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With a gentle finger to her mouth, I hushed her and savored the feel of her lips. “I am not perfect. I will make mistakes too. We both will. Melding two cultures will come with complications no matter how experienced the two parties are.”
“How can you be so calm about it?” The pucker between her brows hadn’t disappeared.
“Because we are friends, and friends work together to overcome obstacles. Which is why I think you are wise to desire a friend as a husband. But since you seem preoccupied with my possible concerns and potential regrets, I wish to put them all to rest.” I touched her chin. “Kate Moring, will you marry me?” I attempted to keep my expression neutral, but something of my hope that she would consent might have crept into my eyes.
Kate studied my features and smiled slightly, the barest tilting at the corners of her mouth. The pucker between her brows smoothed away. “Yes.”
I wrestled with the inclination to kiss her right then and there, but someone behind me cleared his throat. Glancing back over my shoulder, I spotted Merlon glaring at me. He crossed his arms over his chest. Then he dropped them to sign at me. “So, you are going to marry her?”
“Yes. We need witnesses.”
He nodded. “Durvin is coming.” He narrowed his eyes sharply at Kate as he signed, “Does she realize that marrying you will make me her healer?”
“She doesn’t object to you personally, just healers in general.”
“What did he say?” Kate asked from her place next to me.
“He is pointing out that once we marry, he will be your healer, too. He is concerned you would object.”
Kate shivered. “I just don’t like healers. They prescribe the nastiest remedies that almost always cause more difficulties than help.”
“That is because they are morons,” Merlon signed with vehemence.
She eyed Merlon warily before saying, “It is nothing personal.”
An unbidden smile pulled at my mouth. “He isn’t angry at you, darling.” Settling a soothing hand on her shoulder, I squeezed it slightly. “Human doctors are his least favorite people.”
Merlon agreed by adding, “Ignorant, pompous monsters causing more harm than good.”
Durvin arrived in a hurried rush just as Merlon seemed to be at his most explosive. He skidded to a stop and eyed the three of us warily. “You summoned, sire?”
“I did. Now we only need one more.”
Even as I spoke, a shadow elf emerged from the shadows under the stairs. I suspected he had been waiting for Durvin to arrive so he could avoid making conversation. Favian frequently showed diplomatic discretion far above his station.
He bowed to me and then to Kate before reporting. “I posted guards to observe the princesses and the estate borders. The professor attends to the nuances of your connection to the land magic, and his assistant is monitoring the curse. All is prepared.”
“What did he say?” Kate asked as I turned back to face her.
“That all the security measures are in place, so even if this goes poorly, we are as prepared as we can be.”
“Something might go wrong.” The pucker had returned between her shapely brows.
“Nothing should. Are you ready?”
She nodded.
“Then repeat after me.” I began the vows in Elvish.
Chapter Eight
Kate
The Elvish phrases felt foreign to my tongue, but Emrys’ calm, clear pronunciation made it easy to form the sounds. The air around us felt alive with the pleasant tingle that I associated with magic.
As I finished the last phrase, something warm and soft encompassed my heart and radiated out into my chest, spreading swiftly through my torso and limbs. Then, before I could do more than gasp, it encompassed me with a sense of anticipation. Whether it was because the spell was partially done or because we hadn’t completely fulfilled the curse, I couldn’t tell. My heart, which had been beating regularly ever since the elixir earlier that night, faltered.
“The token,” Emrys said, drawing my attention up to him.
