She tried not to let her semi-nudity bother her as she shed her clothes and stood before them in her simple black bra and underwear. These women were dark fae, and nudity and sex were a part of life for them.
As the women gathered around her, they got some of the answers to their unspoken questions when they spotted Cole’s bite on her shoulder. All four of them froze while they gazed at the mark. One stretched out a hand as if she were going to touch it before snatching it back.
Finally, Amaris cleared her throat, and they all went to work again. They pulled the dress over her head and settled it into place. The sleek black dress, with its flowing skirt, demure bodice, and long sleeves, fit like a second skin.
One of the women worked on the buttons in the back while the others hemmed and hawed while making last-minute adjustments. When they finished, they all stood back and nodded their approval.
“We’ll work on the dress for the coronation today,” Amaris said. She seemed to be the one in charge of the women. “It will be ready for you by tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” Lexi said.
The door opened, and they all turned as Cole entered the main sitting room. He stopped walking when he spotted them, and his gaze landed on Lexi. The women waited as he stared at her.
“You’re beautiful,” he finally said.
“They did an amazing job on the dress,” Lexi said.
Cole didn’t acknowledge any of the women as his attention remained on her. The women exchanged more looks but didn’t speak as they edged away from her.
When Cole held his arm out to her, Lexi slipped her feet into the black slippers the women had made her. She walked over and hooked her arm through his.
“Thank you,” she said over her shoulder to the women, who all grinned at her.
“Anytime, miss,” Amaris replied.
Cole led her from the room and down the hall to where they descended the spiral staircase.
“How are you doing?” Lexi asked when they reached the bottom.
“Fine.”
His clipped tone said he was the opposite of fine, but she didn’t push him on it. In just this past month, he’d been locked away by the Lord, watched his father die, killed a dragon, and survived the trials. Now he faced his father’s memorial and his own coronation.
He was probably the opposite of fine, but he was doing better than most would in his situation.
When they were almost to the main hall, Brokk slipped from the shadows to join them. Cole led her into the main hall that was as black as it was yesterday.
A glass coffin sat on a golden stand before the stairs of the dais. On top of the coffin was the crown Tove wore the first time she saw him. Inside the coffin sat a set of black clothes and a pair of black boots.
Beside the coffin was a portrait of Tove. He looked stoic and handsome with his chin raised high, his crown on, and a sword in hand. The tip of the blade rested on the ground.
Though they both remained impassive, her eyes burned for Cole and Brokk’s loss. Her hand tightened on his arm as she sought to offer him comfort.
She ascended the stairs with Cole and almost balked when she saw the small, delicate throne set to the right of the throne he was sitting in the first time she saw him. His father’s throne remained in the center of his and Brokk’s thrones, but that smaller throne was a new addition, and it was meant forher.
Cole stopped in front of the throne and gestured for her to sit, but she didn’t move. “You want me to sit on athrone?”
“One day, you’ll be my queen, Lexi. Now that the trials are over, it’s best to establish your presence at my side.”
Her head spun as she stared at the throne. This was all happening so fast. She’d barely had time to process being his mate, and now she had to figure out how to be the queen of a realm she’d only ever entered three times in her life.
He expected her to help lead a land that was not her own and she knew little about. And the dark fae were known for their cruelty and indifference. How well would they take to an outsider marrying their new king?
She wasn’t ready for this, but then, Cole hadn’t been prepared to become king, and neither he nor Brokk were ready to lose their father. This had never been a part of her plans, but she could do it.
Lifting her skirt, she settled onto the throne that was more comfortable than it appeared. Lexi adjusted her skirts the best she could while trying to act like she belonged here. Inwardly, she rebelled against it.
She was a simple girl who led a simple life until the war. Now, she was sitting in the dark fae palace, staring at the elaborate and awing dark fae hall, while the most powerful fae in existence and one of the most powerful beings in all the realms sat beside her.
