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Rose can sense my thoughts and feelings and fills our bond with love. “Do you ever stop thinking?”
“About your safety? Never.”
She laughs and shakes her head. Then her mood sobers. “Do you think they’ll be back?”
I don’t have to ask who they are. It’s the same question I grapple with daily. “I think the other kingdoms will feel their wrath before we do. It is a possibility that we will be called to fight again.”
Rose nods. “We sent word to the other kingdoms. They should be preparing.”
They should be. Knowing the rulers of the other kingdoms, I imagine they are doing nothing but preparing for an upcoming attack. The scariest thing is that no one has reported Nephilim sightings since the battle. They’re out there, but not making their presence known.
“But for now, we are safe.” The words feel strange, especially because I think they are mostly true. “What should we do with all this free time we have?”
“You mean between restoration, meetings, building a new council, and day-to-day tasks?”
“See? So much time,” I deadpan.
Rose mulls over this idea. I feel hesitancy through our bond, and I don’t care for that shit. “Speak your mind, wife. What is it?”
“It’s about our wedding.”
Those were not the words I expected, and my body tenses. Rose and I haven’t said out loud that we love each other. But I have felt it through our bond. It’s stronger than it’s ever been. It took restoring the wards for it to fully snap into place, but now we are tied together, our souls one.
Sensing my obvious confusion, Rose turns in my arms so that we are facing each other. She cups my face between her fingers. “This is not me saying I don’t love you or want to be married to you. I do love you, Malix.”
The words are out. I didn’t expect the swell of emotions that they bring with them. I knew how she felt but hearing the words…it makes it more. More real. More true.
“I love you too, Rose.” I’ve never spoken those words to anyone else, other than my mother. My father was not an affectionate man. The most I got from him was a pat on the back when he was feeling extra sentimental. I know he loved my mother fiercely, but never publicly. I want everyone to see how much I love Rose.
Rose’s body visibly relaxes, a smile brightens her features. “Then I would like to make a demand.”
My brow arches in question. “And what is that, little dragon?”
Rose bites her lip, a movement that shouldn’t be seductive, but hardens me anyway. If she notices, she doesn’t comment.
“Maybe it’s silly, but I always had a vision of my wedding day. Nothing big or fancy, but…”
“It didn’t involve getting married in private and me leaving directly after?” I finish.
“Well, yeah.” She blushes. “And I know we have a billion other things to do and even though the Nephilim aren’t an immediate threat right now, we still need to stay vigilant, but I was hoping…maybe…”
One day, my wife won’t hesitate to advocate her wants and needs to me. She’ll grow into the fierce queen I know she is.
“Rose, would you like a proper wedding? One that isn’t in private. Where you can wear the dress of your dreams, surrounded by the friends you’ve made here?”
“Yes. More than anything.” She gathers my hands in hers, bringing them up to her lips. She places soft kisses on both. “I want to marry you again.”
“And what of children?” The words topple out before I can stop them. It’s not something we’ve talked about at great length, but there’s no putting it off anymore. Confusion and fear color our bond and I hold Rose a little tighter.
I want children. As many as Rose will allow, but if she allows none, I’ve also made peace with that. As long as I have my queen.
“I didn’t think I would ever want to be a mother. Or maybe I was afraid because those I love tend to leave me.” My heart breaks for her and I want to assure her that I’m here. I won’t ever leave her. She’s my mate.
“But,” she continues, running her hand up my chest in a distracting manner. “With you? I think motherhood could be a beautiful adventure.”
Those words have never sounded sweeter. I gather her in my arms, pulling her closer. “I think after all we’ve been through; our kingdom deserves something to look forward to. What better event to start with than the wedding of their king and queen?”
The look of pure joy on my wife’s face makes everything up to this moment worth it. I know then I would do it all over again. “A party of love, laughter, and tons of food.”
