I don’t know what kind of man I am, and I honestly don’t care. A liar, a lover, a villain. I’ll be all that and more. For her.
“Yes,” I say, lying in a way that isn’t at all a lie. “I left my clan entirely for me.”
“Good,” she says, wrapping both arms behind my neck. “Then kiss me already.”
My lips crash into hers, my arms tugging her against me. She angles her head to deepen the kiss, her tongue sweeping against mine with desperate need. Stones, I love her. The taste of her anger. The softness of her affection. I relay this with every caress of my lips, every breath I exhale against her mouth.
The sound of rustling grass has us stilling in each other’s arms.
“Should we come back later?” Minka’s voice says from somewhere in the grass beyond the lake’s shore.
Briony’s lips leave mine, but she keeps her hands on my chest. A shy smile curves her sensuous mouth. “That’s all right,” she says with a sigh, and we partially turn to face the two heads that peek above the tall grass, one feline, one vulpine.
“I see you’ve made up,” Minka says.
Mr. Boris lowers his head. “I admit I didn’t fully see this coming. Did I miss something?”
Minka’s tone is pandering as she says, “I’ll explain later. You don’t understand because you aren’t a romantic.”
He scoffs and whirls to face her. “I…I could be.”
Minka arches her back. “Don’t look at me, I’m not interested.”
“I didn’t say I was!”
“You should be. I’m very cute.”
“I…well, yes, I know you are! But I’m more mature than you.”
“I’m three hundred years old! I’m older than you by two decades!”
“Then…why do you act like a child?”
Briony chuckles as the two continue to bicker back and forth. Then, shifting in my arms until she’s facing me fully again, she asks, “What happens next?”
A ripple of anxiety rushes through me as I realize I don’t know the answer. I may have left the Lemurias, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be repercussions. My birth identity will most likely still get out. I have no doubt Morgana will do whatever it takes to regain her standing in society, and that will probably draw attention. The public is even more brutal when it comes to gossip and invading private matters than it was before the Lemurias fell under the sleeping spell. I wouldn’t be surprised if her return from slumber spreads through every paper across the isle.
The same goes for Briony’s parents. Word of what happened at Nocturnus Palace the night Trentas sparked conflict amongst the contenders to the throne will spread, as will tonight’s events, to at least some degree. Briony and I both stand to become fodder for gossip.
But as she reaches for my neck and runs her fingers over my nape, all my worries melt away, burned by that ever-expanding warmth that glows in my chest.
“I don’t know,” I finally say, “but whatever happens next, we’ll face it together.”
Her lips curl in a smile tinged with sadness. She too must realize that the path ahead may be littered with at least a few obstacles.
“We will,” she whispers and plants a soft kiss over my lips.
Mr. Boris’ mocking tone shatters the moment. “As intrigued as I am by yourlesson in love, Minka, this is hardly the time or place. We should make haste from the Lunar Court at once.”
Minka huffs and turns her back on Mr. Boris. “I have to agree.”
I hold back a laugh and take a step back, lacing my fingers through Briony’s. “Shall the four of us head home then? If we walk quickly, we can catch a late-night train downtown.”
Her eyes widen at the wordhome. Then her expression melts into the most achingly beautiful smile. “Home. Yes. Let’s go home.”
EPILOGUE
ONE YEAR LATER
