Page 107 of House of Darkness

She laughed. “Of course! I wouldn’t let him get you a gift without my approval.”

Roman rolled his eyes, but I laughed and blew Isabella a kiss. Carefully, I unwrapped the box to reveal a necklace featuring a silvercrescent moon with a diamond star clinging to its inner curve.

“Jewelry?” I squealed.

“Well, I thought I’d better find a gift that wouldn’t turn the entire house into a jungle,” he replied with a laugh. I stuck my tongue out at him.

“It’s beautiful,” I said, holding out the chain for Roman to help me put it on.

Almost deserving of that pretty neck,he responded as his nimble fingers clasped the necklace in place. My cheeks heated.

He kissed me.Are you ready?

Of course, my love.I stood beside him, intertwining my fingers with his.

“We have an announcement,” he said.

“Oh god, please don’t tell me you’re pregnant,” Sorin blurted.

I shot him a glare, even as Roman snorted. “No.”

“Oh thank god, we don’t need another Roman flying around,” Enso piped up, prompting laughter from the generals.

“No, though I’m sure you’d all be overjoyed if that were the case,” Roman snapped. He looked at me, his eyes burning with love so intensely that my heart nearly overflowed. I smiled and nodded back at him. Together, we could face anything.

“We’ve decided to ban the sale of acolytes.”

The table erupted into chaos and chatter.

“Are you insane? Do you remember what happened last time?” Catina leaped to her feet, her hands braced on the table.

“Our allies will drop like flies!” Sorin shouted.

“What will happen to the acolytes? They’ll be thrown into the streets!” Solaris practically yelled. I looked at her in mild surprise, not expecting her to oppose this.

“We will get through this as a family, justas we have through everything else. We are going to war for the freedom of all our people, and that includes the acolytes,” I declared.

My focus turned to Roman. We could accomplish anything as long as we were together. We had thought this through. I raised my glass and clinked it against his. I would follow him into the bowels of hell and out the other side.

“To setting the world ablaze, my love,” he said.

“To watching it burn,” I responded.

Then I downed my glass.