Page 66 of Can you take it?

‘Beyond excited,’ she answered. ‘He’s been a pain in my ass since we found out.’

‘Is he taking care of you?’ I asked.

‘I don’t know how or when it happened, but imagine an angry, smoky mother hen that won’t let me fight or eat anything I’m not supposed to. He even moved a doctor into the castle—back in the old left wing where you used to…’ She trailed off.

I tipped my head in confusion. ‘I didn’t do anything in the Unseelie castle.’

‘That’s the other thing,’ Cal said. ‘We’re in the Seelie castle.’

‘What do you mean you’re in the Seelie castle? Where’s Tarani? Is she there with you?’ I sat up, worried and confused. Though I believed Tarani and Cal liked each other, two queens could not coexist in one castle. With Tarani ruling the Fallen and acting as their queen, it was a situation neither of them would survive based on their personalities alone.

‘No, Tarani’s at the Unseelie castle. Remember what it used to be.’

‘What?’ I said, shaking my head.

‘Eli, I didn’t want to tell you now. I wanted to tell you earlier, but I couldn’t figure out how. Then we kept getting into it…’ She trailed off again.

‘Is Tarani okay?’ I asked, the coordinates not making any sense. If Mendax was king of the Unseelie and Cal was Queen of the Seelie, how was that going to work? ‘How are you and Mendax staying in the same realm? He’s king of the Unseelie still, is he not?’

‘He is,’ Cal said, and I nodded, speaking aloud and in my mind so Anna could be part of the conversation.

“Then were you not granted Seelie Queen and ruler of the Seelie in my absence?” I asked.

‘I am,’ she said proudly.

Hearing her speak with pride about the Seelie people sent goose bumps over me. I hadn’t realized how worried I’d been about my realm.

“How are you staying together?” I asked.

‘Well, we’re staying in Aurelius,’ she said.

“What are you talking about?” I said with surprise.

She let out an excited giggle. ‘When we came back and you didn’t come back with me, I knew we needed to make some changes,’ Cal said. ‘For everybody.’

“Okay…” I said, still not understanding.

‘Eli, Mendax and I merged the Seelie and Unseelie realms. It’s inclusive for everyone now. All fae are in one realm together.’

My heart paused, as if it forgot how to beat, hearing the words I’d always hoped for. “Cal, are you serious?”

Cal knew this had been something I’d dreamed about for ages: a world where Seelie and Unseelie could intermingle with other realms. A realm where no one was kept out and everyone was treated equally. I knew better than anyone that not all Unseelie were bad, and not all Seelie were good.

“How on earth could you…?” I trailed off, unable to wrap my head around the monumental achievement.

‘I had help. Tarani has been amazing. The Fallen currently have their own castle in Unseelie.’

“Are they happy? Are they at peace?” I asked, remembering how hostile the Fallen Fae had become, rightfully so, after everything that had happened to them. I knew them not having a castle of their own had been a huge issue.

‘Yes, Eli,’ she giggled again. ‘Everyone’s happy—well, mostly. It’s still a work in progress, but for the most part, it’s been seamless. Tarani and Mendax have been instrumental to the project.’

“That’s amazing,” I said.

‘Eli,’ she laughed, ‘I named it after you.’

“You what?”I burst out laughing. “You named what after me?”

She laughed again. ‘It sounds so silly now, but this was your plan, your dream. You should have been the one to rule. The two realms combined are now called Aurelius. So, when the elves come to visit, they take the portal to Aurelius.’