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Winnow’s admonishing command snaps my attention back to her as she tugs her semi-reluctant looking cousin in my direction. “Theia, this is mysoulbound,Gideon Kincaid.”

WINNOW

Theia’s jaw drops before she snatches it closed and gives Gideon a slight bow. She avoids touching people. Well, she avoids people in general due to her powers of sentience. She’s nearly as young as I am, only in her thirties, and struggles over mastery. Her thoughts are, quite literally, not her own when she’s in the vicinity of others, and is often unable to shield her mind from the internal voices of others for extended periods of time.

“It’s an honor, Lord Gideon.”

Gideon’s brows leap, and I have to stifle my own laughter as his mouth twitches. “The honor is mine… Your Majesty.”

His eyes dart to mine as if to ask,am I doing this right?Smiling, I give him a subtle, singular nod of reassurance. My eyes slide to Violette and Reginald hovering several feet away, still standing within the safety of our own realm.

The hurt on Reginald’s pious face makes my heart squeeze. Violette, on the other hand, isn’t even looking at me. Instead, her eyes are locked on Levi, who returns her stare wearing his usual stone-cold expression.

What in the sacred fuck is going on here?

My eyes drift to Beau, who seems to be checking the life signs of an unconscious Gertie.

Oh, dear.

Theia’s brow is pinched with concern. “Are your friends going to be okay?”

Gideon replies for them. “They’ll be fine.”

Part of me is still in shock that she’s here. That she and Reginald went to the trouble of finding me. I’d be lying if I hadn’t wondered if they’d just… think maybe it was better that I wasn’t there.

“How did you find me? How did you even know to find Violette?”

Theia shakes her head and begins to massage her brow with thumb and forefinger.

“First of all, next time you want to go on a vacation, can you give one of us proper notification?”

My throat works around a knot of guilt, and I suddenly feel like a recalcitrant child for acting so impulsively.

“Yes, I definitely owe you both an apology for that. I’ve just been at my wits’ end with… everything.”

Theia studies me with a look of concern. “When Reginald found your note, he contacted me immediately. Your sudden disappearance is all anyone’s been talking about. It’s been all over the news, and I had signs hung everywhere. PraiseAkash,one of the local portal travel agencies in your province—Ginny, I believe is her name—she and her mates saw you sobbing in front of her office the same day Reginald reported you as having disappeared, and that youfoldedaway with a woman matching Violette’s description. She wasn’t difficult to hunt down considering she is—was—a fairly well known mistress at one of the brothel’s in Cerulia. Which might I add, she will absolutely be punished for?—

I wave my hands, cutting her off.

“Actually, I have other ideas for her… and I think it’s only fair that she be shown leniency, considering it’s purely because of her that I met mysoulbound.”

Theia quirks her brow, tossing an annoyed look in Violette’s direction, who’s still having a staredown with Levi.

Theia lowers her voice. “I don’t trust her. Her mind is… alarming.”

Violette’s gaze finally shifts to mine, her expression completely void of emotion. I can’t help but grin.

“That’s the woman who drugged you and dumped you here?”

Gideon’s expression is nothing short of foreboding as I nod in affirmation. “Perhaps the location she chose to do so wasn’t entirely coincidental.”

The look he gives me in response is withering as Theia’s eyes dance between the two of us. “Have you thought much about how you’ll divide your time between here and Bellorum?” Theia pauses before directing her second question at Gideon. “Do you have a preference as to whether you’ll become the Duke of Cerulia beside Winnow, or do you prefer to be her consort?”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Gideon look shocked by anything, but it’s clear the idea of him potentially becoming a duke has him gobsmacked if his unhinged jaw is anything to go by. A second later, his mouth snaps shut, and he glances down at me, standing under the shelter of his arm.

“I’ll be whatever Winnow needs me to be. The title doesn’t matter to me so long as I have the privilege of being at her side.”

EPILOGUE