My usual exuberant, wears-her-heart-on-her-sleeve daughter was now expressionless. Her head tilted to the side as she peered down at me. She looked far beyond her seven years of life.
I grabbed her little hands. “Look, sweetheart, I know there have been a lot of changes lately. I know change can be scary.I’ma little scared too. But we’ve always gotten through it, haven’t we? We’re a team, you and I. We always will be. And we can do scary things together.”
“I don’t think I’m scared, Daddy. It’s just…I’m kind of sad.” She rubbed her chest with the heel of her hand. “I’ll miss my room. And my friends. And Grandma.” Her bottom lip puckered in a small pout.
“I know you will.” I pulled her off the bed and set her on my knee as I crouched on the ground. “It’s okay to be sad.”
Resting her head on my shoulder, she twined a lock of my hair around her finger. “But I think I love Rissa too. She’s nice. And pretty. And she makes you smile.”
I struggled to take in a breath through the emotion clogging my throat. “Yes. Yes, she does.”
She looked up at me, and while I could still see the hesitancy there, could still see sadness swirling at the surface, she managed to bring a gap-toothed grin to her face. “She makes me smile too.”
68
Clarissa
My fingers trailed the side of Thorne’s face and down to his jaw. Our legs were tangled beneath the sheets, the rising sunlight spilling from the porthole and across the floor of our cabin.
Most of my life was spent on the move, my mind constantly working through problems and my attention often pulled in multiple directions. But right now…I wished I could freeze time. Catch us in this single breath, this perfect moment where his chest rose with mine and his eyes danced like the waves of the ocean rocking beneath us.
“We’ll be there soon,” I whispered, softly scraping my fingernail against his bottom lip. “How do you feel?”
He kissed my finger and put an arm around my waist to pull me closer. The bed shifted with the motion as my hair fell onto the space between us. “I’m not having second thoughts, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
A laugh bubbled out of my throat. “Well, that’s a good thing. The only way you’re getting back to Mysthelm is if I toss you off this boat.”
Folding my elbows into my chest, I rested my head against his heart. I’d gotten so used to these moments in the two weeks sincethe wedding. The quiet space between sleep and the movement of the day, where we could just…be. Together. No hiding, no curses, no manipulations and secrets.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked.
His thumb swirled around the top of my shoulder where his shirt had slipped down my arm. “I’m thinking about this freckle on your shoulder.” He kissed the spot. “I’m thinking about how I can’t wait to watch you squash your council like bugs.” I chuckled at that. He knew my stab-like tendencies with some of them. “And…I’m thinking I’m a little anxious.”
I pushed up onto my elbow so I could see him. “Anxious? Why?”
Sighing, he put an arm behind his head, his forearms flexing against the pillow. “We saw how my kingdom struggled to accept you. Part of me has been nervous about bringing my daughter into a new land with new threats I can’t control. The magic you’ve told me about…it sounds wonderful, truly. But it’s also unknown to us. And being surrounded by strangers who can wield it…it’s a lot to come to terms with.”
I couldn’t blame him for his fears. He’d seen firsthand how difficult it was for me in Mysthelm, and I’d be lying if I said their first few weeks here would be sunshine and rainbows. But nothing worth fighting for ever was.
“I know what it’s like to not be accepted,” I started. “It’s terrifying. But that’s what I’ve been working toward. I want to make my empire a safe place, where people don’t have to fear the kind of mistreatment I and so many others have faced before. My people aregoodpeople. They trust me, and most of them want the same things I do.”
I put a hand on his neck. “This could be another step in our people realizing we don’t have to be enemies. We don’t have to live apart just because we’re different or because our past dictates we must. I think…I think you and Marigold could have a good life here. There would be more than enough people to spoil her and look out for her the way she deserves. To love her the way I do,” I said, my voice dropping. “Because I do, you know. I love her. And I would never let anything happen to her, Thorne.”
His eyes softened. “I know you do. It’s one of the reasons I fell in love with you in the first place.”
“I promise you, I will protect you both with everything I have.”
“Shouldn’t that be my line, Empress?” he said with a smirk.
I rolled my eyes. “Please. Don’t get all alpha male on me now. You’re the hopeless romantic, remember?”
His fingers dug into my waist, then he leaned forward and ran his lips along the side of my neck. “I have layers, you know,” his gruff voice said against my skin.
I laughed again. “Like a beautiful onion.”
He pushed himself up to tower over me, caging me between his arms. The humor faded from him, leaving behind a look I couldn’t quite place. “You’re good at this. Easing people’s fears. I can see why others have always been eager to follow you.”
My cheeks heated beneath his praise. I ran my fingers over the ridges of the four scars on his bare chest. “Maybe I’m just good at getting what I want. And what Iwantis for you to feel comfortable.” I rose up to kiss the top of his sternum. “And safe.” I kissed his neck. “And be with me.” My lips met his, and his weight settled on top of me.
