“What do we do with all these things?” I pull away and gesture toward the enchanted net and blades. “Surely we can’t just leave them here.”
Kian frowns. “I don’t really care to lug them down the mountain in that heavy chest.”
“I wonder if I have enough power to travel again . . .”
He quirks a brow. “Travel?”
“Ah, you were unconscious when I arrived. I got here by stepping through light somehow. I don’t fully understand it, but it’s a goddess thing. I’m not sure if I can bring anyone with me.”
“Well, it’s certainly worth a try.” He grins.
Kian places the enchanted net and blades back into the chest after setting fire to Cary and Dylan—it’s the least we can do. They’ll forever remain on this cursed isle.
Kian turns me to face him, his hands gently cupping my cheeks. “Are you truly all right? I can’t even imagine what’s going on in your mind right now.”
“I won’t lie and say everything is fine, but with you at my side, we can face anything.” I lift my right arm, the golden mark shimmering in the moonlight. “We’re eternally bound. You’re stuck with me, my prince.”
A grin splits his handsome face. “There’s no one I’d rather be stuck with.”
I rise to my toes, and he crushes my mouth to his in an all-consuming kiss. I thread my fingers into his unruly hair, pulling him even closer. When our mouths finally part, I whisper, “I love you, Kian. Let’s go home.”
Epilogue
KIAN
1 MONTH LATER
The trial of Lady Olivia Astoria has finally arrived. The king was not pleased when I insisted on bringing her in, but he finally acquiesced; proof of a plot against the late Lord Astoria was the final straw. I know Rae can’t wait to close this door of her life.
Rae still has nightmares, and I desperately wish I could erase them. She also feels responsible for Sera’s curse. When we met Alex on the beach, Sera lay limp in his arms; only, it wasn’t Sera . . . I shake my head. Alex has been a mess, and of course, Sera continues to push us away during the day.
We forgave her betrayal once she was finally able to explain the binding oath Cary had placed on her. He’d abused his knowledge of her fae heritage to use her for his own gain, but still, things have not been the same.
Deciding to keep Rae’s new goddess status a secret has been difficult, to say the least, but she insists it remain that way until she gains full control over her gifts. It’s still a little too early to tell, but reports have trickled in that this season’s crops have made a miraculous recovery, and we’re looking at a more bountiful harvest than we’ve seen in years. The Shadow just might need to go into early retirement . . .
Rae squeezes my hand as we rise for the king’s entrance. “What do you think he’s going to do?” she whispers.
“Gods, if I know,” I mumble under my breath. “It completely depends on what mood he’s in.”
The king sits upon his throne, and everyone takes their seats on the uncomfortable benches. I swear they were made to torture us at these hearings. With a motion to the guards, Rae’s stepmother, who looks quite worse for wear, is dragged into the throne room. Her clothes are filthy, and her blonde hair hangs limply around her haggard face. The dungeons did not do her any favors.
“Mother!” a high-pitched female voice shrieks from the right, and I groan as I notice Rae’s siblings being herded into the room and held off to the side.
Rae stiffens beside me. “I don’t know if I’m actually ready for this.”
I squeeze her hand again. “I’ve got you, love.”
The prisoner is pushed to her knees before the king, and he frowns upon her.
“Lady Olivia Astoria, you’ve been charged with assaulting Princess Raelyn, plotting the murder of your late husband, Lord Astoria, and the questionable deaths of your previous husbands. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”
“I never killed anyone,” she simpers, her head bowed.
“Will anyone speak on your behalf?” the king drones on, bored.
The room is completely silent until Rae stands, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll speak for her.”
“You may come forward.” The king motions.
