Epilogue
VIOLET
“Are you sure about this?” Joon grimaces. “Perhaps I should wear something nicer?”
I glance at him from the corner of my eye. This might be the first time I’ve ever seen him look so uncomfortable. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
He looks like he wants to protest, but after several false starts, he presses his lips into a tight line and sighs in defeat.
“You’ve never met anyone’s family before, have you?” I ask slowly.
Joon lifts his chin, adopting a false haughtiness. “I have… just not in this context.”
“This will be casual. I want them to meet you first. Humans don’t usually go around marrying someone they just met.”
He frowns. “But we didn’t just meet.”
Stifling a laugh, I say, “We know that, but they don’t. The man I married was declared dead after defeating the Traitor King.” I press my palm to his chest. “I haven’t known this Joon for long.”
“All right, I concede to your point,” he says reluctantly.
I take his hand, then half-drag him inside my parents’ house before he can delay again. I’d moved into a small cottage near the northern side of town after I finished studying under Physician Wilkes, but this will always be home to me.
Familiar voices drift from other areas in the house. They have company. I briefly wonder if I should have given them notice rather than dropping in on a whim. I push the doubt away. It’s too late now anyway.
I want to talk about Joon with my family.
“Mother? Father? I’m home,” I call out. “I brought someone I want you to meet.”
A rush of people comes from the kitchen in the back all at once. Mother and Father lead the way with Talya, Sebastian, and his fiancé Lilly, and Mr. and Ms. Byron following.
Everyone begins talking over each other. Joon takes half a step back, positioning himself slightly behind me.
“Why don’t we all take a seat in the drawing room while we wait for dinner?” Mother suggests, speaking loud enough to silence the rush of questions.
Chatter immediately resumes as everyone files into the next room, eager for an introduction.
“You will stay for dinner, won’t you?” she asks Joon.
“I would not want—”
“It’s no imposition at all,” she says with a knowing smile as she joins the others.
“I see where you get it from,” Joon mutters under his breath.
I feign offence. “Get what from?”
“Your unfailing positivity.”
After making sure no one can see, I rise on my toes and press a quick kiss to his lips. While he’s still stunned, I pull him into the drawing room.
I gesture to my friends and family, naming each in turn. “Everyone, this is Joon.”
There’s a round of murmured greetings that feels far more strained than I expected.
“Umm, Violet,” Talya says a little too sweetly. “Perhaps you would like to give us all a little more context? You’ve never brought a man home before.” He laughs nervously, then quietly, she adds, “And when you do, he’s fae.”
Oh… Oooh.
I suppose it would be jarring. Humans and fae have only begun to work together again. There hasn’t been much time for more romantic notions to develop between the two groups.
When I look at him, all I see is the man who makes my heart skip a beat when he smiles, who understood me in a way no one else could, long before we fell in love. The man I have been tied to for more than half my life through a curse that became a boon.
Talya turns to Joon. “You see, our little Violet has given herself very little opportunity to meet a human man, let alone a fae. So, we are understandably confused—especially when she’s never mentioned anyone to us before.”
He gives me a sideways glance.
“Joon only moved to the area recently. We met by chance on my way home yesterday.”
Everyone stares, waiting for more.
“He was my protector at the palace,” I rush to say. “And gave me Bear for added protection.”
My father sends Joon a glare. “That was you? I was wondering if we would ever meet the one responsible for that little gift.”
I press my lips into a hard line to stifle the laughter bubbling up. Father has finally figured out that Bear is actually a demon, as I knew he would. I could only hide their little quirks for so long.
Talya’s sharp gaze bounces from Joon to me several times. “Is there something between you two?”
“We are frien—” I start to say, but Joon cuts me off.
“I intended to make her my wife as soon as possible.”
I choke on the bluntness of his response while everyone is rendered speechless.
“Joon!” I hiss.
He meets my gaze with an entirely serious expression. “You already agreed when we discussed it earlier.”
“You didn’t have to tell them that yet,” I say in a harsh whisper, even though everyone can hear.
“I will not lie to the people who love you.”
Heat creeps into my cheeks.
Talya snorts. “Protector, my foot,” she mutters under her breath.
Sebastain sits forward on the edge of his seat. “I—uh, that is—our families have been good friends for so long, we are all practically family at this point.”
There are nods of agreement around the room.
“So, I’m sure I’m not the only one curious when I ask what it is that you do,” Sebastian continues awkwardly. “For work, I mean.”
“I would hardly call it work, but—” There is a wicked glint in Joon’s eye, and I can tell that whatever is about to come out of his mouth next will have an all too obvious double meaning that no one will miss.
“He hasn’t figured that out yet,” I blurt before he can finish. “He only arrived in town a few days ago.”
Joon gives me a wink before addressing the room. “I was thinking I might become an apothecary. I enjoy gardening, and with my connections back at the capital, I will have access to rare seeds that would be useful to Violet’s work.”
“That’s wonderful!” Mother beams.
With introductions made and the most pressing questions out of the way for now, Joon and I take a seat. Several lighthearted discussions spring up around the room, each of us moving from one to the other with comfortable ease.
It warms me to see my family welcome him with open arms. I appreciate the way he walked into this unfamiliar situation, willing to adapt for my sake.
When the head cook announces dinner is ready, Mother herds everyone toward the kitchen. She slips her arm through Joon’s, dragging him along while peppering him with questions.
Talya holds me back, waiting to speak until we are alone.
“He must truly love you to give up his crown,” Talya says.
My heart skips a beat. “He’s not…” I trail off.
Talya cocks her head and fists her hands on her hips, daring me to continue the lie. When I don’t, she says, “It’s a little obvious.” She tilts her head toward the window, where Imugi and Bear play fight in the yard. “Why else would a bonded demon be here?”
I send a sharp glare at Imugi. They were supposed to stay out of sight.
“Honestly, Violet, I’m a little hurt you never confided in me.”
I flinch, knowing I would feel the same in her place. “I’m sorry. We thought it best to let that part of him go. It might be common knowledge that he defeated the Traitor King, but there are many who still think of him as cruel.”
Talya heaves an overly dramatic sigh. “Fine,” she drags the sound out. “I suppose I can understand that. You both have my word that I’ll take this secret to my grave.”
I throw my arms around her. “Thank you.”
“We’ll talk about why you haven’t told me about that demon posing as a dog later,” she whispers.
I pull back, knowing that it’s pointless to lie, but at the same time, there are only so many people willing to tolerate a while demon when most would gladly rip a human to shreds.
“Oh, come on. Did you think I wouldn’t notice a dog changing from male one day to female the next? Besides, when have you ever seen a dog jump from a second-story window like it was nothing or climb up the side of a house?”
“You noticed that?” I laugh nervously. I’ll need to have a chat with Bear about being more careful later.
“Violet,” she says my name with the exasperation of a mother dealing with a toddler. “You know I love you like a sister, but there are times I wonder about your sanity.”
“Hey!” I pout playfully.
“At least I can rest easy knowing you’ll have Joon to keep you from getting into too much trouble on your own. And I fully expect to hear the full story from you—that Choosing business is looking more and more suspicious by the second.”
I laugh. “Deal.”
“Bargain with me,” Joon says with a desperation that matches mine when I’d once said that to him.
I rise from crouching over a small bunch of wild herbs and turn to the fae behind me. He’s far closer than he was a moment ago.
“Bargain? For what? Why?” I ask with a light laugh.
“Your hand. Your heart.”
I smile and tilt my head, trying to figure out if he is teasing me again or not. “My heart is already yours, as my hand will be in two weeks.”
Joon’s tone turns somber. “By your human customs, yes. I want you as my wife, as human and fae.”
The moment he gives his wants voice, I know it is just as important for me to know we are bound in all ways that matter. It is the thing that was missing during the past month of preparations, but couldn’t name.
“Is there even time to arrange things?” I ask.
He reaches up and tucks a wayward strand of hair behind my ear. “There is nothing to arrange. For the fae, such things are private. Humans have ceremonies and witnesses because they do not possess magic. We need only to speak our new bargain as we did before.”
“Then I see no need to wait.” My voice has gone breathy and soft with anticipation.
The look of pure happiness on his face only reaffirms what is in my heart.
Bird song fills the woods now that spring is in full bloom.
The air is warm and fragrant. It’s a time and place I never imagined having with him.
It feels like a dream, just as every day since he found me in the forest has.
I intend to revel in the passing years I never thought I’d have, and a love I never dared to want before I met Joon.