This was bliss. Pure and undeniable bliss. I had never felt so complete before. So incredibly alive. Her body was unbelievably amazing. Our connection was off the charts, and I knew I would never get enough. I had to be dreaming. Life wasn’t supposed to be this fulfilling. Yet somehow it was because I knew unequivocally I was awake.
Her breathing was even, and she rested her head on my chest. Our legs were tangled up together, and I never wanted to get out of bed. I wanted to hold on to this sensation forever because it wasn’t as if life had been perfect. We had been nearly killed by a giant spider after all, and we had no idea how to stop monsters from slipping in through chasms we had no control over. But that just made this feel more real, because not everything could be perfect. That’s just not how life worked.
“What are you thinking about?” She lifted her head from where it lay on my chest.
“You.” I kissed her forehead. “This. How unbelievably lucky I am.”
“Come on. That’s not true. Your face got all serious there.”
“I was thinking that. Admittedly I was thinking about how I could be so lucky and rationalizing that there were plenty of complications we must face.”
“Maybe just a few complications.” She lay her head back down.
“What’s the next move?” I ran my fingers through her hair.
“What do you think?”
“You are the queen.”
“Well, technically I could be.” She snuggled into my side. “But I have to give notice so my father abdicates.”
“What happens if he doesn’t come back?”
“Do you know something I don’t know?”
“No. Of course not.” I really needed to do a better job with my words. “It’s just…”
“Strange he was gone for so long?”
“Do you think he might be back?” I knew she didn’t want to think about any of this, but unfortunately there was no choice.
“Someone would have tracked me down and sent word. My father can always find me when he wants to.” Her tone made it no secret how she felt about that.
“I wonder what he will make of your mate.” It still felt crazy to say that word. To know I was connected to someone on that kind of level.
“What’s great is it doesn’t matter, does it?”
“No.” What was done was done. And I was quite sure her father wouldn’t be thrilled. I was a commoner through and through. “But it would be normal to care what your parents think.”
“What about your parents?” She ran her fingers up and down my chest. “You haven’t spoken much about them.”
“They weren’t bad people.” I’m not sure why I said that first. I guess I just needed her to know.
“Okay. Considering how good you are, that isn’t surprising.”
“I told you I joined the force originally because of a debt.” This was not a conversation I wanted to have immediately after our mating, but it was a story that needed to be shared.
“Yes.” Her fingers stilled.
“It wasn’t a debt from gambling or anything.”
“It is not for me to judge.”
“My sister.” I searched for a way to keep my emotions level telling this story. It wasn’t going to be easy. “The vice for our city…”
“Yes?” Coral lifted her head and adjusted so she was sitting up enough to really look at me.
“He wanted to marry her. The vice wanted to marry my sister.”
“Oh.” Coral watched me. It was evident she was waiting for me to continue.
“And my parents refused. They followed tradition, offering a price instead.” Years later the anger was still there, yet there was something cathartic about sharing the story now. “They borrowed the money for it, and by tradition it was accepted.” I swallowed, and searched for the words. “Until it wasn’t. The vice came for them in the middle of the night.” I figured I didn’t need to add in more. I didn’t need to tell her that was the last time I heard from either of them.
Coral gasped. “And your sister?”
“The vice took what he wanted.” My hands balled into fists. “She couldn’t bear that life…”
“Oh my gosh.” Coral wrapped her hand around mine. “All of this happened in Summer Court? Why did no one send for my father?”
“What was your father going to do?”
“Stop it! That kind of behavior? It’s been outlawed for a century at least.” Her whole body shook.
“Your father has always left local enforcement in the hands of the vices.” Despite the anger, Coral’s touch eased the hurt. I slowly opened my hand, and I wrapped it around hers.
“He allowed that to happen?” Tears streamed down her face. “I can’t believe I never knew. I am so stupid.”
“No.” I wrapped an arm around her. “Please don’t say that. Don’t feel that way.”
“How can I feel any other way?” She shivered. “That disgusting behavior was happening right under my nose.”
“You mean under your father’s nose. Not yours. You were not in charge, and your parents kept you out of things they didn’t want you knowing about.” I wasn’t sharing this story to shame her, but she needed to know the truth of my history. The experience shaped the man I had become.
“I am so sorry, Stafford.” She climbed on top of me and straddled me over the sheet. “I’ve spent so much time complaining about my own life without thinking enough about yours. I really need to stop being so self-absorbed.”
I put my hands on her arms. “You will make a great queen.”
“I’m not so sure about that.”
“I am. And we are connected, remember?” I pulled the blanket up around her. She was shivering again, and I knew this time it was from the temperature in the cool room on her bare skin.
“I want you to be more involved.” She put a hand on my shoulder. “Sometimes the mate of the king or queen steps back. Like my mother. I don’t want you to do that. I want you at the table with me.”
“That’s not something you have to decide now. I will be there for you, but I am not looking to take control.”
“I know, but you have real experience, far away from the palace. Experience that is so different from the usual way of things. You can give me insight that few others can.”
“Many others can, just not those on the council.” I wasn’t an expert on the makeup of the royal council, but I had never heard of a true commoner earning a spot.
“We will be changing that.” She slipped off my lap and moved beside me. “Know that. What happened to your family...” She paled. “That will never happen again.”
“And I believe that.” I cradled her face in my hand. “I know you will change things.”
“We will change things.” She curled up into my side.
“Let’s talk about something happy.”
“This makes me happy.” She lay her head on my chest again. We were already so at ease and natural together. “Being with you. Sharing and connecting with you.”
“It makes me happy too.”
“But that’s awful, isn’t it?” She buried her face in my side.
“That we make each other happy?” I ran my hand through her hair.
“That I can even remotely focus on us with all the horrible things going on out there. I should be doing more.”
“It’s the middle of the night.” I stroked her cheek. “What else should we be doing?”
“I didn’t say we. I said I.”
“Yet you just told me you want me to lead with you. Which is it?” I teased.
“I want you to get the good but not the bad.”
“And you say you are selfish.” I rolled over on my side so we were lying down facing one another.
“I’m tired of being selfish.”
“Stop worrying about changing. You are amazing as you are, you’ve just been sheltered. That isn’t your fault.”
“I’m not a child. I should have asked more questions.”
“What happened about talking about good things?” I was glad to have shared my family’s story, but I didn’t want to ruin the night.
“Sorry. I slipped.”
I was going to take matters into my own hands. “Okay. My turn to be selfish.”
“Huh?”
I rolled back onto my back and pulled her on top of me, this time we were both under the sheet.
The knocking continued, and I groaned. Hadn’t we just gone to sleep? To be fair we’d been up enjoying each other for hours, but that didn’t make such a jarring wakeup any easier.
“Who is it?” Coral called sleepily.
“Lacey,” a female voice called.
“And Wren,” another voice added.
“What?” Coral sat up with a start. The sheet fell away revealing her amazing naked body, and my body immediately responded. I knew I had to calm myself down as the names hit me. Lacey and Wren. The Spring and Winter heirs.
“Can we come in, or would you rather we wait down the hall?” What sounded like the first voice, Lacy, asked.
Coral put her head in her hands. “Just give me a few minutes.”
“Okay.” The second voice replied. “We will wait in the other room.”
“How did they know we were here?” Of all questions that’s the one that jumped most clearly to my mind.
“I don’t know.” She reached for her discarded clothing. “And I don’t like it. Just showing up here in my court?”
“They wouldn’t be here if it weren’t important.” I handed her the rest of her clothes before reluctantly pushing back the sheet and grabbing my own.
“No. They wouldn’t.” She slipped into her undergarments, ruining my view. “But of course the morning after the most important night of my life I have to see Wren.”
“Do you really think she wanted to have to come here?” I stepped into my pants. “Or am I wrong and this dislike is one-sided?”
“It’s not one-sided. At least I don’t think so.” She tied her pants.
“Maybe it’s helpful to remember that.”
“Why would that be helpful?” She stepped into her boots.
“Because it’s a reminder that she isn’t having fun either. And if she’s here…”
“It’s because she needs help. Or needs something, which puts me in a better position.” Coral’s face relaxed.
“That’s not what I mean exactly. I mean that times are crazy. Even if just until things fall back into a healthy rhythm, you two should put away your differences and focus on the well-being of the courts.” I knew Coral didn’t want to hear what I had to say, but she did make it sound like she wanted my counsel. “And before you say it, I know you care about the well-being of the court, but this time is different. As a leader you need to think outside of Summer Court. All the courts need to be strong if something dangerous is coming. We need allies if we are going to win this war.”
“Who said anything about a war?” She ran her fingers through her hair, seemingly trying to smooth it out.
“Is it not clear as day?” I hoped I wasn’t giving her any new information. “The strange creatures. The chasms. The days of isolation are over. At least for the time being.”
“I know.” She sighed audibly. “I guess we need to get dressed and face the day.”
“You aren’t alone.” I put my hands on her hips. “You know that. Right?”
“For the first time in my life I really feel that way.” She kissed me lightly on the lips, and I had to hold myself back from taking more. Our night was over, and time wasn’t going to stop for anyone, not even the soon to be Queen of Summer Court.