Page 22 of His Siren Prince

“Don’t stay away for too long. I might even end up missing you.” I grinned.

He ran his fingers through mine, lifting the back of my hand to his lips with a kiss, and heat rushed through me. “I can only hope.”

He released me, the fondness of his smile cutting into my heart.

“I don’t know how long I will be, but I promise I will return for you both,” he said

“You better. If you take too long, I’ll wage war on the Sun Nation as revenge.”

I loved how widely he smiled. “Then I shall be sure to return within the week. I couldn’t bear to harm either of you.”

“Goodbye, my love,” he said, gracing me with another kiss. I’d really just given my heart to someone in the space of a night. “And goodbye, my princess,” he said, pressing his hand to my stomach, stroking me with his thumb. And the light inside me hopped and danced, responding to her father.

I knew he could feel her presence in me, too. And it helped me relax as I watched him go. His face morphed from the fierce and loving man whose life had changed in an entire night because of my plotting, to the hard look of Carrion, the Commander of the armies of the Sun Nation.

I sat there for hours in his bed, surrounded by his scent as the bright sun continued to rise to the highest point in the sky, until the echoes of horses, clattering, and the shouts of the soldiers faded. And I whispered a prayer that he would come back to us soon.

Epilogue

Carrion

The pounding hooves of my horse dulled my panting breaths in the growing winter light as they ate up the miles.

I had to make it before sun up, or all would be lost.

It wasn’t just my duty; it was for the good of the nation.

Every second I drew closer, my heart thudded louder with anticipation.

The campaign to eradicate the very last of the demons lasted nearly a month. My body was tired, my muscles ached, my soul beaten from the losses we endured despite our overall victory.

As the lone rider on the wide path towards the sea, I had to reach the palace to tell them of the news.

As soon as I crested the hill that led to the great sand dunes of the Sapphire Shores, my heart burst with joy. The first rays of the sunpeeked beyond the ocean, like a beacon calling me onwards as the moon still reflected her light on the rippling water.

It would take at least half an hour to reach the palace, but I knew I would make it.

My horse was more worn than I was, and I promised her oats and carrots and the best stable she could ever hope for as long as she rode like the wind.

I shouted with joy as I raced through the shell-covered streets of the capital city.

The smell of baking bread, the sellers setting up the markets in dewy dawn, the washer-women preparing for the heat of the day; they all called and cheered and welcomed me back.

But it was the gold-armored guards at the gate that celebrated my arrival the most. The gates were already wide as I sped through, pushing my horse harder and harder to race down the frustratingly long avenue, past rows of palms and cut bushes with bursting blue and pink flowers, all to reach the front steps of the palace, and my home.

A month was too long. I couldn't do it again. The anxiety of waiting, of constantly thinking about them, of praying I could be anywhere else but the battlefield, was all too much.

But the demon stragglers who had survived every battle over the years were gone, and the war was finally over. There should be no more uprisings.

A siren advisor shouted at me to slow, but I would ride my horse into the palace itself to find them.

My heart caught in my throat, awe filling me as they finally came into view.

“Papa!” my perfect daughter cried out, running down the front steps of the palace in yellow frills that were all the rage in the south.

I groaned in happiness as I leaped from my horse before she’d even come to a stop. Suddenly, an entire month of worry burst into relief as I hit the ground. Pain spiked in my old knees as I crouched on thehard shell cobbles, but I didn’t care that my body was nearly done. All I needed was them.

I opened my arms, waiting for her to run to me. Seriphine’s blue eyes were even more piercing when her red scales caught the first rays of morning light.