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His warmth was gone. His back turned to her as he stalked around the desk and left her alone. Ace sagged back into the chair.
That went well,Mina mocked.
Serves her right, Greshta sniffled like she was offended royalty.
“She’s in there,” Shelby’s rough voice said from somewhere in the hallway.
A moment later Rehan’s smiling face came into view. He kept his hands clasped behind his back.
“I thought we were meeting back at the gates.” Ace forced herself upright in the seat.
“We still are but I found something and felt inclined to give it to you.” His grin was spreading across his face like a wild infection. Rehan almost looked goofy with how wide his smile got.
“Really?”
“Um-hmm,” he hummed with a nod.
She tried not to fidget as he rounded the desk and stopped in front of her. What was he up to?
“Come here.” A one-handed wave over was all he offered.
This ought to be good, Greshta chuckled.
With fluttering lashes, Ace felt frozen to the spot. Some mixture of fear and excitement bubbling up inside of her. What did he have? What was he going to do? And then the small voice at the back of her mind reminded her that she hadn’t known him all that long, for all she knew he could have his sword poised behind him to run her through when she stood back up.
Perhaps she’d happily let him.
But that thought didn’t come with as much sincerity as it once had.
Remember your legs. Get up and move,Mina encouraged.
Ace tried to summon her courage and stood. She’d run from the queens’ guard on more than one occasion, surely she could handle Rehan with a gift.
“Perfect.” Rehan helped position her in front of him before he took a step back. Then in one grand movement, he lowered himself down to one knee bringing his hands in front of him to hold up a small gold ring with a single round diamond.
Oh no. Her legs went weak, threatening to give out on her. Papers crinkled under her fingertips as she tried to keep herself steady.
“Ace, I know we haven’t known each other very long, but what is an engagement without a ring.”
Her heart thumped against her rib cage threatening to break out of its prison. A ring made it real. Not that it wasn’t real before…but to wear a ring on her finger?! That felt entirely different.
“What’s your middle name?” Rehan whispered.
“My middle name?” she said, though her voice was hoarse. Rehan nodded. “Christine.”
Boring. Simple. Christine. Maybe if she focused on his dislike of her middle name, she wouldn’t have to think about the future that was staring her right in the face.
Rehan is good,she reminded herself.He is kind. He is smart. And he was Made for you.
She could say those things over and over again but they would never be enough. Gods, she wished it was enough.
“Aylee Christine Havlock, will you please do me the honor of being my bride, my wife, and my queen?”
Ice cold determination was the only thing that ran through her, like a steel rod in her back, that gave her the ability to straighten and lift her hand up from the desk. Paper stuck to her sweaty palm, having to be shaken just once before they drifted back to the desk.
Ace had made a promise. She’d made several, actually. King Osiris expected her and Rehan on that throne. Shelby needed his warlocks free. She wanted them free.
“Yes.” She extended a trembling hand.
