Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 104842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
“I know everything about you,” he promised.
Perhaps some habits or things I did might still surprise him, but he was right: the most important things, he knew. Like my heart. He knew all about my heart.
“Eat your food,” he said, crossing his arms. “We need to go cake-shopping and then to a florist. Ode said we need boutonnieres, and you need a bouquet and flowers for the throne room.” He was quiet a moment. “We might need a lot of flowers. I might need to rethink this because it may be necessary to procure them from Rome.”
I was going to tell him that he didn’t need to worry about this many things, but he was in fixer mode already and walked back around the screens.
“Tiago, we need flowers.”
“I misheard you. Did you say we need flowers?”
“Yes.”
“Whatever for?”
“The wedding. We need to fill the throne room with them.”
“Simply to throw them away when they die?”
“I’m unsure. We need to call Ode on the plane.”
I wasn’t about to get in his way. Instead, as I ate, I admired the beautiful rings and my ruby brooch on the tray next to my food. It really didn’t matter how anything about the preparations went; the important part was that I would say I do to the man I loved more than anyone in the world. And I couldn’t wait.
Varic and I went together to speak to Sorin in the dungeon, and I was quiet as the two of them talked. In the end, Varic apologized for not checking on Ophir, but Sorin was more than happy to have him do so now. It felt very productive to me. Varic explained that as Sorin had attacked the king, he could not let him out, but he would be going with us to Ophir on a plane in three short days. Sorin was so thankful, he wept.
Afterward, Varic and I spent the rest of the day in Valletta, walking around, him telling me things about the city that no one knew, stopping to feed me, water me, all while members of his dreki stayed close but somehow out of sight. I had no idea how they managed that, there but not, the ability to kill from the shadows utterly terrifying.
“I am sorry that your friend Cooke cannot attend our wedding,” Varic told me as we strolled. “But he and his band are touring, and he’s unable to get away.”
“For the wedding of the prince?” I teased him.
“Apparently so,” he said, glaring at me. “He promised he would visit when the tour concluded.”
Varic could have commanded my friend from New Orleans to attend, but I was glad he didn’t. I had gotten a really nice email from Cooke that said he was sorry, but he was finally living his dream. I understood completely.
“I have a question,” I said after a few moments, loving the walk we were taking and that we were holding hands. “How come Leda couldn’t be elevated to mate but I can?”
“I don’t understand,” he said, lifting my hand to kiss my knuckles as we climbed yet another series of stairs. In Valletta there were always steps to climb.
“Technically, I’m a member of the iceni. I’m not a pureblood, and I’m not from a noble house, so how can you marry me?”
He turned to me slowly, and I saw the squint of confusion.
“It’s a valid question,” I pressed.
“I’m the crown prince,” he said, sounding awfully close to indignant. “I can do as I please, whenever I please.”
“I get it. The rules don’t apply to the prince,” I teased him. “Must be nice.”
“It is nice,” he grumbled, “but more importantly, you are my mate, the one and only other soul made for me, and that exceeds all else.”
I smiled at him. “I like that.”
“I’m so glad, you infuriating––”
I kissed him then, and after a moment he knocked me gently back into one of the ancient walls of the city and devoured my mouth.
“Oh, they’re so pretty together,” someone said.
Breaking the kiss, we both looked over to see several women walking by, all smiling, enamored by our display.
“So hot,” the last one said as she sauntered by.
I smiled and waved and heard her answering laugh before I met the carnal gaze of the man I loved. “Thank you for clarifying why the rules don’t apply to me. I love being your consort more than anything, and it’s good to know that the law doesn’t apply to mates.”
“No, it does not. Love eclipses all else.”
And I believed that without reservation.
By the time we returned to the palace, it was nearly dusk, and once we were inside, one of the king’s courtiers approached us and gave Varic the message that we were both summoned to the king’s quarters.
“You don’t have to go,” Varic made clear, hands on my biceps as he looked into my face. “I promise you.”