Page 81 of Demon's Bane

“Regardless,” Eren says, “the fact also still stands that this news should have been brought to us immediately. Despite the other beings who might make their way from realm to realm, these witches and the renewed bargain are of utmost importance to this realm’s future.”

I meet his eye as best I can before I answer. “I’ll take responsibility for that.”

Beside me, Joan sits up straighter. “You absolutely will not.” She turns to Eren. “It wasn’t his choice not to bring this to you guys. He was just trying to—”

“It’s alright,” I tell her softly. “I volunteered to handle this for my village. If someone needs to take the blame, it can be me.”

Eren nods, satisfied with that, but apparently his queen is not.

“Hold on,” she says. “Take the blame? What are we going to do, lock up Joan’s m—”

She catches herself before she finishes that thought, flushing a little as she looks back and forth between Joan and I.

We hadn’t exactly gotten to that part yet, but with my outlandish behavior, it’s not like I’ve done anything to keep it a secret.

“Ask,” Joan says with a sigh.

“Ask what?” Allison says, feigning innocence.

“What you’ve wanted to ask since the moment you saw me walking into the hall with Rhett.” Joan looks at me while she speaks, and despite the long-suffering note in her tone, there’s also a small smile turning up the corners of her lips.

“Fine,” Allison says. “I was trying not to make a big deal out of it, but I’m guessing the two of you are…”

“Mates?” Joan finishes for her.

Something warm and triumphant spreads through the center of my chest. Goddess, the word sounds good coming from her lips.

“Yes,” I cut in. “I have recognized Joan as my mate.”

I can take the weight of that truth, too. Joan doesn’t have to claim me before she’s ready.

“My congratulations to you both,” Eren says. “Joan, I hope you’ll find happiness here in this realm like the other witches who have—”

“We haven’t quite gotten that far,” Joan says hurriedly, and I cringe a little at hearing her interrupt the king. I haven’t spent all that much time in court, but even I have manners enough to know it’s bad form.

Eren, though, must grant more leeway to his queen’s friends than he would the rest of his courtiers, because he merely gives her a puzzled look.

“You’d deny this gift from the Goddess?”

Joan squirms a little at the question, and I cut in before she has to answer.

“A discussion for another time, I think, given everything we’re still facing.”

Allison, who’s been watching the exchange with little lines of worry framing her face, catches Joan’s eye. Their look only lasts a couple of seconds, but even from the outside, it’s easy enough to know it contains an entire, silent conversation.

How I wish I could interpret that conversation.

But Joan says nothing, and with a small shake of her head, the queen seems to let it go, too.

“Alright,” Allison says. “Where do we go from here?”

“I’ll dispatch soldiers to the village. We’ll find this wielder, if he’s here, and question him ourselves.” Eren turns his gaze to his queen, a bit of hesitation in his next words. “And I fear, wife, it might be time for you to visit the human realm and speak with Esme.”

Allison groans. “I was really, really hoping you wouldn’t say that.”

“I know.” With a soft smile, he catches her chin between his finger and thumb, pressing a brief kiss to her lips. “But I also know there’s no one more capable of dealing with her scheming.She may be High Priestess, but you are a queen, and she’ll listen to you.”

Some of the tension goes out of the queen’s posture as she melts into his touch, and for a few moments it’s like Joan and I aren’t even here.