Around us, flowers bloomed despite the darkness. Vines that had been withered and brown a month ago now climbed the fountain with bright green leaves. Even the grass beneath our feet felt more alive, responding to the emotional connection flowing between us.
“What do you want for the future?” Dominic asked quietly. “I know we have duties and responsibilities, but what do you want for Sasha?”
I’d spent so many years avoiding that question, terrified that wanting anything beyond duty would make me weak. But sitting here with my husband in gardens we’d saved together, the answer came easily.
“This.” I gestured to the space between us. “Partnership. Someone who sees all of me and doesn’t ask me to be less.” I paused, gathering courage. “Children, eventually.When we’re ready. A court where people can feel deeply without fear.” I met his eyes. “To keep growing. Not despite our differences but because of them.”
His smile could have lit the entire garden. “That sounds perfect.”
“What about you? What do you want?”
“Everything you just said.” He kissed my forehead. “Plus watching you work your plant magic without that look of guilt you used to get.”
“I never looked guilty.”
“You absolutely did. Like you were indulging in something frivolous rather than using an incredible gift. I love watching you embrace it now.”
Warmth coasted through me. Not long ago, I would’ve deflected the compliment or changed the subject. Now I accepted it, letting it settle into the spaces where doubt used to thrive.
“I spent so long believing I had to choose,” I said. “Strategy or emotion. Strength or vulnerability. Being the protector or being protected.” I looked up at him. “You showed me I could be both, that being all of myself made me stronger, not weaker.”
“You showed me the same thing.” His hand found mine, lacing our fingers together. “I’d been performing for so long I’d forgotten who I actually was underneath. You saw through it all. You demanded the real me.”
The plants around us blazed brighter, feeding off our connection. This was what Lady Featherby had been trying to accomplish with her remedies. She’d just gone about it completely wrong.
“Do you think Victoria will be alright?” I asked, unable to completely let go of my protective instincts. “That wolf king looked awfully intense.”
“Your grandmother won’t make arrangements if she doesn’t think they’re a good fit.”
“That’s what worries me.”
Dominic laughed, the sound echoing through the garden. “You can’t protect her forever. She’s going to have to figure out her own path.”
“I know.” I sighed. “That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“You’ll be there when she needs you, but by watching and waiting, you’ll also give her space to grow.” He tilted my chin up and gave me a lingering kiss.
When I’d first arrived, I was afraid of being vulnerable, of giving complete trust to anyone. I thought opening my heart would distract me from my duties and leave everyone I cared about unprotected.
Instead, it had made me stronger.
“I love you,” I said, the words coming easier each time I spoke them.
“I love you too. Thank you for taking a chance on what appeared to be a frivolous fae king.”
“You’re anything but frivolous.”
“Are you sure about that?” He stood and scooped me up, spinning me around until I laughed.
When he came to a stop, he placed me back on my feet and kissed me.
Then we held hands and continued walking through our gardens.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
EPILOGUE 2
ELIZABETH
