When I did, I gasped at the sight before me. The frosty white castle from our dreams was no longer just that; it was real, and it was ours.
“It’s beautiful,” I breathed.
Kai kissed the side of my neck, sending shivers down my skin. “Now that you’re my wife, does that mean the honeymoon starts right now?”
I rubbed my back against him, loving the feel of his hardness pressing into me. “Oh, yes. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long one.”
Picking me up in his arms, he carried me inside our castle. “I’m not going to complain about that.”
Chapter35
Kai
FIVE DAYS LATER
It’s been five days since Ella brought me back to life and I’d taken on the role as king. Every morning I wake up and see Ella beside me, thinking it’s just a dream. But then she’d smile and kiss me, drawing me back to the here and now.
Sliding my hand down her bare arm, I smiled when she trembled under my touch. “I was having a good dream,” she grumbled, turning around to face me.
“Care to tell me about it?” I propositioned.
She bit her lip. “Oh, I will, but unfortunately, it has to be later. Marin’s coming by this morning to go over all the wedding details. I promised her an extravagant ceremony, and I’m going to give it to her.”
She hopped out of bed, and I watched her grab a silky light green dress out of the closet, the fabric sliding down her smooth, creamy skin as she put it on. She was so fucking beautiful. If I had my way, we’d never leave our bedroom. While wrapping her hair up into a messy bun, Ella strolled over and sat down next to me.
“Just to give you a heads up, my parents are stopping by tonight.”
I nodded. “They’re still skeptical of me. I saw it on their faces when I officially met them the other day. The same goes for your grandparents.”
Her father would be hard to get through, but I could understand that. I’d be the same way if I had a daughter.
Ella leaned over me and smiled. “They’ll come around. All that matters is that we’re together. We have a job to do, and I can’t wait to start our search.”
Taking her chin, I pulled her closer and kissed her. “Speaking of said job, there’s somewhere I want to go today. I think I’m ready.”
Her eyes widened. “Seriously? Do you want me to go with you? Marin will understand.”
I shook my head. “No. Keep your plans with your friend. I need to do this alone.”
Ella smiled and squeezed my hand. “You’ll do fine. I have faith in you.” She kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll see you when you get back.” She walked to the door and then stopped. “Oh, and at some point, I need to take you through the Mystical Forest. If you’re going to be a king in this realm, you need to meet all the creatures in it. We have redcaps, leprechauns, nymphs, imps, you name it.”
I’d already met a tribe of brownies; several had come from the Winter Court castle to work for Ella and me. However, I wasn't that knowledgeable when it came to the other different creatures in the Land of the Fae. There was so much I didn’t know but looked forward to learning about.
“Are there trolls?” I asked, mainly saying it as a joke.
Ella nodded and her nose scrunched up. “Yes, and they’re not exactly friendly. They have warty faces and terrible teeth. I haven’t seen one in a long time. They like to stay deep in the forest.”
“Very well,” I said.
She winked and gave me a reassuring smile before walking out the door. For the past few days, we’ve started planning to seek out those fae in the mortal realm who deserved a chance to return home. In her grandparents’ palace, there were ledgers of all the fae cast out of the realm and the reasons why. Those who betrayed the Land of the Fae weren’t going to get a second chance, but there were plenty who deserved one.
However, my mission today wasn’t to search forthem; it was to find Piper and our half-sisters she’d chosen to live with in Virginia. I barely knew Angelina and Zoe, but they were good women. They didn’t want anything to do with me or my brothers. All they wanted was peace instead of war.
Once out of bed, I dressed quickly in jeans and a T-shirt. Ella and I had returned to my cabin in North Carolina and brought most of my stuff over. I was planning on giving the place to Piper if she didn’t want to come and live in the Land of the Fae. It was strange how much things had changed since I’d died and come back. Never once did I care about anyone’s feelings other than Ella’s. But now, I felt regret and shame for how I treated Piper. She loved me and I never let her in. All she wanted was a brother, a family, and I never gave that to her.
Will she want to see me? Probably not, but I was going to try.
I summoned a portal and could see Angelina’s small brick house through the haze, with Piper’s silver car in the driveway. The only thing I had to do was step through.