Page 117 of Fate and Flame
“Many of you witnessed my father riding my mother’s cetani. It would stand to reason that my queen would also ride my own.”
He had never called me that before. We’d always skirted around that conversation. Chills covered my body.
“Just over a week ago, the king of the Wind Court opened a door that was closed several millennia ago. The door released fabled creatures into this world. I’m not telling you this to worry you, I’m telling you this because that female,” he said, pointing at me, “saved us all.” He turned toward me and held his hand out.
A deal’s a deal.
I didn’t mean today, Fenlas.
I did.
I walked forward and took his hand. Before his people, before his grandmother, before the world, he knelt before me. A hush fell over the crowd as he brought my hand to his mouth.
“Right now, I’m not a king. I’m simply a male asking the most beautiful and badass female in the entire world to marry me. I love you. I think I’ve loved you my entire life. I’ve walked the edge of death with you. I’ve traveled this world with you. And now I’d like to live the rest of my life with you, if you’ll have me. I’m asking you now, before our kingdom as my witness, will you marry me?”
I smiled down at my faerie king and nodded. “Every lifetime.”
He stood and swung me around in a circle. I looked over my shoulder to Inok, who dipped his chin in approval. And then to Umari, who stood watching us with neither happiness nor contempt. I hadn’t planned for this at all, but I hoped this really would get Fen out of his head.
We ambled over to Cal, who knelt while Fen helped me onto his back. He climbed up behind me and held my waist tight as the beast leaped from the ground, threw his wings out and soared into the air, leaving nothing behind us but a cheering crowd and a cloud of dust.
Chapter Thirty
Temir
“I’m sorry. Did you just say son?” Gaea asked the male leaning against his desk. “I mean, there’s no question you look alike, but Temir isn’t from here.”
“Who are you?” he demanded, already annoyed with my company.
“How?” I asked, interrupting their budding argument.
“It’s a long story.”
His vague answer grated my nerves. This wasn’t what I was sent here for, but I needed to know. Ara chose me because I was from the north, she just had no idea how far north. Neither did I, apparently.
“I’ve got time.” I crossed the small office, picked a stack of discarded books off of a chair, and sat.
Gaea, more direct than I had seen her in a long time, mirrored me and plopped down, crossing her arms over her chest as she waited. I was happy to see that even though things hadn’t gone as she and I had once planned, she was still in my corner.
“What specifically do you want to know?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I specifically want to know why you called him son,” she answered for me. Her tone as sharp as her glare.
Greeve crossed the room, gripped the back of her chair, and stared Heva down. He looked up to him, back to me, and then shuffled some papers around on his disheveled desk. Completely unfazed by the draconian, likely a warrior in his own right.
“Many, many years ago, a seer prophesied a great divide in the world.”
“How long?” Greeve asked.
“Before your kind fled from the north. Before the Iron Wars. Before the dynasty of the elven race fell. Our people prayed to the gods, which was more common then. They spoke to us and told us to come here, where they would keep us safe.”
“Still not seeing the point,” Gaea cut in, tapping her fingers along her arm.
“One year,” he continued as if she hadn’t interrupted. “One of our own decided he would travel south and explore the world beyond. The gods told him not to leave, but he disobeyed, and we were punished as a people for it. He tore a hole in the veil they created for us. We eventually replaced it with wards, but as you are standing before me, you can see how effective those are.”
I leaned forward. “Why would the gods shield your people specifically? There are lesser and high fae in the city. I saw them both.”
“We are the same,” he barked. “There is no divide here.”
