Page 206 of Tale of the Heart Queen

I watch as it stretches and morphs into a dark blot, and then . . . Amya, Mael, and Willow stand across the room, blinking at us. They’re no longer dressed in the clothes they wore at the bonding ceremony, and it’s the first time I’ve really had a chance to think about how long we’ve been gone.

“Amya?” Nadir asks, and she gives us a bewildered look.

“Willow?” I ask, taking a step towards her before another ripple turns into Cedar and Elswyth, and then Tristan.

“Tris!” I yell.

“Lor!”

We all converge and embrace in the center of the room. I truly thought I’d never see any of them again.

“What happened to you?” Amya asks. “We were so worried.”

“You disappeared,” Tristan says, looking us over.

“Lor, we thought you were dead,” Willow says as we continue chattering.

“Why are you dressed like that?” Mael asks.

“Well—”

We’re interrupted by the appearance of several others. D’Arcy, Bronte, and Cyan all materialize out of thin air, along with Anemone and Linden. With Bronte and her bonded partner, Yael, is a young girl with silver hair, and next to D’Arcy stands a teenage male High Fae with her same dark eyes and long white hair.

A moment later, Tyr, Gabriel, and Erevan also appear.

We all stare at each other across the space. It takes everyone another moment to notice the Empyrium. They’ve all heard the story of my previous encounter, and they all understand immediately.

“Welcome,” the Empyrium says. “Zerra is dead, and the Third Age is upon us.”

They sweep out a hand towards me. “Your new goddess awaits.”

Every eye swings to me, and I shake my head.

“No. I don’t want this. Please.”

“Someone must control the magic of the Artefacts,” they say.

“But why me?” I ask.

“You are the right choice. You defeated the greatest evil in Ouranos.”

“No, I’m not. I have people I need to take care of, people who need me to restore the magic of Heart, and I don’t want this.”

I take Nadir’s hand. “I have a mate and a family I want to grow old with. Please don’t do this.”

They give me a hard look. They weren’t expecting me to refuse.

“You forced Zerra into this all those years ago, and look how that turned out,” I say.

“You are not Zerra,” they reply. “We chose better this time.”

“No! I don’t want this!” My voice pings around the room. “You won’t make me abandon my mate. You can’t make me!”

“But we can,” they say. “You are the best choice. Only a Primary or an ascended king or queen will be strong enough to control the magic. And you are without a home to rule.”

At that declaration, I feel everyone in the room go still.

“Lor?” Nadir asks. “Did you know that?”