Epilogue

EPILOGUE

ADRIANNA

“ T hank you so much for coming. No. Thank you so much for coming. Definitely not. Fuck. Try again. Thank you so much for coming… I don’t think we should invite them anymore.”

I give up. I am defeated.

“Dagger, I think it’s a little late for that. They’re downstairs seated at that grand-as-fuck dining table in a room I didn’t know existed. I don’t think you can back out now.” The humor in Brody’s voice overtakes his soothing words, making me glare at him and his attempt to calm me down.

“Brody, I can’t go down there. I can’t even speak,” I insist, smoothing my hands over the deep-blue silk dress that fits my curves in the most perfect way. I might feel good in what I’m wearing, but I don’t feel good about what I have to say.

“Princess, you’ve addressed the kingdom how many times in the last six months?” Kryll asks, cocking a brow at me, earning himself a deathly stare just like Brody.

“That’s beside the point,” I grumble, relenting enough to sit at the foot of our bed to slip into my simple black heels. “This is different and you know it.”

Raiden is crouched down before me in a flash, thumb mindlessly stroking over my knee as he looks deep into my eyes. “It’s different because you know these people, Adrianna. I’d even go as far as to say you like them, which is rare for you, I know, but you’re overwhelmed because you care.”

“I’m not overwhelmed,” I mutter, opting to look at my hands instead of his face.

“We can stay up here and I can fuck you into the mattress while these guys go and entertain the guests for you?” Cassian interjects, pulling my stare to his as he leans against the doorframe that leads into the bathroom.

“Please, there’s no way she would be quiet. They would definitely hear,” Brody says with a snicker, and I gape at him.

“I can be quiet.”

“Sure you can, Princess. Care to put it to the test?” Kryll offers, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

“You’re all impossible,” I grumble, taking Raiden’s offered hand as he tugs me to my feet, pressing me right against his chest as he grins down at me.

“That’s your fault,” he states, so matter-of-factly, and I sigh in defeat.

“Let’s get this over with before I change my mind,” I say, faking way too much confidence.

Any refusal I expect doesn’t come, as they all take the moment and my surrender and hurry me out of the door and down the hallway.

I’m never nervous about things like this, but it seems my Kryptos can see through my bullshit. With Raiden’s fingers laced with mine, and Kryll’s hand at the small of my back, we walk ahead of Cassian and Brody, descending the stairs far too quickly.

My steps slow as we approach the royal dining hall. My tongue peeks out to run over my bottom lip, but any chance of a moment to gather myself before we step inside is obliterated when Nora sticks her head out.

“Oh, good. You’re here,” she says with a beaming smile, grabbing my wrist and pulling me from Raiden and Kryll.

I instantly feel the loss of my men, the safety blanket they silently provide ripped away as the room comes into view and the table full of our guests materializes.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

“Addi, your panic is showing,” Nora breathes, a grin on her lips still as she ushers me farther into the room.

I plaster a smile on my face, delirious as hell, but as our guests start to notice my arrival, they rise from their seats and the role of queen washes over me. Rolling my shoulders back, I relax the tense muscles in my face, my smile much more natural now as I approach the far end of the table with my hand extended.

“Thank you for coming, Commander North.” He nods, gripping my hand in a firm handshake.

“Thank you for the invite, Queen Adrianna.”

I shake my head at the formal title he uses, but I remember the reason we’re here, so instead of correcting him to just call me Addi, I keep my lips tightly shut.

Releasing his hand, I make my way around the table, smiling at the woman who appears next. “It’s a pleasure, as always. Thank you so much for accepting our invitation. Your presence is greatly appreciated, Queen of the Dragons.”

Kryll’s mother gives me a knowing smirk, glancing over my shoulder to wink at her son before she takes my hand, her grip questionably tighter than Commander North’s.

“The pleasure is all mine. I believe this partnership will serve us both well.”

I beam at her, moving along to find a man Brody told me about. “Ah, Mage Morgan. It’s good to see you again. Thank you for agreeing to join us.”

“Thank you for considering me a candidate,” he insists, his handshake thankfully much gentler in comparison to the others.

“Alpha Janie, thank you for sparing some of your time to be here,” I breathe as I approach my friend, and she beams at me.

“It’s a pleasure.”

I greet my father, Arlo, and Flora, while smiling at Nora at her seat beside mine before making my way around to my spot. Everyone is seated and in position and my heart feels whole. Flanked by my family and friends, I greet those new to the table with a smile I feel way down deep in my soul too.

“Before the food is brought in and we enjoy a wonderful evening, I just want to truly thank all of you for coming this evening. I’m not going to lie, I’ve been agonizing over it, but the reality is, we’re all here for a greater cause, and creating the Floodborn Guild is going to make such a difference. Uniting our origins like this, ensuring everyone has a say at the table, is just as important to me as being at a table with those I love. There’s an empty seat at this time because we’re yet to find a vampire we can trust that isn’t Raiden, but we won’t stop until our table is complete. I’ll stop yapping on now, but truly, thank you for being here. To the Floodborn Guild.”

“To the Floodborn Guild.”

“What’s got your attention, Princess?”

I glance over my shoulder at Kryll as he saunters into the room, eyes roaming over me from head to toe. His tongue sweeps out over his bottom lip, making me gulp.

“I’m just looking out at the city.” My voice is breathy as Raiden stalks in behind my dragon.

With both of their eyes feasting on me, I feel my skin heat.

“Why the fuck wouldn’t you be looking at yourself instead? Have you seen yourself in that silk?” My vampire rasps, eyes darkening as he takes me in.

“Did someone say silk?” Brody says excitedly, appearing in the doorway with a stompy wolf a step behind him.

“Fuck, that ass in those shorts,” Cassian snaps, swiping a hand down his face.

The temperature in the room is higher than ever as they observe me, but no one seems to be in a rush to close the distance.

“What’s going on?” I ask, perching myself on the window sill as I scan my gaze between them.

Brody is the first to sigh. “We promised to keep our hands off you until each of us had spoken.”

My eyebrows gather. “That sounds… ominous.” My fingers curl around the window sill as I eye them suspiciously.

“I don’t recall agreeing,” Cassian grunts, shouldering past my mage with a huff, but Kryll slams his palm flat against my wolf’s chest, stopping his approach.

“Don’t even think about it.” The warning on Kryll’s tongue is sharp, but not harsh. Almost as if he’s struggling just as much.

“Maybe you guys should skip to the part where you actually say whatever it is you wanted to say so I can actually feel all of your hands on me.”

Four sets of eyes snap to mine.

“I love you.”

Four voices in sync, stealing my breath. Those words have been uttered between us before, but the weight of them in this moment is… everything.

The future is brighter, hopeful, almost exciting, and having the four of them with me only heightens everything.

“I love you all too. More than those three little words can even express.”

Raiden grins, his pupils blown as he eliminates the distance between us. “We know you do, Troublemaker, we just wanted to make sure you know we do. We feel it in here,” he states, pressing a palm to his abdomen, marking exactly where I feel the bond connecting us all too. “We’re never going to be enough for you, Adrianna, but we’ll fight every day to try to be.” I part my lips to speak, but he presses his finger against my mouth, halting my next words. “I didn’t say you could speak.” His rasp makes my thighs clench as the others draw closer until all I can see is them.

“Now, be a good little queen and get on your knees.”

As I sink to the floor, knees pressing against the carpet as my fingers splay across my thighs, I vow to myself in that moment, a promise I hope to keep forever.

On the throne, I belong to the kingdom.

On my knees, I belong to them.