The cheers at that were deafening to the point I couldn’t hear my own thoughts.
“Sylvaria,” I beckoned, holding her crown out to her and reveling at the gasp that fell from her throat.
With a trembling hand, she reached for it, almost fearful of touching it. “Jack, that’s absolutely beautiful.”
“It’s crafted uniquely for you. The crystals are from our kingdom’s mountains, and captured snow makes the silver metal sparkle.” Raising it, I caught the sun’s rays piercing through the stained glass, making the crystals sparkle. “My queen,” I whispered before resting the crown atop her head.
“All hail Queen Sylvaria,” a squire shouted. “Long may she reign.”
Roars of “hail” echoed through the space.
“And hail King Jakzair,” the squire added, the excited applause growing louder.
Turning Sylvie toward me, I cupped her face with both hands and swirled patterns on her cheeks. “From being cast out to now being a part oftwohomes, my sweet Sylvie.” I pressed a light kiss to her lips, quickly swiping away an escaped tear from her cheek.
Sylvie sniffled and dabbed her eyes with a knuckle. She peered over my shoulder and stifled a laugh. “I think we have two disgruntled animals that weren’t invited to the ceremony.”
Behind me, Nanok and Fintan had their large, black noses shoved against the window, fogging it up. “I’ll have them brought in for the party.”
“Party?” Sylvie’s face brightened.
Grinning, I ran the tip of one of her ears between my fingers. “You really haven’t been around fae folk in a while, have you?”
A light moan resonated in her throat from my touch, her eyes closing. “You know the answer to that, Jack.”
“Well, my dear faerie,” I started, leading her to the thrones. “Of course, there will be a party. We look foranyexcuses for festivities.”
Sylvie clapped a hand to her chest and pointed at her new throne. “Is this mine?”
“Yes,” I whispered, kissing against her hair and inhaling her sweet aroma. “Why don’t you try it out?”
Sylvie’s spine straightened. She circled the air in front of the throne with her finger. “As in, sit on it? Something so perfect and pretty?”
Cupping her elbows, I flashed a smug grin. “Much like I intend on you sitting on my face soon.”
Her cheeks heated, and she nudged the butt of the scepter into my ribs.
I stroked a hand over my beard and idly shrugged, still donning the same smile.
Sylvie’s eyes rolled adorably. She turned on her heel, slowly sinking until she sat on the throne’s edge. After a few beats, she slid back and rested her arms. “I didn’t expect it to be this comfortable.”
“All in the craftsmanship.” I trailed my gaze over the way she complemented the throne—its design similar to mine with blues, silvers, and whites, wintry accents of snowflakes and icicles. Sylvaria’s, however, had a flared pair of icy wings that I carved myself.
Sitting on my throne to her left, I kept our hands locked together, and side by side we gazed at our kingdom’s people. They chittered, pointed, and shouted jovially toward us, antsy to let their excitement out through dancing and merriment. Leaning toward Sylvie, I brought her hand to my lips and trailed feathered kisses over her knuckles. “Would you care to announce the festivities?”
“What do I say?” Sylvie pinched her lips together, gaze shifting from the growing, raucous crowd and back to me.
“Whatever comes to mind. They’ll get the idea rather quickly, I assure you.”
Sylvie rose, something I hadn’t been expecting. I raised a brow at her, but she gave me a reassuring smile. “People of Winter,” she started, waiting for them to quiet down like a seasoned royal professional. “I’m honored to be called your new queen. Now that the formal matters are past us, let’s eat, drink, and dance until sunrise or until slumber finds us, whichever comes first.”
The crowd went into joyful hysterics over my gorgeous queen’s choice of words. When Sylvie sat down, I was leaning back in a corner of my throne, my elbow propped on an armrest, and gawking at her. “I think you’re going to be just fine, faerie.”
With a deviously sweet smile, Sylvie rested the scepter on her seat and stretched over the chairs to kiss me. “Why don’t you take off that cloak and come dance with me?”
“You’ll never have to ask me twice, Sylv.” Rising and undoing the clasp that held my cloak in the same breath, I let it pile in a heap on my throne. I pressed a hand to her lower back and pulled her closer. “I’ll dance naked on top of a frozen lake if you ask me.”
Sylvie traced the snowflake kingdom crest on my shirt. “Oh, yeah? What about at the peak of a volcano?” Her grin was downright foxy.
