A soft smile whispers across his face under flickering torches, and thankfulness warms my chest. Del is the one who convinced the king to invite me here. Del handed me the secret to find and kill the king. He fought by our side and trusted us to finish what we started. He was the catalyst for everything, and it culminated in Hunter magic dancing in my veins and me walking in the sun again.
And my promises fulfilled. I am in his debt.
“I can’t believe Raven is a vampire,” Del whispers, Aurelia’s vampire name sliding off his tongue like he can barely stand to say it.
I peer up at him as we walk. “I’m sorry. I know you didn’t want that for her.”
“Don’t be. She’d still be in that cage, death imminent, if it wasn’t for you.”
“Good thing I accepted that invitation from Nerian.”
He smirks. “Good thing.”
“We’re going to be late,” Del says as we reach the castle’s entrance.
I laugh. “It’s not like they can start without us.”
His smile is devastating when I turn to face him. “True,” he says.
“Are you ready for an official change in leadership?”
“Yes,” he says without hesitation.
We climb the steps into the fortress and make for the antechamber.
Hartley stands a breath from Emmanuel, not touching, as instructed, but close enough that I suppress a smile. The fabric of her gown is draped over the edge of his boots, and the male stares down at her, eyes locked on his doe.
Emmanuel’s gaze flicks to me as Del and I approach. “Nice dress,” he says to me, and Hartley nods eagerly in agreement with a curtsy.
I laugh. “Hopefully the last gown I’ll wear for a long time. And thank you for your service, Em. For helping us get this far to see this day.”
“Our work is just beginning,” he says.
I nod. “I keep my promises. We’ll go to the Southern Continent next, I swear it.”
“My queen,” Emmanuel says with a dip of his head.
Hartley swivels her joyful face to him. “What’s in the Southern Continent?” she asks.
Emmanuel looks down at her. “My homeland.”
“Aye,” she says. “I’d love to see it.”
“Not until it’s safe,” he says.
She scowls at him. “I’ll train. I’ll be ready to go with you.”
“It’ll be a decade before I even consider that as an option.”
She dismisses my assassin with a wave. “We’ll talk about it.”
“We won’t,” he assures her, and I turn away to hide my smirk.
Nix, Ellie, and Samantha, accompanied by Charlotte and Second, wait by the door to the throne room, and Raven rushes to Del’s side. He tucks her under his arm.
“You ready for this?” Charlotte asks with a prideful smile.
I nod, and movement catches my attention as Officer Cave steps out of the shadows.
