Page 70 of The Princess and Her Grand King

Another firm nod.

Aekeira’s heart thudded in her chest. He wanted to do it… for her?

"I vowed never to have the ritual again. After Tiara, I swore off it. But if it weren’t so impossible, I would risk it all again. I would want you to be my bondmate."

He toweled her hair gently. "I’m not a prize, Aekeira.” His voice was flat, but his eyes rested on her with a tenderness that felt almost surreal. “I’m a disaster. A burden. A nearly feral one, at that."

"You are none of those things," she said fiercely, aching inside. "Don’t speak of yourself that way."

He closed his eyes, his jaw clenching. “If you were Syren, and I had my soul, I would have fallen at your feet and begged you to bond with me. To be my bondmate."

AndI would have said ‘yes!’.

‘Yes, I want more than anything else in the world to be your bondmate.’

I would have screamed for joy, so loud all the animals in the woods would hear.

Tears brimmed in her eyes as she sat up and threw her arms around his neck.

His arms went around her, and he held her tight…almost crushing her. Aekeira buried her face into his neck, inhaling his familiar scent as her shoulders shook with silent sobs.

Aekeira didn’t know which she wanted more. To be a Syren, or for him to regain his soul.

Both.

She wanted them both so desperately, it hurt.

***

"Kneel before she sees us," Grand King Daemonikai snapped.

Ottai cast him a look as though he’d lost his mind, then crossed his arms with a sullen sigh. "And why must I hide with you? I’ve done nothing wrong."

Daemonikai leveled him with a superior look, one brow arched.

With a resigned sigh, Ottai finally crouched beside him behind the sheltering rock, muttering under his breath.

Together, they watched Emeriel in silence.

"Are you going to her?" Ottai huffed quietly.

"Yes."

"When?" Ottai pressed, glancing at the king.

Daemonikai didn’t respond. For now, he was content to watch her from a distance as she moved gracefully, tending to the gardens.

Just like that, the tension from the day’s court proceedings dissipated.

She was a vision in her elaborate gown, its golden patterns shimmering in the sunlight. Simply breathtaking.

Even his people admired her, which surprised Daemonikai. They were… kinder with her.

At first, he was suspicious. But after seeing how some interacted with her—the way the younglings flocked to her, their mothers watching with trusting smiles—he began to believe.

He was awed at the way she handled the children.Emeriel would make a wonderful mother.

A pang of longing rose in him, but he quickly squashed it.

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