I smacked his chest, laughter bubbling between us. “Of course I’ll marry you, Matthew. Oh gods, yes. This isn’t even a question.” He dug his hands into my hair and brought my lips to his and kissed me until I could no longer breathe. The air had evaporated, been stolen from my lungs, but I couldn’t care. Not as he held me as if I was the most cherished being in the world.
I hadn’t wanted a marriage after my betrothal was announced with Damien, hadn’t even wanted one before, but had accepted it as an inevitable consequence of my station. Matthew was my mate. I assumed a marriage wouldn’t mean anything to me in that sense either, but to be bound to each other in every way possible…
That was what I wanted.
I pulled back, my hands clasping his face between my hands as I stared at him. His dark hair had fallen into his eyes. Small wisps that I realized were sticking to beads of sweat on his brow. “Are you happy, darling?” he asked.
I nodded, unable to form words. Pushing his hair back, I pressed a single kiss to his temple. “Did you think I would say anything else? How could I not be ecstatic?”
“I just—given everything of late, I did not want you to feel pressured into yet another thing you did not want, but I also wanted to be selfish. Because I need you to realize that when it comes to you, I would give you everything, be anyone, do anything to make you happy. There have been far too many uncertain moments, but they are in the past. We are each other’s futures. From now until our last breath.”
I laughed, and his eyes softened. “Gods, I missed this laugh. This smile,” he said, tracing my lips with his thumb. He reached forward and captured my mouth in a searing kiss, one that I could feel in my soul. It was consuming and chaotic, just like we were.
“I only have one request,” I said, taking his hand in mine and meeting his glittering green eyes as they stared into my soul.
“Anything,” he whispered.
A slow creak came from the other side of the door, pulling us away from one another. It was followed quickly by a muffled curse. Matthew and I shot quick glances at one another before opening it and peering out.
Kalen stood on the other side of the door, a sheepish smile on his face. I could have sworn there might have even been a flush of embarrassment, especially as he pulled his lips up in an impish grin.
Matthew sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. When he looked at Kalen, he fought with a smile and ultimately lost. “Do I even have to ask what you were doing out here? Or should I assume that you heard everything that just happened?”
Kalen stayed quiet for a moment before making a strange wiggling motion and surging toward us, wrapping his arms around us in a bone-crushing hug. Matthew and I looked at each other, completely bewildered and yet not at all surprised to find Kalen eavesdropping.
“I’m so happy for you two! You’ve come such a long way, and I—” Kalen stepped back, smoothing down his tunic and breeches and taking a deep breath in an attempt to compose himself. “Uh, yeah. I might have heard the whole thing from about five minutes ago? But I won’t tell a soul! I promise I’m a good secret keeper.”
Matthew rolled his eyes with a look on his face that said Kalen wasnot, in fact, good at keeping secrets and would surely chatter to the first person he saw.
“Your Majesty!” We turned to see a young woman scurrying up to us and dipping into a low curtsy as she approached. “I’m sorry to bother you, ma’am, but there’s an issue in the healing ward that requires your personal attention.
The three of us exchanged worried glances. “Who is it?” I asked, rubbing my chest as it tightened with worry. The ache was constantly there these days, a reminder that we were never safe.
“It’s Damien.”
Chapter20
Renai
Ipaced the room, chewing on my nails as I waited. The healer hurried back, another woman in tow behind her. This one was older. Fine lines plastered her face, and I knew she must have been in charge. They shooed me out of the way, and I stood against the wall.
“What happened?” the older woman snapped, never looking up at me as she worked. She piled steaming blankets on top of his body one by one, while the other stood at a small station mixing potions and elixirs.
I told them everything I could, but even that was not enough. We had no sample of the toxin that left his body, other than what they could wipe from his mouth.
“And you are sure there was nothing different about this line of questioning versus any other time? No serum you might have given him beforehand?” the older woman asked, running her hand over his forehead.
“No. None. He’d had coffee and buttered bread, but that was it.” She pursed her lips. Disbelief clouded her features, and I didn’t blame her. Hell, I didn’t know if I would’ve believed me either. Many people wanted Damien dead, especially those who knew of his crimes, but I had no reason to hurt him.
Nor did I want to.
The two of us had reached a level of understanding. When I was younger and had Ollie to lean on, I loved him dearly. Far more than I should have. And when he left me, I had been devastated. I had wanted to throw myself off of the tallest cliff after him. That was when I decided love was the worst thing to happen to a person and vowed to stay far away from it.
Damien had loved Eva more than he should have, and it cost him dearly—his friends, his family, his livelihood, and his kingdom.
Eva, Matthew, and Kalen burst through the door, the latter running to me after he saw my face. He pulled me into a hug, ensuring I was okay. Eva went to the healer, and the two of them spoke in hushed tones.
“What happened?” Matthew whispered.
