by Jill Myles
The crowd glanced at each other, hesitant. “And should we bow to you then?” The woman covered in Rilen’s blood sneered, clearly unsettled. “Shall we bow to you as you do to your husband?”
Seri shook her head. “No Vidari shall bow to another unless he wishes to accord that person with the respect the gesture means. I have not earned your respect yet.” She turned her gaze to the woman and met her with clear, confident eyes. “But I hope that I will someday.”
She was silent. Then, slowly, she touched her forehead in the Vidari gesture of respect.
Epilogue
Seri sat upon her throne, her hand clasped in Graeme’s and feeling a bit ill at ease. Below the dais, the ballroom of Vidara Castle was filled with dancers, and the room thronged with partygoers as they celebrated the final days of Seri and Graeme’s Holy Betrothal. She was the Eterna now, and Graeme her Eternale, the first that had been paired in a thousand years.
At her side, Graeme chuckled and she could feel her aura warm at the sound. “You look as if you are ready to snatch the dancers away from the ballroom, my wife.”
“Merely worried,” she said, her fingers squeezing his as she watched the dance floor, a faint wrinkle in her brow as she concentrated.
The mix at this betrothal ceremony was not the same as before—gone were the core Athoni nobles—though a few of the Blood and the court had stayed in the Vidari lands. The rest had retreated back to Athon, the capital city, where the court was not overrun with Vidari. Half the dance floor was taken up by Seri’s kinsmen, looking ill at ease and frowning in their finery, but they were here, and that was something.
But no one was dancing. The Athonites stuck to their side of the ballroom, and the Vidari theirs. She frowned, jerking at the collar of her ornate dress—a mixture of Vidari fabrics and Athoni splendor—and glanced over at Graeme. “Do you think this was a mistake?”
He shook his head at her and gestured at the far end of the dance floor. “Look. Your sister shames us all.”
Indeed, Josdi—who had filled out so prettily and now was quite a beauty—had her hand linked in Viktor’s and he led her on the dance floor, his eyes shining. He twirled her once—fearlessly despite her blindness—and then captured her against him, leading her in the rounds of a dance.
As she watched, Meluoe crossed the dance floor—not wearing a corset, Seri noticed with delight—and extended her hand out to a Vidari man. He glanced at the other men behind him and then took Meluoe’s hand. She showed him where to place his hand and then took the lead in the dance.
“Our sisters are marvels,” Seri said, glancing over at her beloved husband. “Paving the way with beauty and charm when all the finery in the world could not do it.”
He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it, and she could feel the nudge of his fangs against her flesh, and the sensation sent goose bumps through her skin. “Shall we retire?” she asked, her voice low and husky. “I find I am… weary.”
“I am always at your command, my Eterna,” Graeme said with a light smile.
They stood, and instead of the room bowing to them, the dancers stopped and touched their foreheads in a gesture of respect. The bowing was one of the first things Seri had changed since Graeme had given her the throne, and the new custom was one that everyone took to readily.
Once out of the room, Seri picked up her skirts and began to run down the hall, laughing. Graeme chased her, and they ran like children through the endless maze of Vidara Castle until they reached their chamber and shut the door behind them and collapsed into each other’s arms, lips meeting lips and hands searching to remove the restraints of clothing.
And when, hours later, their bodies were sated and Seri’s neck tingled with the aftermath of Graeme’s desire, she played with his fingers as he watched her.
“I am happy, Graeme,” she said softly, looking over at him. “Your people and mine, together, like you and me. Can it be possible to be this happy? I keep expecting something to change.”
He leaned over and pressed a kiss on her brow. “The only one who has authority higher than mine is my father, and long ago he put into law that the word of an Athoni prince is law itself. He cannot go back and change it now.” A hint of a smile touched his lovely mouth. “However, I believe we would not be popular in Athon were we to go there.”
“Does that bother you?” She looked up at him earnestly. “That you are trapped here in Vidara with me?”
“I cannot imagine how I could possibly be happier,” Graeme said, leaning forward to kiss her mouth. Their mingled auras glowed around them.
“How about a daughter?” Seri breathed against his mouth, watching his reaction. “Would a daughter make you happier?” She took his fingers and placed them on her still-flat stomach.
And when she saw the love in his eyes and the happiness there, Seri knew that whatever the gods had planned for them, that there might have been a curse on Graeme’s line once, but to link her to one of the Blood was surely the ultimate act of love.
** The End **
Thank you for reading this book! If you are the type that likes to review what you’ve read, I’d love for you to leave me a review! Reviews are like crack for authors. We are always looking for our next fix.
J
About Jill Myles
Jill Myles is the pen name for USA Today Bestselling Author Jessica Clare. As Jill Myles, she writes a little bit of everything, from sexy, comedic urban fantasy to zombie fairy tales. As Jessica Clare, she writes erotic contemporary romance. She also has a third pen name (because why stop at two?). As Jessica Sims, she writes fun, sexy shifter paranormals.
Too many pen-names to follow? Sign up for Jill’s newsletter and you’ll receive notices of new releases under all three pen names, along with a coupon for a free read.
You can visit Jill/Jessica’s website at www.jillmyles.com
