Page 72 of His Realm

Mine said: Consort of the Prince, my Jason.

“I love it. And I love even more that you had these made last year when you didn’t know me as well as you do now, but still, it’s perfect.”

“I know everything about you,” he promised.

Perhaps some habits or things I did might still surprise him, but he was right: the most important things, he knew. Like my heart. He knew all about my heart.

“Eat your food,” he said, crossing his arms. “We need to go cake-shopping and then to a florist. Ode said we need boutonnieres, and you need a bouquet and flowers for the throne room.” He was quiet a moment. “We might need a lot of flowers. I might need to rethink this because it may be necessary to procure them from Rome.”

I was going to tell him that he didn’t need to worry about this many things, but he was in fixer mode already and walked back around the screens.

“Tiago, we need flowers.”

“I misheard you. Did you say we need flowers?”

“Yes.”

“Whatever for?”

“The wedding. We need to fill the throne room with them.”

“Simply to throw them away when they die?”

“I’m unsure. We need to call Ode on the plane.”

I wasn’t about to get in his way. Instead, as I ate, I admired the beautiful rings and my ruby brooch on the tray next to my food. It really didn’t matter how anything about the preparations went; the important part was that I would say I do to the man I loved more than anyone in the world. And I couldn’t wait.

Varic and I went together to speak to Sorin in the dungeon, and I was quiet as the two of them talked. In the end, Varic apologized for not checking on Ophir, but Sorin was more than happy to have him do so now. It felt very productive to me. Varic explained that as Sorin had attacked the king, he could not let him out, but he would be going with us to Ophir on a plane in three short days. Sorin was so thankful, he wept.

Afterward, Varic and I spent the rest of the day in Valletta, walking around, him telling me things about the city that no one knew, stopping to feed me, water me, all while members of his dreki stayed close but somehow out of sight. I had no idea how they managed that, there but not, the ability to kill from the shadows utterly terrifying.

“I am sorry that your friend Cooke cannot attend our wedding,” Varic told me as we strolled. “But he and his band are touring, and he’s unable to get away.”

“For the wedding of the prince?” I teased him.

“Apparently so,” he said, glaring at me. “He promised he would visit when the tour concluded.”

Varic could have commanded my friend from New Orleans to attend, but I was glad he didn’t. I had gotten a really nice email from Cooke that said he was sorry, but he was finally living his dream. I understood completely.

“I have a question,” I said after a few moments, loving the walk we were taking and that we were holding hands. “How come Leda couldn’t be elevated to mate but I can?”

“I don’t understand,” he said, lifting my hand to kiss my knuckles as we climbed yet another series of stairs. In Valletta there were always steps to climb.

“Technically, I’m a member of the iceni. I’m not a pureblood, and I’m not from a noble house, so how can you marry me?”

He turned to me slowly, and I saw the squint of confusion.

“It’s a valid question,” I pressed.

“I’m the crown prince,” he said, sounding awfully close to indignant. “I can do as I please, whenever I please.”

“I get it. The rules don’t apply to the prince,” I teased him. “Must be nice.”

“It is nice,” he grumbled, “but more importantly, you are my mate, the one and only other soul made for me, and that exceeds all else.”

I smiled at him. “I like that.”

“I’m so glad, you infuriating––”