I had forgotten about that amidst everything.
What he said sounded almost part prophecy. Magical. And completely beautiful.
Flecks of essence swirled through his eyes as he lifted his chin. “Rise for the Consort of the Shadowlands.”
All across the coliseum, Primals and gods, mortals and godlings rose as Ash lifted our joined hands high between us, applause lifting to where the draken were perched on the pillars—
I gasped at the sudden, intense series of tingles erupting along the palm pressed to Ash’s. My gaze swung to our joined hands as silvery-white light swirled around our palms and down our arms as the embers in my chest hummed fiercely in response. The glow of the eather reflected off Ash’s face as his eyes widened slightly. The crowd went silent.
“Is that you?” I whispered.
“No,” he rasped, features sharpening, skin thinning until a hint of shadow was visible beneath his skin. Disbelief filled his eyes as his gaze met mine. “Imprimen,” he said, clearing his throat. “Suu opor va id Arae. Idi habe datu ida benada.”
“W-what?” I only recognized one word spoken in the Primal language.
Ash swallowed thickly. “Imprint,” he translated, staring at me in…awe as shocked murmurs eroded the silence. “It must be the Arae. They’ve given their blessing.”
The Arae? Holland? I slowly looked out over the audience, catching only glimpses of slack jaws and wide-eyed Primals. My gaze connected with a Primal with smoky, reddish-brown skin and curly, russet-colored hair beneath a stunning, pale blue quartz crown of many branches and leaves.
The crowd erupted in cheers—feet and shields slamming into the floor as all the Primals but this one stood in open-mouthed silence. This Primal gave me a small smile and pressed a hand free of jewels to the center of her chest before nodding.
I sucked in a shallow breath as Ash stepped back, guiding me to the throne. Heart thumping, our hands remained joined as we sat—as a sudden rumble echoed through the Shadowlands. A burst of intense, silvery fire lit the sky beyond the pillars as the draken lining the columns lifted their heads, letting out a staggering, high-pitched call. With wide eyes, I watched them take flight, circling the coliseum as a larger, thicker shadow fell over the crowd, blotting out the starlight. A gust of wind stirred the strings of lights and lifted the tendrils of my hair as I looked up.
Massive black-and-gray wings spread out as Nektas descended from above, landing in front of the thrones. Sweeping his wings back over our heads, his front talons slammed down on the edge of the dais. The thick frills around his head vibrated as a sound like thunder rolled from him. Those near the dais took several steps back, exchanging wary glances as smoke wafted from Nektas’s flared nostrils, and I looked at Ash…
My husband.
Ash’s lips curved into a shadow of a smile as he squeezed my hand and then released it. I drew my hand back and slowlylooked down at it.
A series of luminous golden swirls swept over the top of my hand and between my thumb and pointer finger, sweeping in several whirls along the lines of my palm. I looked at Ash’s hand.
He bore the same mark as I did.
“It’s an imprint,” Ash explained quietly, his left hand—the newly inked one—closed and resting on the table that had been placed before the thrones. “It appears when a union is favored.”
“By the Fates?” I traced the golden swirls on the inside of my palm. Unlike the charm that had been placed on me, this imprint didn’t fade into my skin.
“I suppose theycoulddo such a thing,” he said in a low voice, leaning in so I could hear him. I imagine to those celebrating down below, it looked as if he were whispering sweet nothings.
“So, they didn’t?” I stared at the golden marks.
“I don’t think so.”
“You lied?”
He brushed a curl back over my shoulder. “Just a little. I had to give some sort of explanation for what has been rather impossible. No one has been blessed upon their union in many centuries.”
I arched a brow. “Then how did this happen?”
His fingers lingered around the curl as he said, “My father was known to do this when he favored a union and wanted it known to all others. He’d give hisblessing.”
I then remembered Ash mentioning that, but if this were something his father would do, it was something thetruePrimal of Life could do, meaning… My lips parted. “It was the embers.”
Ash leaned back with a smile, turning his gaze to the crowd.
“And they will believe it was the Arae?”
“The Fates are capable of anything,” he answered. “So, it’s more than possible that they could do something of the sort.”