The Fae King's Dream (Between Dawn and Dusk #2) - Jamie Schlosser Page 0,140

fifties when she finally settled down and got married. She was such a proud bride, beaming because she gained a family of her own that day. Leo has two daughters close to my age. They’re not among the guests, but I know they go to a college out of state. They probably couldn’t get back on such short notice.

Kallum fusses through the first part of the funeral director’s speech. It’s about eternal life and how my parents are together in heaven. I hope that’s true. If the Earth realm has soul mates, my parents would be a destined pair for sure.

At the end, everyone bows their heads in prayer.

For me.

Worry lines wrinkle their foreheads and white knuckles appear on their tightly clasped hands as they plea for my safety.

I get pummeled with a pang of guilt. They’ll never know what happened to me. I’ll always be a missing person. Just another unsolved mystery.

Although it won’t do any good, I try to send a mental burst of reassurance to my loved ones. I want to tell them I’m okay. That I’m beyond happy with a man made just for me. That I’m a queen, a mother, and a warrior.

I found my true home.

There’s a quiet snore to my right, and when I glance at the two most important guys in my life, I see the smallest one sleeping soundly on Damon’s shoulder.

I give him a look. “Did you do that?”

Guilty, he shrugs. “He needs a nap, and you need peace and quiet.”

Thankful, I lean into him as the cemetery clears out. The portal starts to lose steam, and it whines as it gets smaller. We stand here together until it disappears.

“You okay?” Damon asks, adjusting Kallum on his shoulder so he can free up a hand.

I link our fingers. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

We turn toward the castle. The tallest tower peeks over the trees of the enchanted forest, and the illuminated stones remind me of a lighthouse, always leading me to where I belong.

Streaks of green appear in the sky behind it, and there’s a faint pink glow on the horizon. Dusk is here, and when the light filters through the branches above us, bright sparkling on the ground snags my attention.

I stop to gaze down at the stones nestled in some gnarly tree roots. Both are about the size of my fist, and a circle of smaller rocks are formed around them.

I tilt my head to the side. “Those are new. I didn’t notice them on our way through.”

Gently gripping my chin, Damon forces my eyes to his. “It’s not the same as visiting a gravesite, but I figured you might like a place to come talk to them sometimes. Green for your dad and yellow for your mom.”

Their favorite colors.

I get a little choked up. “When did you—? How did you—?”

“I called in a favor from the sprites.”

Something drops from above and lands at my feet. A bouquet of wildflowers. Just like the ones I walked down the aisle with at our wedding.

I pick it up. “And this?”

“Also the sprites.” He toys with one of the pink petals. “They went all the way to Dawn and Dusk to get these.”

Oh, I bet he paid a shit ton for all this.

Peering up at the trees, I try to find a flash of color or wings. There are none. Whoever did this is both quiet and agile.

“Thank you,” I call out, knowing they’re listening. Then I face my husband. “And thank you.”

After placing the flowers between the two stones, I run my fingers over the crystals and say a silent goodbye to my mom and dad.

I hope we meet again someday.

When I stand, Damon places a gentle kiss on my lips.

My belly prevents him from getting as close as I’d like. I’m six months pregnant, but I’m already huge. If I didn’t know better, I’d think I’m having twins because there’s a lot of kicking going on in there.

But I do know better. Yeah, spoiler alert: I’ve already seen our future. This little one is a girl, and we’re going to name her Aerynn. A few years after that, we’ll have another boy. Micah will be our last.

I haven’t told Damon any of this. If he asks, I won’t lie or evade, but I think he stays away from the subject on purpose. He wants to be surprised.

A foot connects with Damon’s abdomen, and he jumps. “Little fella wants to spar.”

It’s the first time he’s mentioned a specific gender. “What makes you