Her shadows joined his on their own accord, white threading through black in a display that made several courtiers gasp. The intertwining patterns created something new. Something theirs.
"She who saved the realms from collapse." His voice dropped lower. "She who holds power equal to any Death Lord. She who stands beside me not as a companion, but as a partner. As co-ruler of the Forsaken throne."
Those words landed inside her and stayed there.
"Any who questions her authority," his eyes swept the assembly, "questions mine."
Several courtiers who'd been cruel to her in the past, Lady Morwyn prominent among them, visibly paled.
"Lord Reaper." Gabriel stepped forward. "May I speak?"
Dante inclined his head.
"The Mourned realm owes the Lady of Boundaries a debt that can never be repaid." Gabriel's eyes found hers. "She exposed Caelum's corruption. Freed the souls he'd enslaved. Restored natural death to its proper place." He bowed deeply, not formal court protocol, but something more personal. "The Mourned realm recognizes her authority and offers its eternal gratitude."
Seraphina moved forward next, shoulders squared, chin lifted. "The Violent realm recognizes the Lady of Boundaries. My warriors will defend her as they would defend me." Her lips curved slightly. "And they're very good at their job."
A ripple of laughter went through the hall.
"The Consumed realm celebrates our new sister in power," Vex added with theatrical flair. He swept into an elaborate bow that made his robes billow. "May her reign be as eternal as her beauty, and may she always remember that I am the most charming of her fellow Death Lords."
More laughter. Seraphina rolled her eyes but smiled.
Thessa drifted forward last, brightening until she almost glowed. "The Lingering realm has always known she would come." Her voice echoed with layers of power. "The spirits whispered of her before she was born. The Lady of Boundaries was written in the very fabric of death itself." Her pale eyes fixed on Brynn with intensity that felt like being seen to her soul. "You were always meant to be here."
Brynn's skin prickled.
"The five courts stand united," Dante said. "The ward-systems are restored. The realms are balanced." He looked down at her, pride evident. "And the Forsaken court has its lady at last."
The hall erupted. Cheers and applause filled the space. Crystal rang against crystal as toasts were raised.
But Dante only had eyes for her. "Come. Your throne awaits."
They ascended the steps together.
Two thrones. Identical in scale and majesty.
Hers matched his perfectly, carved bone inlaid with silver ward-patterns where his held shadows. The same height. The same grandeur.
"Your throne," Dante said. "Lady of Boundaries."
She sat slowly. The bone was cool beneath her palms at first, then warmed as if recognizing her. Her white shadows spread from the base, intertwining with the darkness already woven through the Forsaken court.
The throne fit.
Dante sat beside her, and suddenly the picture was complete. Two halves of a terrifying whole.
Servants approached with wine in crystal goblets. The liquid inside was dark as blood, swirling with silver threads that matched her shadows.
"To the Lady of Boundaries," someone called.
"To the balance of the realms!"
"To the union that saved us all!"
Toast after toast rang out. Brynn accepted her goblet, raised it to those gathered, and drank wine that tasted rich and smooth, with an aftertaste that lingered like smoke.
Through it all, she noticed one figure pushing through the onlookers. Lady Morwyn, the courtier who'd been so vicious at that first dinner, who'd made it clear she thought Brynn beneath notice.
