I raised a goblet high, waiting for silence to settle throughout the hall.
“My friends and family.” I lifted my voice. “Tonight we celebrate more than an alliance. We celebrate renewal. For too long, this kingdom has thrived in shadow. It has been strong, enduring, yetunyielding. But even the strongest need light to see where they stand.”
A murmur ran through the crowd. Cyrene’s eyes widened.
I turned to her, still holding the glass up. “Queen Cyrene brings that light. She reminds us what it is to feel, to hope, to remember the warmth we were never meant to lose. She brings light where even years of rule could not.”
Everyone froze.
Cyrene’s composure slipped. Her eyes widened, her lips parting in surprise. The vulnerability in her expression made my heart clench. This woman had woven herself into my life without even trying. If only I could tell her.
Tears shone in her eyes, but she blinked them away. Knowing I’d pleased her was worth every suspicious glance that would follow. Worth the political complications and the questions from my advisors. Worth everything to see her look at me as if I’d given her something special when I was only speaking the truth.
Among the musicians, a bow squeaked across strings.
Her eyes met mine, and I forgot what I’d planned to say next. The chandeliers flared, the candles bending toward her. A shimmer passed through the air, the faint glow of her joy magic, throbbing once, twice, like a heartbeat.
A warmth that didn’t belong to a cold, stilted vampire surged through my veins. My instinctsscreamed to look away, to break the spell before the court saw too much, but I couldn’t. The kingdom could burn around us, and I would remain where I was, watching her glow.
I’d rehearsed diplomatic phrases, calculated words to appease the court while establishing her position. But looking at her now, I couldn’t remember why I’d ever believed that would be enough.
“My queen doesn’t need my protection,” I said, my voice dropping lower, more intimate, though it still carried across the hushed room. “But she has it. Unconditionally. Eternally.” My gaze never left hers. “In a world of shadows and cold calculation, she reminds me what it means to burn. What it means to want. What it means to feel for something worth fighting for.”
The words hung in the air, revealing too much. I didn’t care.
She inclined her head, her smile smoother than I felt inside. “Your Majesty honors me.”
I lowered the glass, my throat tight. “Always.”
Our gazes remained locked, and I saw vulnerability flash in her eyes. She was wondering if my words were part of the charade or something more. I wanted to pull her from the room and press her against a wall. Then I’d whisper the truth against her mouth until she believed it.
Instead, I placed my glass on the table and offered her my arm.
Her hand settled in the crook of my elbow, and she leaned closer, keeping her voice low. “You’re shaking.”
I covered her hand with mine. “Only with you. Only ever with you.”
The orchestra stumbled back into tune. Conversation resumed in a flurry of nervous laughter, but the air felt different now.
For the rest of the evening, I barely left her side. She played her role flawlessly, laughing with the nobles, asking polite questions, and charming even the ones who’d mocked her. But every so often, I caught her looking at me with that same bewildered expression, as if she couldn’t decide if I’d saved her or doomed us both.
When the final dance ended and the nobles began to leave, I escorted her through the quiet corridors toward our rooms. We stepped inside, shutting the door behind us.
“That toast…” Her voice came out much too careful. “You didn’t have to say that.”
“I know.”
Turning in the middle of the sitting area, she faced me, her hand braced on the back of the sofa. “Then why did you?”
“Because they needed reminding.”
I strode to the doors to our bedroom and opened them, gesturing for her to enter.
She passed me, her light scent making my head spin with longing.
“What exactly were you reminding them of?” she asked.
“That you’re not a pawn. That you’re my equal.”
