their arms and legs threaded together, Bastien’s fingers trailing down her spine, he turned toward her, his gunmetal eyes soft. “I have loved you in both my lives. I will love you in all the rest to come.”
And Celine slept the sleep of dreams.
* * *
The next day, they strode into the Summer Court, hand in hand.
Celine expected to see disapproval on her mother’s face. After all, it was clear the Lady of the Vale’s daughter had fallen in love with their blood foe. A cursed vampire. And not just any vampire, but the immortal heir of Nicodemus Saint Germain.
It did not matter. Celine had already decided to defy the stars. And she would defy them again and again if it meant she could keep what she wanted close to her heart.
The gentry in her mother’s court frowned and whispered behind their hands, their displeasure plain. One of them—a man with long silver hair and eyes the color of dark citrine—stepped forward as if to protest outright, but he was drawn back by a slender man standing to his left, who stared at Celine with a calculated expression.
A man whose angular face she would not soon forget.
The Lady of the Vale stood from her sunburst throne and welcomed Celine and Bastien with open arms.
“I am grateful to you for bringing my daughter back to me,” Lady Silla said to Bastien. Her laughter was bright, her features kind. “Though I am a bit put out that she did not arrive in the Summer Court hale and hearty, as Arjun promised.”
“Please,” Celine said. “That was not his fault. Arjun nearly gave his life to spare me from harm. As it was, he made a bargain with a creature in the Wyld so that we could move through what remains of the Winter Court safely.”
Celine’s mother returned to her throne, her elegant fingers curling beneath her pointed chin, her long nails shining like the surface of a mirror. She smiled indulgently, her ebony eyes soft. Like the richest kind of velvet. The waves of her waist-length hair hung about her shoulders like a shining cape. “Don’t worry yourself over Arjun. I am grateful for him as well.”
Inhaling, Celine stepped forward, her fingers falling from Bastien’s. “May I make a request?”
“Of course you may, my daughter.”
“I want to stay in the Vale with you for a time. But first there are people in New Orleans to whom I owe an explanation. Affairs I wish to put in order. Will you grant us leave to travel back if I promise to return?”
Lady Silla tapped a silver nail against the curved arm of her golden throne, another serene smile settling on her face. “You know promises are not made lightly here, my child.”
“I know.” Celine nodded. “And I promise I will return. As you said, I would like to spend time in this world. More important, I want to know who my mother is.” She offered her a smile. “I want to learn the things that bring her joy and the things that bring her sorrow.”
Her mother’s velvet eyes shifted over Celine, then moved toward Bastien, their sloe-shaped corners narrowing in consideration. Celine wasn’t sure what her mother was thinking, but she suspected the Lady of the Vale did not hold much love in her heart when it came to the handsome blood drinker standing before her now.
With bated breath, Celine stood in silence, awaiting her mother’s decision.
Then Lady Silla stood, her long ivory dress rippling as she glided toward Celine. “Of course, aga. You have a life in the mortal world. It stands to reason that you have affairs you wish to settle first. We will take our time learning from each other when you return. I want nothing more than that.” She pressed her pale hand to Celine’s cheek. “Do you still have the bauble I gave you?”
Celine reached into her pocket and removed the golden sphere, which no longer retained its previous luster. The Lady of the Vale wrapped her palm around it and squeezed. When she opened her hand again, a gold ring with a large yellow stone in the shape of a rectangle was all that remained of the bauble.
Her mother gave the ring to Celine. “As soon as you wish to return, twist the gem in the center of the ring three times to the right and three times to the left. A tare will form that will bring you directly to this court. After all”—she smiled with open affection—“this