He wrapped his arms around my back. “Can I assume that means you are pleased with the gift?”
I spoke into his vest. “It’s the best gift I’ve ever had in my life.”
His silent chuckle reverberated through his chest.
“Truly,” I said. It seemed important to make sure he knew just how much this meant to me. I pulled back a little from the hug, but pinned my forehead against his chest so I didn’t accidentally look at his face. “Bylur. I… Nobody has ever trusted me so much. Ever. Elves would hide their valuables behind locked doors when I cleaned their homes. Some would demand that I turn out my pockets before I left. I—”
I paused to swallow, forcing my tears to stay back but unable to stop the hitch in my voice. “I have neverbeen seen as anything better than a thief or a maid for most of my memory. This…” I touched a hand to my chest where the key was hidden. “…makes me feel like a queen.”
Shadows rolled around us, dusting up against my sides and wrapping around my legs, but I didn’t fear them. I welcomed them. I felt their sweet care brimming with a fevered passion, like they wanted to hold me until I was happy. And then two strong hands cradled my face.
“If I have my way, neither of us will ever be crowned, but I will hold you as my queen for eternity.” He pressed another kiss onto the top of my head, like a seal on his words. This was so much more than he’d promised the day we married. It came from his heart. A few minutes ago, I’d worried about not having my own feelings returned. I did not want to leave him wondering how I felt now.
He still had his hands on my face, so I reached up and gripped his right wrist with my hand. Touching his actual skin almost made up for not seeing his face. “I don’t need a crown, Bylur. Not if I have you. You’ll always be a king to me.”
I pulled my mother’s ring off my thumb and tugged one of his hands down to it. “I can’t put magic in this but, in a way, it’s a part of me that I want to give to you.”
He took the ring and traced it with a finger. My stomach clenched. This ring didn’t have magic and was worth less money than the jewel-crested towels hecleaned his hands with. “I know it’s not much,” I said, “but it was once my mother’s. It represents the happiest times of my life before now. You don’t have to wear it, but I want you to have it because I—”
I paused. He had nailed me earlier. Prone to love and then pull back. Love was on the tip of my tongue, but when I realized how exposed it would leave me, I stopped. “I want you to have it because I am happier with you than ever before. And I want to trust you with that happiness in the future.”
I rubbed my thumb where the ring used to be. I sounded ridiculous. He’d already promised to do his best to make me happy.Happywasn’t nearly as deep a feeling aslove. But regardless of his excuses, I wasn’t ready to make the first deep-feeling announcement.
He slid the ring onto his pinky finger, where it only fit half way down. My mind stilled. I stared at his hand. The ring was too small for his smallest finger, but he set it there anyway.
“Thank you, Auria,” he said, his voice lower and softer than before. “I will treasure it.”
Rat chose that moment to come barging into the room. “Raaaak!” he squawked loudly while flapping his feathers in Bylur’s face.
He swatted softly at the bird and turned away to wave it out of the bedroom. “Cursed bird! What do you want out of me? I’ve given you the best food, a place in the palace, your own roost in my study!” The moment the bird passed the doorframe, Bylur clicked the door closed behind it.
As he turned back toward me, I stared at the ground, laughing. “He’s never liked you.”
“He avoids me most of the time now,” Bylur growled, “but he’s still come to me for help more than once.”
“Because he’s smart.” My heart warmed thinking of the times Bylur had come to my rescue. Then I realized—it wasn’t just my heart. The shadows around us were practically giddy at the idea of me calling the bird smart for going to Bylur for help. Were they reflecting Bylur’s emotions?
Could I feel his emotions? Exactly what kind of magic did he put into my key?
He put his hands on my shoulders and spun me so I faced away from him. “I don’t like to see you looking at the ground,” he grumbled.
I faced the bed. “There are only so many ways to avoid your face.”
He tapped a finger on my shoulder. “If I go look out the window while you clean up the bed and change into your nightdress, can I—” His fingers stilled. “Will you allow me to hold you while you fall asleep again tonight?”
I grinned. “Of course. I’d never turn down an offer for nightmare prevention.”
Chapter 22: Bylur
Ihardened the shadow ceiling above our corner of the hedge maze as the falling snow thickened into a slushy, wet sleet. Dry under my magic ceiling, Dearan ignored the snow and rolled his parchment up around the pencil. “I’ll give this list to Parcival, though I suspect he’s already got a much longer list that includes all your concerns.”
I nodded, inadvertently shaking piles of white hair at him. “Most likely. But this will give him the opportunity to ask us for help, and we both know he won’t do that without being invited.”
Dearan chuckled. “Anything else? Even with my prompting, I doubt he’ll need anything. I’ll probably see you next at the ball tonight. Maybe a little socializing will convince everyone to quit changing their minds about the council.”
Anything else? How about a way to return to the castle without destroying everything so I could spend more time with Auria? I shook my head. The castle wasn’t really designed for a beast like myself, and Dearan, Parcival, and Auria all knew where I was. And Dearan had kept my secret for months.
In fact, Dearan knew most of my secrets. And he’d never tried to use any of them for his own advantage. Iffae were capable of being friends, he’d been one to me for decades.
