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Cade’s eyes darkened playfully. “Speak for yourself, My Queen. I will not be sharing my affections with anyone else.”
“I’m grateful that I have Maywin here with me,” I admitted. “It was lonely at first when I came.”
He brushed a hand against my cheek lovingly. “I won’t ever allow you to feel lonely again,” he vowed, and my chest fluttered.
Could he be my mate?
It wasn’t the first time I’d wondered. Over the past days, especially since I’d moved into his rooms, I’d felt closer to Cade than ever before. At the beginning, I thought it might have been the bonds of trauma, but as the danger wore off and the black magic spell seemed to diminish under the planning of the wedding, I realized that I was fully connected to him in a way that I felt in my soul.
I talked to Maywin about it as she moved into her new room, closer to the king’s room.
“What do you know about soulmates, Maywin?” I blurted out. The maid eyed me in confusion.
“The same as anyone else, miss,” she replied. “That two souls are bonded together beyond time and space, their connection so strong that they are inevitably brought together.”
“Yes, but…” I hesitated. “What does it feel like?”
Maywin paused to wipe a drop of sweat from her cheek and face me. “I wouldn’t know, miss. I’ve yet to meet mine—assuming that a maid can ever have a soulmate.”
I frowned in dismay at the notion. “Everyone has a soulmate,” I sputtered, aghast that she would think otherwise. “Love has no class standing.”
A slow, pleased smile formed on Maywin’s lips. “Do you really believe that?”
“Yes, of course! A noblefae is not more important—or more deserving of happiness—than a fae like you.”
“I hope you’re right. I’ve been spending a great deal of time with one particular guard…”
“Jasper?” I suggested lightly.
Maywin’s cheeks paled. “How did you know?”
“I have eyes, Maywin,” I teased. “And I’ve seen how he looks at you, too.”
Instantly, red replaced the white of her complexion, and my servant hung her head, dark strands of hair falling from her loose chignon. “He’s very handsome.”
“And he would be lucky to have you, May,” I told her honestly. “But you have to help me planmywedding first. Is that a deal?”
“Of course!”
Laughing, we finished unpacking Maywin into her new room, much closer to me now, where we could spend more hours poring over the plans for the upcoming ceremony, which was only a few weeks off now.
* * *
Cade helped where he could,but the Council of Ministers and kingdom kept him occupied, leaving me mostly in charge of wedding preparations. I enlisted as many of the female servants as I could to my aid, but the truth was, there was a lingering concern about their trustworthiness.
Over time, I began to accept Cade’s words about Aradia’s honesty. She debriefed us daily on what the search was uncovering throughout Ironhelm—which admittedly was not much.
“We still don’t have a source for the spell, but there haven’t been whispers of another attack,” the enchantress offered optimistically. Her words didn’t do much to appease either Cade or me. We were undoubtedly thinking the same thing, although neither of us spoke the words aloud.
Maybe they’re just waiting for the wedding to attack again.
But I refused to let myself get sucked into the worst-case scenario. We had the best in the kingdom working to protect us, and now, we were on high guard. I wouldn’t let my wedding day be foiled by spiteful beings.
Two nights before the ceremony, I curled into Cade’s arms, exhausted from a full day, and he wrapped his arms around me.
“We’re almost King and Queen of Ironhelm,” he murmured.
“I know,” I yawned, nuzzling into his neck. “Although I don’t know if I’m going to be all right being apart from you tomorrow night. It’s been so long since I’ve slept on my own.”
