Page 66 of Enchanted Shadows (The Enchanted Kingdom #6)

I went for a run, sweat dripping as I ran through the forest. Fur blurred and weaved in and out of the trees as the wolves joined me. And when I felt like my lungs were going to burst, when I felt the chaos of the past week didn’t feel so overwhelming, so crushing, only then did I ease up.

Soon Shadow and Rafe fell into step closer to me.

“I don’t even know how to thank the two of you,” I whispered to them both. “For keeping her safe for me.”

Rafe pressed his head into my hand.

I rubbed his head gently. Even as my throat burned, I repeated, “Thank you. You never cease to amaze.” I reached in my back pocket and pulled out a few strips of jerky I’d stolen from the kitchen for the two of them. “Here.”

At nightfall, Kessara and I would bond. The Slay Sisters arrived this morning to help her get ready.

I wasn’t sure it was really needed, but they just liked to spend time with one another, and I would be the first to admit that I was hogging Kessara all to myself lately.

So I allowed it. Even if I was banned from my own damn room until later this afternoon because of it .

I pet Rafe after he finished his snack and ran my hand down Shadow’s back as I walked back to The Dead Lake. The place it all went down.

I looked to the purple hydrangea tree and still couldn’t believe it. The tree had rearranged itself, growing and launching roots out of the ground to help us. Only the queen’s magic was still alive, and yet even her magic seemed to house her essence. Her need for justice. Just like the forest.

I made sure no one was around to see me talking to the tree before I placed my hand on the bark.

“Thank you. I don’t understand how, but thank you.

” As an afterthought, I added, “And if there is a way we can help your magic find its eternal rest, please let us know. Leave us hints, smack us with a root until we figure it out.”

A chill ran down my spine as a blossom fell, resting on my shoulder.

Like a hand would have. And as it did, I felt as if the tree was content to rest here for now.

Maybe not always. Word of what happened with Kessara, Calix, and Bram was already spreading like the wildest of fires throughout Wylan and soon it would reach the rest of the realm.

Soon everyone would understand that the tree held power.

I kept the pretty bloom in my hands. “I just want you to know, both of your sons are doing great. They are good men. Good fathers.”

Another bloom fell, this time I held out my left palm and easily caught it next to the other. “Two in a day? You’re going to make me blush.”

I felt a breeze at my back. I imagined the tree was somehow scowling at me and pushing me along.

“All right,” I told it. “I’ll leave you be. But thank you. Truly.”

I walked to the castle feeling lighter than when I had begun, less worried about what the night would bring .

As my heels hit the stairs to head to my old room to shower, a guard found me. “The king would like to see you.”

Worried it might be news related to Bram and the trial, I turned around immediately. I had time to check in and see what was going on, even if I was taking part in a bonding ceremony that night. “Throne room?”

“No. The royal quarters.”

As I walked that direction, I tried not to panic. Nothing was wrong. Nothing would go wrong this day. This was destined to be a great day. I refused to allow it to be otherwise.

As soon as I arrived, I found in a rare occurrence it was just Krew. Krew without the rest of his family that he rarely went without.

“They’re in the kitchens.” A smirk rested on his lips, the thought of his family making him smile.

“What’s wrong?”

“Not a damn thing, Owen. Not a damn thing.”

I let out a sigh of relief.

Krew held up a finger. “I just wanted to give you this.”

He first handed me a small, rectangular box before heading to the credenza to pour us each a whiskey. “Open it.”

I did, finding a dagger I had seen before. A dagger I knew well. “Krew.” My voice sounded shredded. My heart stunned and stuttering under the weight of this gift.

“It’s your turn to borrow that, Raikes. I couldn’t be happier for you.”

“Krew,” I repeated. This wasn’t just a weapon, this was the dagger.

The one used in his and Jorah’s bonding.

The first soul bound pairing of a decade.

The soul bound pairing which seemed to have broken the dam on countless others.

And then this same dagger had been used in Keir and Esta’s bonding here on Wylan soil. “What if?— ”

Krew shook his head, holding up a hand to stop me. “No what ifs. You’re family, Owen. And you have been long before you married my sister.”

It was always his sister, never half -sister. Then again, King Krewan Valanova did not work in halves. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you’ll use it,” Krew replied simply.

I had to slide the lid back on the box, feeling a prick in the back of my eyes. Was it dusty in here? “Okay, but don’t expect?—”

“I don’t expect a damn thing, Owen.” He moved to put the whiskeys down and gave me a hug, a real honest to goodness man-to-man hug. “We’ve been to hell and back together. I found my joy and happiness. It’s beyond time you found yours.”

“Thanks.” I had much to be grateful for this day.

“I love you,” Krew said with one last slap to my back. “Jorah and the boys do as well.”

“I love you all,” I managed to get out.

He grabbed the whiskeys back, handing one out to me. “I’m going to want to get to know my sister better,” he admitted. “But you’re bonding and then training starts soon.”

I read between the lines. He was thinking we would be recovering from a soul bonding in the between. “She’s not going anywhere,” I told him.

“Good.”

“While we are being all sentimental,” I started, earning a snort from Krew. “Thank you for being the type of king she could seek refuge under. You’re a good king Krew, but an even better man.”

He looked to his amber whiskey, and I wondered if he, too, was feeling emotional. “Who would have thought all those years ago when the disloyal was formed, we’d be here today?”

I laughed, if only to keep from blubbering about.

“Your sister thinks that love might be the greatest Enchantment of all. I’m left to wonder if we hadn’t had some help along the way, the help we found in our loved ones—” I thought back to the sword, that purple tree which housed it, and all its odd ways, “we might not have arrived here at all.”

He smirked. “To love then. The great conqueror.”

I clinked my drink against his. “To love.”

“Owen!” my sister snapped.

I closed the door. “This is my room, thank you very damn much.”

“It’s your bonding day,” she argued. “You can’t see her before....”

I pinned them all with a look. Kessara looked ready to punch someone, and it made me smile. I wasn’t sure which of the two of us hated being the center of attention more. “I already married her.”

“But—” Sam argued.

“Get out.” I was trying my best not to be too rude even as the words themselves were fairly straight forward.

Did they not see how very small my restraint was in not kissing my wife?

That this was the longest I had gone without her since I had her back?

“Please get out. We have humored you by getting all dressed up again, you have been with her all day, but this is about the two of us.”

“Fine,” Wren whined.

“I don’t suspect we will see the two of you for a few days,” Molly said cheerfully as she patted me on the shoulder.

“God I hope not,” was Kessara’s response as she reached out to hug her.

Molly turned back to me. “I hate to say I told you so, but I did tell you that fake relationships rarely work the way you want them to. So in that case, I did tell you so.”

I chuckled. “Yes, you did, Molls.”

Sam turned to me. “See you in a few weeks?”

I had extended our training break for our bonding. Given the circumstances and trip to Agria in there, no one had complained even a little, though I had encouraged them to keep running together over the break. “See you in a few weeks.”

As they all finished leaving, I looked to Kessara. Kessara in a blood red gown this time, not white. She looked breathtaking.

“Hi,” she greeted.

“Hi.”

I held up the little jar in my hand. “We have a business matter to attend to before maiming our palms in the name of love.”

She choked on a laugh. “Your way with words, husband of mine.”

“And yet you somehow still fell for me.”

“It was the muscles. They make me forget a lot of things.”

I laughed but moved forward. I opened the jar and placed the lid on the bed. “Come here.”

She walked over. “My neck is already healing nicely.”

“Not fast enough.” I gently tilted her face up and to the side so that I could place the healing ointment on her neck. It occurred to me as I did that this was a vulnerable position to put oneself in. Revealing your jugular to someone in this manner.

And yet, I found even her neck wildly attractive. Particularly since her new necklace was around it, the gem and small charms tucked down into her dress. In a terrain that was entirely too enticing to explore.

“Focus,” she scolded. “We have a ceremony to attend, and since they are waiting on us, we really cannot miss it.”

I gently rubbed the ointment on her neck, sending a strand of my magic along with it to warm the ointment instead of leaving her neck cold. And because I couldn’t not take advantage of my current predicament, I leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to the skin next to the spot. “I love you.”

“I love you. Want to go do this? Then we can get back to more of this ?”

If things went well, one or both of us might pass out shortly after.

When it came to soul bondings, I knew Keir hadn’t allowed himself to wonder, meanwhile Krew had suspected, but been afraid to voice it.

Rather than being too scared to consider it, I felt oddly hopeful.

My magic had woken me the night before I found Kessara because she needed me.