Her eyebrows crease. “It’s not important. What’s important is that we’re here, safe, and he’s gone.”
I don’t want to press her for answers. Not now. Not yet. But the time will come when I need them. “Your necklace?”
Her fingers tap against her blouse over her heart. “It’s here. Rowan found it on the ground and got me a new chain for it.”
I press my nose into her hair, breathing in her scent. Home. I couldn’t imagine ever going without her again.
“I didn’t think you were going to make it.” Her voicehiccups. “You nearly died right there on the library floor. Incidentally, the third floor of it is no longer my favorite part of the palace.”
I attempt a smile, but it falls flat. “We’ll renovate it,” I promise. “You can make it anything you want it to be so when you walk in there, you don’t see what happened and you don’t think about it.”
“Sounds good.”
“Are you all right?”
She sighs, her finger on the flat of my stomach resting there, and her touch is everything. Zapping life back into me the way it always does. “It was a lot,” she admits. “That entire night with him and with you after. It was a lot. But you’re awake and okay, and I’m okay, and I’ll get where I need to be. I always do. Nothing holds me down or back for long.”
“It’s not something you have to do alone or be brave about.” I kiss the top of her head.
“That goes for you, too, Your Majesty.”
Another kiss, though I’m losing steam already. “What have I missed? What are they saying about Samil and his death?”
Her fingers start to move, touching me with gentle caresses and strokes. “That you are the bravest king this country has ever known.”
“Are there any questions about how he died? My role in it?”
“Nope. There’s a video of him attacking you. Of you two fighting. Of you trying to save him even after he nearly killed you. There is a video of him knocking the attendant out and taking me. He thought he could knock out the cameras, but it didn’t work. It only worked on the live feed, but they were still recording as a backup. And there are the other videos of him with Nora and the wrench moving in the helicopter bay. It’s all out there. The media has had quite the field day and has been parked just beyond the palace gates along with many of yourloyal subjects who have come to offer love and healing prayers for you.”
My eyes widen at that last part, emotion heavy in my chest. “I…I don’t know what to say.”
“Your brother and Althea have been taking care of everything, so you don’t have to worry. Samil’s press secretary has been staying here too, handling everything. His second-in-command is interim prime minister until a proper election can be set up. You’ll have to make a speech. Your people are quite anxious.”
I blink incredulously. “I feel as if I’ve all but abandoned them over the last three years.”
“They love you and they love your children who have stood at the entrance of the palace and waved to them. You’re an international celebrity now. The American press is eating this up. Especially since you’re now engaged to one of us.”
Reaching over, I take her hand, finding my ring on it and twirling it around.
“My queen,” I whisper. “I love this.”
“What?” she asks in a bemused tone. “What is there to possibly love about any of this?”
“This. Us.”
“Oh yes. This is a raging good time. Let’s do it every Christmas.”
“If I could spank you for your snark, I would. As it is, I’m afraid your punishments will have to wait.”
“I look forward to them, Your Majesty, but for now, you need your rest, and I must go tell the doctors and your family you’re awake.”
“Your family now, too.”
She rolls her head, her chin tilted up as she gazes at me in wonder. “About that…”
“Yes?” I prompt when she doesn’t follow that up.
“I lost a lot of blood. Not as much as you, but enough that Irequired a transfusion. When I was in the hospital, they did some testing and…I’m pregnant.”
