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T auren spent the night in my House. Well, in the House of Fate. I wasn’t even sure I was still the Guardian, as a new witch hadn’t come forward yet. Was I the interim Guardian? Could I ask Arron to become the interim Guardian of Fate’s House? I wasn’t sure how this worked. How any of it would work.

Stress cinched my rib cage as dawn broke. Tauren stretched as he slowly woke, scrubbing a hand down his face. He felt for me beside him and found me near the window, a lazy smile spreading over his lips. At my expression, the smile faded.

“What’s the matter?”

“What if the people of Nautilus don’t want a witch for their Queen – even if it’s only for a year? ”

“Number one,” he said, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the mattress. I tried to ignore the V-shape of his shoulders and how the sinew of his muscles slid down to his taut waist, how he wore no shirt and grinned unapologetically at my reaction to him. “It doesn’t have to be for just a year. We can hand-fast again at the next Solstice. Sable, we can be together for as long as you’ll have me.”

I grinned playfully. “I’ll consider it, as long as you deserve me.”

Tauren stood and crossed the room, locking eyes with me. “Then I will work to do so every day,” he breathed. “The people love you, Sable. Witch or not. Daughter of Fate or not. Don’t worry about their reaction.”

If I was being honest, I wasn’t sure who I was without Fate. I wasn’t sure what, if any, ability I might have on my own. I’d always read the futures and fates of others. Could I even do that now, or would I have to conjure love spells for the rest of my life to eke out a living?

Would I have to work magic at all if I was with Tauren?

Would I be the queen? Would the people even want to call me ‘Queen’ if I didn’t marry Tauren permanently, instead of hand-fasting each year?

My chest felt tighter and tighter, and my breaths became more labored as I thought through the myriad of intricacies our irreverent union would reveal.

This will be more difficult than he realizes. This might not work at all. If the people fear me, then no amount of Tauren’s reassuring words will persuade them.

“Hey.” He ran the pad of his thumb over the crease between my brows. “Stop worrying. ”

“I can’t.”

I couldn’t stop worrying or running scenarios through my mind, wondering what was to become of me or my House now that Fate had left me in search of someone else.

Tauren pulled me in and hugged me tight. I finally relaxed a little, able to breathe for the first time in hours. “There is nothing we can’t figure out together.” When he pulled back, I clung to him. “What does Fate say about our future?” he asked softly.

Tears pricked the backs of my eyes. “He left me.”

Tauren tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

I took a deep breath. “He said that I couldn’t be with you and serve him at the same time…and when I chose you , he left me. He’s gone. I can’t feel him at all.”

“Who is the new Daughter – or Son – of Fate?” he questioned, pure curiosity lacing his features.

I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

“No wonder you’re so unsettled,” he said tenderly. “You’ve had him to lean on since you were a child.”

A knot the size of a wishbone formed in my throat. I was thankful he understood my unease, but pained to hear him say it aloud.

“Sable, I don’t want to seem unsympathetic, but he was right. He was right to give you a choice and to honor it. It would have been very difficult for you to perform your duties to him, and be hand-fasted to me. I’m glad he understood that. But I want you to know that it would be the greatest honor of my life if you would now lean on me in his stead. ”

I nodded, one of the many knots curled in my midsection beginning to unravel. “I will. And I want you to promise to do the same.” He once had a father, a King, to turn to, and now that Lucius was gone, I wanted nothing more than to be the confidant Tauren needed.

He offered a small smile. “I promise.”

Just then, the sound of pounding hooves came from outside. Tauren tugged the thick, black curtains back and peeked through the glass. “Courier Stewart has arrived.”

I froze as panic settled in once more. “I’m not ready! And neither are you! You’re not even fully dressed. We’re going to cause a scandal before we even leave the sector!”

Tauren’s chuckle filled the air. “Stewart is discreet. Why do you think I sent for him specifically?” He raised his brows. “Besides, your fellow witches won’t bat an eye. They know how we feel about each other. And we are hand-fasted. I’m sure they expect much more from us within the next year…”

My cheeks warmed at the thought of being intimate with him.

Or for people across the Kingdom to think, or know, we had been.

Bay once told me that knowing something and seeing it firsthand were very different things.

From downstairs came Mira’s voice. “Sable?”

I ran to the bedroom door and slipped into the hallway, closing it behind me. She met me just outside the door. “I have a few things for you,” she announced with a beaming smile, holding up a garment concealed by a dark bag. “You should wear this today. The rest, I’ve given to the Courier. ”

Mira was a friend I never expected to show up in my life, but one I couldn’t imagine living without now. I hugged her tightly around the neck. She squeaked and I eased my grip. “Sorry.”

Mira laughed. “I can’t wait to see you tonight.”

“Tonight? Oh, of course; the coronation will be telecast.”

“It certainly will, but we won’t be watching from The Gallows. Tauren invited the entire sector to the Coronation Ball.”

My mouth gaped at her revelation, and I barely heard the door behind me swing open. I turned around to see Tauren with his arms braced on the door frame. He hadn’t bothered to put on a shirt. Mira’s jaw unhinged, and I used a finger to gently close her mouth. She immediately forgot I was standing in front of her, too busy ogling my hand-fasted.

A slight swirl of jealousy swept through my veins. My fists tightened, and while I would never hurt her, I couldn’t help wanting her eyes off Tauren.

His voice interrupted my inner turmoil. “Will you require a number of carriages, Priestess Mira, or will you all spirit to the Palace?”

“We will appear – in style,” she told him. Mira shoved the bagged outfit to me by the hanger and grinned as she strode away. “See you tonight!”

Mira and her magical spiders had crafted a sleek pair of black dress pants. Over it, she’d created a masterpiece of precisely-placed sheer panels and dark, glittering beads. The tunic was more of a short dress, hugging my curves perfectly. Tauren certainly liked the traveling suit. His eyes swept over me. Often. Bonus: she’d placed my favorite dagger-hiding heels in the bottom of the bag.

The drive to the palace was different. I’d traveled the road before, but never with Tauren beside me to introduce me to every facet of the Kingdom he loved. I was amazed by how much he knew about his people. As the carriage swept through each sector, he taught me.

How the timber mills worked; how strong and brave the men who felled the trees were.

How the factories produced electricity, and how the witches might want to consider adding it in the future.

How his mother had let him pound the head of a hammer into a chisel, which flung small bits of rock into his eyes. He was only five, but he remembered his tears clearing the debris and then taking up the hammer again, undeterred.

He hadn’t visited the Children’s Ward in Sector Three since his father passed. I promised I would go with him soon, grabbing his hand and making him smile. Of all the powers I’d ever possessed, putting a smile on Tauren’s face was by far the greatest.

When we passed through Sector One and Rose’s mansion in particular, I tensed. Tauren stared out the window and for a moment, I wondered if he was reconsidering his decision to hand-fast to me. In times of contentment, a year could pass fast, but in times of discontent, it could seem to pass agonizingly slowly.

“I’ve invited the other invitees, and their families, to attend tonight,” he noted, turning to watch my reaction .

“That was kind of you.” The words came out snippier than I would’ve liked, but Rose… well, she could push my buttons like no one else, and I didn’t feel like having them pushed.

“You hate Rose almost as much as I do,” he laughed.

“You hate her?”

“A match with her would’ve made sense, given her father’s position, but she never would have made me happy.”

I wanted to purr when he lifted me onto his lap. I threaded my fingers around the back of his neck, feeling the freshly cut hair at the nape. “Why is that?”

“She’s not you. None of them were.”

I kissed him, pouring love through my lips instead of through my words. When we pulled away, I finally told him, “She used a love potion on you, you know.”

His brows kissed. “Who did? Rose?”

“Yep.”

He smirked. “Then she learned a valuable lesson. You, Sable, are more potent than any silly potion.” His grip on my waist tightened. He kissed me again and again, and before we knew it, we’d arrived and were stopped in front of the palace.

Courier Stewart cleared his throat from the driver’s bench. “Highness, your mother approaches,” he warned.

I slid onto the seat like a chastened schoolgirl, pressing my lips together to quench the tingling sensation, all too aware that they were swollen and the skin around them likely red.

Tauren laughed. “You’re blushing.”

I swatted his arm before he stood and exited the carriage, gallantly proffering his hand. I accepted it – again – and exited the carriage with careful steps, holding my breath as the Queen descended the stairs.

Annalina hugged her son and then scooped me into her arms. The scent of her lavender perfume clung to her neck and hair. “I’m so happy you accepted. Welcome to our family, Sable.”

Tears burned in my eyes, but I held them back.

“Thank you.”

Tauren and I spent the afternoon together. We walked next to the lake, threaded through the woods to the amphitheater, and made our way back to the Night Garden, where we slipped inside the glass walls that were open ever so slightly. The wind was cool, but the sun glorious.

Spending time with him was like a breath of fresh air.

Gone were the moments of uncertainness, the jealousy he and I both experienced. Before, we were consumed by trying to divert the approaching tragedies and the knowledge that both of us were powerless to stop them.

Now, there was only him. Only me. Only calm.

I knew that life never allowed these moments to linger, so we needed to savor them while we had the chance.

The only constant in life was change itself.

When the sun dipped lower and dusky pinks began to streak across the sky, Tauren walked me to my room, the one he’d had designed for me. Courier Stewart had delivered the things Mira insisted I take with me. Given the girth of the dress bag hanging on the rack in the corner, I knew she’d sent a gown worthy of the coronation ball.

I showered and dried my hair, then applied a light dusting of makeup. Once I was satisfied and unable to stand the suspense any longer, I walked across the room to examine the dress.

The zipper purred as it parted, and I pulled the sides open to reveal the gown. The top was strapless, covered completely with tiny, glittering onyx beads. The dress was wider than the bed in this room, comprised of so many airy layers of tulle, I knew it had taken Mira’s spiders many hours to weave together. I pulled the dress from the bag and let the layers relax.

In the bag’s bottom were heels, encrusted in the same glittering beads as the dress’s bodice, and a familiar box. I removed the lid and clasped the necklace Tauren had given me around my neck.

The stones matched our hand-fasting ribbon, one half of which was wound around my wrist. The other half was tied around Tauren’s.

I took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. I still couldn’t grasp that he came for me, bending his traditions to honor mine.

Never had I felt more at ease about a decision. Accepting Tauren’s hand was natural. It felt right. I just hoped the Kingdom’s citizens approved of his choice, and of me.

Two knocks came at the door. I knew that knock. I tugged on a robe over my dressing gown and went to answer it .

“Brecan?” I asked, opening the door for him.

“Sorry to interrupt. I know you’re getting ready. I just wanted to tell you that I’m happy for you.” He gave a small smile, hovering just inside the door frame.

“Truly?” I asked.

He nodded. “If he makes you happy, then I heartily approve.”

“He does. Thank you, Brecan.” It meant so much that he was okay with the pairing. Brecan – my oldest friend. At times, my only friend. I had been afraid that my choice jeopardized our friendship. “I’m glad you all came to watch and support him in becoming King.”

Brecan snorted. “That’s not why we’re here. I mean, I like the guy and all, but we’re here to watch as you are crowned, Sable.”

My mouth opened slightly. “I don’t understand. I think you’re mistaken. This is Tauren’s coronation, and the ball is to celebrate the new King,” I stammered.

“That would be the case had the future King not hand-fasted and pledged himself to you,” he replied patiently. “But you’re his now, which means you will also be crowned.”

My heart began to thunder. “Are you sure?”

He nodded once. “I’m sure.”

My mind raced. Did Tauren tell him that? Why didn’t he mention this to me? Does he assume I know?

Mira appeared behind Brecan and slid into the room. Her eyes widened. “You aren’t dressed yet?” she squeaked, taking hold of my hand and dragging me into the wash room. “Wait in the hall, Brecan,” she ordered.

Brecan chuckled but obediently left the room, closing the door behind him .

Mira got down to fashionable business and quickly helped me dress. She slid a flat iron down my hair, making it shine and stretch an inch further than it naturally lay, thanks to my unruly waves.

She added a hint of rose color to my cheeks and lips and shadowed my eyes until I looked beautiful, but elegant. Fierce, but merciful.

“Are you ready?” she asked, staring over my shoulder at my reflection. Her hair hung in waves, gently lapping at her shoulders. Her gown looked like the deepest blue of the ocean. It ebbed and flowed in luminescent strands from chest to toe, as if thin streams of foam pushed around its surface.

“You look magnificent, Mira.”

She grinned at me through the mirror, her hands tightening on my shoulders. “As do you, my Queen.”