I kissed the pad of her thumb, breathing her in. I desperately wanted that to be true.
“Say something,” she urged softly.
I slowly opened my eyes. “Okay,” I murmured.
She held my gaze. “Okay? Do you believe me?”
I paused. “I believeinyou.” And I believed she meant what she said, which was worth more to me than any touch, any kiss, any stolen moment.
Her mouth tugged up at the corners. “We’ll work on that.” Lifting up on her toes, she kissed my jaw, then my cheek, then my lips, melting into me as I held her close. I didn’t think I would ever see myself the way she did, but she was right about one thing. I had to stop punishing myself. Scarven did that enough for all of us.
“Just one more thing,” I said as I stepped through the adjoining door into my room. I grabbed the flower crown Marigold made this morning and brought it back out.
Devora laughed and put a hand on her chest. “For me?”
“The one and only.” I carefully set it on her head. The mixture of deep purple tulips and white carnations looked perfect with her vivid hair.
“Beautiful,” I murmured. “Are you ready to go watch our disgustingly sweet friends get married?”
She took my hand. “Maybe it’s not so disgusting anymore.”
The palace heldnothing back for the wedding. Fresh lilies, roses, marigolds, and irises were placed all down the corridors leading to the grand ballroom. Gold drapes hung from the ceilings, and an Alchemist had spelled them to sparkle like diamonds. The ballroom itself was straight out of a storybook. Rose and Leo enchanted hundreds of candles to hang in mid-air, giving the space a soft, flickering glow. Bouquetsoverflowing with greenery were balanced on golden pedestals that marked rows and rows of chairs. One of the Lightbender servants had cast beams to refract in the windows, which made the light shimmer like rainbows.
I could see Lark and Rose’s hands in all of it. Knowing Rissa, she would’ve been content to marry Thorne in the back of a carriage. But her best friends wanted to give her the fairy tale she never thought she would have.
Devora and I sat toward the front, watching all the guests from the capital filter in. The buzz and excitement were palpable. People loved celebrating, but more than that, they loved their empress. Clarissa had been such a beacon of light for the empire ever since she took over. It brought a smile to my lips to see how her people fawned over her.
When the magical candles dimmed above us, the crowd hushed. A string quartet in the back played a soft melody that echoed through the chamber. Chaz pushed Lark in her wheelchair down the aisle, the latter looking beautiful in a burgundy gown. Rose followed in matching attire. She sniffed, yanked a handkerchief from inside her flower bouquet, and dabbed her eyes.
Thorne and a priest robed in emerald green stepped onto a raised dais at the front, and my heart swelled when I saw little Marigold holding her father’s hand. She wore her own flower crown, the light pinks and whites resting in her bronze hair and framing her face. Their shepherding dog, Mia, sat at her feet, with a flower twisted in her collar. Her tail thumped excitedly against Thorne’s leg.
Thorne was barely holding himself together. His features were screwed as if to stop himself from crying, and he kept wiping his cheeks with the back of his hand. I chuckled softly to myself. He wasn’t a small man by any means—almost as big as me. His long, thick hair and beard made him appear far more menacing than the hopeless romantic he actually was.
I couldn’t stop myself from looking down at Devora. I understood how a great love could bring an unbreakable man to his knees.
The double doors at the entrance opened with a boom, and everyone rose to their feet. Rissa floated down the aisle in a stunning gown of light pink and gold, with a shimmering veil covering her face. On one side of her stood Leo, and on the other was a blonde-and-gray-haired older woman, with the same kind eyes and soft smile of her daughter. Evadine Aris gripped Rissa’s arm tighter as she and Leo led her to the dais.
The ceremony was brief but beautiful, and as I watched Rissa and Thorne radiate with that glow of new love, something in my chest ached. I loved my Order, but everything around us was constantly cloaked in darkness and secrets, threats lurking around every corner. They chose to be there because they believed in our cause, but that didn’t make it easy.
Devora’s hand slid into mine, and I rubbed my thumb along the outside of hers.Thiswas easy. She’d come into my life in a blaze of fiery hair and shadows and made things so incredibly complicated…until it wasn’t. Until it was just her.
Scarven will come for her.
My muscles tightened, but I pushed that voice away. Let him try. I wouldneverlet him get near her again.
The ceremony ended in thunderous applause, and a flash of colorful fire shot into the high ceiling as the priest crowned Thorne—now Emperor Consort Thorne Aris. The two strode back down the aisle with Marigold and Mia in tow. Marigold leaped up and down, throwing flower petals that Mia promptly caught and ate.
The next hour was a whirlwind of eating, drinking, and dancing in the adjacent ballroom. I hadn’t had this much fun since Everett planned a surprise summer solstice party with the children at the Keep a couple years ago, and we’d spent hours at the beach dancing around campfires and roasting anything we could eat.
I spun Devora in my arms, wishing I could bottle this feeling rising in my heart.
She grinned up at me, cheeks flushed and hair mussed. “I’m going to go get a drink.”
I nodded and watched her walk toward the refreshment table, unable to stop the ridiculous smile plastered across my face.
“Nox,” someone called. Rose sauntered toward me with a knowing look on her olive features. “Never thought I’d say this, but you two look good together.”
“I always look good, darling,” I drawled. “And trust me, she looks better.”
