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Eli’s odds of stealing his wife away and ignoring all of them weren’t high, but you can’t blame a man for dreaming.
“We need to let everyone know you’re safe,” Eli said.
“I can inform them,” Marcus offered. “They can enjoy my hospitality while Geneviève recovers.”
“And the heart?” Geneviève asked. “I don’t want to ever have to dothatagain so . . .”
Gunnora was clutching it. “He was my spouse.”
“Right,” Geneviève said. “Don’t care. I finished the spell. That’s my rock now.”
“If it’s not kept safe, if someone restores him . . .” Gunnora looked like every terrified woman, afraid her abuser would return.
“If I may?” Beatrice asked, hand extended.
Shaking, Gunnora gave her the stone.
She’d no sooner done so than she smothered a gasp as Beatrice cracked it in two. “Here.” She tossed half to Marcus. “Take it over there. I’ll make sure this piece is securely stashed, too.”
I respected her cunning. Giving part of it to my uncle meant that nodraugr, no human, could return it to this world. Keeping part of it meant that she still had some assurances that Chester was un-animated.
“One of you can take care of that part,” she said. Then Beatrice paused to give the king a glare. “Hurt Alice, and you will have an invasion of draugr inElphame.”
Marcus opened his mouth as if to argue, but Beatriceflowedaway, and every remainingdraugrfollowed.
“Always dramatic,” Geneviève muttered.
“Runs in the family,” Eli teased.
The cousins were scooping up Iggy. One of them said, “Going over to visit, Cousin Al.”
Harlow was hobbling, being aided by a fae soldier, and they sent a challenging look at Marcus. “Not staying in the dungeon either.”
With a sigh, the king ofElphamesaid, “My future bride’s family is wel—"
“Future bride,” Ike crowed. “Uh huh. Can we be there when you say that to Cousin Al?”
The cousins and the rest of the fae left, and it was only Gunnora still there in the destruction with them.
“I’ll put him somewhere safe,” she said softly, and then she grabbed one of Chester’s arms and walked away into the darkness, tugging him along the ground like a battered child’s toy.
And Geneviève smiled. “Home?”
36
GENEVIÈVE
“Geneviève . . .” Eli started before she could say anything else. “I am carrying you from here. I know you are an independent—”
“Oh thank goodness. I’m not actually convinced Icanwalk.” I reached up, and he bent down to scoop me into his arms.
I wasn’t entirely sure what the future held. We’d destroyed the man who was trying to kill us, and we brought his wife back from her stasis. That could be a problem—or not. I wasn’t sure yet. Gunnora was, seemingly, powerful enough to be a threat, and I was not one to ignore the potential for an angry woman to spiral into violence. My own family tree made the peril of a woman with rage quite obvious, but in a world where a misogynist like Chester could gain power, who could blame us for rage?
I snuggled into Eli’s arms as he lifted me up and held my exhausted body close. I hoped I’d never have to give up feeling cherished like this. For most of my life I thought I couldn’t have love without sacrificing my identity. Eli proved me wrong.
“I am the luckiest person in either world,” I murmured. “You are a prince among men.”
My husband gave me a look, but he smiled a moment later. “Indeed.”
