I was exhaustedby the time we returned to the palace. Kole and I had joined three times in our warded dome upon the Silventine Wood’s forest floor. Finally free of any danger or constraints, our bodies had craved one another again and again. And something about engaging in such acts deep within that Wood, at the very heart of where so many monumental acts had occurred that had ultimately brought us together, had not only fulfilled me, but had also exhausted me mentally and physically. But the fact that I wastiredand actuallywanted to sleepcreated such excitement in me that I couldn’t stop my joyous cries and laughter.
Betsee made a startled sound when we reappeared in my bedroom chambers just after sunset in a blast of mistphasing magic. She staggered back and brought all four hands to her chest. “Goodness, Your Highness, but I don’t think I shall ever get used to that.”
I skipped toward her and pulled her into a fierce hug. She froze, bafflement filling her aura.
“I apologize, dear Betsee, but isn’t it the loveliest evening?” I released her from my embrace, and she stared at me with wide eyes.
“Well, yes, I suppose it is,” she replied, her tone calm and patient as though I’d gone daft in the head.
I laughed again and returned to Kole, sliding my hand through his, then said to Betsee, “Why don’t you take the nightoff, Betsee? In fact, take the entire month off. You deserve it after all you’ve done for me.”
Her eyebrows shot to her hairline, and I was certain she thought me entirely unhinged. “My lady, would you perhaps like me to seek Surrep?”
Kole chuckled and replied for me. “She doesn’t need a healer. The princess is simply in an extraordinarily good mood. I suggest you take her offer and run with it.”
A slow smile spread across the lady attendant’s face. “Are you certain?”
Kole and I grinned and replied at the same time, “Yes.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Even though Kole had been cured, which the healers at the Imperial Council confirmed, he wasn’t required to return to work. As a newly mated male, he was given the usual two months’ holiday that all males and females were given once they’d completed the bond with their fated mate.
Consequently, Kole and I spent the next two months either in my bedroom chambers, enjoying our newly formed mating bond as most newly mated couples did, or visiting with family and friends.
We saw Gwenery, Timith, Ree, Bennif, and Siam often. I also got to know Xaven and Callahan more, the two warriors Kole considered his closest Silten friends.
And we also went on frequent domal rides with my parents, sisters, and their friends, whom I was quickly getting to know. Nathaniel joined us on occasion too, and even though Kole still wasn’t a fan of the lordling, and likely never would be, at least I no longer felt any attraction to him. That, at least, helped my possessive mate not feel the urge to kill him. At least, not on a daily basis.
And even though Lady Ryderdim had begrudgingly allowed her grandson to be in my presence, she still hated me, but she’dat least stopped her tirade against me. And as the months slowly passed, as far as she and everyone else in the realm knew, I’d never used my forbidden magic on anyone.
And thankfully, after returning to fae, that was entirely true.
A few days after my encounter with Nuleef and Diredan, in which I’d been rid of my horrific vampire nature and Kole had been cured, I’d explained everything that had happened to my parents. No longer a vampire, Arnel’s previous commands had been obliterated, so I told them everything.
They knew that I’d become a vampire and what I’d done under Arnel’s control, and I’d explained how I sought out the gods in hopes of finding a way to stop Kole from turning into a monster, and in the process, had inexplicably saved myself as well.
Amazingly, most of it wasn’t new information to them. I’d come to learn that Kole had indeed told them that I’d been changed into a vampire, and he’d also revealed the extent of what Arnel had used me for. Knowing that had allowed my father to shrug off his desire to build mining tunnels between his region and Stonewild, and since I was fae by the time King Riverling visited, I never felt the command to manipulate him.
The kingsfae and Imperial Council had also unraveled who all of the God of Night followers were, thanks to Arnel’s thorough documentation, and they identified who’d been changed into vamfeers and who had been willing to be changed if called forth by Arnel.
And while the surviving God of Night followers technically hadn’t broken any laws by following an ancient god, they had all landed themselves on the kingsfae’s watchlist. If any of them decided to try building a temple again, since Arnel’s had been destroyed, I had hope that their plans would be thwarted before they’d truly begun.
Luckily, the damage I’d done as a vampire had resulted in no long-term harm to the realm. But I still shuddered, thinking of what would have happened if Kole hadn’t gone to such lengths to find a way to understand what happened to me. Or if the gods hadn’t interfered, and Kole had been changed into a hideous vamfeer in the end.
I still would have stayed with him. I’d meant it when I said I would never leave him, but I had a feeling it would have been a torturous existence for both of us.
After that ugliness faded behind us, Kole and I ventured back to theotherrealm once, just to tell Nicholas what’d happened. He’d been in the process of couriering us what his gargoyles had discovered in the Bulgarian Libraries, but we’d told him the information was no longer needed. And when we’d explained what’d happened, Nicholas had been shocked, amazed, and thrilled beyond belief to learn that it was possible to rid oneself of the vampire curse, if one was lucky enough to be kissed by the gods. And since Nicholas confirmed that no documentation could be found in their realm that would rid one of a vampire’s curse, which meant that I was truly unique and the only creature in any realm to have ever been returned to my natural form, I breathed a sigh of relief that Goddess Nuleef had helped me in the end.
With all of that concluded, Kole and I enjoyed the rest of his time off with no further mention of Arnel, vampires, or vamfeers.
When not in Whiteolf, we traveled the realm, the vast distance meaning nothing since we both could mistphase. And since I was a fairy once more and didn’t need to worry about exacting my magic on anyone, our time spent with others was entirely carefree.
I finally met Kole’s family, and we spent a solid two weeks in Kole’s residence in Prinavee. It was exactly as I’d imagined itwould be. Modest, very masculine, and well away from the busy capital. He’d told me I could decorate it as I saw fit, and we both knew we would never sell his humble abode. It was an escape from Whiteolf, royalty, and all of the duties that came with my new life. And on the Solis continent, it was just him and me. No demands. No duty. Just us.
I met his family as well when we ventured to Solisarium. It tickled me completely that his parents and brother welcomed me with open arms. Even better, they didn’t think twice about my royal status. To them, I was the female their son or brother had fallen in love with. His mate. His eternal partner. His forever love.
And on the Solis continent, amidst the ice and snow in his family’s home, we enjoyed home-cooked hearty suppers, took long walks along the frozen river near their abode, played endless games of cards, and spent hours chatting, shopping, and enjoying their local entertainment venues.
