Lexi bit her lip as she studied the blood-splattered, gray stone floor. She looked so defeated he couldn’t resist pulling her into his arms. He nestled her against his chest as he rested his chin on her head.
“I’m sorry you had to deal with her today,” Cole said.
“I guess that’s life when you’re dating a guy who has alotof exes. How did you know we were here?”
“I followed your scent, but I sensed something was wrong because of the palace.”
She leaned back to look up at him. “Huh?”
Cole grinned at her. “Ever since the trials, I’ve had a strange connection to this place. It’s almost as if it’s alive.”
Lexi blinked at him before laughing. “I had that same thought when it bashed Becca’s face with a door.”
“It did?”
“It wasawesome.”
Keeping his arms around her, he started leading her down the hall. “You’re going to have to tell me all about it.”
Chapter Fifty-Two
Lexi stoodat the bottom of the stairs leading up to the large, wooden stage the dark fae erected for the coronation ceremony. Cole had said he wanted her by his side, but the ceremony centered on him and the man crowning him, Elvin.
She and Brokk remained at the bottom of the stairs Cole had ascended to stand twenty feet above the crowd. And what a crowd it was. Thousands of dark fae gathered in the large, rolling green fields outside the palace. There were so many they vanished into the hollows of the hills before reappearing again on the next rise.
They crammed every inch of the lawn and watched with rapt attention as Elvin lifted the crown high. Sunlight flashed off the three black oplyx stones set into the large crown. It was larger than the crown she first saw Cole wearing in the Gloaming, and she recognized it as the one his father wore.
Though he showed no reaction, Lexi winced for him when the crown settled on his head. She couldn’t imagine what the weight of it must feel like to him.
Lexi glanced at Brokk as he watched his brother. His face revealed no emotion, but she saw the sorrow in his eyes. Neither of them wanted this, and they would have to fight to keep it as, despite the air of excitement from the crowd, she also sensed their turmoil and unease. They whispered and shifted behind her and the guards who surrounded her.
She hated having those guards there, but Cole insisted. Their faces were stony, and they looked as approachable as an irate porcupine. However, they were armed and loyal to their king. If something went wrong today, they would defend him.
The whispers continued as Cole lifted his head to take in the crowd. Despite her pride over everything he’d been through to claim that crown, she was also scared.
What if the dark fae never accepted him as their king? She could live with it if they never acceptedher, but would Cole have to spend the rest of his life fighting to control them?
He was already scarred from the last war he fought; what would it do to him if he constantly had to fight his kingdom all while trying to fend off the Lord?
Lexi gulped and resisted tugging at the collar of her dress as sweat trickled down her neck. She loved the gown; it made her feel beautiful and special, but it suddenly felt as if it weighed a hundred pounds and was choking her.
“I now present to you, King Colburn of the dark fae!” Elvin declared in a voice that boomed across the crowd.
Despite the whispers and unease of the crowd, they erupted into applause and cheers. Loud whistles pierced the day, and they stomped their feet until the ground shook. Their exuberant response to Elvin’s words doused some of her unease.
Tears burned her eyes, but she didn’t shed them as she clapped loudly and cheered with them. When she caught Brokk’s eye, he grinned at her, and she beamed back at him.
Maybe things weren’t going to be so bad after all.
* * *
In the glowof the candles, Cole studied Lexi sitting beside him at the table. He had decided against the normal, lavish ceremony typically following a coronation. It was too close to his father’s death and memorial ceremony for a party that extravagant.
Instead, he’d opted for a more subdued feast for all who attended. The minstrels played their lutes, but there was no dancing.
Tables of food were set up outside the gates for all those who attended. He’d made sure to have his table placed so the dragon head was directly behind him. No one could miss it or the remains of Sindri’s body.
He wanted the fae to consider him a benevolent and fair king, but he would drill it into their heads that he destroyed the dragon. They needed to be wary of pissing him off.
