Eva
One Month Later
“You look wonderful.”
I raised my hand toward the voice, attempting to block out the sun shining down. Near the gate, a tall figure leaned against the stone, their hand shoved into the pocket of their breeches as if simply going out for a stroll. Their green eyes latched on mine, and my stomach did the stupid little flip it always did when he watched me.
I stood out in the middle of the street, assisting a group of women with food preparation for a colossal feast this evening. Banners flew, flags were hung, and Helia’s colors were as far as the eye could see. We had set up sizable cooking stations along the outer palace wall.
This was Briar’s domain; she had been coordinating the event as soon as we had gotten through the first week after the war. As such, she watched over us like a hawk to ensure we did not mess anything up.
Children ran up and down the street, giggling and screaming. They had been playing all morning. Briar had even softened to them, allowing us to be pulled away from the food preparation whenever they came by calling. I could not help but grin wildly at the excitement in the air.
It meant people were healing in more ways than one.
But there were moments I could still feel the cold tingle of fear and guilt running down my spine as I was pulled from sleep; images flashed of the people I had killed and the lives that had to be taken in order to save the masses. I hadn’t been able to separate my people from Lachlan’s thrall, and their deaths would haunt me forever.
Those were the evenings that made me feel as though I had made no progress in healing at all. Which was why I had thrown myself into the rebuilding of Helia.
Throwing my rag over my shoulder, I crossed my arms and smiled up at him. “You flatter me, Mr. Roarke. I would say you are looking quite handsome as well.”
He took a step toward me, his hands coming to rest on my hips. His presence nearly took my breath away, especially as the tunic he wore was unlaced at the top and showed a smattering of hair along his chest. “Is that my title? I feel like your version is lacking a bit.”
I sucked in a breath and felt his humor through our bond at my inability to control my desires. “Yes, but the official title is so stuffy, don’t you think? Besides, when you’ve been called ‘King,’ you become so insufferable.” I teased, swatting at his chest.
He leaned in, crashing his lips to mine in a kiss that made my heart race. This mundane way of life was still strange to both of us, but it was something neither of us took for granted. The past month had been spent healing old wounds and strengthening our future. Each stolen moment had been cherished beyond measure, taking our time getting to know one another again outside of the threat of war.
Our life would have been so simple had we not had outside complications, but it wouldn’t have beenourstory any other way.
“You do not say that when you begyourkingto eat your pussy until you scream,” he whispered, his lips skating along the shell of my ear. The look on his face showed precisely how proud he was of how my body reacted to him. “How are the preparations coming?” he asked as he swept his eyes over the scene behind me.
I followed his gaze, feeling a sense of achievement for all we had done. There were enough meals to feed the kingdom twice over, and every sweet treat one could imagine. Barrels and barrels of ale and wine were ready to be served. When we contacted Ivan regarding his supply of firewhiskey, he gladly provided more than we would ever need and even volunteered for himself and his men to help.
“Really well, actually. I am convinced that Briar would make a better monarch than us combined. She has been keeping tabs on all the workers, and I feel like I am a child again, but I would have it no other way. She’s passionate about this kingdom and its people, which is why I placed her in charge of Helia’s charities. What about your end?”
“We just finished, so I wanted to come by and see if you could help me prepare for the evening?” The sly grin on his lips told me exactly what would wait for me if I left with him right now. My toes curled as I thought of his earlier words and the promises they implied.
Before I could answer, something smacked the back of my head. I turned to find Briar scowling up at me with her hands on her hips. Matthew’s soft chuckle told me he would be no help. He had seen her coming from a mile away and decided to be useless.
I crossed my arms. “You really should not abuse your queen in public like that. I believe that is called treason.”
She held my gaze, not backing down for even a moment. “I wiped your ass as a child. I’m entitled to do as I please.”
Matthew leaned down and whispered in my ear. “What happened to not using our titles to our advantage? Were you trying to get out of a scolding?” He did not have a chance to move as Briar’s hand smacked him upside the head.
“Don’t think I don’t know you’re to blame for her distracted state, young man. You’realwaysbehind it.” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s highly inappropriate.”
Matthew raised his hands in mock surrender as my father stepped up behind Briar and kissed her temple. He pulled her body to his as her face turned to a strange shade of red.
“Alric,” she chastised lowly, swatting his hand but not moving away. “Not in front of Eva.”
I rolled my eyes at her response. After my father was cleared by Ciena, he walked directly up to Briar in the middle of the dining hall and kissed her. Part of me had always wondered if they were more than friends. While it had apparently escalated before the attack on Helia, they had never acted on their emotions. Part of me wondered if Lachlan had targeted her specifically because of how Briar’s betrayal would affect both of us.
While others may have had hesitations regarding their relationship, I could not have been more excited. I had never met two people who deserved it more. Though we both knew she would never be able to entirely fill the hole my mother left behind, nor would she ever try, Briar was always the person who would hold the honorary position.
They had both been worried about what I would think of their relationship, my father more than anyone, because he never wanted me to assume he had stopped loving my mother. It was a thought, I told him, that could not have been further from the truth.
That was something my father did not quite understand. He equated loving another with moving on, but the two were different. And regardless of what he thought, my mother would not have wanted him to waste the rest of his days being unhappy.
