“Come, Birdie,” he mutters, holding out his hand, palm up.
Shifting my gaze from him to Jeremiah, then back, I extend my hand and slip my palm in his as I rise to my feet. Jeremiah calls out to me before we reach the threshold together.
“Yes?”
“I would be proud to continue being your guard, as I know that the others will be as well. It is a high honor, but it is more than that, Birdie.”
“It is?” I ask.
He smirks. “You’re our friend. We’ll always have your back.”
Colt doesn’t say anything and I find that I’m personally speechless. All that I can do is dip my chin before Colt guides me out of the room, gently closing the master bedroom door behind him.
“You have earned their respect, my wife,” he announces softly as we continue to walk through the house and head outside.
“How? By having magic?”
He hums, but shakes his head once. “The magic you hold is impressive, especially when it is just the two of us alone. However, that is not why they are loyal to you.”
Colt and I make our way outside and begin to walk down the city street. It’s a cool day, a stark difference between home and here. I miss the sweltering heat and I’m not sure how that’s possible, but I do. Maybe because it reminds me so much of Arizona, maybe because we’re isolated there and it feels a lot more comfortable.
“They are loyal to you because you’re my wife, but the main reason is because you are their friend. You don’t ignore them or treat my men as servants. Just like with Martha and even Ernest, you are kind to them. That is why they adore you,” Colt explains.
“They’re all nice to me, so I treat them the way that I feel they treat me, even Ernest in his own way,” I murmur.
Poor Ernest. He truly fell for Florence and I can see it in his eyes that he misses her. I also know that he is completely loyal to this country and Colt, so he would never betray them for her, for love. Maybe one day he can find happiness again with a nice woman.
“What happens to this country now? We haven’t talked about what it looks like for our future,” I ask, as I think about Florence and what awaits us when we get back home. As much as I want to go, I also don’t want to deal with her or what will become of her.
“We live our lives, Birdie. We raise our children and I run this country as best I can with the advice of the new Assembly that I feel I can possibly trust more than the past one.
“We try to do the gods proud with our love for one another and the prophecy will no doubt continue to play out before us. We are powerless, darlin’. We will just wait to see what fates the gods have in store for us.”
My fingers flex in his hand and I stop in my tracks. “What about my sisters? What about—”
Colt lifts his hand and places his finger against my lips, stopping me from speaking further. “None of it matters. We have one another and our child. That is all that matters. I’ve lost heavily before and I never plan on doing it again, however, we cannot control the future or what the gods decide for us. All we can do is live out each day to the fullest and best that we know how.”
“God,” I breathe. He frowns as his brows snap together and his gaze finds mine. “You’re perfect, Colton James.”
He chuckles. “I am far from it, darlin’. So far.”
Humming, I rise to my toes and touch my lips to his. “Trust me when I tell you, that you are indeed perfect and although I can never go back to my world, I am happy to live beside you in yours.”
“I never planned on you, Birdie. I was content to live out my days as a bachelor. The gods had other plans, my heart had other plans and I can’t deny that I’m grateful for that because I simply love you, my bride.”
I open my mouth to respond, to tell him that I love him too, but no words come out. Instead, Colt’s lips crash against mine and in the middle of the city sidewalk he kisses me long, hard, and deep.
It is perfection.
Epilogue
TWO MONTHS LATER
COLT
It has been months since I’ve stepped onto my own desert land and I can’t deny that I’ve missed it, immensely. The city is okay, but Silverridge is my home and where I feel most comfortable. Bullhollow is nice, but it is not my home and I’ll never want to be there full time.
Lonesable neighs as we approach our land, he’s just as excited to be home as I am. In the city he isn’t able to roam and have the freedom that he does here.
We need to go to the Blue Bird Theatre. I inform Lonesable.
He grunts, jerking his head as he turns toward town. He doesn’t tell me, but I can sense is annoyance and frustration.
“Where are we going?” Birdie asks.
I could tell her, but I don’t. Instead, I just wrap my arm around her waist tighter and pull her closer against my front. We ride in silence toward the quiet town, our guards behind us including the still healing Jeremiah. The rest of the men have all gone home, their protection no longer needed.
Here I have my lions and Birdie’s guard. We are well protected and the small group of men who are left from the last attempted takeover are not enough to worry after, especially now that I’ve cut the issue off at the neck, and rid the country of the manipulative traitors that were causing most of the issues, the ones who were angry that they could not control me and force me to do their personal bidding.
Politics have
