I let out a sigh, then tugged at his arm to pull him inside the room. As the door shut behind him, I circled my arms around his waist, placing my head against his solid chest. “I’ve missed you so much, Leo,” I whispered. Closing my eyes, I listened to the beat of his heart and his steady breaths, tension leaving my body with each passing second.
“I missed you too, sweetheart.” Lips pressed into the top of my head. “How are you feeling about tomorrow?”
“Excited. Scared. A little nauseous.”
A chuckle rumbled through his chest. “Sounds about right.”
“It’s Alaric’s province,” I said in a quieter voice. His features appeared in my mind, the smiling, jovial older man contrasted with his cold body lying on the forest floor, my dagger through his back. “I know you’re going to say it wasn’t my fault, but I don’t know how I can face his family. Hispeople. After…what I did.”
Leo traced a hand up my back and rested it on my neck beneath my hair, cradling me to him. “And no matter how many times I say it wasn’t your fault, I know it won’t take away your guilt. I hate that this is going to follow you for the rest of your life, but you’re doing so much good, Rose.” He leaned back and kissed my temple. “You’re bringinglifeback to these families. We can mourn Alaric and honor his memory as you help his people.”
I took a deep breath and nodded. “I’m glad Ragnar will be with me, at least.”
He licked his lips, pulling further away. “Actually, about that…”
“What? Did something happen to him?” I asked sharply. We didn’t know if there were any effects of me waking people from the curse—what if it wasn’t permanent? What if it went wrong?
“No, no, your uncle is fine. But he’s not going with you to Tenebra.”
My brows knit together. “Why not?”
“Because I am.”
I froze. “I—I don’t understand.”
A smile formed on his lips. Slow and shy at first, then a brilliant beam, sending butterflies soaring in my chest. “You’re the one who said we should run away together.”
“But—but you have a life here,” I said. “The Sentinels, your sister, yourmother. You have so much time to make up for with her. And the empire is getting back on its feet, don’t you need to behere?”
“I’ve already talked with Rissa and Mother. My sister is more than capable of handling things without me.” He laughed. “And my mother actually told me if I didn’t go with you, she’d shear the hair off my tail.”
I made a sound in the back of my throat, a cross between a laugh and a sob. “She sounds like Rissa.”
“Besides, it’s not for forever. This life will be waiting for us when we get back.” He took my hands. “What do you say, little wolf? Are you up for an adventure?”
My head spun. That well of power in me sparked, roused by heightened emotions. “You really want to do this?”
“I told you, I would run anywhere with you.”
I gazed up at him, searching those dark eyes for any hint of hesitation. All I saw was clear resolve. The hard planes of his face softened as he stared back, his determination shining through.
I threaded my fingers through his and took a breath. “Then let’s run.”
The deckof the ship was full of crew members readying for departure. Men shouted instructions, luggage was tightened and stowed, deckhands prepared to hoist the mast. This one wasslightly larger than the passenger ship my family and I took from Feywood to Veridia City, and much nicer, with its polished wood and sleek frame.
Leo and I stood at the bottom of the gangway. A deckhand approached to take our bags, then motioned behind us and said, “Sir, ma’am, the empress is waiting for you.”
“Interimempress,” Leo said under his breath, but when I glanced at him, pride shone in his eyes. “It’s already going to her head.”
“Oh, little brother, you’re just jealous,” Rissa’s voice sounded from a few feet away. She leaned casually against the wooden railing separating the port from the ocean, her arms stretched out across it. Blonde curls blew in the breeze with the backdrop of rolling waves and the rising sun. When her eyes landed on me, she grinned.
Covering the distance in a handful of strides, I threw my arms around her.
“I never did say thank you, Rose,” she said into my hair. “For risking so much to help us and for everything you did in that chamber. We couldn’t have done this without you.”
“That’s not true. I may have cast the final spell, but you’ve been building up to this foryears. You’re incredible, Clarissa Aris.” I pulled back and gripped her shoulders. “There’s no better person to lead our people.”
She smiled. “And there’s no better person tohelpour people. No two better people, I should say.” Nodding to Leo who was waiting behind me, she said, “I know how much this means to him, getting to be part of the end of the curse. He needs this closure and to see that people don’t blame our father anymore. And I’m so glad you’re doing it together, because he needsyou, too.”
