We fell onto the mattress together, and for the rest of the night, there was no kingdom, no court, no politics. Just us, two souls bound by magic and love, celebrating the future we’d fought so hard to claim.
Tomorrow would bring new challenges.
But tonight, we had each other.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
EPILOGUE 1: CYRENE
ONE MONTH LATER
The first thing I noticed when I woke was the light.
Not the pale, filtered grayness that had characterized every morning in the castle since my arrival, but genuine golden sunlight streaming through the windows. It painted warm stripes across our bedding and transformed the stone walls from gray to honey-toned amber.
I blinked, convinced I was dreaming. But no, the warmth on my face was real, the brightness almost shocking after weeks of perpetual gloom.
Beside me, Kieran stirred, one arm thrown across my waist. His dark hair fell across his forehead, and I watched him, marveling at how different he looked inactual sunlight. Less the brooding vampire king, more the man who’d danced with me at a festival a month ago.
“You’re staring,” he said without opening his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips.
“You’re pretty when you sleep.”
“Pretty?” One eye cracked open, his gaze mock-offended. “I’m a fearsome vampire king. Try terrifying. Or devastatingly handsome.”
“Nope. Pretty. But I’m worried you’re going to scorch your skin.”
He flicked his fingers toward the window, and the curtains glided shut. Then he growled, pulling me closer until I was tucked beneath him. “I’ll show you pretty.”
His lips found the sensitive spot below my ear, and I melted into him, magic already sparking between us. But before things could progress beyond teasing kisses, a knock sounded at our chamber door.
“Your Majesties?” Captain Brishon’s voice carried through the wood. “Forgive the interruption, but you’ll want to see this.”
Kieran groaned against my neck. “What is it?”
“The castle, Your Majesty. You need to see it.”
We dressed quickly—well, quickly for royalty involved putting on more layers than seemed strictly necessary—and followed Brishon into the corridor.
I gasped.
Every joy charm I’d created hummed with golden light, brighter than they’d ever been. Not just the lanterns, but the protective sigils I’d woven intodoorframes, the happiness enchantments I’d embedded in window glass, the laughter spells tucked into corners. All of them glowed with vibrant, healthy magic.
More than that, the castle itself felt different. Lighter. As if some oppressive weight had been lifted from the very stones.
“It happened overnight,” Brishon said, his scarred face creased with wonder. “The servants woke to find the entire castle transformed. Even the south wing, where the blood magic had been strongest, is clear now.”
Kieran’s hand found mine, squeezing. Through our bond I felt his relief, his joy, his pride in what we’d accomplished together.
“Show us,” I said.
We walked through corridors that practically glowed with warmth and light. Servants paused in their work to curtsy or bow, their faces holding genuine smiles. I heard laughter echoing from the kitchens and singing from the laundry rooms, the sound of happiness filling spaces that had been silent for too long.
When we reached the portrait gallery, I stopped short.
Cordelia’s painting hung in its place of honor among the other queens of the realm. But now it glowed with a soft, ethereal light that hadn’t been there before. Her painted face seemed to smile directly at me.
Beneath the portrait, someone had placed fresh frillablooms.
