Page 225 of Settle Down, Princess

“No.”

“But I—”

“No.” I emphasised that point by hauling her up into my arms and pressing my mouth to hers, kissing her with all of the open-mouthed hunger I held back. “No, you did nothing wrong. Nothing at all.”

“So that night at the inn…?” A tiny little twist of a smile had my lips moving into the same shape.

“Was madness. And if you think I spanked you hard before, you won’t sit down for a week if you ever do anything like that again.”

“So…?”

She didn’t press, seeming to know I had to get this out at my own pace.

“So I think you are so perfect that I’m prepared to make you queen,” I replied.

“I would hope so”—she pushed my shoulder—“if you had another woman in mind to become your wife—”

“No, you don’t understand.” I took her hand and held it over my heart. “Not as my wife, but as my mate and…” I sucked in a breath, seeing the opposition that would come from all of the members of the war council. This I would fight them on, that I swore. They’d see the wisdom of it in time. The fact my madman brother had thought to marry Jessalyn, thinking her Ariel all over again, would work in my favour because I’d made sure to include a clause in Jessalyn’s marriage contract.

If Magnus died when Jessalyn was married to him, she became Queen Regent. She would stay in that role until a suitable contender was named, and in my mind, none would come forward, not until our son or daughter was grown.

“Just so, Son. Just so.”

My father’s voice was little more than a sigh, his form fraying then fracturing until there was nothing left of him but the golden deer standing there. The stag pawed at the ground and something came tumbling down the small rise as a result.

“What…?”

She drifted forward as if in a dream, picking her way through the ruins only to bend over and pick up this. My hands covered hers, knowing already what it was. I’d tossed my crown in the fire, hoping to turn it to ashes, but now. I brushed the dirt and smut from the crown and then held it out.

“Arik.”

Her hands went around my wrists, holding me still, but I just grinned.

“Jessalyn?”

The others came running towards us then skidded to a halt, but it was Silas who saw what I was about to do first.

“Jessalyn is to become—?”

“Queen Jessalyn, ruler of the Kheanian Empire,” I said. “Lady of the Northern Reaches, mistress of the Iridescent Seas.” Once the crown was on her head, I dropped down to one knee and so did the others. “We live to serve you, Your Majesty.”

Chapter 124

Several weeks later

Dresses had always marked important moments in my life and this one was no different. I stood in the waiting room of the grand nave of Khean, wearing a small fortune of red silk fashioned into a tightly corseted gown with a several foot long train. I’d been prepared to wear a potato sack to get the coronation done, to finally formalise a situation we’d been working hard to convince people of for weeks, but my mates were insistent. This was when I became Queen of Khean and I had to look like one if I was to wear the antlered crown on my head. Several maids stepped forward with a velvet robe trimmed in ermine and then clipped it to my shoulders before stepping away.

“Oh Jessalyn…” Fern sighed. “You look a picture.”

I took in Fern’s beautiful soft green dress. Her hands were always moving, wanting to pluck at the ornamentation, to tug the bodice up and down, so I stepped in and took her hands in mine.

“As do you, Lady Fern.”

I performed a low curtsey which just had her chuckling, right before she started fussing at the state of my train.

“Lady… I’m not sure how I’m going to cope with people bowing and scraping around me. My mates are already growling at everyone left and right.”

I watched her cheeks flush bright red. She’d only just accepted her mates’ suit, and I would say mated life agreed with her. I knew exactly how she felt. Except for this strange feeling low in my belly, I felt radiant. We both moved towards the full length mirror to make sure we were actually radiant in person as well as in spirit.

---