Page 128 of Ruling the Green

“Precisely.”

“Well, I think it was inspired to use it—in moderation—instead of torturing people endlessly.”

“I agree. And so you know, the camps have been disbanded,” I said, looking at Jasper. I knew his sister had been pulled into one and horribly abused. It was the whole reason Cece ever learned about the Green and her lineage—she went looking for her friend.

“Good. They never should’ve existed.”

“I agree.”

“If what I’m hearing is right, there are a lot of changes going on,” Cece said.

“And who are you hearing from?” I asked.

“I have my people.”

“As do I.”

“Which should be totally fine,” my sister said, “since both our kingdoms are behaving exactly how they should. Well, aside from us finding a boggart on our side of the woods this week.”

“They’re not the brightest creatures,” I said of the chaos fae who infested homes and did annoying shit like souring milk or spoiling food. “Just have them tossed back over the border. Creatures that have working gray matter know not to cross into the Seelie realm.”

“I believe you. So does my mother.” The current Seelie queen.

“How is she doing?”

“She’s good. Happy not to be under a spell. But she’s restless to go live her life. She’s thinking of passing the crown to me early.”

“Yeah?” I asked, smirking. “Both of us… ruling The Green. Who’d have thought it?”

“I think we’d make a good team. And you have a handy little reminder on your neck not to cross me and mine.”

“Got a little of that Dark in you,” I agreed, rubbing my hand over the burn scars.

Cece leaned forward, her voice only for the two of us. “I’d never ruin your rep by saying this to anyone, but I think you have a little Light in you too.”

Maybe she was right.

Some remnants of the good that belonged to my mother, possibly.

Or, maybe more likely, the light and good that Serin had so easily brought out of me.

My sister and I said our goodbyes, and it was a bittersweet moment—knowing our lives would have very few chances to overlap moving forward.

But I would feel comforted, knowing she was on the Light throne. After everything we’d both been through, there were no two better people to rule.

Serin - 2 years

“We’re going to run out of books at this rate,” Jet said when I clamped my book shut with a dreamy sigh.

“Then you will just have to be a very bad king and slip into the human realm to buy some for me.”

“Eh, I can send Nira. She’s always looking for an excuse to see what new absurd food concoction the mortals have come up with.”

“I still can’t believe she and Vishen decided to go there for their honeymoon.”

“In her defense, I happened to tell her about whole stores devoted to selling every kind of bead available. We could take a trip to Tenray Square,” he said, coming to sit beside me on the bank of my mini lake.

Once upon a time, Tenray Square had been a pop-up market known for selling less-than-legal wares. But it had become a hub of sales and bartering for both the Dark and Light courts.