Page 84 of The Kraken Bride

“My sister is summoning the others,” I said into his neck. “Something tells me they’ll be here within the hour.”

“Let them come.”

“Olyssa will want a wedding and a meeting of the royals.”

“I don’t care what she wants. Only what you want. And I think you want them too, so you will get them.” He kicked our chamber door shut behind us and set me on my feet. He cupped my face in both hands and looked at me for a long moment—my husband, warm, whole, storming, here—and the tension in his shoulders finally, finally came down.

“Would you like to hear something funny?” I wrapped my arms around him. “I always thought I’d end up with a soft, gentle poet.”

“Brownie Bites, you would have chewed up a soft, gentle poet and spit out his bones,” Sebastian said.

I laughed as he drew me onto our bed. Because he wasn’t wrong; I just hadn’t known it until I’d met a ruthless king willing to tear through oceans to reach me.

I had come to Krakenströnd with a mission. Win the vote. Find my firebrand. I had crossed a sea and given away the only heart I truly wanted, but I had gotten it back, and I would spend the rest of my endless life treasuring it.

Ash and embers. Bring on the happily ever after.

Epilogue

Bane

The traveling stone vibrated with a low, ancient hum. I remained on watch, ready to end anyone who came after my king. I’d make the death fast, but I’d make it painful too. I wasn’t afraid to admit I was in… a mood. And it was only getting worse.

Tonight the new kraken queen would dance for every berserker royal. A feat the wolf and turul queens had not stopped cheering about for the past hour. Loudly. Both were humans, and neither feared a thing. Why would they? They’d already tamed their ferocious husbands.

My hands balled.

I shouldn’t even be here. It was a total breach of protocol. I was second-in-command of the griffin army, not royalty, and I usually waited on the other side of the stones. However, Malachi, the griffin king, was going through some things, and he couldn’t be left alone.

Currently, he stood propped against a stone, massaging his nape. “When will this evening end?” he muttered for my ears alone.

“Soon,” I said as King Sebastian finally escorted Queen Bronwyn to the center of the circle. The firebrand mark glowed on her chest.

Ethereal music filled the airwaves. The new queen seemed to float as she danced beneath the stars, every movement as effortless as breathing. Fire curled around her wrists with each graceful turn, weaving ribbons of gold.

“I was dreading this,” Malachi said beside me, his troubles momentarily forgotten. “But she is remarkable.”

“She is,” I agreed. Though I didn’t forget my troubles. I couldn’t.

For months, there’d been this hole in my chest. A hole I couldn’t explain, so I couldn’t fix it. Nothing I’d tried had helped. More and more, I just wanted to stab things.

The dance continued, but I didn’t let myself watch. I kept my gaze on everyone else. Just in case.

Finally, Bronwyn completed another flawless turn and glided directly into King Sebastian’s waiting arms. The music tapered to an end.

The dragon queen and her sisters—all of whom crowded within their stone–erupted in applause.

King Sebastian smiled. A genuine one. Rare enough that the applause faltered for half a beat.

Malachi huffed a quiet laugh. “Marriage has made him soft.”

“Yes.” But then, marriage made every man soft. One of the many reasons I had no interest.

My purpose was protection. Malachi’s. Adding a firebrand to the mix just seemed like a recipe for trouble. Proof: the kraken king hadn’t looked from his wife once. Not during the ceremony. Not during the feast that had preceded the dance. Certainly not now.

My job depended on my focus.

Malachi watched the new king and queen for another moment before turning away. “It’s done.” He motioned to the doorway between worlds. “Let’s move on to our next problem.”