“I’m fine—”
“Maybe so,” Bastien cuts in. “But I saw how you looked when I first arrived, and you were a mess. I tried my hardest to kill that witch for what she’d done to you.”
“You exposed yourself to save me when she unleashed those daggers,” I point out, stepping in his path. He stares down at me as I put my hands against his chest. “You made yourself vulnerable. You nearly died, and no words can ever express how much I love you for it.”
“I’d die a thousand times over to save you,” he replies, followed by a brief and chaste kiss. “But now, you have duties, and then I’m forcing rest on you. You can fight me if you want, but you’ll lose.”
“Will you rest with me?” I ask, moving to his side as we walk again.
“Rest is the last thing that’ll happen if I get into a bed with you,” he says sternly. “But if you’re a good girl and get some food and a good sleep, I’ll consider it.”
I laugh, moving into his side and wrapping both my arms around his waist. “Bet I can make you consider joining me before food and sleep.”
“Probably,” he mutters with a dour grimace, which indicates he knows I have power over him. “But only because I love you.”
Those words… I used to take them for granted. But I know how easily they can be stripped away, and I’ll never not cherish them from here on out. Every time he says them to me, or I to him, I’ll always remember how close I came to losing everything we worked so hard to build.
EPILOGUE
Bastien
Yes, he could finally admit that his life had turned out perfectly. Many years had been wasted by war, and several weeks by his own fears and stubbornness, but at long last, Thalia was his wife.
The ceremony was held in a shaded glen outside the Clairmont town limits. No longer in need of a protective cloak, it stood now as a beacon city for those who wanted to migrate south.
Laina Mercea performed the exchange of vows, which Thalia and Bastien kept short as their deepest feelings were something only the two of them shared with each other. Words aside, however, their actions proclaimed to everyone that they were deeply in love. He’d hardly been able to stop looking at or touching her since the day they reclaimed Kestevayne from Ferelith.
With her devoted either killed or imprisoned, work on restoring the damage to the city was underway. Bastien and Thalia would be moving into the royal apartments after an extended honeymoon.
Thalia’s choice… back to Wyoming.
All she had to say was, “Bastien, I want you to make love to me under the low-hanging stars,” and he packed his bags.
It would be more than a honeymoon, though. She would be working to sell the ranch as her place was in Vyronas now, but she wanted her land to go to the right person. Bastien anticipated trips back and forth until that was completed, but for now, he was looking forward to uninterrupted time with her.
Not only to spend as much time gorging himself on that beautiful body of hers, but truly, he wanted to build new memories to fill their seven-year gap.
He also wanted to get started on building a family, and he knew Thalia wanted that too. They had that conversation last night, so with some luck, there would be the sound of tiny running feet in the palace sooner rather than later.
Right now, though, it was time to celebrate. Since their vows over two hours ago, the party had been going strong. The sun had set, and the moon cast rose-colored shadows along the tents that had been strung with magical fairy lights, the tables inside loaded with food and drink. Musicians played traditional but lively songs that everyone danced to.
At that very moment, Bastien enjoyed watching his wife teach a jig to one of the very shy soldiers she forced out onto the dewy grass with her. Her long hair flowed down her back, her gown made of simple cotton with thin straps at her tanned shoulders and gauzy folds around her calves. She was barefoot and wore a crown of flowers, and he’d never seen anything lovelier in his entire life.
A hand clapped down on Bastien’s shoulder, and he turned to see Amell standing beside him. Decked out in dark green leather from head to toe, his inky-black wings glistened in the sparkling lights. His true identity was still a secret, and the citizens of Vyronas only knew him as a “friendly” Dark Fae. Bastien’s respect for Amell had increased when he’d insisted Thalia keep their relationship a secret, as he wanted nothing to sully the memory and respect of Queen Selena. Many would never understand what she’d done.