Page 109 of Dueling the Suitors

The familiar sensation of her powers, which had been missing for the last two days, returned. They hummed under her skin, growing louder and louder with each second. Astorialeaned back and looked at her hands, bewildered, as a vibration rippled from her into the wall.

A low rumble filled the air.

“Cyrus?”

“Stay away from the wall!”

She scrambled to her feet and backed away to the other end of the cell. Cracks appeared on the wall, and as she watched, it crumbled to the ground. Dust rose like a puff of smoke and filled the air. Astoria choked as her lungs felt like sandpaper. She bent over to shield herself from the dust.

“Astra!”

“I am alright!” she called back and choked again, straightening in time to see the dust clearing into nothingness.

There stood Cyrus with a hand in the air. Astoria blinked, slowly registering what had happened. His cuffs lay at his feet. She looked down at her hands—and so did hers. She looked back at him in astonishment, frozen in shock until he stepped over the rubble and hurried to her.

Astoria met him halfway, throwing herself into his open arms. Cyrus crushed her against him and pressed his lips to her hair.

“We are free…” she marveled, snuggling up to him until there was no gap for air between them. “But how?”

“The magnification,” Cyrus murmured in realization. “Of course.”

“But it’s a myth—you told me.”

“Because that’s what I thought it was. But look at us! Thisismagnification. And now that I think about it… whatismarriage without love?” he asked, then answered himself in a whisper, “Incomplete.”

“We started without love…” Realization dawned on her. “And now that we do…”

“Yes,” he whispered, burying his face in her hair. “Yes.”

Astoria couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. “Yes.”

“It has only been a short while since I realized that I loved you, so I think the magnification required us to confess it to each other.”

“Probably. I have been in love with you for a short while too, and yesterday, I realized that Ilovedyou.” She thought for a moment. “Do you think we could have prevented this chaos if we had confessed earlier—”

“I believe everything has a time, my love. For loss and gain, for sickness and health, for sorrow and joy…”

“Yes, but you wouldn’t have had to kneel for me—”

“Don’t,” he said firmly and pulled back to look down at her, intensity filling his eyes. And for once, she finally realized what it meant. “You, my beloved wife, my Little Dragon, and my darling Astra, are worth kneeling to my enemies for.”

The way he said it… Her insides melted.

But.

“I will not let you do it again,” she said firmly.

Cyrus smiled, wide and contagious.

All the breath left her lungs in awhoosh. Heavens, he was so beautiful. So, so beautiful. And he was hers.

Astoria smiled back and cupped his face. He. Was. Hers.

Cyrus’ eyes dropped to her lips. “Before we go out there and save our empire, there is something more important I want to do.” His fingers burrowed into her hair. “I want to kiss you, darling. Properly.”

“The dungeon is definitely the place to share our proper kiss,” she teased breathlessly, her heart galloping.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Cyrus murmured and leaned down, pressing his lips to hers.

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