Chapter 37

"Cora!" came a voice she'd longed to hear since the moment the Jorvlens had taken her. That now seemed like ages ago and felt like another world away. Everything in her world had changed since she heard that lovely voice last.

Her mother's voice sounded through the forest halfway down the path to the resort. Cora looked up to see her father and brother close behind, picking their way through the forest as the burgeoning daylight broke through the trees.

With Levi following, she ran forward into her mother's arms. It was an incredible relief, and the tears flowed quickly, streaking the dust on her cheeks and leaving gray stains on her mother's blouse.

The tears didn't stop as she hugged her father and brother in turn, all of them clamoring over her.

"Oh my gods, Cora, I'm so glad you're okay," her mother cried.

"What happened?" asked her father, taking her into a bear hug.

"And who is that?" asked her little brother Ajay, pointing at Levi lingering in the background.

Cora turned, reaching out for Levi's hand and pulling him forward.

"This is Levi," she told them, holding him close. "He's the only reason I made it out of all this alive."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Levi said, bowing his head to her family.

Cora was touched by the gesture, knowing that it would be more apt for them to bow to him according to his royal status. It only made her love and appreciate him more.

Her parents pulled him into the same warm hug they'd given her. Levi grinned so big it looked like his face hurt. Cora felt her heart warm at the sight of the ones she loved most in the world finally meeting each other. And it seemed like they had the same instinctual love for each other that she and Levi had felt from the start.

She wished they could stay, but the Desolation Stone was still in Levi's satchel. She knew the island was probably crawling with Jorvlens. They had to go.

"I can't explain right now," Cora said, interrupting her parents fawning over Levi. "But we need to get to Lorrs. There's something we need to finish. I'll see you soon, though. This I can promise."

Her parents looked shocked but recovered quickly.

"Then we're coming with you," her father said, stepping forward.

Cora grinned. "If that's what you want, I wouldn't have it any other way."

The zoomer fit all five of them, and the trip gave her a chance to fill her family in on everything that had happened since she disappeared. If her parents liked Levi before, they absolutely adored him now after hearing all that he'd done for Cora. Ajay, of course, was in awe of the Lorr warrior, especially after discovering he was a prince. He peppered Levi with questions for hours.

It wasn't until her father suggested she and Levi might be tired after all their adventures that Ajay sheepishly stemmed his barrage of questions. But as tired as Cora was, she felt her body hum with energy. She and Levi had done everything they'd set out to do, and now their families were blending together—or at least one side. She only hoped the king would give her the same warm reception that her family had given Levi.

Her hopes were dashed the moment they set foot in the royal palace on Lorrs.

"You could have at least taken a shower before you stepped in here," said the king as Levi entered the king's sitting room with Cora following close behind.

She was a little startled although Levi had warned her of the king's reputation. Still, she wondered if he was in a particularly bad mood that day. She wasn't sure if the king was talking to Levi or to both of them.

In any case, she didn't have to think about it for too long. She'd never been in the presence of a king before and didn't really know the protocol, but she figured kneeling was a safe bet.

King Vrondo, however, didn't seem to appreciate the gesture.

"Not on the carpet!" he cried, gesturing for Cora to get up.

She did as she was told, a little bewildered, and she was glad her family had been taken to wait in another room. She didn't want them to be subjected to the same harsh criticism nor to accidentally commit some kind of high crime by rushing to her aid.

Instead, Levi jumped to defend her.

"Father, this is Cora. She's much of the reason we're here with good news. Please treat her with the same respect you would show an honored guest because that is what she is," he said, looking his father right in the eye. "She's also the woman I love."

Cora half-expected another outburst, but the king only grumbled.

"Well, what's the good news then?" he asked, glancing at Cora for a moment before turning his attention back to his son.

Although she knew she probably shouldn't, Cora stepped forward, looking the king in the eye.

"We've recovered the Desolation Stone, Your Majesty," she said, keeping her voice respectful but firm. "And we destroyed the Motley factory. The Jorvlens have lost their greatest weapon, and now their biggest source of income and control has been reduced to rubble. I'm wearing the remnants of that destruction. In a sense, it's a badge of honor."

She gestured to the dust that still clung to her, which the king had found so offensive just a few moments earlier. "I hope these two victories will secure the safety of the great planet of Lorrs."

She meant what she said, but she also wanted to win the king's favor. She caught Levi grinning beside her.

"Like I said, Father," Levi added, "Cora is much of the reason we're in a better position now than we have ever been in the history of this war. And the reason we can present you with this."

He unclipped the satchel from his belt and handed it to the king, whose look of disapproval had shifted ever so slightly into one of enthused curiosity.

King Vrondo took the satchel, opening it slightly to peer inside. The look on his face told Cora that beneath his harsh exterior he was clearly pleased. Impressed even.

"Very good," he told them, handing the satchel off to a guard who stood nearby. "Now, I recommend you two go and clean up."

It seemed about the best she was going to get, and from the stories Levi had told her, including ones of exile and shunning, it seemed like a warm reception from him. She only hoped the rest of the family wasn't so severe.

It didn't take long to find out the others hadn't inherited their father's surly nature. Over the next two weeks, as the literal and proverbial dust settled on their mission, each of Levi's siblings came to visit from Noxxa to congratulate them on their success.

Her own family stayed, too, and soon the mingling of their families eclipsed the king's sour reception. In fact, Cora was beginning to feel that her relationship with Levi was evolving in ways she had hoped for but hadn't been bold enough to expect. At the end of that two weeks, they sat down to a family dinner, and Levi made an announcement.

"Dear family, honored nobles and guests, I have an important announcement to make, and I want all of you here with me while I make it. Only one person truly matters, however, regarding what I have to say. Cora, my love. Meeting you has been the honor of my life because almost as soon as I met you, I knew you were the love of my life. I love you, and I can't imagine spending another day without you. If I had the choice, I'd never spend a minute without you. Will you do me the honor of becoming my mate and bond with me so we can be together for the rest of our lives?"

Cora barely let him finish the question before she blurted out her answer.

"Yes!" she cried to the wild applause of the family.

Even the king nodded to her from the head of the table. She thought she even detected a modest smile on his dignified face.

She was about to be bonded with the love of her life, and nothing would ever stop them.