Chapter Forty-Eight
Emelyn
Two weeks later…
I rolled over and the bed was cold where Kade should’ve been.
I cracked my eyes open and reached farther, but he was gone.
I sat up, looking for him, but he wasn’t in the room we were staying in at the palace.
Then the door creaked open and he walked in shirtless with a tray of food, and the ache from all of our lovemaking was nothing when I saw him like this. I wanted him again.
He gave me a beaming smile, and it was the lightest I had ever seen him. Actually, everything was lighter now, and the feeling was something I was still getting used to. Kade sauntered over to the bed and set the tray down.
“Good morning, mei wynsoara, ” he singsonged and leaned down to give me a quick kiss. But I could tell something was weighing on him.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, concern furrowing my brow, and he released a sigh.
“Must you always read me so well?” He smiled, and I nodded.
“Yes, especially now. There are no secrets between us anymore, so what is it?”
“My mother talked to me yesterday. She wants to know if I want to take my rightful place on the throne and become the Emperor of Ember,” he disclosed, and the thought alone made adrenaline course through my veins.
I had no desire to be a ruler of any kind, especially not when it came to an empire.
I had spent most of my life with people relying on me, and from here on out, unless I was needed, I wanted a peaceful life, and so did Ace.
I couldn’t imagine being so far from my brother all the time.
I guessed it really wasn’t that bad considering Kade could just Hollow us wherever we wanted to go for the day, but still, the distance was there.
I wanted to help Ace with Woodhaven and restore it back to its former glory.
I wanted to travel without the circumstances of needing to remain hidden, see a world that I was truly free in, and then I would settle down and plant roots somewhere.
Kade cupped my cheek. “Emelyn, breathe.” He must see the distress written all over my face. Caressing my mind down the bond, he brushes his thumbs across my cheeks. “It’s decided then.”
“W-what?” I stuttered. “What do you mean decided? I haven’t said anything.”
“I don’t need you to tell me how much you don’t like the idea of ruling.
I can see it written all over your face, and even if I couldn’t, I felt everything down the bond.
I want to be with you, Emelyn. I do not care about my bloodline and who ‘rightfully’ should be anywhere.
The only place I belong is with you, wherever that takes us. ”
“But who will rule?”
“My mother. I told her long ago that if we made it through this, I’d be willing to give it to her. I think she deserves it after everything she’s endured.”
“But what about after that? After her hundred-year reign? If we decide this—”
“There is no if. It is already decided.”
“Okay then, who will take the throne after her? I do not wish to ever rule.”
“Rhet and Cyran will be the heirs, and I shall trust my brother’s judgement on who will reign after them, but I’m assuming our children would be next in line.”
Our children . . .
I hadn’t even thought about starting a family, but doing it with Kade made warmth fill my chest.
He noticed my pause and added, “That is, if you want children. It is your choice, mei wynsoara , but we don’t need to worry about that right now—”
I stopped his rambling with my lips, kissing him.
Who knew if we’d even be able to have kids.
Fae females sometimes went years without having a cycle.
Our bodies didn’t work like the dryads’, who were fertile every few months, or even like humans’.
Our window to get pregnant was normally a small one, if we ever got a window at all.
But if our time ever did come, I thought I would like to have kids of my own.
“I would love to have a family with you,” I murmured between kisses, and he groaned as he crawled over top of me. That same moment, my stomach decided to grumble in protest, and he pulled back, resting his forehead on mine.
“Food first. We missed dinner last night with all the fun we were having.” He kissed my jaw before getting back to his feet. I pulled the tray into my lap and noticed him grabbing a shirt from the closet and putting it on.
“Where are you going?” I asked, shoving some fruit into my mouth.
“To tell my mother that she’s going to be the Empress of Ember. We’ll need to prepare for her coronation, and then Osparia will finally be at peace.”
The thought was a rejuvenating one. He gave me one last kiss before heading out.
Gilt banners fluttered like captured fire above the town square.
I stood rooted to the cobblestones in the heart of the Ember Empire, where the air thrummed with anticipation.
Atreya stepped forward, her presence commanding silence before she even spoke.
Draped in a gown woven from threads of midnight and blood, encrusted with stones that swallowed the light, she was a vision of lethal beauty.
Her eyes, usually as sharp as the edge of a blade, held softness today that I had never seen.
She was resplendent, terrifying, and utterly inspiring.
The crowd drew breath as one, waiting.
"Today marks the dawn." Atreya's voice pierced the hush, resonating deep into the bones of the city for all to hear.
"The world of Osparia shall know peace from this day forward—one wrought by your sacrifices, courage, and love.
From the ashes of war, we rise united. And a new era begins!
" she proclaimed, her piercing gaze sweeping over us all.
As her speech came to an end, thunderous applause erupted from the crowd.
Rhet carefully positioned the crown atop Atreya's head, Cyran's smile wide as he watched from behind them, and it was as if the sun had broken through the clouds just for them.
Atreya bowed low to accept her crown. Rhet was beaming at his mother as she rose to her full height, now an empress.
Cyran was applauding from where he stood on the platform, and they both watched with pride etched into every line of their faces.
"Long live the empress!" Rhet shouted, and it made the crowd roar again.
Ace stood beside me, his wings folded so close that they might as well be a seamless part of him. His arms encircled Luana’s waist as they both joined the chorus of cheers. The rasp of his joy was still unfamiliar to me, but I loved the sound of it as it filled the space around us.
Kade grabbed me and picked me up, spinning me in his arms as everyone hooted and hollered. He kissed me, slow and deep, through the beaming smile on my face before spinning me again, and I laughed, catching eyes with Ace over Kade’s shoulder.
We had finally made it.