Thirty Eight #3
Lady May and I went our separate ways when she turned down the hall that led to her chambers.
I walked to the staircase and descended the stone steps to the first floor.
Even though I could glimmer now, I often found comfort in walking to get to places instead of relying on magic.
When I stepped into the already crowded ballroom, my gaze immediately zeroed in on Adrian.
After we had sealed the bond, I could always find him in any room as if we were tethered.
There was a constant tug on my heart, pulling me toward him.
Dressed in navy blue and black, he was talking to Tom’s father, and bits and pieces of their conversation carried over to me even from the considerable distance that separated us.
“We will let anyone interested put their names in for consideration before we appoint a new lord in the Northern region,” Adrian said.
With the Rolamin family in exile, there was a vacancy for the lord position.
“Anyone?” Lord Elwood asked. “I know a few worthy candidates. I’m happy to supply their names.”
“There is no need. The selection process will be fair. Emelin and I will choose the best candidate for the role, regardless of their connections.” His tone was final as he turned away from the lord and looked at me. My breath caught as his eyes instantly darkened.
“I’m surprised you two are out in public so soon after sealing the bond,” Finn’s velvet voice sounded from my right.
Since my gaze was still on Adrian, I saw him scowl and set off toward me through the crowd. He knew about the blood oath I had forged with Finn, and while he loathed it, he understood that I’d had no choice.
With only a few moments to spare before Adrian reached us, I turned to Finn.
“Tom told me that you alerted him and Thea that Lady May and I had gone to the Fallowmere Mountains. They were able to bring reinforcements to help restrain Celestina and the others.” When his amber eyes glinted mischievously, I teased, “Maybe you’re not so hopeless after all. ”
“Oh, my Queen, but I am.” He took a sip of his champagne.
“You don’t have to be.”
“Riestral! What do you want?” Adrian snarled, possessively wrapping his arm around my waist.
“Relax.” Finn rolled his eyes. “She reeks of you. You’ve marked your possession, so there’s no reason to be so tense.”
I grimaced as Adrian’s eyes flashed. “She’s not an object!” he growled.
“I know. She’s something else entirely. Something remarkable. The first mortal to be made into a Fae. You’re truly breaking new ground, Emelin.”
“You address her as Your Majesty. If I hear her name from your mouth again, I will cut out your tongue.”
The vicious threat should have affronted me, but it had a completely different effect as desire stirred.
Finn’s nostrils flared as he smirked. “Your queen likes that blood-thirsty side of you, it seems.”
Adrian’s hold on me tightened. “Don’t smell her; don’t even look at her.”
“We both know that I can’t meet that demand, seeing how she’s in my debt. I’ll always be in the back of her mind and yours, too. There is no escaping me, as you two will live in a state of unease, waiting for me to collect.”
A menacing sound left Adrian as he lunged for him.
The sound promised bloodshed, but Finn glimmered out of his reach, and a second later his laughter rang out in the other end of the ballroom.
Adrian’s head snapped in that direction.
He looked like he was about to glimmer to go after the lord, but I stopped him by placing my hands on his chest.
“You make it too easy for him to rile you up,” I murmured. “Dance with me.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered as we began swaying to the music.
“With the mating bond so fresh, it’s difficult for me to control myself.
My skin is scrawling as we speak from all the eyes on you.
” I glanced around us, noticing all the curious stares.
Word about my transformation had swept through the kingdom, but many of the Fae were seeing me in my new form for the very first time tonight.
“You’re perfect,” Adrian continued. “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life worshiping you. Will you marry me?”
My gaze swung to him as a soft laugh escaped. “I thought that faeries had good memory. We are already married, my King.”
His expression was serious as he said, “I know, but we got married because of obligation. Let’s have another wedding, not because we have to, but because we want to.
I love you. I am in love with you, and I thank the Stars every single day that I get to spend my eternity with you.
” He paused. “What do you say, my Queen? Will you marry me?”
We stopped moving as the rest of the ballroom faded away.
It was just he and I, and the melody of our hearts beating in unison.
When we had met, I had been on the run, trying to escape my past. I had ended up running straight into his arms. Our path toward happiness had not been easy, but I wouldn’t change it for the world because it had made me who I was today—a Fae, his mate and queen.
It was all worth it in the end because now, I would get to spend the rest of my life with him—my love, my king, my everything.
“I will.”