“Fuck. That made me hard again,” I mutter, watching as her tongue laps up the last of the blood.
“Tough,” she laughs. “You’ve had your distraction. Now what’s wrong?”
I sigh,the ecstasy of what just happened vanishing like smoke. Her warmth is still on my skin, her scent thick in the air. Daisy rests her cheek against my shoulder, tracing lazy little circles across my sternum. But she’s not stupid. She knows I’m stalling, and she’s waiting. I tilt my head and press a kiss to her forehead.
“I’m not going to like this, am I?” She whispers.
“No,” I rasp. “You’re not.”
She lifts her head and looks at me with those too-perceptive eyes—oceans kissed by shadow now. The black rings around her eyes are a part of Dasmyrin’s immortality shining through her. She’s so beautiful it hurts. And I know the second I open my mouth I’m going to watch the light dim in her eyes again.
I sit up slowly, pulling her with me until we’re both sitting against the headboard. Her legs drape across mine, her arms curled around her knees. She looks so small, like she’s trying to fold in on herself already.
I run a hand through my hair, exhaling hard. “My father is dead.”
Her breath catches. “What?”
“I forced him to take a truth elixir earlier this morning, and after he told me everything, he just… died. It’s like his soul was holding on to give me what I needed.”
A moment of silence stretches between us. Daisy’s lips part, her eyes going wide, but she stays silent, letting me continue on.
“The Divine Six opened the gates to the Fae universe and promised them power in exchange for helping them destroy Dasmyrin. When the Fae failed, they were cut off, and the door between universes was sealed, leaving only their offspring behind.” I pause, watching as her expression darkens with every word, like she’s slowly remembering too. “But that wasn’t all. There’s another universe, Daisy. One even fewer know about. And the Divine Six… they made contact. My father didn’t know much, just a name.”
She leans in, almost afraid to breathe. “What name?”
“The Særathi.”
She blinks at me, a small frown forming in the crease of her brow. “I don’t remember anything or anyone with a name like that.”
“They made contact with a realm called Aetherhollow. There’s something there. Something ancient. The Divine Six have been gathering secrets, magic, and power. Power beyond anything we know, even beyond Elyistria’s reach. There’s a Grimoire with records of every spell and secret the Divine Six learned. But it’s hidden, and my father didn’t know where.”
Daisy swallows, her throat working hard. “Why tell me all this now?”
I take her hand in mine, pressing it against my heart. “Because the throne is empty. And the moment my father took his last breath, the crown became mine. I have to ascend, Daisy. Within the next twenty-four hours. If I don’t, we leave Hell vulnerable. And that’s a risk I can’t afford. Not with the Six hunting us. Not with you here, knowing who and what you are. Not now.”
She stares at me, her heartbeat thundering so loud I can hear it pulsing against my eardrums. “You want me by your side,” she says softly.
“I need you by my side.” My voice cracks. “But I’ll never force it. You’re my wife and my mate. That means more to me than a fucking crown. If all you want is to live here with me, far from politics and power—I’d give it to you. I’d burn every last inch of Hell to give it to you.”
Her eyes fill with tears.
“But if you can be my queen…” I whisper. “Even just for the ceremony. Even just to anchor the realm. Then I’ll give you everything, and no one will touch you. No one will command you, Daisy. Not even me. You’ll be free. But I need your light to get through this darkness, little flower. I can’t…” I swallow the lump forming in my throat. “I can’t do it alone.”
Her fingers tighten around mine as she blinks away stray tears. “I don’t know how to be a queen,” she says.
I kiss her hand softly. “You already are.”
Book made for [email protected]
Chapter 54
Daisy
The chamber is silent as I sit on the bed, the soft hush of the morning light bleeding through the curtains to paint the dark stone room in brightness.
Korithax had left for a meeting with the realms’ rulers after dropping the bomb on me that his coronation needed to happen ASAP. Of course it did. Because I didn’t have enough on my plate, apparently. What’s one more thing added onto the ever-growing pile of shit I have to carry?
I stretch slowly, my limbs aching in that dull, post sex satisfaction kind of way. But the heaviness in my chest is at a weight I’m struggling to bear. The truth presses down on me, feeling almost suffocating. I’m not just Daisy Sandoval anymore. I knew that the second I had agreed to marry Korithax. But gods, if I knew all of this was going to happen, would I have still agreed to it all?
