Page 93 of Queen of Ever

‘If it means the difference between a life with you and one without you, I’ll do it,’ I said before she could think of an objection.‘You could dissolve the borders.Unite the realm the way Oberon did in his time.I know ruling a whole realm isn’t what you want, but you wouldn’t be doing it alone.You’d have advisors coming out of your ears with both courts combined, and Sylara and her lesser fae supporting you, too.And I could help you.’

She seemed to be considering it, which was a start.‘The High Fae would hate me,’ she said slowly.‘I could stop the enslavement of the lesser fae.If I challenged you and united the kingdoms, I’d topple all their hierarchy and divisions.’Her eyes widened.‘And the Unseelie throne—’

‘—would fall with me,’ I finished for her, smiling sardonically.‘Prophecy fulfilled.’

She sat staring at the bed for a long time, running her fingers back and forth across the silk as the golden afternoon light slipped away, cooling into early twilight.I waited patiently for her to decide, knowing the weight of her choice.I wondered if anyone else in this divided, damaged realm could feel the significance of this moment, of how it would disrupt their lives and futures.

When she looked up, the confusion was gone.Her jaw was set, eyes determined.‘Alright,’ she began.‘I said I wanted change.I’d better not back down now that I could actually make some.’

Taking her hand, I threaded our fingers together.‘Then use your words,’ I said, and I knew I stirred a memory when a little mischief threaded through her smile.

‘You won’t be able to boss me around anymore,’ she said.

‘Maybe I would stop if you didn’t like it so much.’Lifting her hand, I kissed her fingers.‘You can give the orders in the throne room and take them in our bed.’

She huffed a laugh, flushing a little.Then she inhaled slowly, closing her eyes a moment.When she released the breath, she opened her eyes.Held my gaze.‘I invoke the right of challenge.’

Magic spilled into the space around us, and it smelled of frost on fresh, green growth.It spread quickly, a faint, glowing skein enclosing us in a globe that contained just the two of us, blocking out the entire world beyond, muffling all sound except that of our breathing.I watched it for a moment, braced myself for what it would feel like to have that newly-claimed power of the Unseelie throne stripped from me once more.Perhaps it would hurt.But only physically.I was satisfied with what I was trading it for.I leaned my forehead against Imogen’s, closing my eyes, focusing on the heat of her skin, the shape of her hand in mine.I had sought her out to thwart my fate.Now I went to it willingly.When I spoke the words to bind me to it, all I felt was warmth.

‘I yield.’

Chapter 36

Imogen

IfeltlikeIhadn’t stopped since the battle.Becoming queen was never something I wanted, but here I was, standing where Oberon once stood, preparing to take up his mantle.How the hell did that happen?

The castle was abuzz with fae scurrying this way and that, busy restoring the building to its former glory.A process that was taking quite some time, given the state of decay it was in with only Eochaid to look after it.

The throne room was the first to get a facelift, since that was where the coronation was to be held.Mycoronation.As I looked around the huge room with its brilliant white stone, windows that stretched from floor to ridiculously high ceiling, the thick blue carpet running from the door all the way to the elaborate throne in the centre of a raised platform, I felt like running.Maybe I could still slip out the side door and leave the running of the realm to someone more qualified than me.

But I couldn’t do that.Marietta had given her life for this.I owed it to her to at leasttry.Didn’t I?

And there was so much more to fix than this old castle.

‘You’ve got that face on again,’ Ethan’s voice broke into my thoughts, a welcome reprieve from the anxieties that swirled there.

I turned to see him striding up the carpet, wearing clothes fit for royalty; an emerald-green jacket embroidered with gold leaves, and brown pants.But whatever shirt had been provided with that outfit was nowhere to be seen, instead he’d covered his chest in glitter.

‘You lookalmostofficial,’ I teased.

He rolled his eyes at that.‘Can you believe the way they expect me to dress?Honestly, haven’t these people heard of fashion?’He examined the room, nodding his approval.Then he headed to the smaller chair next to the throne.‘This must be mine,’ he said, dropping into it.

‘How are you so comfortable with this?’I asked.Making Ethan an advisor had been one of my first decisions.Not that he would have accepted anything else.If I hadn’t made it official, he would still be sitting in that chair right now, only wearing different clothes.But I hadn’t expected him to adapt quite so quickly to his new role, not when my head was still spinning.

He shrugged.‘What’s not to like?I can have whatever I want, whenever I want, get to advise on big important things without copping any of the blame if things go tits up, and I get to live in a giant castle—which will be better once the holes are all plugged up and I don’t need twelve buckets to catch the rain in.’

I snorted a laugh.‘No,Iget all the blame instead.’

‘See?I’m not really seeing a downside,’ he said, flashing me a mischievous grin.

‘Do you ever miss the Human Realm?’I asked.It wasn’t so very long ago that we’d both planned to get back there.But now?I wasn’t sure I’d get back there any time soon.

‘There are some things I miss about it.Like doughnuts.Maybe your first order of business could be to have a doughnut shop set up in the new capital?’

‘Oh yes, that seems like a great idea.We’ll set up a doughnut shop in the city that isn’t even built yet,’ I said, but I couldn’t help laughing.Ethan had never failed to cheer me up.

The foundations for a city were still there to some extent, but when Oberon died, his sons had demolished the original city, leaving only the castle intact in the middle of the Sunder River.Since I was to live in Oberon’s castle, there had been talk of rebuilding the city.We couldn’t exactly evict people from their homes in the Seelie and Unseelie Kingdoms, so those cities would remain intact, but anyone who wanted to move to the new capital—whether High fae or Low—would have that choice.

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