went still on my back. “I was so scared of the changes commitment might bring. It seems trivial now, after having committed to all of Faerie.”
He’d gone so still, I didn’t even think he was breathing. I twisted so I could look at him and found him watching me, his face unreadable.
“Faerie never took away the ring when I became High Queen. Can one hold two titles at once? Or would they have to abdicate one to take a new title?”
He lifted an eyebrow, but the edge of his lips turned up, the first hint of a growing smile. “You briefly held both the high and the light court.”
“True.”
He rolled onto one elbow, his free hand sliding up my body to my face. He traced a finger down my chin before leaning down and kissing me. It was a sweet kiss, gentle and loving.
“Are you finally ready for me to ask, Alexis?” He whispered the question, his icy blue eyes bright as he studied me.
Was I? Just the idea made my heart flutter wildly in my chest, but it wasn’t such a bad feeling. I loved Falin. I knew that without a shadow of a doubt.
“Hmm.” I trailed my fingers over the muscles of his arm, a teasing smile playing over my lips. “Consort to the Winter King kind of sounds like a step downward when I’m already High Queen, doesn’t it? Wouldn’t it make more sense,” I whispered, leveraging myself closer, so that I was a breath away as I whispered, “for you to become consort to the High Queen?”
His eyes widened, just slightly, and then his lips sealed with mine. While the previous kiss had been sweet, this one was deep, demanding. I surrendered myself to it completely. Snowflakes shaped like amaranthine flowers were falling all around us by the time we broke apart, both breathless.
Falin gazed at me, drinking in my features with his eyes. “In that case, will you be my Queen?”
“Yes,” I whispered, even though the word scared me. The smile that broke across his face was more than worth the twinge of nervousness, because I was already his, I just hadn’t admitted it aloud.
“I love you,” I said, leaning up to kiss him again. He pulled me in tight against him and I surrendered to the joy in it.
I was High Queen, and I’d take care of Faerie the best I could, do my part to help repair the balance, but I couldn’t make all my decisions as High Queen. I still needed to be Alex and make some choices that were for me, not Faerie. And this one? It was all for me, and it made me happy.
Acknowledgments
Wow. I’ve now written “The End” on Alex’s story. It’s hard to believe, a little sad to say good-bye, but very exciting. There are a lot of people who helped me get to this point and I wouldn’t have made it alone, so I want to call out a big thank-you to those individuals and groups.
First, I’d like to thank Jessica Wade and her team. Her guidance and all of their hard work have helped shape each book in this series into a final form that could be released to those who would enjoy it.
A huge thank-you goes to Lucienne Diver, who has always believed in the series and who takes care of so much behind the scenes so that I can focus on storytelling.
Also, I wouldn’t have made it this far without the amazing support of my friends and family. Friends who read for me—a special shout-out here to Nikki and Xandra, who read early drafts of Grave War, but many more have read for me throughout the series—and family who helped in other ways, from distracting little people to being there for emotional support when things got tough or just being an amazing encouragement, thank you. To Mom, in particular. And to Jason. I can’t thank you enough.
And, of course, thank you to all the readers who have made it this far in Alex’s story. This tale literally would not have ever been able to be fully told without you. Thank you for reading. Thank you for wanting more. I hope you enjoyed this final story.
About the Author
Kalayna Price is the USA Today bestselling author of the Alex Craft novels, including Grave Destiny, Grave Ransom, Grave Visions, Grave Memory, Grave Dance, and Grave Witch. She draws her ideas from the world around her, her studies into ancient mythologies, and her obsession with classic folklore.
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