Crown of Shadows (Court of Midnight and Deception #1) - K. M. Shea Page 0,120

us married—and sooner than I thought any fae ceremony could go, I was plunked on the royal throne, and Skye was placing a gorgeous crown on my head.

The base was a silver circlet studded with opals and tiny intricate chains that ended in little diamonds threading from gem to gem. At the center of the crown, over my forehead, was a large, silver crescent moon that was reminiscent in shape and style to the original king’s staff, except it had a giant diamond at the tip.

It was heavier than I expected—I actually had to forcibly keep my chin up so my neck didn’t tilt awkwardly.

And as I looked out over my Court—which was applauding me—I realized I’d only gotten through the first round of this game.

I still had to face the other Courts and try to restore the Night Court’s reputation.

Really, I’d only just begun the fight.

That’s okay. I got farther than anyone thought I would. I glanced at Rigel, and then Skye. And now I’m not fighting alone. We can do this. We’ll change this region—because I’ll never, ever give up.

And as my Court—which had once hated me—cheered and shouted for me, I stood and took my first few steps as the crowned Queen of the Night Court.

Epilogue

Rigel

About three days after we were married, I found myself in the unlikely position of standing in the shadows of Leila’s office, watching her bury herself in a veritable blanket of papers and documents as she splayed out over her couch.

“Hey, Rigel,” she casually said.

My lips twitched—how had she known I was there? I had slipped in without her steward or companion noticing, and they’d left roughly two minutes ago.

She looked right at me and grinned. “Whiskers and Steve saw you.” She petted the large gloom—which was draped over the back of the couch she was lying on—then fondly rubbed the ears of the shade curled up between the couch and a coffee table.

I stepped out of the shadows and reluctantly approached her.

“Did you finally realize I wasn’t going to try to ravish you or something just because we’re married?” Her grin morphed into a smirk as she flipped to a new sheet of paper.

“I did not disappear because I fear you,” I said.

“Oh? What horrible thing pulled you away, then? It couldn’t have been Lord Dion. He visited every day hoping to see you.”

Leila glanced at me when I didn’t reply, but let it go. “Chase gave me Myron’s official confession, and the report of the spider attack during our wedding.”

“What did he find?”

“The spider was the same kind that attacked me when Eclipse first found me. It’s a predatory arachnid that is found in multiple fae realms, but it is not native to the Night Realm. Chase picked up its scent and confirmed it wasn’t from the Night Court or the human realm.”

“Which means it’s unlikely a fae from the Night Court sent it,” I said.

“Yeah—mostly because the first spider found me when no one in the Night Court knew where Eclipse had disappeared to. The Paragon helped Chase try to track what realm it came from. He said he’d stake Aphrodite’s favorite bed that it was sent by another monarch—as a sort of warning.”

“He found out what Court it came from, then?”

“He wasn’t certain, but he thought Autumn.”

Autumn—the second most powerful Court in the region, just behind Winter.

But while Queen Rime ignored the other Courts and typically only deigned to spend time with her siblings—the other Winter Kings and Queens of North America—King Fell delighted in throwing his weight around.

Leila frowned as she stroked her gloom’s head. “I find it worrying that the first attack on me was from another Court. That means the biggest threat to my life is still out there.”

“And Myron?” I prompted.

“My hunch was right—he did everything to set up Chrysanthe. His whole family was in it—they were attempting to overthrow them and get them kicked out of the Night Court. Apparently they’d been longtime rivals, and they thought I was stupid enough that they’d be able to get me to do their dirty work for them.”

I was silent.

She glanced at me again. Her eyes—a swirling mix of purple and blue that was uncomfortably enthralling—were bright with curiosity. “You knew?”

I blinked. “He did a shoddy job of covering it up and was overconfident because Lady Chrysanthe eagerly accepted his false attention. He thought you’d be just as easy to fool.”

Leila grunted. “Yeah, that was one advantage I had that I won’t have anymore—at least not