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A hand slid over my shoulder.

“Are you okay?” Nick asked, not an ounce of judgment over what I’d just done. He rested his chin in the crook of my neck, his embrace wrapping around my middle.

“There’s going to be more work to do,” I said.

“I know. But we’ll do it. Together.”

And just as that promise we’d made beneath this same moon in this same market weeks ago, we would go forth as a team, neither of us needing to shoulder the burden alone.

“Together,” I said, watching the exposed ship bob in the harbor.

The ocean seemed relaxed, as if it didn’t have to fear treacherous people sailing its waters any longer.

“What do you see out there?” Nick asked.

I tipped my head back, resting it upon his shoulder, running my hands along his arms secured tightly around me. “The future. What do you see?”

He pressed a gentle kiss to my cheek before he said, “Hope.”

64

Nicholas

As the sounds of battle dulled into the stillness of night, Rahana’s people gathered in the square. Marco and a couple of his soldiers marched toward the dock to check on Alaina. Ravinder stood tall, a leader in the aftermath, gathering reports on his soldiers and their conditions.

“Allies, hm?” I said toward the stoic warrior, referring to our last conversation. I pursed my lips, nodding as I surveyed the disturbed market. Rough lines in the dirt painted the scuffle that’d occurred, and crimson splatter darkened areas where men had taken their last stand.

Melody tended to a few wounded Rahana soldiers, bandaging what she could. The fire wielder Sverik chatted amongst more of Ravinder’s men. Odion wasted no time gathering abandoned swords and shields, carrying them down to his shop.

He deserved them.

Ravinder directed his attention to me, a one-sided smirk spreading over his blood splattered face. “Like I said, important.”

I unwrapped my arm from Nora’s shoulders, approaching the man who was instrumental in changing the tides of tonight’s outcome. With a hand extended, he met my offering with an equally firm grip. “I owe you and your brother a debt.”

A woman sauntered up to our exchange. “I’ll take a piece of that action, Your Highness. Can’t go forgetting the women now, can you?” Ro glanced up between me and Ravinder, resting her hands on her hips in assessment.

I angled myself to face her head on, crossing my arms. “Are you thinking more payment in castle silverware?”

Her pale, freckled skin may have only been brightened by moonlight, but the minimal color noticeably drained. Ravinder chuckled as she looked at him in panic.

Nora rounded me from behind and took the spunky huntress into her arms, pulling her in for a solid hug. “Ignore him. I take it you were my backup?” Nora gripped the anchored bow on Ro’s back and shook gently.

“Couldn’t let the kingdom miss out on a badass queen’s reign.” She returned Nora’s embrace, a radiant smile blooming as she held my future wife.

A moment of almost unfathomable clarity washed over me.

My future wife, my queen, stood by my side in the presence of allying armies. And she fit in perfectly, forging connections and friendships that weren’t political facades.

She was strong as steel and disarming as iron. Fierce as a warrior, and equally as compassionate.

There may have been an unending supply of injustices in the world, but the gods got something right by placing her here with me. I couldn’t take the separation for a moment longer, so I slipped my hand over her back and squeezed her hip, tucking myself into her side.

“Seriously, whatever your people need. Healers, meals, sleeping accommodations, we’ll have you taken care of before dawn,” I vowed, surveying the couple dozen men and women that’d rallied for us.

Ravinder relayed a few instructions to his people before addressing me again. “A few of your guards fled. Do you want us to track them down?”

I rubbed my jaw as I reflected on the situation.