Page 115 of A Kingdom of Magic and Rain

My heart gave a little jolt. Strange. I looked down at my bare chest. Up until this point, my heartbeat had been calm and even. I hadn’t felt worry or unease. I hadn’t been cold or warm or hungry. I had simply existed in perfect harmony. But that voice and those words…they affected me in strange ways.

“I know. She can’t live without you, either. That’s why she took too much. I warned her.”

“Thank you for performing the spell.”

“Don’t thank me yet. What happened? How did you get captured?”

“When I figured out that Riestral didn’t poison Emelin, I went to find my mother. Truthfully, I think I’d known it all along, but I didn’t want to believe that my own mother had tried to kill my wife.”

“You have always held too much hope in your heart for those who don’t deserve it. Though it pains me to see you suffer because of it, that benevolence is what makes you different from them. It makes you a remarkable male, a devoted husband, and a fair king.”

A devoted husband. My heart gave another jolt.

“Unfortunately, it also makes me an easy target. When I confronted my mother, she latched onto me and glimmered me to that cave in the Fallowmere Mountains. I immediately knew that something was wrong. I felt weak.”

“The cave is enchanted. With an old and potent magic.”

“King Elias had spelled it himself a century ago. He brought Oberon there to torture him before he killed him. At least that’s what Zarana claimed. She knew about the cave’s existence because she had conspired with him.”

“She must have forgotten about it when I manipulated everyone’s mind to rewrite our history. The memory must have returned when I revealed the truth.”

“Where is she now? And the rest of them?”

“In the dungeon. I made sure to add an extra layer of enchantments to keep the four of them contained. Luna is being watched by Tom and Thea. She is quite distraught.”

“Tarn’s plan was to have her siphon Silberium from me and use it to kill me. Her resolve broke at the last second, and she refused to do it. We can let Emelin decide what should be done to her when she awakes.”

“If she awakes.”

“She will. Won’t you, my star?” My star? I looked at the star-shaped design on my hand. “Please come back to me.” The plea was full of longing and heartbreak. Hope and fear. And suddenly, I was afraid, too. Afraid that I would never hear that voice again or see whoever it belonged to. No fear existed in this place, yet my chest constricted with pressure. “Please, my love, open your eyes.” I couldn’t deny him. I would always give him what he wanted. Anything he wanted.

Reaching up, I touched the star in front of me to say goodbye. The wispy glowing tendrils swayed as I gently ran my hand through them. There was a certainty inside me that I would return to this place one day, but it wouldn’t happen for a very long time. Time. I was wasting it. I didn’t want to spend another second away from him. When I went to pull away, the star held on. The shimmering filaments wrapped around each one of my fingers, sending pulsating silver-white light into my hand. The energy serpentined down my forearm, then up my arm to my shoulder, before it entered my chest and settled in my heart. I would have felt complete if I wasn’t missing something vital. Not something—someone. The one who had said that he couldn’t live without me. He wouldn’t have to live without me. He wouldn’t have to spend a moment without me by his side.

With a soft gasp, I opened my eyes.

“She’s awake!” That voice again, the most beautiful sound. I felt the deep, rich timbre in my blood. It called to me. His scent did, too. Fresh and woodsy, it settled over me and seeped into my pores. He smelled like mine. “Emelin?” His face blocked the decorative ceiling I was staring at.

All I could see was him. He was the most exquisite creature. I had never seen his features so clearly. It was as if a veil had been lifted from my eyes, bringing his flawless visage into a crisp, sharp focus. He had the most ethereal eyes. Countless silver flakes swirled in them, creating two stunning, shimmering pools. His eyes widened when our gazes met, and time screeched to a halt.

“I belong to you,” I said. “With you.” I knew that without a doubt. Every fiber of my being was his, and he was mine, and we were one.

“You do.” His words were sure and full of wonder. He looked at me with awe and something deeper, something that transcended space and time. “You are my mate.”

Mate. The word was small and insignificant for the bond that existed between us. It couldn’t begin to describe the bone-deep connection. He was in my head and in my heart, and all around me. He was in my blood, coursing through my veins.

“How is it possible?” he rasped as we stared at each other, unable to look away.

“The Stars choose your mate,” Lady May said. “Now that Emelin is a Fae, they must have decided that you two belong together. Or maybe she has been your mate all along, and when her transformation was complete, the bond finally manifested. We will never know for sure.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he whispered, looking into my eyes. “I chose you long before the Stars did. I will keep choosing you for as long as I live.” He vowed as his gaze dipped to my mouth. An acute need to feel his lips on mine invaded my senses. “Lady May, will you give us some privacy?”

“I will, but remember, she has been born anew. She might need time to acclimate to her new body. This bright, sharp world might feel overwhelming to her at first.”

His face fell before he schooled his features and dragged his gaze away from my mouth. I felt a twinge of disappointment. “I understand. I’ll give her as much time as she needs.”

I watched him as he watched Lady May leave the room. We were in my chambers, and I was lying on my bed, still dressed in the emerald-green dress I had donned before our search for him had started.

When Adrian’s gaze returned to me, his eyes were almost entirely black. Perched on the edge of the bed, he held impossibly still as if it was taking everything in his power not to reach for me or kiss me, or⁠—