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Our lips collided again, and the kiss continued until Lavee whistled. “Hey, love-buns, we’ve got to hit the road if we want to make it to an inn before the sun sets. Especially since I’ll probably have to stop and vomit a handful of times before then.

Namir and I exchanged grimaces.

“I really hope I don’t get morning sickness,” I said, as he set me back down on my feet.

“Nothing about this ismorningrelated,” Lav tossed back.

We exchanged grins, and continued on our way.

The next fewmonths passed by slowly, but quickly too. There was something peaceful about being on the road, and something therapeutic about knowing that all I had to do day after day was continue walking, and chatting, and eating.

Namir and I grew closer day by day, and my friendships with Lavee and Jesh grew stronger as well. It took me a while to finally forgive Jesh for spilling my secret on that first day we met, but I did get over it.

Eventually.

When we finally stopped at an inn just outside Espen’s city, I was actually disappointed that our journey was over. Despite my pregnancy (I’d gotten lucky and hadn’t puked once, unlike Lavee with her near-constant sickness), I had never felt more peace or happiness in my life.

Namir and I split from Jesh and Lav as we went to our rooms. After he and I showered together, we collapsed into bed, clean, naked, and tired.

His hand roamed my slightly-curved abdomen, as it always seemed to when we stopped for the night. “Is the baby kicking yet?” he murmured, his forehead resting against the side of mine as he stroked my abdomen, reaching up to play with my breasts every minute or two as well.

“No. Lav says it’ll be another month or two before we feel kicks, if not three or four,” I murmured back, my eyes closing at the blissful comfort of having his hands on me so gently. “I hope I can figure out how to be a mother, when he or she is born,” I admitted.

“We’ll figure it out together.” My king kissed my cheek, and then my lips.

“Are you nervous about seeing Espen tomorrow?” I asked, though we’d already talked about it a handful of times. Namir liked to try to carry the weight of all his worries on his own, so I reminded him often that we were a team—and that I could help him handle things better. We were still learning how to share our burdens, but we were getting better at it by the day.

“Still no,” he admitted. “I’m much more worried about your plan to break into his damn dungeon.”

My lips curved up in a wicked smile. “It’s going to be a blast.”

“Not literally, I hope,” he teased me, his voice light and playful.

Stars, I loved him.

“Not literally,” I agreed, my smile softening into a happy, comfortable expression. “But you think that’s where Akari will be, so we have to check to make sure. If he kicks us from his castle after you attempt a peace talk, we don’t want to have to break in again.”

“I know, Love. I helped you plan it. I just worry about you.” His hand slid down my belly, and between my thighs. “I’d better make sure you smell like me before you break into a dungeon with Jesh,” he murmured, tilting my head with his other hand as he kissed down the side of my throat. His lips brushed the far edge of the full line of ancient words on my neck, and I gasped as his tongue snaked out, licking the sexual trigger.

A release tore through me, leaving me breathless and moaning, “Dammit, Namir.”

He chuckled against my neck, and I could feel that damned playful grin. “That was one point for me, Love.” His fingers stroked the bundle of nerves between my thighs, making me pant as he worked on me. He was already rock-hard; he was always hard for me.

And as he parted my legs, sliding his erection inside me, I couldn’t help but think how fucking glad I was that I hadn’t killed him in his throne room that day. Our lives were far from perfect, but they meant everything to me.

I hadn’t known true freedom until I met Namir, and now, I knew without question that I could do anything and be anyone… and that he would love me no matter what.

Epilogue

Namir

“Protect her,but don’t touch her,” I growled at Jesh, raking my hair into place the way I’d worn it the last time I saw Espen. I wanted him to see his younger brother in me, so he didn’t try to kill me on-site if he’d turned into as much of a bastard as Laith had.

“We’ve been over this a dozen times already,” Jesh growled back. “I have no desire to touch your female, and you’d sure as fuck better not touch mine.”

Diora and Lavee rolled their eyes at each other—I supposed they were tired of this argument.

“Let’s get this show on the road,” Lav urged, shooing Jesh and Diora toward the left side of the castle, where I knew the guards’ entrance to the prison was located. I’d grown up in Espen’s castle, and knew it better than my own even after two decades away from it.