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For the first time in a while, she felt at home. Sure, these walls didn’t speak to her like the castle back in the Copper City had. But the flowers weren’t spying on anyone either, and no spirits haunted the halls. Not unless one counted her nosy teenage brother amongst those.
Here they had a fountain with turquoise water and goldfish that glittered under the moon. No portals bled demons to allow them entrance, and no Neems guarded the doors. They were safe to grow old and love each other.
“How did the meeting go?” Nava asked, pulling away from Arkimedes to get a better look at his face.
One of his father’s councilors came every three months to deliver important information about the kingdom as the king could no longer travel. Nava didn’t want Oberon to spy on them here at home, so instead Arkimedes held the meeting in the city center.
It was always the same dark-skinned fae she’d met on the day of their battle with Leir. A little more than twelve months had passed, but it felt like a lifetime ago that Leir had let the Zorren in.
“We have a few months to continue enjoying our home here in Milania,” Arkimedes said, but his face looked strained.
“But…?”
He took a deep breath and met her gaze. “But he is bedridden now, and he has summoned us to return for the coronation. He claims the citizens should see that we are still in the kingdom. That we should take up residence in the castle for a few months of the year.”
“Months?” Nava pursed her lips while taking a hold of his hand. She pulled him back into their room, seeking the warmth of the house. “And the concubine?”
“She has been exiled. He set her up with a small residence on Rust Island, and she isn’t allowed back in the Copper Kingdom.” Arkimedes locked the balcony doors behind them.
Then he tugged off his coat and tossed it over a leather chair in the room’s corner, leaving him wearing a fitted black shirt tucked into fitted trousers.
Her mouth watered just from looking at him. Who cared about the concubine or having to see King Oberon again when she had this in front of her now? The king’s demands didn’t matter. In the end, Arkimedes and Nava got to decide how to build their lives together. Sure, they had to bear their wider destinies in mind, but they were the ones who would choose where and when to go.
Still, it would be nice to make sure the situation with the deserters was improving. That had been their focus during the last year. They’d set up a funnel of funds to help the humans who were running away from the other kingdoms and offered them jobs to clean up the west side of the city.
They were also giving away grants to encourage businesses to return. But now it was her turn to visit that place where so much of her life had changed again. It was odd not to feel dread about the possibility of returning to the Copper City’s streets, but to feel a prickle of excitement instead.
The manor sometimes felt too big for her. And still—never big enough to get the privacy they needed away from Cameron, Laurie, Gavin, or Violet.
“Hey.” Arkimedes grasped her chin and tilted her face to him. His eyes shone with happiness and love. “Where did you go?”
Her heart squeezed tight as she shook her head, tracing her hands over his chest and over his soulmate mark. “I was just thinking about how much I like it here.”
He grinned, and when he kissed her, the soft dance of their lips and tongues made her toes curl. When she’d arrived here in search of Arkimedes, she’d never expected that one day she would call this kingdom her home.
But time healed even the worst kind of wounds, and her anger toward everything that had happened had eased into acceptance, morphing into curiosity and love.
This place wasn’t perfect. Far from it. It was occupied by creatures of raw power and an animal nature. But it reminded her of her mate. A place full of beauty and the dark magic that was only scary when misunderstood.
Nava had never expected this life, but here, in this beautiful place, beside the man she loved, she was grateful that destiny had brought them together. To call this manor her home until the day came when it was time for them to rule.
The End
EPILOGUE
DEVON
Nava and Arkimedes had left the room an hour ago, and Devon was feeling much better. They’d invited him to stay with them and travel to a city in the Copper Kingdom, but he already knew it was no place for him.
He’d stayed behind to help them fight the emissary. The guilt of everything he’d done on that useless island had demanded it. But now that they were off to live their happily ever after, Devon Black would not live and die in the shadow of their domestic bliss.
He scooted out of bed and picked out the best suit the damn magical wardrobe provided him. His hands ached as he popped the lapels of his coat, shielding his neck from the brisk air. Then he looked in the mirror and brushed his hair back, hating the sharp angles of his face and how fucking thin he’d become.
No matter how many potions he drank, every muscle in his body ached, and his energy dwindled far too quickly. He didn’t have time to make sure he looked good. He needed to leave.
If he was going to die, he would do it on his own terms.
The tingling of his magic rose with his renewed energy, and a black portal popped into existence right in front of him, smelling of rancid acid and snapping at his skin with static.
