Page 37 of Crowned

“Will you stay with me?” Malia asks, her voice small and vulnerable in the vastness of the room. Her hand catches mine, her grip tight with unspoken fears.

My heart aches at the sight of her, so strong yet so weary. “Of course,” I say, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. “I’ll stay with you. But I need to talk to the others first, okay? Sleep, I promise I’ll return.”

She nods, her eyelids already heavy. I lean down and press a kiss to her forehead, feeling the warmth of her skin against my lips. “I love you, Malia.” The words come easily, as natural as breathing now.

“I love you too, Vance,” she murmurs, her eyes closing as sleep begins to take her.

I wait until her breathing evens out, then carefully extricate my hand from hers and step back. For a moment, I just watch her, feeling a fierce protectiveness welling up inside me. There’s so much she doesn’t know yet, so much I have to shield her from. But for now, all I can do is let her rest.

Quietly, I leave the bedroom and step into the adjoining sitting area. Reef, Cove, and Bhodi are waiting for me, their expressions a mix of confusion and disbelief. They must have heard what I said to Malia.

Reef is the first to speak, his brows raised. “Did I just hear you say you love her?”

I nod, bracing myself for their reactions.

Bhodi crosses his arms, his eyes narrowed. “You said you’d never?—”

“I know what I said,” I interrupt, holding up a hand to stop him. “But things changed. A lot has happened, and you all deserve to know the truth.”

I sit down in one of the chairs, and they gather around, the tension in the room thickening. I take a deep breath, trying to organise my thoughts. It’s not easy to explain what we’ve been through, what we’ve discovered, but they need to understand.

“When Malia and I were…not here. We were somewhere else. A strange realm unlike anything I’ve ever experienced or heard of before. The landscape would shift and change to reflect Malia’s mood.” Their eyebrows rise but I continue. “There was a presence…something malevolent. But for the most part, we were fine. There was a grove that kept us safe and protected, but Malia was constantly drawn elsewhere.”

I take a deep breath and fill them in on Malia’s forest disappearance, how close we grew to each other, declaring my love for her, and finally, the leap she took off the cliff.

“This time I didn’t hesitate, I jumped right after her.”

“And what happened?” Cove asks, leaning forward. They’re all hanging on my every word.

“It was a portal. We were transported elsewhere and in this other world, we met the queen,” I begin, watching as their eyes widen in shock.

“The one who vanished from here?” Bhodi asks.

“The queen? Our queen?” Cove echoes, disbelief colouring his voice. “How is that possible?”

I shake my head. “I don’t know all the details. It was…surreal. But she was there, and she knew things – about Aerwyna, about us. She told us about the danger facing this realm, and she gave us a mission.”

Reef leans forward, his gaze intense. “What kind of mission?”

“She needs us to stop the darkness spreading through this world,” I explain, choosing my words carefully not wanting to yet reveal that Malia is her daughter and heir to the throne. “She declared Malia queen.”

All of the breath leaves their lungs collectively.

“How?”

I have to tell them. But…that information will endanger Malia even more.

“What aren’t you telling us?” Reef demands, immediately picking up on my hesitation.

“Yemaya fled. Something happened and she…she was with child.” I swallow past the lump in my throat. “She said her child wasn’t born of love but wouldn’t speak any more about it. She hid her child in the human world.”

“…Malia?” Cove whispers in disbelief.

I nod. “It sounds crazy, but Malia is Yemaya’s daughter. She called her Asteria.”

“She named her after the goddess of the stars?” Reef breathes.

“Yes. And no. MaliaisAsteria. She is the goddess reincarnate. And I think the foresight glass revealing itself under Malia’s touch confirms the truth of Yemaya’s words.”

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