In fact, he seems somewhat distracted.
“Uh—yes. Oh! And then this is the latest information on their line, but some of it’s missing.”
I flip to the very last page of their family tree. A black smudge marks out the first name, for reasons I’m unsure of. But the rest of the legible names are listed from oldest to youngest.
A marked-out name, Conand, Baylon, Midir, Eira, Balthasar, and Taryn.
Lachlan leans back on the couch, his face remains carefully impassive. “The only reason ye would cross out a name is if they were usurped or left the family…”
“That’s what I was thinking, but some of those names look familiar.” I study the open book in my hand. My necklace warms on my chest. I think I’m on to something.
“Which names?” Lach asks. His head tilts to the side, his focus returning to the conversation at hand.
“All of them.”
The fire in the fireplace pops loudly and startles me.
“We need to talk about something else too,” Lachlan says. His tone seems serious, grave even.
“What’s up?” I ask, looking up to study his face.
Lachlan clears his throat before shifting uncomfortably. “Our conversation last night got me thinking that we should make this official somehow.” His words stumble over themselves and the tips of his ears redden.
I stare at him and when his eyes find mine again, he lets go of an exhale.
“I’d like to make us official.” He blurts out. I tilt my head to the side. “That is—if ye accept.”
A smile breaks out across my face. “You want to make us official, even without a mating bond?”
Lachlan leaves the couch and squats down on my side of the table. He tucks a stray hair behind my ear while staring into my eyes. “I want it official so that I willna ha’ to suffer through another day without the universe knowing you’re mine.”
I bite my bottom lip to smother my giggle. “Oh, so not that you want me. You just don’t want to be uncomfortable any more?”
He taps a finger to my nose before capturing my lips in a brief kiss. “That’s nae what I meant, and ye know it.” He places his hand under my chin, tilting my head up further. “I want the world to know ye are mine, and thatI am yours.”
I lean forward, pressing my lips against his and savoring the way they feel against mine. “Are you asking me to marry you?”
He shakes his head. A wayward lock of dark hair crosses across his forehead and I smooth it away.
“I want a traditional binding ceremony that is customary here. A marriage is just a piece of paper in the human world. But a binding ceremony binds my soul to yours for all of eternity.”
His words have a chaotic mass of butterflies swarming my chest and stomach. The otherworldly shade of green seems to glow as he studies my face and my lips. He kisses me again and my heart gallops. “Ye are my life, Lena. The very air in my lungs, my reason for each day. I dinna want to do this life without ye. If ye’ll ha’ me?”
Tears burn my eyes as I gaze upon the man I’ve loved my entire life. The man I want a future with. “Of course, I will.”
With an armload of books on shapeshifters, Fae, and dragons, I meander back to my room. The hall is quiet. Flames twirl in the sconces on the wall as a chilly breeze floats in. I miss the castle in Olundy.
It was less drafty.
Thoughts of my ancestral homes stir memories of my Gran and my parents. They had walked these halls, lived in this place long before I came to be. Somehow, that thought settles me and I release the tension that had begun to raise my shoulders.
An entire kingdom depends on me leading them through this war, and now that I know how much the humans are in jeopardy, I want more than nothing to train every second of every day. But knowledge is also power, and I have much to catch up on.
A shadow moves down the hall and I freeze. Boots scuff as the person makes their way in my direction. My pulse rises and I slide my feet into a ready position. Tane materializes in thelight of the sconces and a breath of relief slides through my lips.
“Lena,” his voice carries down the hall. “I was just looking for you. Can I speak to you about something?”
I shift my load of books onto my hip. “Tane, you scared the shit out of me,” I pant.
