“I'm fine, but thank you for asking,Dorion.”
For a moment, we simply held each other in the peaceful silence. Then the world itself seemed to celebrate our victory.
The queen dragon strode closer, her massive body moving with grace no creature that size should possess. When she reached us, she lowered her head, and her voice rang like wind through the trees.She who bound the world in rage has been broken and she will not rise again. Your rule is just beginning.
Was it?
The kingdom has been waiting for a king who rules through love rather than fear. That time has come.
“The curse is gone,” I said as a test. My voice didn’t break. It rang loudly through the cavern. “I married a willing bride.”
I paused.
No pain. No choking off my air. No death creeping closer.
I lived.
“She loves all the parts of me,” I said. “From the reckless, snarly part who would've swallowed her pain and her hope if she'd let him to the soft part who believed she could do this from the start. And I love her.”
Taking her hand, I kissed each of her fingers.
“We collected the talismans,” I said. “We fused them. We destroyed the twisted wizard who cursed my family many generations ago.”
I pressed my face into Reyla’s neck, sobbing now. “The fucking curse. Is. Broken.”
She turned in my arms, cradling my face, and kissed the tip of my nose. “Love you, Lore.”
I captured her lips with mine, pouring everything I couldn't say into the kiss. When we broke apart, both of us were breathing hard.
“I was saved,” I rasped. “Not only by love or by complete devotion but by the queen of flames. My love. Mywildfire. My wife.”
Above us, the stars kept falling, quiet, endless, and sparkling with pure love.
Chapter 57
Epilogue
REYLA
One Year Later
Levia Ellyn Evergorne stirred in my arms, her tiny fingers clutching my dress. Sleep had flushed her cheeks pink, and when I kissed her forehead, I breathed in that sweet baby scent that made my heart ache with love.
I sat in a big chair in the corner of the ballroom that buzzed with laughter and music. Guests swirled around dressed in sikeen and velvet, their conversations weaving together with the music. Wine and good food flowed freely, and everywhere I looked, I saw smiling faces.
Outside, dragons wheeled through the clouds. Shadows of wings passed over the glass windows like stories brushing the sky.
“Again. Again,” a small voice shouted, followed by running feet.
Brys, Dorion and Laphira's son, darted between the tables, giggling, his cloak flying behind him like a cape. Laphira chased after him, her face pink. Dorion trailed behind with two goblets and an exhausted grin.
Lore strode over to crouch beside me. He kissed Levia’s cheek. Awakening, she squealed and kicked her feet. His mouth found mine next, and I could sink into that kiss. Sink into him.
He lifted his head. “How’s my pretty little bride?”
He knew just how to heat me up—and bring me back down. We'd abstained after the birth of our daughter, and then we were delayed finding each other for a short time due to my cursed flow. But he'd helped me through it, crafting one potion after another, holding me in his arms while stroking my belly.
Those quiet months had been healing in their own way, teaching us that love could be gentle and patient, not just fierce and desperate.
