Page 48 of Only in Moonlight (The Moonlit Court #1)

Epilogue

Valen

T hree months later…

I stepped out of the portal, and my boots clunked against the worn floorboards of the cottage.

A fire crackled merrily in the open hearth, casting flickering golden light across the rough-hewn wooden beams overhead.

The scent of simmering stew mingled with the earthy aroma of dried herbs hanging in bunches from the rafters—rosemary, thyme, and lavender, their presence a quiet promise of comfort.

Emmeline’s mother looked up from a chair by the fire. “Sir Valen. Good Eve.” She smiled at the bouquet in my hand. “And you brought flowers. You know she prefers cheese.”

I held up a bag in my other hand. “I have some here. The flowers are for you.”

The old woman blushed and rambled on about how I shouldn’t have gone to the effort, but that didn’t stop her from placing the flowers in a vase on the sturdy oak table.

It had taken me two months to win Margot Le Brun’s approval, finally convincing her I didn’t intend to abandon Emmeline once I’d had my fun.

Her acceptance had revealed the warmth and humor beneath her hardened exterior, and I could see why Emmeline adored her.

“She’s outside,” Margot said. “Don’t linger too long. The stew’s almost finished.”

I promised her we wouldn’t and stepped into the frigid night air.

Autumn had come in Thallence, the cold much more biting than anything I’d experienced on the moon.

I strolled past the little garden outside and into the trees.

The cottage had come with farmland that Emmeline rented out, but the building itself was semi-hidden in the woods, providing privacy.

I found Emmeline halfway up a tree by a little pond, its placid waters reflecting the full moon overhead. She dropped nimbly to the ground and threw her arms around me.

I hugged her tightly, relishing her scent. The weeks we spent apart tormented me, but the reunions… they made it all worth it.

“So,” she said with a grin. “What’s the latest gossip from the Moonlit Court?”

We settled atop fallen leaves on the edge of the pond. I pulled the cheese from my bag, opened a bottle of wine, and poured us both glasses.

“Nothing dramatic,” I said. “The search for the Selenian Jewel is quietly tapering off. Regula is still in disgrace.”

“Lurena’s wedding got called off?” Emmeline asked hopefully.

I hated disappointing her. “It’s next week. Regula’s alliance with House Undarvue is one of the last scraps of political power she has left. She won’t let it go without a fight.”

“Poor Lurena. I wish…”

“I know.”

We sat in companionable silence for a moment, and she nibbled on a piece of cheese.

“What about you?” I nudged her leg, trying to cheer her up. “Any news?”

“A few village girls are trying to marry me.” Emmeline rolled her eyes. “I’ve invented a dead wife that I’m still mourning to hold them off.”

Her newest identity was Emery Le Brun, Margot’s son. Something about women not being able to own property in Thallence.

“Should I worry about the competition?” I asked with a teasing smirk.

She scoffed and shoved me playfully. “Relax. I’m not marrying anyone else.”

The implication that she would marry me someday made my heart pulse rapidly.

I wanted to persuade her, to use every ounce of cunning and manipulation I’d learned over my years as a spy to convince her to come back to the moon with me tonight.

But I wouldn’t. I had stolen the jewel; I would win Emmeline’s heart honestly.

She’d said she needed time, so that’s what I would give her.

“Good,” I whispered.

Our eyes met, and I hoped she could see the promise in mine, the determination to have her in whatever way and within whatever time frame she wanted. Her lips curved into a small, secretive smile, and my hands found the familiar curve of her waist.

We kissed under the moon’s silver light.