escapes my eye, and Cauri shakes her head in mock disapproval before wiping it away. “Your king is waiting for you,” she says, and I nod.
“I’m ready.”
She smiles at me again, and I feel a little like I’m in the twilight zone. I’m tempted to ask her if she’s drunk, but ever since I nearly died and she saw exactly what it did to Arix, she’s been surprisingly nice. In fact, she hasn’t called me a trollop once. The last time my contraceptive tonic arrived, she remarked that I surely wouldn’t need it for much longer.
It’s more than a little weird.
I make my way downstairs, feeling like I’m floating on air. While the dinner, dancing, and general festivities will take place in the grand ballroom, the first part of the ceremony will be in the throne room.
I suck in a breath as I arrive, and the guards on either side of the doors throw them open, revealing the room itself, which is packed with more people than I could’ve imagined.
But my gaze goes past them to Arix. He’s dressed formally, wearing a black crown, and his midnight-blue eyes are burning into mine as if I’m the only thing he sees.
The feeling is mutual.
Our eyes stay locked together as I walk toward him. I may have been nervous until I saw him, but now I’m consumed with joy and delight.
I feel as if every single moment of my life has been leading to this one. Korzyn stands on Arix’s left, and my mind flashes back to the first time I saw Arix, in this very room. I was so nervous, wondering if we could trust him, and yet I was intrigued and hopelessly attracted despite myself.
I come to a stop in front of him, and we share a grin. I don’t know about him, but I feel as if we’ve gotten away with something. After all, neither of us is dead, and instead, we get our very own happily ever after.
The commander steps close, turning to a guard who presents him with a cushion. My stomach flushes at the sight of the crown on that cushion, and I catch Sarissa’s eye. She grins at me, giving me a tiny thumbs-up, and I almost laugh.
The commander takes the crown, and I bow my head. Arix’s voice washes over me. Somehow still low and intimate even as it carries over the crowd. “Do you, Vivian, swear to give your life to your king, your people, and your crown?”
“I swear.” The crown is heavier than I ever imagined, but I manage to lift my head without it falling off, and I count that as a win as the crowd cheers.
I meet Arix’s gaze, and I blink back tears at the joy I see there. After everything he’s been through, he deserves whatever happiness he can find, and I’m the lucky girl who gets to give it to him.
He leans down and takes my mouth, and from the gasps that sound, I’m guessing this is rather unusual.
And from the way his hands cup my face, I’m guessing he doesn’t care.
I laugh against his mouth, and he pulls back, grinning at me. “Congratulations, Your Majesty.”
I blink at the title, and he offers me his hand, leading me from the throne room.
And to the beginning of the rest of our lives.
Epilogue
Vivian
I give the man sitting in the corner of the room my most flirtatious smile, tilting my head so more of my hair falls over my naked breast.
I’ve been planning this surprise since before everything went down at the banquet. When I told my cousin what I was going to do, she high-fived me, saying I was sly as a fox and obviously, I’d found my lady balls.
Come to think of it, that could mean this is a really bad idea.
It’s too late to even check in with Sarissa now. She left to take the chip to Alexis a few days ago, Korzyn by her side.
“You’re frowning again.”
“Sorry.”
I had to lock Cauri out, since I know damn well she’d lose her mind if she found out exactly what I’m up to in here.
Arix is away, negotiating with another tribe king. Since he’ll only be gone for the day, I told him I’d stay here. He narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously, knowing I don’t like to be left behind ever.
FOMO is real.
But this is the perfect opportunity to get this taken care of, before my possessive king comes back.
The door slams open, and Arix walks in.
He takes