And with that, I walk down the aisle, hoping Alex doesn’t look up. As I expect, his head remains bent over his notes as I step onto the stage.
“I’m not on your schedule,” I say, “but I’m hoping you can make time for me.”
Alex’s head whips up, and he accidentally knocks the lamp off his desk. It falls to the ground with a crash of glass, but he doesn’t seem to notice.
“Sabine,” he breathes, slowly rising.
And then he’s jogging toward the stairs, taking them two at a time until he’s in front of me. He stares at me, reaching out and then pulling his hands back as if he’s afraid to touch me.
A smile spreads across my face, and I glance at our audience. Frederick hovers toward the front row, still dumbfounded. Drake simply looks bored.
“Shall we go somewhere more private?” I ask Alex.
He leads me toward his office. I look around, studying the piles of scripts and various knickknacks. “Everything is exactly the same.”
“What are you doing here?” he finally asks.
I nod toward the amber bottle at the side of the desk. “I thought you gave that up.”
“Why do you think the bottle is full?” A smile tries to spread across his face, but it flickers with genuine confusion. “I admit I’ve been tempted. There was a time it was my only way to visit you.” He pauses, staring at the bottle. “I’m not drunk now, am I?”
I laugh at the ridiculous idea. “I’m really here.”
He looks up, narrowing his eyes at me. “You’re not a changeling, are you?”
Smiling, I close the space between us. “Take off your ring.”
Immediately, he does as I ask.
I move magic over our tether, making it visible. The long years have done nothing to fade it. It’s still there, connecting us.
Nodding as if relieved, Alex sits on a settee against the side wall. “Don’t you have a kingdom to rule?”
I pause, wondering how he’s going to take my news. “I’ve left the Auvenridge Court. My heir was born, freeing me. Brahm will rule as her regent until she’s old enough to take her place.”
“Your heir?” Alexander asks, genuinely startled.
“My niece,” I clarify. “Brahm and Alice’s daughter. I stepped down from my throne and gave my kingdom to an infant.”
She’s already powerful, and so dear. Even though she’s half-human, the forest accepted her and let me leave. West Faerie is ready for a new era.
“Why would you do that?” Alex demands.
“The Auvenridge Court already suffered one heartless queen.” I sit beside him. “The people don’t deserve another.”
Alexander’s face softens. “You are far from heartless, Sabine.”
“I am when I’m in Faerie.”
He moves closer, his eyes searching mine. “Why?”
“Because my heart is here. It belongs to you.”
“Are you mad?” Alex asks with a quiet laugh. “Sabine, you’re a queen. You can’t simply show up on a whim—”
“I can, and I did,” I interrupt. “Do you want me or not?”
Alex takes me by the shoulders. “They’ll never let you leave.”