Page 112 of Fate of the Sun King

Willow arches an eyebrow at the intimate gesture.

“Well done, Lightning Bug,” he whispers before he leaves the room, and my sister pins me with an inquisitive look.

“I think you have some explaining to do,” she says.

I wrinkle my nose. “You could say that.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

While we wait for Tristan to recover, I fill Willow in on everything that happened, first in the settlements and then at the Woodlands Fort, including the somewhat momentous update about Nadir. My sister has always been the more forgiving type, and when I explain what it means to be mates, she couldn’t be more thrilled for me.

“Lor,” she says, her big brown eyes filling with tears. “I see the way he looks at you. I know it must have been so hard to learn how to trust him, but I think I’m a pretty good judge of character, and that man would walk through fire for you. I don’t think you could be in better hands.”

I smile at Willow, recalling her words during our argument. That she was the reason I kept pushing him away. Some might mistake her kindness for weakness or naivety, but it isn’t. I’ve spent so much of my life angry and mistrusting everyone around me, and I think the way Willow sees the good in everyone, despite everything she’s been through, is the greatest strength a person can possess.

“You’re not angry because I’m essentially sleeping with the enemy?”

“Essentially? You’re telling me you two haven’t had sex yet?”

“Willow!” I exclaim. “What a thing to ask!”

She scoffs. “What? I’m supposed to pretend that the two of you don’t practically make the walls melt when you’re together?”

I make a wry face. “Fair enough. I just wasn’t expecting that question from you.”

She sits up straight and smooths back a piece of her hair. “Why not? Just because I’m less experienced doesn’t mean I can’t be a sexual being too.”

“Oh really?” I ask, affecting a coy tone. “And who are you being sexual with, my dear sister?”

Willow’s cheeks turn pink instantly, and I burst out laughing.

“Shut up,” she says, and that only makes me laugh harder.

“Sorry,” I say through my giggles. “Tell me. I want to hear. Perhaps a certain Aurora Princess?”

Her cheeks grow even pinker, and she ducks her head like she wants to whisper something in my ear.

“Maybe,” she says softly, and I grin at that. Despite everything, I like Amya. I really think she is the nice one, and I’m confident her intentions lie in the right place.

“Care to elaborate?” I say, and Willow’s smile turns soft, her eyes alight with a sparkle that transforms her whole face into a version of her I’ve never seen before. I like it. I love it.

“We’re taking things slowly, but we’ve kissed.”

I grin even wider and then wrap her in a hug.

“I’m happy for you, but be careful, okay?”

She opens her mouth to protest, but I interrupt her. “I’m not saying that because I don’t think you can’t handle it, but we’ve all been through a lot. I’d say the same thing to anyone in our circumstances.”

Willow nods and pats my hand. “Okay. Thank you. I am being careful.”

“You always are,” I say, earning me a smile.

“Tristan isn’t happy about it,” I say then. “Me and Nadir, I mean.”

“He’s just as stubborn as you are. He’ll get over it,” Willow says.

“That might be the meanest thing you’ve ever said to me,” comes Tristan’s groggy voice.