Page 181 of Last Gift: Supernatural Battle

Wild’s arrival caressed me like a finger down the spine. I shuddered in bliss, then glanced to the entrance where he’d appeared with guests.

I stood and walked from the authority to greet them.

“King Kyros and Queen Basilia.” I dipped my head.

“High Esteemed Tempest,” Basilia murmured, returning my gesture.

“Magus Queen,” Kyros said.

Their week had likely been as chaotic and ever-changing as mine. Maybe more so. Kyros had inherited his father’s throne and stepped into leadership himself. “How is your mother, King Kyros?”

His gaze darkened. “She has her children, and for them, she is determined to live.”

To live without her mate. I couldn’t imagine the pain of such a choice. “When she is ready, I would like to personally thank her.”

Queen Titania was the unsung hero. In many ways, she’d died at the same time as King Julius. She’d sacrificed herself as surely as Varden. And she’d done all that without lifting a finger. My heart ached for her.

The worst fate was to be left behind when all your loved ones were torn away.

Trust me. I know.

“She will look forward to seeing you,” Kyros answered. “I have also considered your request for one of your grimoires to spend time in my clan. I see no reason this won’t be possible after some finer details are negotiated.”

Spyne would be happy with that news. Or partially happy. Huxley might feel relief on some level too. They didn’t want to part ways for a time, and also knew they had to. “Thank you, King Kyros. Please send through your stipulations whenever the timing is convenient.”

Andie moved forward to hug me. “Congrats on the throne. Love the cushion. Always thought that thing looked fucking hard.”

I grinned. “I can confirm that was the case.”

Sascha leaned in to kiss my cheek, and it said a lot that Wild had little response to the action.

He trusted the Luther leader. The Vissimo leader almost as much—but there was something about Kyros that warned a person never to fully relax their guard.

His father had possessed that something too.

I led the rulers to a nearby empty table and helped Wild to summon trays of food, not that two of our number would have appetite for food as such.

“How are your injured?” I asked Andie.

We fell into conversation about the states of our peoples, and Basilia soon joined in. A bizarre feeling crept in as the time whittled away and our conversation flowed with ease.

How were we all here?

How had we survived to enjoy a relative peace? How had we earned more time in this world?

So much could’ve been different.

“High Esteemed?”

I turned to find Ruby behind me with a stack of books in her arms. “Yes, Ruby?”

“You know that thing we spoke of? I decided to get a jump on it.” She grunted in the act of balancing the books in one arm and extended a roll of parchment to me. “I just need your signature on this to start the process.”

I stared at the books in her arms, thinking of our conversation a few days prior. The conversation I hadn’t thought anything more of since. “You’ve spent the last few days doing this? How did you know the next high esteemed would go for it?” There’d been no guarantee the coven would vote me back to the authority.

She quirked a brow. “We all knew you were the only one for the job.”

That she’d believed in that to the extent of spending several days on what could’ve been a thankless task warmed my heart. “We have a strong claim then?”

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