Chapter 66
Sixty-Six
VIVIENNE
A WEEK LATER
Because time in Ellnesari moves differently—and at a slower pace than in the human world—we don’t return to Aquila until a week later. When I say we, I mean everyone in our inner circle, and a few members of the Red Guard.
The portals to Ellnesari remain officially shut, but with my new powers, I can open one in the heart of the palace without needing a Nightingale relic or a complicated spell.
My father is waiting for us in the throne room, accompanied by Queen Merissa and her consort, King Galan, and Prince Castiel of Lynx and his parents, King Koran and Queen Endaya.
Castiel is the first to break from the group, sporting the biggest smile. “Congratulations, Your Majesty.”
I haven’t seen him since the quick confrontation with King Titus’s forces.
I know his relationship with Rikkon has become tense thanks to Castiel’s involvement in the shadowbeasts project, but my heart still warms up to him.
He was Rikkon’s best friend for years, and I came to view him as my brother too.
“Thank you, Cas.”
He steps closer and peers at Nat, who’s sleeping in my arms. “Wow, look at that. She’s stunning, Vivi. You did well.”
Lucca clears his throat, and Castiel adds quickly, “You too, Lucca.”
Castiel steps back and turns to Rikkon. “Good to see you too, Rik.”
In a surprising move, Rikkon walks over to his friend and pulls him into a hug. Castiel’s eyes widen a fraction before he hugs my brother back. After a moment, they break apart, and Castiel says, “What was that all about?”
“I heard what you did to help my friends, and what happened to your brother.”
A shadow crosses Castiel’s eyes. “Yes, that was not the best of days, but I’m glad I could save Cheryl and Ronan from Indigo’s clutches.”
“I don’t want to stay angry with you anymore, Cas. Let’s let bygones be bygones.”
Castiel smiles. “I’d like that very much.”
He greets Miranda and the rest of our large party while Lucca and I move up to speak with the other royals present.
I’m still pissed at Queen Merissa and how she went about getting me to the ancient mother tree to perform the ritual. But I have to remember she’s a Nightingale queen, and in the grand scheme of things, what she did doesn’t register on the scale of the most awful things my people are capable of.
“Wow! This is surreal. Someone pinch me,” Vaughn exclaims behind us.
I look over my shoulder and witness Saxon doing exactly that.
Vaughn cries out. “What the hell, man.”
“You asked.” Saxon laughs but jumps away from Vaughn, probably expecting retaliation.
Their antics draw a condescending glance from Queen Merissa. My father just looks bored. Castiel’s parents watch everything with amusement glinting in their eyes. I’ve always liked them.
They both approach and bow their heads. “Queenhood suits you, Vryenn,” King Koran says.
“Thank you. I’m still not used to it.”
“You will be, my dear. And if you have any questions, you can always come to me.”
“She still has one parent left, you know?” Father retorts, and I have to fight to not snort out loud. He was never involved in my upbringing or Rikkon’s, and he didn’t lift a finger to stop my mother from banishing us.
Nat becomes fussy in my arms, so I automatically swing her to calm her down.
Queen Endaya steps closer. “May I?”
“Of course.”
Nat stops fussing when I transfer her to the queen of Lynx’s arms. She smiles at Nat, then moves her hand to caress her face, but she hisses a second later.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
The queen brings her bloodied index finger to her mouth. King Koran’s eyes widen. “Did the baby bite you?”
“She did. I never realized newborns had such sharp teeth.”
“Vampire babies do.” Lucca takes Nat away from the queen.
“I’m so sorry. She didn’t have fangs before,” I say.
Lucca peers at our daughter, then looks at me, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “She does now.”
I never realized he was hoping Nat would take something after him. His happiness about this new development shows that he did.
“You probably want to rest and clean up before dinner,” my father cuts in. “Your coronation ceremony is scheduled at dawn tomorrow.”
“Where will it take place?” Rikkon asks.
His question makes sense. Per tradition, it would happen by the ancient mother tree after the peaceful transfer of power from the current queen to her heir.
Father looks at me. “It’s up to Vryenn to decide.”
Too much blood has been shed in Silver Grove recently. Many of my mother’s soldiers lost their lives, and the ones who surrendered and swore their loyalty to me probably don’t want to be reminded of such a dark day.
Lucca steps closer, placing his hand on my lower back. He has the uncanny ability to guess when I need his support.
“We’ll do it in front of Mistral Castle.”
“Of course.” My father tries to remain impartial, but I catch the upturn of his lips.
“You already knew what I was going to decide, didn’t you?”
“Guilty, but I still had to ask.”
I’m not sure how he truly feels about me being the new queen of Aquila. Queen Merissa’s words haven’t left my mind. If my father truly wanted the crown for himself, then how long until he tries to take it away from me?
That’s a concern I’ve presented to Lucca, Rikkon, and King Raphael.
It’s for that reason that Rikkon has decided to stay in Ellnesari and work with our father and Castiel on the shadowbeasts project.
He needs to understand how to control the monsters so Father can’t turn them against us.
Miranda will, of course, stay in Ellnesari with Rikkon as well.
I wish I didn’t have to stay, but Aquila is now my kingdom, and it’s my responsibility to protect it from any threat. Now that King Raphael has fully recovered, Lucca’s presence in Salem isn’t truly necessary.
“Hey, Vivi. Do you think we can get a tour of the castle?” Vaughn asks.
“Of course.” I link my arm with Lucca’s and lead the way.
LUCCA
I didn’t know what to expect from Vivi’s coronation. I never really paid any attention to the ceremonies of human kings and queens. I only knew that it’d probably be grandiose because that’s how the Nightingales roll.
Vivi looks majestic and ethereal in her silver-and-blue gown adorned with a million tiny crystals, which sparkle when the sun rises on the horizon.
Priestesses chant and dance around her to the beat of drums, while Fili, the giant bird that’s the symbol of Aquila, flies above us with her flock. At one point, Saxon makes a comment about bird shit, and he’s promptly shushed by Aurora.
Nat remains asleep in my arms for the most part, but when Vivi steps forward to receive the crown from her father, our daughter opens her eyes and kicks her tiny legs. Guessing she doesn’t want to miss this moment, I hold her facing forward.
I’m shaking when the crown is set on Vivi’s head, and my pulse is going at a hundred miles per hour.
I can only imagine what this moment means to her.
She endured so much pain for daring to defy her mother, for trying to help my people.
Tears gather in my eyes, and while she’s reciting the pledge to the land and people of Aquila, she looks in my direction.
I don’t hold my emotions back. I let them flow through me, and now I’m crying like a baby.
Someone sniffles next to me, and I don’t need to look to know there isn’t a dry eye among our friends and family.
The crowd erupts in cheers once Vivi finishes her speech, and I’m so proud of her that I may burst from it. I’m impatient to go to her and hold her in my arms, but I must wait. While she’s Vryenn Gael, the queen of Aquila, she doesn’t belong only to me.
Someone offers me a tissue. It’s Manu.
“Thanks.”
“That was so beautiful, and I didn’t understand a word of her speech.”
“I think the message transcended language barriers.”
Vivi breaks protocol and joins me instead of heading back inside the palace as it was planned. We’re in plain view of all the Aquilans who traveled to witness this historic moment. Ruel wasn’t sure if flaunting her relationship with a vampire was prudent, but she’s doing things her way.
“You look beautiful, my love.”
“I was so nervous. I probably butchered half my speech.”
“You did not,” Rikkon says.
Nat extends her arms toward Vivi, who takes her from me. “Hey, baby girl. What did you think?”
Nat stares at Vivi’s crown, transfixed.
“Oh, she’s definitely a princess. She can’t take her eyes off the sparkly things.” Manu laughs.
Vivi leans in to kiss Nat on the cheek, and Nat immediately reaches for the crown with her tiny hands.
“Whoa. Isn’t she a bit too young to be in the grab phase?” Miranda asks.
Vivi holds on to the crown, leaning back. She then looks at me and catches me grinning from ear to ear. “What?”
I step closer and kiss her in front of her entire kingdom, not caring one bit about how scandalous it is for a Nightingale queen to fall in love with a vampire. This is our time now, and we will make our own history.
THE END