“Follow me,” he said.
I let him guide me to the shoreline covered in moss that was softer than the finest rugs in Nightfall. I tiptoed across it, not wanting to disturb such a wondrous ecosystem. At the edge of the water was a canoe with dark wood and carved trim that arced out at each end. Blake held the canoe steady and helped me in before stepping in with me. There were no oars and the boat gently launched into the shimmering teal water on its own.
I gasped in delight as the water parted in gentle trails behind us, the fireflies hovering around us like tiny stars I could reach out and touch. Moonlight shimmered across the lake’s surface like a corridor we were meant to take to the heavens. I sat and let my fingers trail in the water, mesmerized by its softness against my skin.
“This is the only place in Nightfall we have let be taken over by the flora of the Realm,” Blake said. “This is not an uncommon sight back home.”
A pang rang through my heart as I looked around me. “And all of it could be lost.”
Blake’s hand squeezed mine. “There will be a way. Something seems to have quickened the Realm’s destruction. If that is true, then there must be something that exists that can repair it. I do not know what has happened, but something has changed.”
I turned to him. “Then you will fight to save it?”
Blake nodded firmly.
“With everything within my power,” he said. “Then the alliance can continue, and I will make you my Queen.”
My heart faltered and for a moment I didn’t know if it was going to beat again. He was serious. Pain set in my jaw asI fought the emotion trying to overtake me. I breathed deep, holding it in, and let my lips twitch into a slight smirk.
“Well, you’d have to ask me first,” I said, my voice breaking.
His everi swirled around me in a bluish-white mist as it collected on my finger. A delicate bioluminescent vine tangled itself around my finger, glowing as he lowered himself on one knee.
“I have read this is a tradition in this world,” he said. “That women here have a choice. Since we are here, I am happy to oblige you and give you the impression that you have one.”
He grinned at me as he took my hand.
“Should the Realm and the Falls ever be a safe place for you to be my Queen, I swear I will make it happen, should that be your wish,” he said.
The world around me faded away. Elation was not a feeling I was used to nor had I ever expected a man to leave me breathless.
“But what about the curse,” I whispered. “I know that was why you were avoiding me.”
Blake’s expression hardened for a moment but vanished as soon as it came.
“If the Realm can be saved, perhaps so can my line,” he said.
For this moment to exist was like believing in heaven. I threw my arms around him, blinking away the tears I could no longer resist.
Blake held me tightly against his chest, whispering in my ear, “No matter what happens, you will always be mine.”
To be his.
That was my true wish.
His lips stifled my words which became forgotten as he devoured me. He laid me back, his kiss never breaking, cradling my head in his hand.
“To have you in my bed every night,” he murmured against my lips. “Is a dream I will make a reality.”
When his lips left mine, the crisp air was a brutal touch as he looked at me.
“Until the time it is safe for you to be my Queen, I will not have you,” he said. “It will be my reminder of what I must do.”
I raised a brow. “That’s a little harsh, isn’t it?”
“The scent of your blood is overtaking even Anienlasator,” he said. “I must conquer my demons if I wish to take something so pure.”
Anienlasator, the ivy that smelled so much of honeysuckle.
