CHAPTER 29
Jakob
Jakob watched Mallory disappear through the spa’s glass doors and her laughter drifted back to him. She glanced over her shoulder once and smiled like she had nothing heavier on her mind than cucumber water and gossip.
He held that smile with him longer than he should have.
The moment the door closed, the weight settled back onto his shoulders.
Spa days were for healing. For pretending life was normal again. Jakob was glad Mallory had one. She had earned it a hundred times over since the shooting, but he had other business. The kind that didn’t come with plush robes or soft music.
Meg.
Onyxheim’s dungeon ward felt colder than the rest of the castle, even in the middle of the day. Stone walls pressed in and shadows lingered in the areas where sunlight had no opportunity to reach. Jakob moved through the corridors with purpose until he reached her cell.
He didn’t say anything.
Meg looked up sharply from the table when she sat and her hand flew instinctively to where a weapon would have been if she were still living like she used to. She froze when she saw him.
“The mighty king,” she said through a ton of attitude. “You’re a long way from home.”
“So are you,” he replied.
He undid the lock and entered the cell. Once he closed the door behind him, he leaned against it with his arms crossed. He ignored the bars that dug into his back. He wasn’t here to be comfortable.
She studied his face, her expression shifting as if searching for the best angle with which to manipulate him. He’d seen it before. It didn’t work anymore.
“You know why I’m here,” he said.
Meg exhaled, slow and measured. “If this is about the Ruecrags…”
“It’s about everything,” Jakob cut in. “It’s about my city. It’s about my people. And it’s about your sister.”
That landed.
Her jaw tightened. “Mallory dragged herself into that mess.”
“Only because she was looking for you.” Jakob pushed off the door.
“Otherwise, she probably would never even have heard of Onyxheim. And because of you, she was shot because of it. Because of the alliances you helped build. Because you fed the Ruecrags information and leverage and pretended it wouldn’t burn anyone but your enemies. ”
Silence filled the room, thick and brittle.
“You don’t get to pretend ignorance,” he continued, voice low but steady. “Onyxheim is still repairing damage you helped cause. People died. Families were displaced. And Mallory…” His voice caught despite himself. He cleared his throat. “Mallory nearly did.”
Meg looked away. He gave a silent cheer that he had finally hit a nerve.
He let the moment stretch. Then he said, “I’m not here to get answers from you.”
Her head snapped back up. “You’re not?”
“Nope,” he said. “I’m here to tell you that you have two options. And I want to be crystal clear that I am only doing this because of your sister. Your answer will determine whether or not she ever finds out this visit happened.”
He laid it out cleanly. No dramatics. No threats he couldn’t back up.
Justice or redemption.
She could continue on the path she was on, face trial, and accept whatever sentence and consequences followed. Or she could choose redemption and help him dismantle the Ruecrags from the inside. Names. Routes. Financial streams. Everything she knew.
“You’d be under watch,” Jakob said. “And you’d answer to me. And when it’s over, the courts would still decide your fate, but your cooperation would matter.”
Meg stared at the table with her fingers curled into her palm. “You’re asking me to burn every bridge I have left.”
“I’m asking you to decide who you are,” Jakob replied.
For a long moment, she said nothing. Then, quietly, “I need time.”
Jakob considered pushing her for an answer. He was making the offer. Meg had no room to negotiate or make demands.
Instead, he nodded once. He wanted to do right by Mallory. “Forty-eight hours.”
She swallowed. “How is she?”
The question was small and unguarded. And it surprised him enough that he hesitated.
“How is Mallory?” Meg repeated, and this time there was no maliciousness in her eyes. Only sisterly concern.
Jakob considered not answering, but he knew that was not what Mallory would have wanted, regardless of her situation. “She’s healing,” he said. “Stubbornly. She’s surrounded by people who love her.”
Meg closed her eyes. “Good.”
When Jakob left, the dungeon didn’t feel quite as cold.
His next stop was to see Sven before they left for Stagholt. By the time he reached their rooms, his next plan was already taking shape in his head.
Sven and Bryn were packing for their return trip when he found them. They quickly accepted his dinner invitation.
“We’ll do better leaving in the morning anyhow,” Bryn acknowledged.
“We absolutely would love to have dinner,” Sven agreed. “It’s a celebration.”
Jakob cleared his throat. “It’s a dinner party. And,” he added, “it needs to be perfect.”
They exchanged a look.
“Oh,” Bryn said slowly. “This is about Mallory.”
“Yes.”
“And,” Sven said, already grinning, “you’re proposing.”
Jakob didn’t deny it.
At dinner, candles lined the long tables, their light reflecting off polished stone and crystal glassware.
Music drifted softly through the hall. Sven and Bryn, as well as Brooke, Violet and Viggo, who had taken a sudden interest in Violet, stood around with glasses of wine.
Their laughter and chatter amplified in the dining room.
Mallory stood at Jakob’s side, her hand tucked into his arm. She wore a dress the same color of moonlight as when he saw her at the ball. Unmistakably herself.
She leaned toward him. “You’re being suspiciously quiet.”
He smiled. “Enjoying the moment.”
When dessert was cleared, Jakob stepped back and lifted his glass. The room gradually quieted.
“I want to thank all of you,” he said, voice steady, “for joining us tonight.”
His gaze found Mallory.
“And for reminding me,” he continued, “that leadership means nothing without love.”
Her breath caught.
Jakob set the glass down and turned fully to her. He dropped to one knee.
The room disappeared.
“Mallory,” he said softly, “you are my home. My courage. My future. Will you marry me?”
For half a heartbeat, she just stared.
Then she laughed, tears spilling over, and nodded. “Oh, Jakob. Yes. Absolutely yes.”
The cheers erupted. Sven whooped far too loudly. Bryn wiped at her eyes while Brooke and Violet hopped around in excitement.
Jakob slipped the ring onto her finger and rose before he pulled her into his arms as the celebration swelled around them.
His dragon grunted in acceptance of the inevitable. About time.
For the first time in a long while, Onyxheim felt complete.
And Jakob knew that whatever storms still waited beyond the horizon, they would face them together.