“That’s a lot of horny, unmated men.”
“We’ve tried to be fair. We allow Day Realm men to move here if they’re willing to go through a process to prove their loyalty. Many have done it, because their chance of meeting someone here is better. But some of them don’t want to do things our way—they want a female on their terms.”
“I’ve always wondered why you fight. With the treaty in place, I didn’t understand why there were battles. But now…”
“Yes. Now you understand.” He caresses my cheek. “We’ve fought for the Night Realm females who were taken. If someone went missing, we made it our mission to get them back. Physical force was often necessary.”
I don’t like the idea of Kirian fighting. Now that I’m here, I can’t imagine sitting around the castle, knowing he’s out there potentially getting hurt.
“Will it ever end?” I ask, worried.
“My cousin Zander is next in line. He’s not like his father. He’s good and fair. I hope his day comes soon, because I have faith he’ll do the right thing.” Kirian pauses. “There’s something else you should know about King Zarid. Desperate to produce an heir, he took a mate. When I say took, I mean an unwilling woman.”
Why am I not surprised? “It’d be hard to enforce a law when you don’t lead by example.”
“Exactly. But that’s not all. I know it’s possible for a human who isn’t a fated match to get pregnant because Queen Rowan is from your world.”
Shocked, I sit up. “You mean to tell me the queen of the Day Realm is human?”
“Not anymore. Her body has acclimated. She’s fae now, but once upon a time, yes, she was like you.”
“That’s why your mom seemed to disapprove of me at first,” I conclude. “Not simply because I’m human, but because she thought our situation was like her brother’s. She thought you went off the deep end and kidnapped me.”
“Yes.”
Scooting closer, I place my head on his chest. “You’re wrong, Kirian. Queen Rowan’s not like me. I’m not unwilling. Yeah, I was pissed when you first took me here without my permission, but I’m not mad anymore. Regardless of how I ended up here, I’m happy I’m with you.”
Tears prick my eyes when I think about the possibility that he’ll find his true mate someday. Would it change everything? Would years of friendship, trust, and love be overshadowed by a mystical bond?
“And—” Sniffle. “—And I don’t want you to be with anyone else. Ever. Be with me. Only me.” God, I sound so pathetic. I’m begging, but I can’t help it.
Kirian gives me a squeeze. “Love, look at me.”
I lift my gaze to his face, knowing the unfocused lavender eyes I love so much will never see my face. They’ll never see our children, if we have any.
Selfishly, I’m okay with that if it means he’s mine.
My mindset has changed since yesterday. Falling through the portal and flying with Kirian feels like it was ages ago. So much has happened in the last twenty-four hours.
“You’re all I’ve ever wanted,” he says, certain. “I promise.”
“I promise you back.” The magic of this world must recognize our words as an oath, because I get the telltale flutter in my chest.
I rise up and kiss Kirian’s lips, just because I can.
Moving down on the bed, he aligns our faces, making it easier for our mouths to caress. Lazily. Softly.
I lightly touch his face. He absentmindedly runs his fingers through my hair.
Silence falls between us as we continue to get to know each other in a new way. It’s familiar and natural, yet different at the same time. It’s like all those afternoons we spent in my field and treehouse. We don’t have to fill the space with conversation. It’s easy to just be together. Only now, I can touch him the way I want to.
Of course, it’s hard not to let my mind wander to sex. Sex makes me think of babies. When I think of babies, I remember Brittney’s belly and everything Kirian just told me. From the sounds of it, humans have a better chance at getting pregnant than faeries.
That’s the best news, and I feel like I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.
“When I’m queen, I’m going to do something about the women in the Day Realm,” I tell Kirian, pulling back.
His hand comes to a halt in my hair. “When you’re queen? You want that? To rule at my side?” He sucks in a breath. “To marry me?”
“Well, yeah.” Propping my head on my hand, I smirk at him. “That’s the plan, isn’t it?”
Kirian grins, and in all the years I’ve known him, I’ve never seen him smile like this. His happiness is breathtaking.
“Yeah, that’s the plan.”
Quinn
“Not much farther,” Kirian tells me. “We’ll reach the Shadowlands by tomorrow.”
I’m a little surprised to feel a stab of disappointment.
I’ve enjoyed our road trip, and I don’t want it to end. Honestly, it’s been the most fun I’ve ever had.
Over the last several days, we’ve traveled across the Night Realm. We’ve spent hours on our horses before passing through quaint villages and small towns. I’ve come across three more gnome neighborhoods, all of which included a lot of hugs and ended with a thumbs-up salute.
I think I started a trend. Thumbs up is totally a thing now in Valora.
Kirian was sure to pick up something special for me from each place. Pants and a shirt, given to us from one of the innkeepers—which I’ve refused to take off, except to wash and dry them. Men’s underwear, a gift from a clothing maker, which thankfully are more like shorts instead of a freaking fishing net. A necklace with river rocks chiseled into stars, bought from a peddler on the street.
In the last village, he got me a brown
