by Willow Aster
“Can we reach the plane?” Basile says.
“I think it’s best if we go underground. Papa would think of the plane first,” I say under my breath. Part of me expects to see him around any corner, but that’s impossible…he’s locked up.
“You think your father is behind this?” Basile asks as we take an alternate route to the stairs leading below. Every time we get close, another explosion goes off.
“I’m sure of it. I don’t think the house will be standing when he’s done with it. Let’s get to the water and wait this out there.”
We change course and reach the door leading out of the kitchen. The house rattles and we make it outside just in time, the kitchen going up in flames the moment we step into the garden. Tears are running down my face, but I don’t stop running until I reach the water. Looking back at the house I grew up in, the house that has everything my mother ever gave me, the house that I’d hoped to turn into something worthwhile to my people, explodes into one huge burst of flames. Thank the gods of all the kingdoms that I got some of the gold out.
Basile and Chelsea stand on either side of me, each holding my hand as we stare at the ruins before us.
I pray a silent prayer for Lostrand, certain he didn’t make it out of there. I press my lips together as a new wave of sadness washes over me.
Fire trucks roar down the drive and the hoses start gushing water as rapidly as the men are able, but it’s too late. Across the city, other explosions are going off, until the sky is black with smoke and the air full of fumes. We walk further down the beach where the air is clearer and my phone rings.
Jadon is on the screen and his face is pure panic.
“I just heard. You’re safe?” Frantic. He runs a hand over his face. “Baby, I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you,” his voice breaks. “We have to get you out of there.”
I nod, unable to speak.
“Are you able to reach a plane?”
“We weren’t able to get to it,” I tell him. “We can go back, but I don’t think it’s safe.”
“No, stay where you are. I’ll see who can get there the fastest,” he says. “Keep your tracker on your phone just in case you have to move quickly.”
“Okay,” I whisper.
“I love you. I’ll try to get help there within the hour, but it might be a little longer than that.”
“I’ll be all right,” I tell him. “No one has been able to kill us yet, and not for lack of trying…”
Horror flashes across his face, but he smiles. “That’s the spirit.”
We hang up and keep walking further down the beach. I can’t keep looking at the castle. It’s too heartbreaking to see it destroyed.
We’re sitting on the beach when a helicopter lands in the sand not far from us. King Alex waves from the cockpit, a grim smile on his face.
“That wasn’t even half an hour,” I say as he helps me on.
“I stayed a few days after the party. All that dancing did me in.” He smirks, but I don’t buy his nonchalance.
“I don’t remember ever being so happy to see you, Alex,” Basile says when he gets on.
Alex just laughs and waves at Chelsea.
“There’s more to you than meets the eye, Alex.” I lean my head against the back of the seat and do my best to avoid the nausea that rises up when we take off.
“I’ll do whatever I can to keep fooling everyone,” Alex teases.
We’re quiet the rest of the way. I wrap my arms around my stomach, close to tears every time I think about what could’ve happened to my baby today.
When I see the snowcapped mountains in Farrow, the sun setting over the water, and that beautiful dark castle in the middle of the deep green fir trees…knowing Jadon is waiting for me…it feels more like home than Alidonia ever did.
Chapter Forty-Two
Jadon
I get a phone call right before Delilah is due to arrive and when I see the name flash across the screen, I don’t hesitate to answer.
“Lostrand? Is that really you?”
He’s breathing hard on the phone and sounds grim. “It’s me. I wanted you to know I have the guys locked up here who set the fire, idiots still panting after Vance Farthing. Still eager to do his bidding. Bastards.” He coughs for a few seconds and can barely speak. “I nearly died in that fire, but I’ll be damned if I let Farthing win. I just handed over three of his men to our guards to let them deal with the situation. I’ve looked everywhere for Delilah…tried to call her before I called you, but I didn’t get through. Please tell me she got out safely.”
“She’s safe, and she’s due here any minute.”
He exhales a long rasp of air and starts coughing again. “Thank God.”
“You should get looked at—that cough doesn’t sound good.”
“Soon as I’m back in Farrow, I’ll get checked out. If Delilah’s on her way, there’s nothing keeping me here.”
“Thank you for your service. I’m so grateful you caught the bastards.”
We hang up and I rub my hands together, trying to calm my nerves before I see my fiancée.
She collapses into my arms, hanging on for dear life. I lean back to get a better look and her eyes appear calm despite the war I know must be raging within.
“Lostrand caught the men responsible for this…they were working for your father.”
She sags into me and we walk toward the house. I reach out and give Alex my free hand. “I can’t thank you enough for getting her out of there.”
I grin at Basile and Chelsea. Basile claps me on the back and squeezes.
“It was my pleasure. I needed to make up for the last time,” Alex says, shooting me a dark look.
I pause and put my hand on his shoulder, Delilah coming to a stop with me. “No, it means everything. Thank you.” I look at Delilah. “You know I’m never going to be able to leave you again, right?”
She sighs and her lips tremble when she smiles. She still hasn’t spoken a word and just as I’m starting to get concerned, she whispers, “I’m counting on that.”
Star bolts out of the house when the door opens, her agony at being left behind forgotten when she sees Delilah with me. Delilah bends down and Star licks her face, glancing up at me proudly. We both laugh and I motion for Star to give Delilah some space. She trots next to us as we walk inside and I look down at them both with contentment, my relief overwhelming, to have this day ending with Delilah here and not across the kingdoms.
We hang out briefly in the dining room, everyone lingering to make sure Delilah is okay. I try to get some food in her, but she’s too exhausted to eat much. Before we go upstairs, I stop by our surveillance room.
“Do you want to see?” I almost don’t want her to say yes, afraid it will set her back to see the destruction of her home.
“Show me,” she says softly.
I open the door and the screen of the castle is a blaze of color as the flames lick whatever is left. It seems her father decided once his truths were unlocked, he would no longer hold any loyalty to his kingdom.
“I need to go back soon. Maybe the day after tomorrow…to see what is left to rebuild.” Her stoic face physically hurts my heart; the weight I know she’s carrying, but she refuses to let it break her. “I’m glad the fire was stopped before it destroyed the rest of Alidonia. What my father meant for evil, we will turn and use it for good.” She gives me a shaky smile. “At least we got some of the gold out.” She starts laughing and it turns a shade hysterical. I laugh along with her, just happy to see her smiling. “That’s probably what set my father off in the first place.”
She turns away from the screen, her hands clasping behind my neck as she leans in for a kiss.
“What he can never realize…because he doesn’t know the true meaning of love or selflessness…is that there’s nothing there that I needed anyway. This,” she kisses me again, “is what’s important.” She puts our hands on her stomach. “Raising this baby in a loving home…I’m excited t
o learn what that’s really like.”
Our kiss gets heated and she pushes me against the door, leaning on her tiptoes to get as close as she can. I bend down and pick her up, opening the door and stalking up the stairs as fast as I can. When we reach my quarters, I set her down in front of the bed and she takes a look around. I’ve imagined her here a thousand times, but it’s the first time I’ll ever make love to her in my room.
“You look like you belong here.” I unbutton her blouse and smile when I feel her heartbeat quicken underneath my fingertips. She starts unbuttoning my shirt and our clothes fall in rapid speed after that.
“Can I interrupt this for a quick shower?” She pulls me toward the bathroom and I follow eagerly.
“Do you want company?” I grin as I turn the water on for her.
She steps in and looks back at me expectantly. I’m quick to follow and position us under the water. She closes her eyes and when I put my hands in her hair and start washing it for her, she groans.
“That feels so good.” Her hair feels like silk when I rinse it and she takes a deep breath, her shoulders relaxing more. “Jadon?”
“Hmm?”
She turns and looks at me, her violet eyes bright. “How soon can we get married?”
“As soon as you want.” I laugh and kiss away the goose bumps on her shoulder.
“As soon as everyone can get here.”
“Whatever you want, my queen.” She smiles when I say those words, and we make quick work of washing up, eager to get to bed.
She reaches it before I do and drops, scooting back to the headboard, her eyes never leaving mine.
“I can’t wait,” she whispers, motioning for me to come closer.
Heaven and earth collide when we christen my bed. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t need a wedding to know she’s already my bride. From now and throughout eternity.
Our family stands on the highest peak in Farrow, overlooking the glassy water. Light flurries swirl around us, and it feels like we’re all tucked in the middle of a snow globe. Nearby heaters help soften the chill. Ava and Gentry stand next to me, with Star panting by my feet, and Luka and Eden where Delilah will stand, along with Kathryn. Our extended family is here too—Elias and Mara, Alex, Brienne, Chelsea, and of course, the guards who have fought by our side…one big, happy kingdom. Quincie got his license just so he could marry us. When I asked him to officiate, he cried and then pretended to have something stuck in his eye.
A cello begins to play and I look back to see Basile standing next to Delilah. He says something to her and she laughs, her head falling back and the blond sending streaks of light across the mountain. God, I love her. She is in my every heartbeat.
As she walks toward me and Basile hands her to me, his hands clasping both of ours before letting go, I thank every hard, every good, every painful moment…because they all culminated in this one perfect moment of her saying yes to me again.
Her eyes light up when she takes my hand and I feel the compression of a thousand butterflies lifting off of my chest when I feel her skin against mine.
“Are you ready to be mine forever?” I ask.
“I already am. For this forever and as many forevers as we are allowed.”
I kiss her then, unable to wait to feel her lips—we are the ones making our own rules—why not kiss at the beginning of a wedding? I kiss her until her body grows limp and weightless, and the feeling is powerful. I am drunk on her.
“I am yours and you are mine,” we begin to quote the long passage of vows that we wrote together.
Where you begin, I will expand, and where I end, you will begin anew.
Our fire will never extinguish, a flame that once caught, only snags onto another more brilliant flame, setting new life to all the beginnings we will become together.
One king and one queen, our kingdoms will forge together, starting a new kingdom of peace and hope for our children and our children’s children. Forever bound in love and trust.
Let it be so, today and always.
Amen.”
Our vows are cemented with a kiss.
And then we dance the night away, both with our family and then later, alone, in our bed.
It’s the most magical night of all…and only the beginning.
Epilogue 1
Delilah
Five years later
We travel to Niaps for the wedding. There was great indecision about where the location would be since Basile has been a fixture in all the kingdoms. Ultimately, the choice was left to Chelsea and she’s chosen to be married in Niaps since that’s where they first fell in love.
Luka, Eden, and Kathryn greet us at the door, little Selene running and leaping into Jadon’s arms when she sees him.
“Uncle Jadon!” she yells.
He twirls her around and she laughs until she gets the hiccups. She runs to me for hugs next and I am basking in her kisses when she demands to know where Elijah is. I press my lips together, holding in my laugh.
“I wonder if he decided to stay home,” I tell her, pulling a sad face.
“No,” she gasps.
“I think you should look outside, he might’ve gotten carried away hiding…” Jadon tells her.
She claps her hands together and runs outside. We all laugh when we hear him jump out and startle her and then they both dissolve into a fit of giggles. There’s nothing like the glee of cousins getting together when they’re crazy about each other. Selene is nine months younger than our son, Elijah, but she thinks she’s the oldest and the boss. He lets her think it most of the time.
I hug Kathryn hard. She’s been a changed woman since she was released. She’s kind to Jadon and dotes on all the grandkids, never has a negative word to say. Next, I hug Brienne—it’s been the longest since I’ve seen her since she’s usually watching over things in Niaps when Luka and Eden visit.
“You get more beautiful every time I see you,” I say, holding her hands out and giving her another hug.
Next, I pat Eden’s huge belly—she’s due any day, another reason the wedding is here—and hug her while still keeping an ear on our kids just outside the door.
“Where’s the clan?” I hear Elijah asking Selene.
“My mom says they’re on the way and that we should get some of the danger out of our system before they get here so we don’t lead them astray. Do you know what astray is?”
“It’s that cat we found out by the water that time. ‘Member when you were at my house last? Got to keep him and named him Socks,” Elijah says proudly.
We all smooth out our faces by the time they reach the door because they only like to be laughed at when it’s intentional.
The “clan” pulls up later and I see them before I see their parents. Elias and Mara were the last couple we expected to have all the kids, but they’re the best parents I know. They have a set of twins that are almost four, boys, and a set of twins that are two, girls. I’d lose my mind, but Mara has settled into motherhood like a boss. She is my idol, her endless patience with her kids never fails to amaze me, and doing it all while still making the executive decisions on her fashion line from home. We’ve become good friends over the years through Luka and Eden, and whenever I start to think about having another baby, I decide we’re due a visit to Niaps. I get my fill of children when I visit.
The house gets louder as it fills up, and Basile and Chelsea arrive a little later, beaming at all of us.
“All under one roof…I couldn’t be happier,” he says. He waves a bottle of wine. “I’ve made a special blend for the occasion. Can’t wait for you to try it.” He wrinkles his nose. “Ava and Gentry haven’t made it yet?”
“I thought they’d beat us here,” Jadon says. “They spent a few days in Yuman, but I thought they left today before we did.”
Gentry and Ava have been living in Farrow for the past year, finally settling down and helping us run both Farrow and Alidonia. It’s taken all of us to get Alidonia in good shape again, all of the
kingdoms uniting and working together. I’m proud of what our kingdom is now, proud of my home. But Farrow will always have a special place in my heart. I actually miss it when I’m not there.
Just then, the door bursts open and Ava and Gentry walk in. The kids all go nuts and swarm around them like little pesky puppies, tumbling over themselves. They are definitely the favorite aunt and uncle in the family. Mara’s girls start climbing up Gentry’s legs and he holds their arms as they do flip after flip. Selene jumps up and down, “My turn, my turn!”
Elijah and Mara’s boys run to Ava and ask her if she brought her favorite sword this time. She laughs, shaking her head, but then pulls a coin out from behind their ears so the sword is quickly forgotten.
Jadon’s eyes meet mine and he presses a kiss to my forehead. “Never a dull moment, is there?”
“I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” I whisper.
He pulls me closer to him, wrapping his arms around my waist. “Yeah? Think we need to add to the brood any time soon?”
I shrug and wink, leaning into his ear. “Too late,” I whisper. “There’s already one in the oven.”
I lean back and watch as the realization hits him and love the awe in his eyes when he looks at me in shock.
“I love you, my queen,” he says.
“I love you back.”
The wedding is festive from sundown to sun-up. The kids dance until they can’t keep their eyes open and we set up makeshift beds for them while we stay up talking all night. Since the day I married Jadon, I’ve gained a family that has far surpassed anything I could’ve imagined. They had every reason to not let me in, the sins of my father could’ve been held against me forever, but as my husband says, “We are not our parents. We can’t let pride dictate who we are. We don’t have to repeat history; we’ve been given a chance to forge a new path.”
