Epilogue

EPILOGUE

DOVE - TWENTY YEARS LATER

T he castle smells like Mama’s famous cinnamon bread.

I press a hand to my round stomach as it growls. A smile plays on my lips. I’ve been craving it for weeks since Jack and I discovered we were having a little female. She sleeps as I sit in the library, finishing one of my latest novels. A stack of books rests atop the table next to me. I set down the novel in my hands. My eyes are beginning to ache. The low fire tells me I’ve been here for quite some time.

The door to the library peels open, revealing my handsome mate and husband. Wearing simple wool clothes and a dark traveling cloak, a silver circlet rests on his brow. His leather boots squeak on the tile floor as he approaches me. His eyes turn my blood hot. Warmth blooms in my chest.

This pregnancy has made me more insatiable for him than ever.

He has spent many days away at the fairy fortress, attending to their needs as a good king should. Today, he returned home early, and I could not be more grateful. He comes to my side, pressing a kiss to my temple and resting his warm hand on my growing stomach.

“How are you, my lovely mate?” His blue eyes sparkle. “How is our little one?”

“Resting, thankfully. She is quite active during the morning.”

Jack nods, brushing snow from his cape before hanging it before the fire.

“How are the snow fairies?” I inquire. “Are the bears giving them any more trouble?”

Jack shakes his head, settling onto the seat next to me. He tucks me into his side, and I nuzzle into him.

“I’ve implemented new protection wards for them. Nothing should be able to get through.”

I nod.

“I only wish I could accompany you. As queen, we are supposed to be a united front for our people.”

“You need your rest. She’ll be here before we know it.” His lips skim over my cheek as his hands trail up and down my arms. “Speaking of, we still need to decide on a name for her.”

“The older ones are already named after you,” I remind him. “Jacks and Jackson—we are dreadfully uncreative.”

Jack laughs. It is a family tradition to name all males after their father, and though I’d love for us to have a dozen children, I fear we’ve already run out of variations for Jack.

Dove, on the other hand…

“It is only fair that I get to name her,” I say.

“Whatever my mate wants, she shall have. Always.”

I hum in my throat.

“All I want right now is a piece of cinnamon bread.”

“Ask, and you shall receive,” a warm voice calls from the library's opening.

Turning in the loveseat, I see Mama's gray-streaked hair and a steaming loaf of cinnamon bread in her hands. My mouth waters and Mama quickly walks over to me. I attempt to rise to greet her, but she urges me to sit still. Kissing my forehead, she slices into the bread.

“You need to keep up your strength so my granddaughter can continue to grow strong.”

She settles a sugary slice on a ceramic plate and hands it to me. Steam rolls off the crust, and I blow on it to cool it faster. Satisfied that it won’t burn me, I take a bite and moan at the sweet and spicy flavor. It is soft and crunchy at the same time.

She sells dozens of loaves daily out of her bakery in town. Once she and Sophia arrived at the castle, Mama found her calling, using her baking skills to bring others in the town joy. When Jack’s males came to collect her, Mama told me no one noticed. They were too busy watching the snow that had plagued them for centuries melt away.

Our time in Snowdale feels like a different lifetime. Nothing is tying us to it now. Jon Nine-Fingers never asked after me once I was taken at the Offering . Mama says he died on a hunting expedition a few days after Jack took me. I couldn’t find it in me to be sad.

Life has been simple here. It took a while to adjust to being queen, and it took our people time to see Jack for the man he was, not who he had been. He still has amends to make, but he strives to improve each day.

We love each other and the family we’ve built with everything we have. After living through so much pain and heartache, we owe it to ourselves to enjoy each moment. What is life without love? I wouldn’t know—there is so much of it here I wonder if we will all drown in it one day.

A flurry of movement at the door catches my eye. I watch our other two children appear—our eldest, with his dark hair and sparkling blue eyes. Then, there is our soon-to-be middle child. With his curling white hair, he looks especially like his father today.

“We smelled cinnamon,” Jackson announces, claiming a plate of bread while Mama kisses his fair head. Jacks follows suit, devouring his slice in an instant.

“Save some for your aunt and uncle,” I gently remind them.

As if my words summoned them, Sophia appears with her elven husband at her side. Their matching blue eyes sparkle as they walk into the living room. Plume had met my sister when he came to work in Mama’s bakery. One thing had led to another, and well—their beautiful halfling daughter, Emmeline, floats into the library behind them.

Everyone takes a slice of the excellent bread, and my heart fills with joy. It overflows and spills from me. Tears prick my eyes as I look up at my mate—my everything.

“Thank you for choosing me,” I whisper so only he can hear. “My life is the better for it. There would be none of this without you.”

Sparkling tears glimmer in his eyes as he brushes a kiss against me.

“Thank you for breaking the curse—for seeing the male I could be and loving me through all of it. Without you, I’d have nothing.”

My hand rests on my stomach as I take in my family. Love wraps around each of us—tethering us with its golden thread.

“Together, we have everything,” I declare. “Forever.”

His hand settles atop mine, and I breathe in his pine scent.

“Forever,” he agrees.

Warmth pours from his body and into me. Our souls knit together, and I feel the completion only he can give me.

Our ever-lasting love is more powerful than any curse.