Wilder, too stunned to respond, allows Desi to wrap her arms around his neck. Only then does the tension in his shoulders ease, and he hugs her so tightly that her breath catches in a laugh as they fall back into the water.
Isolde splashes over to Leigh. “What the hell is wrong with you?” Isolde chastises.
Leigh smiles. It’s tired but genuine. “Great to see you, too.”
Leigh wraps her arms around me next, and I jolt. I’m still unable to believe it’s her. If I had listened to Janus, my fears would have been a reality. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you,” she breathes.
I bury my face in her shoulder for a moment, struggling to hold back tears. She’s real. She’s safe. “Leigh, I almost…” I whisper, ensuring only Leigh can hear me. “Oh gods, I almost trapped you and Wilder there.”
Leigh hugs me tighter. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m back, but we need to shut the rift now. Do you know how? Kosac was not happy we left.”
Sama’s gentle hand finds my shoulder, steadying me. “Ravi, let’s finish this,” she says.
Leigh releases me.
I nod, swallowing hard.
Leigh steps back, returning to Wilder’s side, and he immediately links their hands together. With everyone watching, I take my position beside Sama, and together—under the first genuine light of morning—we prepare to speak the words I’ve dreaded saying all night.
“I call upon the forces that bind reality together, heal this wound, mend this tear, and restore the barrier between realms,” I call, mentally focusing on the rift at the bottom of the lake. The ground groans and moves, shifting like tectonic plates before the sections grind together and lock into place.
Sama continues speaking. I silently thank whatever mercy brought Leigh back to me. I don’t know what I did to deserve it, but I’ll spend forever by her side, eternally grateful.
My heart is sofull it could burst. I look like a bride. My hair is perfectly curled, and each golden spiral catches the fading light with every movement I make. The subtle scent of violets rises from my wrists and throat. Jewels dangle from my ears like captured stars. The dress cinches at my waist and then flows outward in waves of fabric, intricately beaded with pearls and crystals that shimmer with every breath I take—a gown fit for royalty.
Felicity will have to wait another day to steal my crown; I’m not going anywhere.
“You look beautiful,” Gianna says from the edge of the bridal suite’s bed. She fans her immaculately painted face with two manicured hands. Her eyes shine with genuine happiness—a rare, unguarded moment for someone usually so composed. I’m breathless seeing it.
I smile. “Thank you.”
“You really look so pretty, Leigh, even though I still want to wring your neck for lying to me last night, never worry me like that again,” my mother says, and I cringe at the thick emotion in her voice. Unlike Gianna, her tears carve glistening paths down her defined cheekbones. “Still, I just wish your father were here to walk you down the aisle.”
I squeeze my mother’s hand. “He’s watching us from afar.”
My mother nods, but still, her tears fall, catching the light like the jewels in my dress.
“Besides,” I add, forcing lightness into my tone, “we wouldn’t want to rob me of my solo descent down the aisle. It’s my chance to live out my dream of being a runway model.”
Gianna snorts inelegantly. “You aren’t tall enough to be a model.”
I stick my tongue out. “Whatever. Neither are you.”
“With this face, it doesn’t matter.”
My mother finally cracks a smile. My heart warms.
A knock at the door interrupts us, and an attendant steps inside. “Her Royal Highness Queen Jorina would like to speak with you, Your Majesty.”
We all fall silent. Great.
My grandmother is about to lecture me on responsibility and royal duties.And I deserve it. I made her worry. Given her condition, I’m lucky she didn’t end up back in Hygeia Hospital.
“How was her mood?”
“Uncertain, ma’am.”
Damn. She’s pissed.
