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She dragged her gaze back up and whispered. “Please don’t ruin this.”
Her words punctured my heart, making my ribs hurt. “Ruin it? How am I...”
Veronica rolled away from me, making me reach out to her in a panic. She wasn’t leaving me? Surely. But she didn’t leave, she simply shuffled back, putting herself into a cuddling position. “Let’s try and get some sleep.”
I followed her and rolled over, curling my body around hers, and listening to her breathing begin to slow. She wasn’t going to easily forgive me for being mean to her for so many years, that was obvious.
But I had to look at the bright side of this. I was in Veronica’s bed, wrapped around her, and she’d made love to me in a way that made my heart hurt with happiness.
Surely this wasn’t the end, but only the beginning of our lives together?
I stayed awake long enough to hear her fall asleep, making cute little snuffling noises while she dreamed. And although I didn’t want to miss another moment of my new life, even if it wasn’t how I’d pictured it, my exhausted body finally sunk into rest.
THE NEXT MORNING, I woke up alone, but still in Veronica’s bed. I would have loved to lie there and play over our night together in my mind, but my leg was absolutely killing me.
I managed to get up and stagger to her bathroom, then it was time for breakfast, and some more of the healer’s medicine. Or my father’s whiskey. I wasn’t fussy, as long as it helped.
I pulled on my clothes from last night, and limped into the hallway, running straight into Queen Cassandra.
“Good morning, Iain.” She spoke with one eyebrow raised.
I froze, caught. Even at my age, I was embarrassed to be found sneaking out of a girl’s room and heat flooded my face. “Good morning, Aunt Cass.”
Her smirk wasn’t exactly regal, but she looked just like my mom when she found something humorous. “Veronica is with her father. Breakfast is still being served in the main hall... and my husband is awake.”
Happiness pushed away any embarrassment I was still feeling. “Damon’s awake?”
Cass actually grinned, then tipped her head in a regal nod. “Yes. But if you think that’s gonna fix everything, you’re dumber than you look.”
Then she turned and walked away. I ran after her.
“Help me, Aunt Cass.”
“Maybe stop calling me Aunt Cass, then,” she said while we walked.
I coughed to clear my throat. “Ah... Cass then?”
“Or Mom,” she said with a cheeky grin. “Or shall we wait for the wedding first?”
I stumbled over the hall carpet runner and Cass had to stop to wait for me to recover my footing.
I couldn’t help but say, “My mom always said you had Dad’s spirit, which is probably why I thought you were our blood relative.”
Cass laughed, a sound I hadn’t heard in a long while. “Because your father and I say exactly what’s on our minds? Yes, well... being raised by a king, and becoming a queen, do have their advantages.”
We kept walking along the hall toward the dining room, but slower now. “What can I do, Aunt Cass... I mean Queen...”
“Just Cass.”
“Okay, Cass. What can I do?”
This time she stopped walking and reached out for my arm, holding tight. “You can eat, then go see my husband. He was very worried about you when he woke.”
Oh God!
“I’ll go right now.” I turned, intending to rush back the way we came, but Cass held tight to my arm.
“No. You need to eat. How’s your leg?”
