“I’m always happy to replicate my results. You know, for scientific rigor.” I rolled to the side, tugging her against my chest so she could curl into me. Her head fit perfectly under my chin, and I wrapped my arms around her, feeling her heartbeat gradually slow.
As we lay on the bed, I traced lazy patterns on her back. The faelights started to fade, and outside, I heard the faint sounds of the court settling for the night.
I wanted to tell her I was falling in love with her, that she’d become the most important person in my world.
“I wasn’t expecting this,” she said in a soft voice. “When Grandmother proposed the alliance, I thought it would be duty and politics and separate lives. I never thought?—”
“That you’d end up in bed with a king who has a thing for watching you eat pastries?”
Her laugh vibrated through us. “That I’d end up with someone who makes me want the softer things life can gives us, like companionship. I never thought I’d find someone who understands both my strategic side and my…” She gestured vaguely. “The messy emotional parts I’m usually terrible at.”
“You’re not terrible at emotions. You’re just selective about when you show them.” I kissed her forehead. “And I’m honored to be someone you choose to show them to.”
She snuggled closer, and I realized this was the perfect moment. We’d solved one mystery. We were close to solving another. And we’d found something real together in the process.
Maybe everything would work out alright.
CHAPTER TWENTY
SASHA
The next morning, we descended the stairs to the dining room, Savory swooping ahead of us. Dominic’s hand caught mine, pulling me back against him for a kiss that made my toes curl.
The nest is well-feathered indeed,Savory said in my mind, her tone smug.Though perhaps you could save this for when you’re not blocking the stairs?
My face heated, but I smiled against Dominic’s mouth before we continued down.
We paused twice more, unable to help ourselves. Each kiss felt different now, no longer tentative or questioning, but certain. Right.
At this rate, you’ll reach breakfast by dinner,Savory said.
I finally pushed Dominic away with a laugh, and we made it to the dining room.
The flowers in the vase at the center of the table were wilted, their petals brown and flaking. But the moment we crossed the threshold, they perked up. Color flooded back into the blossoms, the stems straightening as if we’d given them water after a drought.
Savory landed on the back of an empty chair and began grooming her feathers.
I’d woken feeling different this morning, physically satisfied in a way I’d never experienced. But more than that, I felt emotionally settled. The usual anxiety that greeted me each morning, and the weight of responsibilities and problems still left to solve, felt manageable rather than crushing.
My plant magic stirred more readily too, responding to my contentment like it had been waiting for permission to fully emerge.
As I sat, Dominic’s hand settled on my lower back, tracing small circles through my gown. The touch sent warmth through me that had nothing to do with magic and everything to do with the memory of what he’d done for me last night. I’d slept in his arms. Woken to his smile.
There couldn’t be anything better than that.
He took the seat beside me, close enough that our knees touched under the table. Without asking, he poured my primwort and added cream.
The domesticity of it made my chest ache in the best possible way.
“Pastry?” he asked, holding up a flaky creation filled with berries.
“Please.”
He laid it on his plate and tore off a piece, holding it to my lips. I took it, maintaining eye contact while he watched my mouth. His pupils dilated, reminding me again of last night.
“You’re thinking about it too,” he said softly.
“Constantly.”
