CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

Krivoth and the others let me sleep all day. The sunlight's dimming in the window by the time he wakes me with a gentle touch on my cheek.

"Mmm," I hum sleepily. "Are you coming to bed?"

"I can," he says, his voice deep. "But I thought you might be hungry."

"God, yes." I bolt upright, my stomach letting out a loud growl as my bladder protests, too. "I also need the bathroom."

He scoops me up and strides out into a large, open-plan space that's living room, dining room, and kitchen combined. The walls, floor, and ceiling are made out of the same honey-colored wood as the bedroom, and I realize it's not paneling—it's the tree itself!

The brown leather couches in the living room look like normal furniture, and the long rectangular wooden dining table might not grow out of the floor. But the cupboards and counters of the kitchen look like they were carved out of the wall instead of something built.

We pass through another doorway into a bathroom with a sink and counters that also looked like they're made of living wood. Krivoth sets me on my feet and makes sure I can stand before tapping at a pile of fabric on the counter. "We've got you some new clothes. I'll have more made for you once the weaver gets your size, but these should be close."

"Thanks! I'm sure they're great."

When he leaves, I lift the lid of the wooden toilet, which opens onto a deep hole that smells like clean sawdust. Ashley told me it's self composting and the tree just whisks everything away, so you never have to clean it. Magic for the win!

The sink has a tap with running water, and a stack of cleaning cloths waits, so I strip off the linen shirt and do a full-body cleanup. The new clothes slide on easily. The leather pants are a little too big in the waist and a bit tight on my butt, probably made for young orcs. The linen tunic top's a pretty dark blue edging toward purple, and I bet Krivoth picked it because he knows I love that color. It's too big, but still closer to my size than any of his shirts. Someone added a belt to the pile, so I wrap it around my waist.

"Not bad." I glance down at myself. It feels a little weird to not have on underwear, but the leather's softer than I expected and something special's been done to the seams to make them lie flat inside the pants instead of sticking up and irritating my skin.

Krivoth waits in the living room with my high-tops in hand and Mist by his side.

"You're up! Good. I was beginning to think you'd sleep all day and then go to bed with him all night." Her eyes sparkle with laughter as she cocks her head toward Krivoth.

He growls at her. "And that would be a problem?"

"Yes. I want to see my friend."

When I get close, she comes over to lean against my thigh, but I crouch down and hug her instead, pressing a kiss to the soft fur of her forehead. Her purr rumbles through me. "I'm glad you're alright."

"Me too." I grin, and she laughs, the sound chopping up her purr into little, funny pieces.

Outside, we're surrounded by massive round tree trunks dotted with windows and doors, and I glance back to see we stepped out of the same. Being told the cottages were inside trees is one thing. It feels completely different to see it. Awe at this amazing world fills me for the hundredth time, slipping out of me in a whispered "Magical."

Storm waits, and I throw my arms around his neck.

"That's not necessary," he grumps.

"Yes, it is." I squeeze tighter, then release him so I can step back and meet his eyes. "Thank you. Krivoth told me you ran yourself into the ground getting me here."

He snuffles my hair. "It was nothing, little human."

"It wasn't nothing," I say. "You're a good friend, Storm."

The four of us walk through the trees, the large trunks leading us on a winding path. A pang of sadness fills me. Is this the last time the OG team will be together? I really wanna form a permanent questing guild with the three of them—we could have a name and everything.

We round one last trunk, and a large, circular open space appears ahead. Heart trees surround it in a ring, and glow stones dangle from their lower branches like lanterns, adding their golden glow to the fading sunlight. Wooden tables and chairs are spread across the moss-covered ground, and there are orcs everywhere.

Dravarr steps forward. "Welcome to Moon Blade Village."

"We do this every so often." Ashley waves a hand to take in the space. "We bring all the furniture from the pub outside and celebrate as a clan."

"And today, we celebrate the return of Krivoth, who brought us a cure for deathsleep and a moon bound bride!" Gerna calls out, and the whole village breaks into cheers.

Storm joins several other unicorns at the edge of the green—one of them a lovely black and gold instead of white and silver—and Olivia magicks them up bags of oats before making Mist a plucked and prepared pheasant.

As everyone settles at tables, Krivoth leads me to the one right beside where Ashley and Olivia sit down with their husbands. Gerna joins us, along with a male orc. He's a little leaner than Krivoth, but just as tall, with long black hair. He's handsome with a wide mouth that breaks into a big smile.

"This is Branikk," Krivoth says, "my best friend."

Oh! My mouth drops open. I mean, of course, I hoped Krivoth had friends—it just hasn't come up yet. There's still a lot we need to learn about each other, but we have time now. All the time in the world.

"So happy to meet you," I say.

"Krivoth's a lucky, lucky man," Branikk says, his deep voice playful.

This one's sure a charmer but in a sincere way.

We sit, and Olivia's in the middle of asking everyone what they'd like for dinner, when two loud choruses of shrieks come from opposite sides of the green.

The sprites fly in from the left, and a mass of glowing blue fae fly in from the right. They're just as big—or rather little—as the sprites, but everything about them is a light blue that glows, and their wings are more of a solid color, like those on moths.

"Pixies," I breathe.

The sprites stop above my table, hovering in the air, and the pixies halt only a foot away, right above Ashley and Olivia's table.

"You can't have her!" The head sprite flutters in front of me, turned to face the pixies. "She's our Almost Elf!"

"We don't need her. We have Pizza!"

"Oh, my god. Who's ‘Pizza'?" I ask, giving the word the same capitalization the pixie did.

"That would be me," Olivia said. "It's the first type of food I ever made for them, and now it's the only thing they'll eat."

"The only thing?" I curl up my nose. "I love pizza, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't want nothing but pizza for the rest of my life."

"Wrong, wrong, wrong!" A pixie hears me and flies into my face, ignoring the angry squawk of the sprite. She starts counting things off on her fingers. "There's red pizza, green pizza, spicy pizza, egg pizza, and sweet pizza."

"Regular pizza, pesto pizza," Olivia translates. "Chicken masala on naan, omelets, and waffles."

That last one makes me laugh. I shoot Olivia a look, and mouth "sweet pizza."

"They'll only eat flat food." She grins and shrugs. "And no matter what I make, they name it pizza."

She does so now, making pizzas and waffles appear on her hands. The pixies swoop down and take them from her, flying away in little coordinated teams.

The head sprite glares after them, her hands on her hips. Then she looks at Olivia. "Make us berries, and we'll turn them into Faerie Fruit for you. You could be one of our Almost Elves."

"Oh, hey, wait." I hold up a hand like a stop sign and look at the other human women. "The sprites are great, but I have to warn you about the Faerie Fruit."

"It sounds yummy," Olivia says.

"Oh, it is… if you want something that feels like doing tequila shots topped off with a Spanish Fly chaser."

Ashley lets out a surprised giggle. "That good, huh?"

Tingling warmth zips through me as I remember the feel of Krivoth's fingers working me to a mind-shattering orgasm. I shoot him a sly glance out of the corner of my eye and grin so wide both tables break into laughter.

We say goodnight to Mist and Storm at our cottage door, and as soon as it shuts, Krivoth and I are alone for the first time, with no one expecting us to be anywhere or do anything.

"Krivoth, I want to—"

He falls to his knees in front of me, which brings him down to almost my height. His dark eyes search my face as he gathers my hands in his. "My bride, can you ever forgive me?"

"Uh, sure?" I wrinkle my nose. "But what exactly am I forgiving you for?"

"I let my drive for glory overwhelm any consideration of what was best for you. I pushed us to complete the quest so I could get a position in the king's guard when I should have brought you straight here, where you'd be safe."

"Hey, now. I'm a grown-ass woman, and I decided to go on that quest, too." I wiggle our hands. "Don't take my agency away from me."

"Agency?" He frowns.

"My right to determine what I do with my own life." The only place I want to give up full control is the bedroom.

"You're right. I know you're right." He nods. "While you were in the deathsleep coma, I realized so many things. I didn't hear you when you told me what you wanted for the future, but I hear you now. I will tell the king I cannot be one of his guard. I will stay here with you in Moon Blade Village, if that's what you want."

My heart skips at his words. They're so sweet. But also… "Just like you don't decide everything for me, I don't decide everything for you. If this marriage is going to work, we need to be a team. We need to decide things together."

"Together." The edges of his lips curl in a small smile. "I like the sound of that."

"So what do you want to do? Where do you want to live?"

"I originally left here because of my father, but I faced him while you were unconscious." Pain flickers across his face.

I pull a hand free so I can smooth my thumb over the crease in his brow. I wish I could make all the hurt disappear as easily. His father really did a number on him. To go against all of that childhood programming is effing hard. "I'm so proud of you."

I kinda wish I'd had a crack at his dad, but it's better that Krivoth got the chance to stand up to him—closure and all that.

"Dravarr's sending Father away, and I don't want him to steer my life any longer. Moon Blade Village is my home, and my clan mates are my true family." His dark eyes meet mine, full of sincerity. "You—and them—are more important than any position or glory. Would you like to live here, with me, my bride?"

"Yes." Tears prickle my eyes. "I'd like that very much." We can figure out what we'll do for work later. Our quest proved we can tackle anything, as long as we're together. And with the antidote, we have time—deathsleep didn't steal my whole life from me.

"How are you feeling?" he asks.

"I'm feeling pretty good. I wouldn't want to do a lot of magic just yet, but otherwise I feel fine."

"Good." His eyes heat as he pulls me flush to him, the firm warmth of his body making me tingle. "Because I want to show you how much I love you."

Oh!My heart skips.

"My bride, any second I spend not telling you how much you mean to me is a second wasted. You are joy itself, come to fill my life with love and laughter and all the things I've most longed for."

"You love me." It comes out a little breathless. I mean, I knew he cared. But that's nothing compared to this.

"Before you, I wore blinders, charging through life along a narrow, barren path, unable to see all the beauty that surrounded me. You've given me you, and in doing so, you've opened me up to a wide world full of color and magic and wonder." He drags his thumb over my trembling lower lip. "I love you with every beat of my heart, with everything I am and ever will be."

Emotion fills me to overflowing like I'm channeling the biggest hit of magical power ever. Yet nothing about this hurts. Pure joy sings through my body as Krivoth devours my mouth, pressing heavy, drugging kisses into my lips that make me melt against him.