She paused, letting her words sink in. The ballroom was so quiet I could hear the crackling of torches, the rustle of gowns as ladies shifted.
“Cyrene Moonwhisper Thornwick Nightblood is your queen,” Cordelia said. “Not by treaty alone, but by the ancient rites our people have honored for generations. Their magic has merged. Their souls have intertwined. They are bound as surely as any vampire pair who has ever shared blood vows. They did not need to prove this with the Shadow Rite, but they did.” She swept her gaze across the crowd, pausing on eachadvisor. “Does anyone here wish to challenge my word?”
Silence reigned. Even the most conservative nobles, those who had whispered against Cyrene since her arrival, kept their mouths shut. No one dared contradict a queen, especially not one who had returned from the dead.
Cordelia’s lips curved in a smile. “I didn’t think so.”
Rathley ripped away from the guards and rushed toward a door.
Lord Broadworthy, moving with surprising speed for his age, stepped in front of the door, his weathered face set in a grim line as he grabbed Rathley’s arm.
“Going somewhere?” His voice dripped with contempt. “I think His Majesty has some questions for you.”
Two more guards appeared, flanking Rathley on either side. The disgraced noble sagged between them, all fight draining from his body.
I stepped forward, my fury still simmering. “Lord Rathley, I accuse you of high treason. Of using forbidden blood magic within these walls. Of deliberately harming servants in my employ. Of sabotaging the queen’s magical workings. And of attempted murder of the crown.”
Each accusation fell like a hammer blow, Rathley flinching with every word.
“Do you deny these charges?” I growled.
He opened his mouth, closed it, then shook his head. What was the point of denial when the evidence of hiscorrupted magic still stained his hands, when a former queen herself had named his crimes?
“By my authority as king, I strip you of your title and lands. Your name will be struck from the House registers. You are banished from this kingdom, never to return on pain of death.” I let ice creep into my voice. “And know this. If you ever threaten my wife again, in this life or the next, there will be no mercy. No trial. No banishment. Only swift and final justice.”
Before the guards could take him away, I met his gaze. “You wouldn’t happen to know about a letter I sent to my wife, would you?”
He blustered, but the truth shone in his eyes. He’d intercepted it six years ago to keep us apart. All this time, he’d been trying to undermine my rule.
I should kill him now.
Instead, I left him to the fates, waving for the guards to haul him away. They’d take him to the dungeons where he would await his banishment at first light.
With him gone, I finally allowed myself to breathe. The rage that had gripped me began to ease, replaced by bone-deep exhaustion and relief that Cyrene was safe.
I turned to find her watching me, her dark eyes reflecting candlelight and something deeper. Pride, perhaps. Understanding. Love.
The court still surrounded us, watching, waiting to see what would happen next. Cordelia had faded to near-translucence, her dramatic appearance complete.She caught my eye and winked before disappearing, leaving behind only the faint scent of flowers.
I crossed the room and took Cyrene’s hands in mine.
“You’ve restored more than my kingdom, love,” I said, loud enough that the court could hear but speaking only to her. “You’ve brought light to these halls that have been dark too long. Joy to a people who had forgotten how to laugh. And love to a king who thought he’d lost his chance at happiness six years ago. I love you, Cyrene.”
Her eyes glistened with tears. “Kieran, I love you too.”
I cupped her cheeks. “You challenged me from the first moment. Questioned my assumptions. Forced me to see beyond tradition to possibility. You’ve made me a better king. But more than that, you’ve made me whole.”
A tear trailed down her cheek, and I brushed it away with my thumb.
“I love you,” I said. “I’ve loved you since the festival where we first met, and I’ll love you until my last breath leaves my body.”
Her smile shone brighter than all the joy lanterns in the kingdom. “I love you too. Even when I hated you, I loved you.”
I laughed at the contradiction that was purely Cyrene. This woman was fierce and tender, stubborn and yielding, chaos and calm all wrapped into one magnificent person.
I kissed her with my ancestors’ blessing and my people as witnesses. Her lips were soft and warm against mine, and when her arms wound around my neck, pulling me closer, applause broke out around us.
I barely registered it. All that mattered was Cyrene in my arms, her magic twining with mine in golden and blue spirals, her heart beating in time with my own.
