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She took the hint, and together we worked our way through the crowd.

Malachi’s eyes lit up as soon as he saw us. “Jade,” he nodded. He and Adeline dismissed their guests and turned to give us their full attention. “Tessa, you are both looking lovely this evening.”

Tessa’s face turned bright pink, but she mumbled a thanks and dropped her head in greeting.

“You’re looking well yourself,” I said to Mal. “And you’re stunning as ever,” I nodded to Adeline. “Serefin is a lucky man.”

Adeline stepped forward and smacked my arm lightly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Malachi and Tessa both laughed. “What?” I asked, holding my hands out in surrender. “We all see the way you two look at each other! You’re not as sneaky as you think you are.”

Adeline rolled her eyes and grabbed ahold of Tessa’s hand. “Tessa and I are going to enjoy the party. Find us after the coronation,” she whispered. “And good luck.”

I couldn’t understand why we would need luck to get through the ceremony, but I watched as Mal nodded—signaling it was okay for them to leave us.

The hair on the back of my neck stood up. “Adeline will protect her,” Mal whispered. His warm hand found my lower back. “There’s no need to worry.”

I watched them walk away until they were swallowed by the crowd of dancing silver wings.

“I don’t like leaving her,” I admitted. “She’s too fragile. Any fae who messes with her could ruin her.”

Malachi clicked his tongue. “Humans,” he whispered close to my ear. “Fickle little things.”

I elbowed him in the stomach lightly, but he only laughed harder. “Let’s get this coronation over with,” I whispered. “I’m growing tired of these ridiculous dresses.”

When I turned to face Mal, his eyes were dark with hidden emotion. I watched as they flickered down to my dress—to the tight corset that exposed a good portion of my chest. “I don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of theseridiculousdresses.” His hand tickled my shoulder as he traced the thin, sheer fabric there. “Care for a dance?”

I was shaking my head before I could even open my mouth. “No way,” I declined. “Not in front of all these people.”

“These are your people now,” he pointed out. “And you didn’t seem to have a problem dancing together at our wedding. Or at the festival in Trithen…” His voice grew thick as he took a tiny step closer.

I looked away from Mal and glanced around the room. Fae scattered throughout the room, but nobody seemed to be paying us special attention.

“One dance,” I agreed after a few seconds. “But that’s it.”

A satisfied smile spread across his face. Malachi took my hand without a word and pulled me, walking backward, to the source of the music.

The melody was not slow by any means, but Malachi didn’t seem to care. He held my hand and pulled my body gently to his, caressing my lower back as he began swaying.

“The King of Shadows dances much more than I would have expected,” I teased.

Malachi’s smile only grew as he spun me in a circle. “This is my official coronation,” he replied. “I’ve been waiting to be officially recognized as the King for decades now. This should be one of the happiest days of my existence.”

“It is well deserved,” I replied. “The kingdom is in great hands.”

His eyes searched mine as if they were looking for a lie in my words. But they found none.

I meant those words. Malachi was going to change the fate of the kingdom with his rule, I could feel that much deep in my bones. He was powerful, yet he held so much light inside of him. He had buried it in a place that was hard to find, but it was there. And I saw the light in him every time his eyes met mine.

The music continued to play, but I no longer listened to it. The fae around us seemed to disappear as I admired him. Malachi must have felt this, too. His hands tightened on my body. The small amount of space between us vanished.

And we danced.

It was more than one dance, but I didn’t care. I let him guide me through the ballroom with ease, enjoying every second of our time together.

Minutes ticked by. I didn’t think about Tessa, Esther, my magic, or anything else. I just let my husband hold me in the crowded room of our people.

It wasn’t until the music stopped entirely that I noticed the fae around us.