Epilogue
KALLIE
Some years later
Kallie tapped her fingers along the arm of the cherry-oak chair.
She shifted in the seat, the new velvet cushion still a little too plump to be comfortable.
Grabbing the quill, she dipped the tip into the pot of ink, then began scrawling across the blank piece of parchment.
Around her, the aimless chatter continued.
Those sitting around the table parried fruitless arguments back and forth from one side of the table to the other.
Kallie looked out the window toward the mountains. The sun rested high in the sky, its beams blinding. It was almost high noon. She tapped her nails on the top of her thigh beneath the table.
If she didn’t leave soon, she would be late.
"Must we discuss this every meeting, Jordan?" a woman a few chairs down from Kallie asked. She sat with her chin in her hand and her elbow resting on the table. Even she was bored with the conversation.
"I’ll stop bringing it up once my sheep stop disappearing!" Jordan turned in his seat. "Your Majesty, can you please tell—"
Kallie lifted her hand, and Jordan snapped his mouth shut as everyone turned toward her.
With a sigh, Kallie scooted closer. Resting one arm on the table, she held up the letter. "I have already written a letter about your grievances, Lord Hare, stressing the importance that King Rian once again get a hold of the drakonises."
"They escape every year!" Jordan whined, pressing his palms against the sides of his head. "How am I supposed to ensure the safety of my sheep if—"
"It will be handled, Jordan," Kallie said, having had her fill of his complaints for one afternoon.
Lord Hare meant well, and his patience with the drakonises over the past few years was commendable.
But there was only so much Kallie could do.
"The crown will provide you with the funds for new sheep. "
"New sheep? One cannot simply replace my sweet Laia! She was my favorite of the herd."
Kallie lifted a brow. "Do you not wish for the funds, Lord Hare? We’re happy to give them to another lord or lady who—"
"No, no," Jordan said, sinking back into his chair with a frown. "Thank you, Your Majesty." He nodded his head in gratitude, although he continued to sulk.
A woman sitting next to him patted him on the shoulder empathetically for his priceless sheep.
"Now, with that settled, I have an agenda to keep to, as I’m sure we all do." Kallie pushed back her chair. "Until next time."
The council members stood and bowed their heads to Kallie as she strolled around the table. When she reached the doors, the guard pushed them open.
Kallie smiled at Penelope, one of her favorite guards. "My apologies that you had to stand through that again, Penelope."
Penelope shrugged. "No apologies necessary, Your Majesty."
Kallie slipped out of the meeting room, leaving the rest of the council members to their goodbyes.
"I thought this one was supposed to be short?" a warm voice asked.
Kallie snorted and said, "It was supposed to be." Although it was annoying that the meeting had gone on longer than expected, she couldn’t help but smile when she turned and found Graeson leaning on the wall beside the doors to the council meeting.
With a huff, he bent down and grabbed the bag resting at his feet. As he did, Kallie let herself admire his muscles that strained against the fabric of his shirt.
Cocking a brow, Graeson held out his arm. "Ready?"
Kallie easily took his offer and looped her arm around his. With a squeeze, he brought her closer, their hips bumping into each other and causing Kallie to laugh. He pressed a light kiss on the top of her head, and she hummed, soaking in his warmth.
As they walked, a light breeze, cool against her skin, whisked into the corridor, brushing her cheek and sending a loose strand of hair dancing.
On the windowsill, two crimson birds perched, preening their feathers.
As Graeson and Kallie passed, the birds took flight, their melodic song drifting in the wind.
When they were far enough away from the council members, Kallie leaned toward Graeson. "You wouldn’t know why a flock of sheep has gone missing recently, would you?"
He snorted. "Not me, little mouse. I don’t fly hungry."
She eyed him suspiciously. "And Nyrri?"
Graeson gave her a side-eyed glance before turning down the hall to the right. "What Nyrri does when she ventures off the path is her business."
Kallie pursed her lips. "I thought as much."
She would have to speak with the drakonis and remind her of the boundaries.
Although Kallie knew it was basically a lost cause.
Where Nyrri went was her business, and no one could stop her.
Kallie had tried multiple times, but the drakonis was as stubborn as Graeson, especially when it came to flying.
"Any luck today?" Kallie asked.
Graeson shook his head. "They’ll show themselves when they’re ready."
Kallie nodded.
Once things had settled after the war, Graeson had started searching for others like him, following any whispers and rumor he heard.
So far, he hadn’t found any other demi-gods.
Kallie had once asked if there was a chance that Barinthian had lied to him, but Graeson didn’t believe that was the case.
Maybe he was right. Maybe they would reveal themselves when they were ready.
"Is the council prepared for your absence?" Graeson asked, changing the subject.
Kallie would have been lying if she had said she hated attending the council meetings.
Some of them might have been longer than she desired or more tedious, but she enjoyed being a part of the conversations.
When the war ended, Kallie was unsure what she wanted to do.
Without Kage, she didn’t know if she had a place in Ardentol.
It was hard at first to decide what she wanted her life to look like.
For so long, Kage controlled her desires and wishes.
But the moment she stepped into the castle to gather her things, she couldn’t leave.
The civilians were scared and on the verge of civil unrest when Graeson and Kallie had arrived.
The council was in complete disarray, with too many lords unsurprisingly trying to take charge.
Domitius had trained them to compete to gain his attention, money, and support.
It was only natural for them to do the same for who would lead in his absence.
Kallie hadn’t even realized what she was doing when she stormed through the castle and demanded a meeting.
From there, the shape of the council shifted.
New members were added, and old members, who supported Domitius’ war, were voted out.
The first year was hard, excruciatingly so.
But Kallie and Ardentol persevered. Now it was shaping into a kingdom she was proud to call hers.
Kallie was not Kage by any means, but she didn’t want to be.
When the council and the people of Ardentol looked at her, they didn’t cower in fear or bow their heads to avert her gaze.
They listened, they waited, they smiled.
She loved this kingdom. It was part of her. But all the same, Kallie was looking forward to getting away with Graeson for a little.
For her entire life, she had struggled with the idea of having a home.
She had lived in Ardentol most of her life, but it wasn’t hers then.
When she had learned she was Pontian, she was even more confused.
She felt as if she was split in two. It was one of the many reasons she struggled to decide where to go after the war.
A part of her wanted to be in Pontia, to spend time with the family that was taken from her.
The other part of her longed for the comfort of the Ardentolian mountains.
She looked at Graeson as they walked through the marble halls, their steady steps soft claps against the floors. Her gift stirred within her, reaching out to him.
Over the past few years, Kallie finally realized the true meaning of home.
She shrugged. "I believe they can survive on their own for a little while."
Graeson paused and peered down at her with a rueful smile. "Think we have time for a pit stop?"
Kallie smacked him playfully in the chest with the back of her hand. "Dani will kill us if we’re late."
Graeson scoffed as he reached behind him and pushed a door open. "I’d like to see her try to take me down."
"Gray."
Even in Graeson’s dragon form, Dani was still a woman to be feared when provoked.
Yet as Graeson’s eyes darkened as he stepped backward into the shadows of the room with his hand outstretched, Kallie could do nothing else but grab his hand.
The moment her hand landed in his, he yanked her toward him. Their chests slammed against each other. With a flick, he shut the door, locking it behind them.
"I promise it’ll be quick, Your Majesty," he said, his voice tickling the side of her neck as he brushed his jaw across it. He hadn’t shaved yet, and his scruff scratched Kallie’s neck, sending a chill running down her spine. She arched into him.
"I suppose we can spare a few minutes," she said, her eyes fluttering shut as Graeson pressed soft kisses along the column of her neck, down to her collarbone. "You’ll just have to ride harder."
Graeson laughed, and the vibration of it sent goosebumps scattering across her skin. "You’ll be the one riding, My Queen."
Kallie inhaled, and the salt of the sea tickled her nose. Beneath them, the Red Sea glittered the brightest shade of blue she had ever seen.
Her body ached, but she’d rather suffer the post-flight soreness than endure a boat’s nauseating rocking motion.