Page 76 of Night Meets the Elf Queen (The Elf Queen #4)

Presco had given her his congratulations before she ever stepped away from Hel outside.

It was rare but he’d even shed a tear and hugged her so tight she’d found it hard to breathe.

He was currently locked into conversation near the bar with Fennan and Aunt Evalyn.

The conversation was hard to hear over the music, but it had something to do with dragons and their appetites.

She hadn’t seen or spoken to Fennan much since she’d returned with Hel from Ryvengaard.

It was no doubt on purpose on his end, given that Thane was his best friend and he never took a liking to Hel.

Actually, she was surprised Fennan stayed for the ceremony.

Leif motioned behind her. “I think they’re ready for you.”

Hel stood at the entrance door, this time with a bundle of black cloth in his hand. In a few quick strides he was standing behind her. “I need to put this on you.”

“A blindfold?”

Before she could say anything further, he was wrapping the silk around her eyes. When it was secure he leaned down to her ear, his warm breath whispering over her skin. “Can you see anything?”

The barest hint of light peeked through the bottom but that was it. “No.”

“Good.” He swept her into his arms, stealing a giggle from her.

“I can’t have you falling down the front steps on our wedding day.

” His boots clacked over the wood floor, her body bouncing lightly with his smooth gait.

The whispers of the others put a permanent smile across her face. What could it be?

The smell of the outdoors along with the birds chirping told her they’d stepped onto the road. He gently set her on her feet and took hold of her hand, guiding her forward. “Hel, what is it? I don’t like surprises.”

“You’ll like this one.”

Her fingers suddenly bumped into something soft, not skin, not fluffy fur, but something almost as smooth as silk. Hel’s quick fingers brushed the back of her head, and the blindfold fell away. She gasped and tears immediately blurred her vision. “Hel, you found them,” she whispered.

Starborn and Night, her eternal winged horses, stood before her.

Colossally tall, regal and muscular much like Phantom and Midnight.

Their sleek black hair shined in the torchlight and the moonlight above.

Starborn whinnied, fluttering his wings, and bumped his nose into her open palm.

Night, whose full name was “Midnight” like her horse here in Palenor, nudged her shoulder with his muzzle.

He inhaled, becoming familiar with her scent, remembering.

The tears she’d tried to hold back slipped down her cheeks.

Her boys had returned home. Her boys she thought were gone forever.

“Technically, we found them,” Hel said, and tilted his head to the right. Thane stepped from around Night’s broad body, and she grinned.

“Thane, you helped too?”

“Well, I wasn’t there but I remembered the song you used to sing to call them home.” Thane patted Night’s thick neck. “Hel said they came quickly to the tune.”

The click-clack of their hooves on the cobblestone was like music to her ears.

She’d forgotten all about that song, though now she began to hum it.

Starborn let out a puff of air and a quiet neigh.

“Hi, babies. I’ve missed you.” She scratched Starborn’s forehead; it was his favorite, and gently pet Night’s soft cheek. “When did you do this?”

“Yesterday, while you were having breakfast with Katana,” Hel answered.

Starborn stretched his wings and tossed his head. That had been his signal he wanted to go for a ride. “You said you were checking on Synick.”

He smirked. “I did for a few minutes.”

Leif, Fennan, and Piper gathered near the door. “Do they truly have wings?” Fennan asked. “Or is it Hel’s magic?”

“They are her horses of legend,” Leif replied.

“My Nana used to tell stories of them and how they’d fly her through the night sky in her golden chariot.

On the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, they say she showered the sky with her stars.

And every year if you watch the skies, you’ll see the bundle of shooting stars following her chariot. ”

“Is that true?”

“Seen it myself many times. Not her, but the stars.”

“What Fennan means, was Valeen actually the one who brings the star showers?” Piper added. “She’s been gone for so long.”

“I did start that, yes.” Valeen smiled at them, resting her head against Night’s shoulder. “Starborn and Night must have carried on the tradition without me.”

Using her magic to lighten her weight, she sprung up onto his back and then laid against him.

He smelled like the salty sea near her home in Runevale and the wild fields of House of Night.

Oh, how she longed to go back there. Her throat tightened at the memory of the ruins.

“I missed you.” Starborn neighed and popped up on his hind legs, slamming back down, and pawing at the stone.

“I missed you just as much.” Her shadows slipped from her fingertips and slid along his back, brushing his hair from his eyes.

“I promise we’ll go riding later, but I can’t right now.

It’s my wedding day.” Starborn curled his top lip, baring his teeth, almost a smile, and Night bumped his muzzle into Hel and sniffed his hair. “They remember you.”

“Of course they do.” Hel chuckled and rubbed Night’s neck. “They’re intelligent.”

Slipping off Night, she jumped back into Hel’s arms and kissed him hard on the mouth. “Thank you so much. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

“I told you I’d find them.” He set her down and turned her by the shoulders to face Thane.

He took her hand, lifting it to his mouth and his lips lightly touched her skin. “Congratulations, Val.”

“Thank you for helping, Thane. Truly.”

“Everyone head back inside for cake,” Hel said, giving her and Thane a moment.

Thane’s eyes followed the others as they moved away, watching Katana in particular, and then he turned back to her. “I wouldn’t miss it. You’re the two most important people in my life.”

She frowned, looking down at his hand still holding hers. “Thane…”

“I truly am happy for you, Val, for both of you. You look beautiful. Even more than I imagined you would have.”

“Thank you.” In so many ways her romantic relationship with him felt like ending one of her journals and putting it on the shelf.

He wrapped her in a hug. There was no tension or unease, they were simply two friends who loved each other. He pulled back and adjusted the sleeves at his wrists. “I’ve kept you long enough.” He smiled at Hel over her shoulder. “Your bride is waiting for a dance, Hel.”

“I think there is another lovely goddess who is also waiting for a dance,” Hel smirked at Thane.

“But first we need to get these two somewhere.” Valeen made a clicking sound with her tongue. “Come on, Starborn, Night, let’s take you around back.” She couldn’t very well leave them out in the street. Winged horses didn’t exist in Adalon, and there were already a few onlookers down the road.

Back inside, romantic violin music played.

Hel and Valeen shared their first dance while everyone watched.

One of his hands rested low on her back, the other wrapped around her palm.

The candles hovering above their heads gave off a subtle glow, bringing a moody ambiance.

Valeen rested her cheek on his chest as they gently swayed to the tune.

“I hope this day is even more special than the last time,” he murmured. The rumble of his voice made her skin tingle.

“It’s more than I could have ever hoped for. Everyone I love is here.” Although now that he’d given her his wedding gift hers seemed wholly inadequate. “There’s something I wanted to give you but now that everyone has seen what you gave me…”

“You don’t need to give me anything,” Hel said. “My gift is you.”

As much as she appreciated that sentiment, and she knew he meant it, she still wanted to give him something special.

She paused and conjured the gift from the aether to her hand.

It was a magenta, leather-bound book with gold-encrusted edges and a decorative heart with extravagant swirls at the center. “It’s not much.”

He smiled, bringing out his dimple and took it. “What is it?”

“It’s the journal I started the day after our first kiss. It’s the history of our time together, up through our wedding and about a year after.”

“You started a heart journal after only one kiss? I’m flattered.” He grinned even wider.

“We both knew our lives were going to change after that.”

“I knew the moment I met you. It didn’t take a kiss.” He ran his fingertips over the heart of the journal. “You never let me read your journals.”

“Well, I’m giving you this one to read. If you want to.”

He tucked it inside his suit jacket. “Oh, I will be absolutely reading every word of it. Thank you, love. You may not think it’s a special gift but it’s more than anything I’d ever ask for.”

The song changed and Presco stepped in for a turn. “Do you mind if I dance with her for a moment, Hel?”

Hel patted his shoulder. “I suppose, but don’t get too handsy or my threat about making your skull a decoration in my study still stands.”

Presco laughed. “I’m always proper with her.”

Valeen took his hand, and they began stepping to the music. “I appreciate you taking time away from your family and business to be here with me. I know it’s a lot to ask. But we’ll get our home back and rebuild.”

“You don’t even have to ask, Valeen. I’m at your side. I would bring my wife here, but I fear it’s too dangerous right now. She understands.”

“Ayva seems like a wonderful person.”

“She is.”

Valeen watched Hel pull Aunt Evalyn from behind the bar top, and to keep from laughing, she lightly sunk her teeth into her bottom lip.

The look on Aunt Evalyn’s face was a mixture of horror and curiosity as he dragged her onto the dance floor and spun her in a circle.

Everyone joined in then; Fennan and Piper, Thane and Katana, Tif and Tommy, even Leif, pulling one of Aunt Evalyn’s human waitresses.

Once the song changed Leif was next to tap her shoulder. He, of course, said inappropriate flirtatious things Valeen hoped Hel didn’t hear. Thane held Tif for a dance. It was the most adorable thing she’d ever seen. Tif beamed too, like it was the greatest moment of her life.

Time seemed to fly by as they mingled, danced, and ate. Before she knew it, Hel whispered in ear, “We have a night away to get to, and two horses out back who would love to take us there.”

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”