.
“I thought you could use some sleep.”
His lips drew into a thin line. “I don’t need sleep. I need to make sure you’re okay.”
“I should get back to decorating,” Elva said.
She gave me a mock curtsey, and I shot her my middle finger. Her laugh echoed around us, light and airy and full of hope.
“How are you feeling?” Gray asked.
“Am I allowed to say that I don’t want to discuss it?”
“I don’t like the answer, but I’ll respect it.”
“Thank you,” I said, feeling a deep sense of appreciation swell in my chest. “We should probably get back and start getting ready, I guess.”
Gray wasted no time. His aura took us away from the chambers and back to the warmth of our bedroom.
He could sense every atom of chaos that vibrated through me as I walked around the room collecting my things. He perched himself on the end of the bed, the weight of his gaze following me.
“I wish Cass could be here,” I muttered, pulling the dress from the wardrobe. I took it from its bag last night, unnerved by it remaining in its garment bag. There needed to be some disorder, some small spark of rebellion to the day.
“I’m sorry that wasn’t possible,” Gray replied. He rose from his spot, taking the dress from me as I shed my casual attire.
