“Eh, my only family left is my older brother, Derek, who thinks you’re a criminal mastermind.” She almost laughs. “I think I’ll manage.”
“Our children would be half-blood. They likely couldn’t inherit the throne. The succession would pass to Viktor and his line. And our children might face prejudice from those who wanted a ‘pure’ heir.”
“Would you love them?”
The question catches me off guard. “What?”
“Our children.” Her eyes search mine. “Would you love them even though they’re half-human?”
The answer comes without hesitation. “They would be ours, Claire. Part of you and part of me. I would love them fiercely.”
Her face brightens, and it’s like the sun coming out after the storm. “Then that’s what matters.”
“Claire, there’s still the Council. The possibility of exile. Of losing my crown?—”
“I know.” She’s almost laughing now, through her tears. “I heard the whole conversation, remember? I know the risks andwhat I’d be giving up and what you’d be giving up. It sounds like we’d stay if your subjects agree we can stay, or we’ll leave if they don’t like us together. All that would matter to me is that we’re together and no one is dying in a stupid, unnecessary, succession war.” She reaches out and takes my hand. “But I have conditions too.”
I blink. “Conditions?”
She grins. “Oh yes, if I’m going to be your mate — your queen — I get to make some demands.”
My lips twitch. This woman. “Tell me.”
“First, I need to be able to finish my Master’s Degree in Literature and I’m okay if that has to be done online. Can you handle me still taking classes?”
“Yes, I can.”
“Second, I need to contact my troubled brother and let him know I’m marrying the Vampire King. This might not go well because he’s unfortunately swept up into conspiracy theories but I’m hoping you can help me to help him and find his way out and back into the light.”
“Of course. I will bring my brothers and Maxim into this and we will take care of it together.”
“Okay, and third, I need to be able to have the occasional human friends come to visit me.”
“This is acceptable.” I’m definitely smiling now. “Anything else?”
“I reserve the right to add more conditions later.”
“Granted.”
“And lastly...” She pauses, suddenly shy. “Do you love me?”
The question hangs in the air between us.
“I think I’ve loved you since you called me an asshole,” I admit. “I just didn’t know what it was.”
She lets out a charming snort-laugh. “Well, I’ve loved you since I was fourteen. I just didn’t think it would ever be real. Iknow it’s fast and crazy and we barely know each other, but I love you.”
Warmth spreads across my chest. “I love you too, Claire.”
She pulls me closer, until our foreheads touch.
I swallow hard, my throat tight. “Do you choose me, Claire? Knowing everything? The pregnancy, the bond, the politics, all of it?”
“I choose you.”
“Even if it means giving up your world?”
“You are my world.” She closes the distance between us and presses her lips to mine. I experience the first kiss of my life. Her lips are soft, tentative at first, and I let her lead. She shows me how this is done. But then her hands slide up my chest, her fingers curling into the fabric of my shirt, and she makes a small sound in the back of her throat and something in me snaps.
