Page 44 of King of Moon and Claws

Elora thought it was a bit silly, but she obliged. Then came the most crucial moment of the day.

Sun poured into the hall as Elora went to her knees, pressing them against a velvet pillow. A crown was brought out from a velvet box, one that was significantly smaller than Bastian’s but seemingly constructed of the same feathers and antlers of bygone origin.

It looked breathtaking in the light, a true artifact of the old days that the shaman sorely missed.

“Bow your head now," the ancestor said, holding the headpiece up to the shifters in attendance. “You have been bathed clean of your sins. Go forward now as Queen of Threwold, besides your king with modesty and faithful duty."

She lowered her chin to her chest while the crown was placed on her head. Once it was there, it felt far heavier than she imagined. But that didn’t stop her from lifting her face to the ancestor and rising to her feet once more.

“I will do just that," she replied.

Bastian and Elora turned to the spectators and took a bow. They erupted in jovial applause.

Bastian gripped her fingers as they took yet another bow. They caught each other’s eye as they traversed down the aisle, traveling around the castle to meet with the horse and carriage that would carry them to the private celebration.

The sun was high in the polished sky. Elora pulled at Bastian’s wrist and backed up against the stonewall of the castle, the waiting servants just around the bend.

She swathed his hands around her waist until he was pressed up against her. His surprised look made her giggle.

“Hi,” she whispered.

“Hi,” Bastian said, grinning broadly. “What are you doing, My Queen? We’ve got a reception to attend…”

“Say that again.”

Elora lifted her bare thigh up between the slit of the dress, briefly swathing it around the king’s waist. She watched those green wonders glisten as he craned his neck down to brush against her mouth.

The way he made her feel should have been criminal.

“I said…” he growled, tucking his hand under her exposed thigh, “what are you doing, My Queen?"

“Kiss me already,” Elora said, her breath hitching in her throat.

“Anything for my queen.”

He crushed her with his mouth, and for the first time as husband and wife, as King and Queen, they shared a kiss that could only be described as spellbinding.

Their lips parted, and they both chuckled.

“We really have to go…” Bastian muttered.

“I just need to taste you. Who knows when we’ll have privacy again."

He snarled at her, fluttering his mouth down her neck. Then he stood up, backing away from the wall, and took her hand in his. He was lost in bliss and unafraid to show it.

“Good thinking, my love. For now, we have our duties. Later, we have each other. Always each other."

“Always.”

They ran around the curve of the castle into the dazzling sunlight, beginning the story of their legendary romance.

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