Page 194 of Once the Skies Fade

Shaking her head, Isa laughed quietly. “No, I left the story of this”—she waved her hand between us—“for you to share yourselves.”

“Excellent,” Matthias whispered as he settled back in his saddle, a mischievous smile on his face.

As we neared the gate, the pair of guards straightened at their posts, stern looks plastered to their faces. Their expressions shifted, though, when they recognized Matthias. They greeted him with beaming smiles, and I marveled at just how loved he was here in Emeryn and here I was, stealing him away from them.

It’s not stealing if he willingly agrees to leave.

“Has the ceremony started?” Matthias asked one of the guards. He reached back for my hand while the male answered.

“Not yet. Another hour, I believe.”

“Good,” he said and nodded to the guards as he led the way through the gate and up the familiar gravel driveway.

I tried not to think about the last time I’d been here, and how I’d fled without saying goodbye. Would Lieke be cross with me? Would Connor welcome me back here? Would I be able to handle seeing Brennan’s grave?

Matthias squeezed my hand and leaned toward me. “Don’t worry, Killer,” he said. “I’ve got you.”

Chapter 99

Matthias

Brushing aside the eerie sense of deja vu, I gave the back of Calla’s hands a kiss only to have her shadows sneak out to caress my cheek when I started to pull away.

“Tell your shadows to save that for later,” I said with a wag of my brow. Calla rolled her eyes, but her laughter warmed the space between us.

We had barely ridden out of the trees and into the front courtyard when Connor’s voice called out. “There he is…and on time!”

Reluctantly I slipped my hand from Calla’s to slide down from my saddle, clasping my best friend’s hand and yanking him into an embrace. I smiled over his shoulder to where Lieke stood waiting patiently.

“It’s good to see you,” I said, releasing him, but he didn’t let go of my hand even when I gently pulled back.

He squeezed my hand tighter and scrutinized me for a breath, his eyes narrowing when they landed on my now rounded ears. Frowning, he said, “You seem to be missing something.”

“More than a few somethings,” I explained. “But that unpleasantness can wait for a future conversation.”

“Of course,” Connor said as he slid his gaze up to Calla, but his head snapped back to me at once. Understanding flashed in his eyes. “Stars be damned,” he uttered, his jaw falling open.

Ripping my hand from his grip, I offered Calla help as she dismounted.

“What is it, Wolfie?” Lieke asked, slipping her hand into Connor’s and stepping up beside him.

“Matthias—” he started to say, but I wasn’t about to let him steal my thunder.

Wrapping my arm around Calla’s back, I finished his sentence for him. “—would like to introduce you to my wife.”

“Your what?!” Lieke blurted out, but Connor was shaking his head.

“That’s not what I?—”

This time Calla interrupted him with a smile. “I’m also his mate.”

Lieke’s eyes went as wide as her mouth, and it might have been the first time I’d ever seen the woman speechless.

“Funny,” Connor said, dropping his head to the side, eyeing me in that obnoxious way he did whenever he was right about something. “You never believed in mates, and now you’ve found yours.”

“Smugness isn’t a good look on you, Your High—” I cleared my throat. “I guess it’s Your Majesty now, isn’t it.”

“Suppose so,” Connor said. “But no need to tiptoe around us here. You know his health was fading fast after Brennan…”

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