Page 33 of Calling of the Crown

“Said what?”

His voice softened, and his fox ears pinned back slightly. “That you wouldn’t marry me.”

My heart clenched tightly as pain edged its way into the crease of his eyes and the subtle pull of his lips. Seeing his reaction was like a whip of lightning in my gut, and I realized what I had said hurt him.

Wanting to clear up what I meant so he wouldn’t think I was rejecting him, I quickly explained, “Yes. You don’t want to get married, so I was just telling them what I had to so that you wouldn’t be forced into anything.”

Rune nodded and looked over my shoulder toward the sea beyond the window. “Marriage is something I’ve never wanted. I’ve had no interest whatsoever to settle down or commit myself like that to someone. I mean, we live so long, and to spend the rest of my life with one person …” He shook his head and looked down at where he was scuffing his shoe on the ground. “I’ve just never wanted that for myself.”

I swallowed hard and forced a small smile beyond the acidic burn in my throat. “I know. That’s why I said what I did down there.”

Rune’s honey eyes snapped back to mine. “You didn’t let me finish.”

“You don’t need to explain yourself to me, Rune. Really. I get it.”

“No, I don’t think you do.” He shook his head with a heavy sigh before closing the space between us. “I’ve never wanted a life partner, someone to spend the remaining centuries of my existence with. At least, I didn’t.” He swallowed hard and reached forward to cup my cheek. “Until you.”

The air passing through my lungs got stuck, and my mind stilled on his words.

Until you. He’d just said, “Until you.”

Heart beating a mile a minute, I whispered, “Wh-What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that what I want is you. Forever. My life is yours. Not only do I want to spend the rest of my years with you, I can’t even picture my life without you in it anymore. I don’t care what name people want to put to it. Marriage. Joining Ceremony. Husband and wife. King and Queen. All I want is to be right here with you, forever by your side, and I’ll do anything I have to do to be here.”

His words felt like a dream. They were words I never imagined would leave Rune’s mouth, but then again, I’d never expected to hear him say he loved me, either. The Rune who loathed the idea of settling down and sharing his life with another person was gone, replaced with one who loved me openly and fiercely.

And my God, did I feel the same.

“So,” I started slowly, “you want to do it? You want to do the Joining Ceremony?”

“I’d say yes to anything if it means being with you.”

I placed my hands on his firm chest and searched his eyes. “Are you okay with being King and taking on all that responsibility with me?”

“Well, I’m certainly not going to let someone else share that bed with you.”

“Rune,” I chastised, fighting a smile. It was a huge ask. The burden that would come with such a role was great, so I needed to hear him say he wanted it.

He kissed the tip of my nose and smiled down at me. “I want to be by your side and am willing to do whatever I have to or be whoever I need to be. That includes learning how to be a King and carrying that burden with you.”

I stared up at him and held my breath for a moment, waiting for him to change his mind. When he didn’t, I let out a breathy laugh and pressed my forehead against his chest. “Thank you. I love you so much, Rune. There’s no one else I’d rather lead with. There’s no one else I’d rather spend my life with.”

One large clawed hand traced a loving trail up and down my back. “You deserve the world, Bria, and if I could, I’d capture it in a heartbeat to give it to you. I don’t know what all goes into the Joining Ceremony. I don’t know if I’m supposed to present you with flowers or a gift or a ring.”

I shook my head against his chest. “I don’t need any of that. All I need is right here.”

“Well then, at least let me do this.” He crooked a finger beneath my chin and tilted my face up so that our eyes met. As soon as our gazes locked, he smiled sweetly at me and asked, “Will you marry me, Bria?”

The rush of emotions that flooded my chest sent my heart into overdrive and short-circuited my brain. A special kind of euphoria, one light like a feather yet as hot and powerful as a thousand suns, washed over me. Tears rushed to the corners of my eyes, and there was nothing I could do to keep the happy droplets from rolling down my cheeks.

Every fantasy I’d had about being proposed to couldn’t compare to the real thing. No figment of my imagination could come close to this moment. Rune’s proposal wasn’t flashy or over-the-top, and he wasn’t presenting me some glittering diamond ring. But I didn’t need those things, because he was giving me something so much better.

Himself.

His love.

A promise of forever.

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