Chapter 27

The air was somber three days later as we stood on the charred remains of the battlefield. We"d given the fallen warriors on both sides a proper goodbye, large funeral pyres constructed right there in the middle of the field. We"d lost dozens of warriors, but all my friends had made it out of the battle alive, which is much more than I thought would ever happen.

If only that could have been true for everyone.

We"d burned Engar with everyone else, tears slipping down my cheeks as I"d watched. I hadn"t gotten the chance to know him, would never get the chance, but still he"d understood something about me that had rocked me to my core. Don"t blame yourself, he"d said to me, right before he took his own life.

No matter his words, I did blame myself. It was the reason I"d been willing to jump into the raw, unchecked magic of the in-between, knowing full well that it might kill me. It was only fair that I"d die too, given all that my mess had caused, but somehow I was still here.

My skin still felt raw where the damage had healed on my arms, but it was nothing compared to some of the injuries others had sustained. Nia had been working tirelessly with other water fae to perform healing magic on people who needed it most, but even they hadn't been able to save everybody.

Callan and I stood in front of the nearest funeral pyre, his warm hand sliding against mine as he interlocked our fingers. Flames rose high into the sky, casting flickering shadows across the faces of all who had gathered to mourn. There was a lump in my throat as I watched the flames consume, unforgiving in their wake as they devoured everything in their path, breaking down the bodies and giving them back to the magic.

Lily and Nia sidled up to me, their arms locked at the elbow. I grinned down at the bond that stretched between their chests, a beautiful, intertwined braided cord formed of magic that signified them as true mates that only I was able to see. It"d appeared during the battle, while they were side by side, fighting for their lives. Callan, sensing an impending girl chat, walked off, leaving us to ourselves.

"What will you do now?" Nia asked me, a peaceful look on her face that I had never seen before. This was a sad day, but it was also a celebration, a memorial for what we"d all just collectively gone through. "You have a kingdom who needs a leader. You killed their Queen, after all."

Queen Tantaii"s death had an immediate effect on the world. Over the years she"d been siphoning more and more magic from the faerie realm, sickening the beautiful world from the top down. The second we portalled back into faerie after her death, we could see the effect it"d caused, the realm breathing with a new life, a new magic I had never seen it with before.

"I did my part already," I told her, meaning it with my entire heart. "I want nothing to do with that. In fact, I was going to ask you if you knew anybody who might be interested." A grin split my face as I looked at her, seeing if she would pick up on my hint.

"You"re joking, right?" she said, practically choking on her words as Lily grinned beside her.

I'd already told Lily my thoughts on the matter, and she'd wholeheartedly agreed with me.

"Nia," I said, moving so I was standing directly in front of her. I scanned her dark eyes, her azure hair flowing in the slight breeze of the in-between, and knew in my heart that I was making the right decision. "Ruling was never something I was interested in, nor do I think I would be any good at it." I almost laughed, thinking of all the mistakes I would immediately make if I had an entire kingdom at my disposal. There was so much I wanted to do in life now that I was free, finally free, from my mother and my brother's clutches.

Being a Queen had never been part of my plan.

"You have proved to me time and time again that you are a fantastic person, and an even better leader," I continued. Her eyes began to well with tears and I looked to the sky, trying not to let my own fall with hers. "And I would be absolutely honored if you would take my place, and become the Queen of the faerie realm."

Nia looked from Lily to me and back again, her mouth agape but no words escaping. Finally, she said, "It would be my honor. When my father was killed by Cas, I thought that would be the end of it, that this was what life was going to be like forever. But then you walked into our lives, well, landed into it might be the more accurate term." She smiled at me, pulling me in for a tight hug that took me by surprise.

"Thank you," she whispered, then let me go. I reached out, squeezing her hands tightly, before dropping them and stepping back.

"Let's connect on all the details tomorrow, right now I have someone I need to see." With that I walked off, but not before I heard Lily's excited voice behind me, talking to Nia in a hushed voice. "Does that mean I'm going to be a Queen too? When should we have our mating ceremony?"

Warmth bloomed in my chest at their happiness, that they had been able to get everything that they wanted, and a mating ceremony was something I know Lily had been looking forward to since birth.

My mind turned to my own ceremony as I walked, the one that would have to happen with Callan at some point. He hadn't brought it up, not so soon after everything had resolved, but if the last few weeks had taught me anything, it was that nothing in life was guaranteed.

I'd come into the Clover pack with my walls built high and reinforced with every piece of steel I could find, but he'd blasted through them with ease. There were no more walls. If anything, there was an automatic door that only opened for Callan.

My mate.

We wouldn't get officially mated just yet, but something told me I wouldn't be able to wait much longer.

Oliver was right where I thought he might be, sitting in the ruins of the temple where so much had happened. I didn't worry about most of my friends, knowing that they would be okay.

Nia and Lily had each other. The pagu had their riders. Wolfe was busy with the Nexus pack, where he'd already retreated back to after that initial fight, not wanting to leave his people alone for too long when the transition was still so new.

But I worried about Oliver.

He"d lived a vast portion of his life imprisoned by Tantaii, and once I'd set him free, he'd spent all that time with me. Watching me, helping me reset my life every so often. He'd been my protector, and for that I was grateful, but there was no reason for him to live for me anymore.

I would be okay, and it was time he was too.

"Hey," I said softly, sitting beside where he had made a place in the rubble, the perfect angle to watch the pyres burn.

He studied my face with a knowing look. "Is this where you tell me to get lost?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because you don't need me anymore," he said, looking down at his feet. My heart tugged at his words. He was right, I didn't need him anymore, but I would never tell him to go away. Not if what he really, truly wanted was to stay. But was it?

"Oliver, I am so grateful to you. You've done more for me than anyone should ever have to do for another person, and it's because of you that we even made it this far in the first place. But I also recognize that you have given up so much for this." He opened his mouth to argue, but I kept going, knowing if I let him give me a bunch of excuses that I wouldn't be able to say what I needed to say.

"I want you to go and live. Go find what makes you happy. There will always be a place for you with me, if you want it, but something tells me there is more for you out there than following me around through realms. My door is always open, anytime you want to come visit. You know where to find me."

He said nothing for a long moment, and we sunk into a companionable silence that was perfectly fine with me. I scanned the scene in front of me. The in-between looked so much different now, pyres burning and smoke rising into the air. If I squinted hard enough, I could almost see the remnants of the portal arches that had once stood, opening the realms to each other. The desolate landscape and buildings in disrepair told a story that most of us would rather forget.

"I think I'll go see my family," he said finally, and my brows raised.

"I thought you didn't have any family?"

"No one close," he replied, his fingers absentmindedly fiddling with the silver beard at his chin. "But there are distant relatives. I haven't been to see the air royals in . . . well, since I got locked up."

"I think that sounds really nice,"

"But if they hate me, I'm turning around and coming right back," he said sourly, his eyes crinkling in the corners as we both laughed.

"Like I said, my door is always open. Besides, it's not like we'll never see each other again. There is actually something I'd like you to help me with."