Page 95 of The Shadow Heir

My pulse roared in my ears as I looked out at the dragons waiting for a command. “Protect us,” I called out. “Protect the new king.” I glanced at Cas. His eyes widened.

“I thought you didn’t like the Shadow Court?” he said.

“I don’t love the cold, but I love you, and you’re here. You have a court to rule.”

“I can’t be the king of darkness,” he said, briefly resting his forehead against mine. “Not after loving you and your light.”

I stretched my hand up and laced my fingers through his hair. “Yes, you can.Onlyyou can. Your power might come from darkness, but that doesn’t mean you have to love the darkness the way that your father did.”

He crushed me against him, tucking my head underneath his chin. I could feel his heart beating, and I was thankful for each beat as it tapped against my ears. He was alive and he was king.

“Come,” he said, “I must greet my court.”

41

Zara

Moments later, we were back in the ballroom of the abandoned castle, where flowers and shattered glass littered the floor. Felipe materialized in front of us and knelt amid the debris.

“My king,” he said, his eyes down.

“Call the court,” Cas commanded as we walked through the littered space, fingers linked.

Felipe stood and called out in a loud voice that reverberated through the stones, “Shadow Court, convene in the throne room.”

Shadows soared in from the open windows or materialized on the floor, following us silently as we made our way back through the atrium, down the steps, and through the halls of Nightsong.

We entered the long throne room, partly hewn from a natural crevasse that reached all the way up to the night sky far above. Cas and I walked down the center toward a stone dais boasting a single black throne. Cas’s father must never had a queen rule with him. The silent fae streamed in behind us, filling the room and shifting into their solid, colorful forms. Claws clicking onstone announced Diego’s arrival as he trotted in among the fae and caught up to Cas. Cas reached out at scratched behind the massive creature’s ear. From the opening above, dragons clambered down the uneven rock walls and perched on an outcropping above the throne. Several fae shouted or cursed at the dragons, but at Cas’s lifted hand, their protests ceased. He ascended the dais, but I hesitated.

“Sit with me,” he said, reaching his hand down.

My heart rate soaring, I took his hand and rose with him. Cas sat down on the throne, settling in with a wide-legged, commanding posture. I stood by his side, my arms clasped nervously at my waist. Diego lay down beside the throne on Cas’s other side. Above our heads, the dragons warmed the cold space with gentle flames as they circled. I could get used to them hanging around.

A young red and black dragon, a third the size of the others, seemed unable to find a good place to land. Diego emitted a low growl, but Cas snapped his fingers to silence the dip. The dragon perched on the edge of the dais, his tail draping down the stone steps. I smiled up at the dragon, and its eye that was turned toward me seemed to be asking permission.

I nodded. “Yes, you can stay.”

The dragon’s nostrils flared, and it kicked its chin up a little bit as if satisfied. The courtiers filling the room collectively took a knee, offering their respect to their new sovereign. Based on what I knew of the Shadow Court, Cas would have a good deal of work ahead of him to truly secure the allegiance of these fae, but at least no one was challenging him tonight.

While they were kneeling, Cas looked up at me and patted his thigh. My chest hitched, but I stepped around in front of him, and then he guided my hips down into his lap. He looped his arms around me and linked his fingers with mine. His chin reached over my shoulder as he looked down at his subjects.

“Now,” he said, “we will greetourcourt.”

42

Epilogue

The forest blinked with the season’s last remaining fireflies, and the wind smelled like a recent rain. On the breeze, I thought I could smell the faintest hint of salt; the winds always rushed in from the sea this time of year. In the distance, I could see the lights of my father’s house.

Beside me, Casimiro walked with his hands clasped behind his back, his brow faintly pinched in deep thought. His dark hair was swept back beneath a simple onyx crown carved to look like twining curls of smoke. His black suit shone faintly when the moonlight touched his shoulders.

The fluttering in my chest turned to a full-fledged shake as relief and sadness crashed like opposing waves inside me. As soon as the Shadow King had died, every bargain he’d made dissolved, releasing me and all the other mortals from our confinement to the Shadow Court. Cas had sent a fae messenger to find Alba and let her know it was safe to return, though he wasn’t certain how long it would take to find a fae trying to hide. I hoped Ivy and the others were all okay, and that I might see her again one day.

At my request, Casimiro had brought me here. But this place was no longer my home.

In the dim light, I reached for his arm, sliding my hand under his elbow. He sensed my shaking and cleared his throat.

“I can give you as long as you like. If you need a month, a year even, to consider my offer, I will wait.”

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