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She kissed him back. “Precisely. Maybe let some of the more creative minds work?”

Others chuckled or glanced at their partners, but Soleil leaned forward. Nolan shifted his hand to the small of her back. I caught Aedan’s eye and looked deliberately at her. As Aedan faced her, others turned to look at her too.

When nobody else was fighting for air waves, she spoke up. “What about something simple like Friends, but in another language? Most of us have several less-common languages in our kingdoms. Maybe one of them has a translation that is… better suited to the group than a… coded knitting title?”

“That’s a great idea,” Nolan said, glancing around the room. “Any others?”

I leaned closer to the table. I liked this. “In The Mother Tongue—Fae—the word amala means friends . ”

Silence followed as everyone exchanged silent conversations with their partners and then nodded slowly.

“There is a similar word amongst the people in The Shield for friends as well,” Kendrick said.

Ella leaned closer to Altair. “I think it’s beautiful,” she added. “It’s easy to turn into a description too—we can all be Amalan while also owning our allegiances to our own kingdoms. It says we’re friends, nothing more and nothing less.”

“To friends!” Caryse lifted her glass again, and everyone muttered either “Amala” or “Friends” before happily sipping their raspberry lemonade and falling into lots of smaller conversations.

As sunset approached, Koan and Jolter led the effort to empty the castle and help everyone find a place to stand in the large courtyard in front of the main entrance. Our ten visiting royals had seats at the top of the stairs where the ceremony would be performed. Everyone else—noble, common, elf, or human—was in the courtyard.

Malinda had agreed to be my personal maid months ago. She put curls, sparkles, and beads in my hair, buttoned a hundred buttons down my back, and arranged the lace and chiffon layers that hugged my bodice and flowed in a tiered a-line skirt down to my ankles. When she was happy with how I looked, she walked with me to the main entrance.

As soon as she saw my brother waiting at the entrance, she grabbed my hands and whispered, “You’re so gorgeous! Thank you for letting me help you!” before rushing down a hall to a side exit.

Alastor crushed me in a hug.

“Don’t mess up my hair,” I hissed.

He huffed a throaty, emotional puff of air. “Who are you, and what have you done with my sister?”

I heard the tears he didn’t let out, and they made me emotional too. “I’m still here. I just have really pretty hair at the moment.”

He chuckled and leaned back, but his hands landed on my shoulders—on top of the sheer fabric that made my lovely flowing bell sleeves. “I feel like I should say something clever or inspirational, but that’s always been your side of our relationship. I just… I love you. And I want you to be happy. And I think… you might have been right about Aedan after all. He’s been really great since we moved to the castle.”

That was a big admission, one he’d resisted making for six months, despite how Aedan had welcomed him here, given him land in Hemlit, had people move Fotab’s entire library to the castle, and done literally anything my brother had asked. “Thanks, Alastor. I appreciate that.”

He gave me another hug and then offered me an elbow. “Let’s make sure you get out the door without tripping.” I’d insisted on a dress and train that did not drag on the floor for that exact reason.

As soon as my brother cracked the door, Mylo joined us and held it wide while we walked through. Aedan let Alastor escort me to him, but as soon as our eyes met, my heart tried jumping out of my chest to reach him faster.

When we were close enough to touch, Aedan took my hand, bowed over it, and then kissed a knuckle on my thumb. “Firehawk,” he whispered, “my heart is about to explode at the thought of joining yours. ”

I squeezed his hand and whispered back. “Do you think the officiant will skip to that part? Because I think my heart knows it’s coming too, and any more waiting might kill me.”

He took my other hand, so he held both of mine in both of his, and tipped his head at the officiant, who started to address the audience. “He is a fan of yours, but he might have a few things to say first.”

The officiant was Fagan, and he had traveled here from Floren with King Amias’s group. After a few more minutes where I was entirely focused on the warm, excited emotions I felt from Aedan, Fagan turned to us. “Two of my favorite people. You cannot imagine how happy I am to have the honor of officiating in your marriage bond.”

He let his eyes travel from Aedan’s to mine. “You’ve been through a lot together, more than many couples at this point, but it does not end here. This is the beginning of what may be thousands of joyful years for you. Remember the moments when you first risked trust. When you first offered each other a little piece of yourselves. When you first risked yourselves for each other. Come back to those moments when you get frustrated. When you are tempted to say things that will hurt the bond you are about to make.”

He settled his hand on ours and his throat thickened. “This bond can bring you more happiness than any other commitment you’ve made so far, but you must feed it. Be careful with each other’s feelings. There is no familiarity that will make you impervious to hurt. Apologize when you make mistakes.”

His old eyes crinkled into a smile. “I have all the confidence in you both. Are you ready?”

We both nodded .

He squeezed our hands and let go of them. A beam of glowing light wrapped around our clasped hands and ran in spirals along each of our arms.

Aedan tightened his hold on my hands and began. “I, Aedan Vander Ignim , offer my heart, soul, body, power, life, name, and kingdom to you, Callista Blackwater. I offer them all willingly, and with no restraint, as signs of my love for you.”

His magic ran like a red beam along the light already connecting us, flooding me with its warm strength and surrounding my heart, holding it in a careful embrace.

I spoke the words to activate the bond. “I, Callista Blackwater, offer my heart, soul, body, power, and life to you, Aedan Vander Ignim . I offer them all willingly, and with no restraint, as signs of my love for you.”

A shimmery pink light rose from my heart and traced along his magic. Excited and hopeful, it touched his heart and erupted in joy. Pink fae magic surrounded us like a cloud, blocking out my view of everyone but Aedan.

His wild smile jumped across his face. “I feel that,” he whispered. “Your magic is so beautiful.”

I nearly cried. He’d always said that, but he was the first person who’d ever seen me as powerful.

Louder, he said, “I, Aedan, accept your offering.”

A band of magic tightened around my heart and connected it to his. I felt his pulse, felt his breath, felt his power, felt his joy. I sealed the oaths. “I, Callista, accept your offering too.”

Our powers wrapped around each other. His sank into my heart, mine charged into his, and together, they expanded to fill both our chests. The pressure around our hearts disappeared, leaving behind only a connection that bound me to him and him to me.

I felt the layers of his magic—his control over fire, his ability to shift, and hundreds of other abilities—weave into my soul. I knew, with the same knowledge that I knew how to walk, that I could access any of that power.

And he could access mine. What did he think now that he knew its precise depths and exact capacities? His energy hummed through the bond. I could feel his emotions. He was not disappointed or upset at all. He was happy. So happy. An undercurrent of awe carried his joy straight into my heart.

He leaned close to my ear. “Thank you, Callista.” He tightened his hold on my hands. “I did not realize how vulnerable this bond would make you. That you would be exposing your soul to me so completely. I swear, on all that I am and might become, that I will cherish and protect you in every way possible.”

I pressed my cheek against his. “You exposed yourself just as much.”

His rogue smile curved against my cheek. “Yes, but I bared my soul to you ages ago. You've been protecting it for months. I want you to know I will do the same.”

He kissed the corner of my mouth, and Fagan cleared his throat.

The sound was stern, but the old elf smiled. “I believe you had some rings?”

I raised a brow, but Aedan reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out two bands with matching flames engraved into the surfaces. “Alastor told me rings were especially important to humans, that many of them considered it a sign of belonging to their spouse. I wouldn’t want anyone to mistake you as not belonging to me, nor me as not belonging to you. ”

He slid the smaller one onto my ring finger, and then brought it to his mouth and kissed it. My heart sped up as his lips brushed my skin. Oh, flames! He would know every time he stirred any emotions in me now!

His entire face transformed as a feral smile took over his features, and he pressed his ring into my hand. I slid it onto his finger and kissed it too, silently thrilling as I felt his heart rate increase. This marriage bond was going to be delightful.

“It is my honor to declare you married,” Fagan announced loudly as Aedan scooped me into a bridle hold in his arms and pulled me close for a kiss.

He spun us around a few times and then faced our audience. “The D’Aeran House is hosting a celebration for anyone who would like to join tonight at the fortress. My bride and I will be spending the night elsewhere.”

An elf who worked in the stables led a massive horse up to the steps below us. He had several bags tied to his sides, but he still looked like he could carry four large elves. And the saddle stretched longer than normal, as if specifically designed to accommodate the Elf King and I. Aedan practically skipped down the stairs and jumped onto the horse while still carrying me.

I snuggled closer to his warmth as he wrapped one arm around my waist and snapped the reins with his other. We raced off the courtyard to cheers and whistles. Once we cleared the bridge, he sped up even more to get us past Bridgetown. When that was behind us too, he kept the horse running.

“Is there a deadline, husband of mine?”

“Yes.” He grinned down at me, finally slowing the horse enough to talk properly. “The rest of our lives starts now, and I will not walk or meander into it. I will run, full speed, into anything that waits for me, as long as I’m rushing into it with you.”

I twisted around so I could wrap my arms around his neck. “I hope this horse knows where it’s going.”

“Why?”

“Because I intend to start kissing you right now.”

He cradled my head and bent down to meet my lips in a kiss that remembered everything we’d already been through and promised devotion in all the adventures we still had ahead. He was right. I would take them all, every joyful moment and every fiery trial, as long as we charged through those flames together.