Page 216 of Sky’s Edge

I wanted to tell him that I was going to show Gayle the picture of Selediel tomorrow afternoon.

And I hadn’t yet told him what Mira said to me.

But since he was now kissing me, I decided they both could wait.

And they did.

Chapter 22

Insult

Mid-morning the next day, I was standing at the window of the queen’s study, looking out at the fallow gardens, thinking what I’d never thought before, considering it was what it was and always had been during my lifetime: it was strange the castle stayed encased in snow while the world outside experienced the seasons.

Of course, Sky’s Edge was colder than the rest of the realms due to its position in the north, but they still had four seasons.

But the member of staff (I asked her name, it was Lesta) shyly shared when she was bringing me coffee that the forecast that day was for flurries, so if I wanted to go outside, I should dress accordingly.

In Night’s Fall, we’d never expect flurries at this time of year, even if it was late autumn.

However, I knew Sky’s Edge would be covered in snow that wouldn’t go away until next March, and it would be thus soon.

I was thinking these thoughts after spending a good deal of time thinking about what Aleece had to say about not connecting with any of the males she’d been with.

It made me wonder about myself.

And I started doing that again.

Sure, Tanyn was not crafted by the gods to be my mate, like the others were for theirs.

But did that mean, even as demons, we didn’t have some kind of…something that, deep down inside, guided us to who we were supposed to share our lives with?

And because of that, did I sabotage all my relationships before, not because they weren’t good males, but because they weren’t Tanyn?

I’d always wanted a partner, and not because Dad had started pressing me to find one in my early twenties (as demon dads did). I wanted that for me. I was the kind of female who dreamed about what my wedding would be. How many children I wanted. A life lived sharing it with someone else.

But every male I’d been with, for one reason or another—and yes, I could now admit some of those reasons were petty—wasn’t right.

Was that because they weren’t Tanyn?

Even if fate was not in play, that didn’t mean destiny wasn’t.

A nuance of difference, but there all the same (said me).

Or was this wishful thinking?

On this thought, I lifted my hand, hesitated, then touched the snowy wall beside the window.

There was an odd spark of electricity that left a residue of heat, but that could be anything.

Mostly it was just odd because it was snow, but it felt like a wall.

“So, not the perfect match to the king. A female who comes to him in a time of trouble and breaks the curse on Berg Castle,” I mumbled to myself.

I was a little dejected about this, but lore was lore. It could be true. It could not. Or it could be partially true.

What couldn’t be avoided was that I was in love with Tanyn, and I was going to be his queen.

Even if I’d made the moves to start this process, I hadn’t yet allowed myself to settle into the decision.