Seventy Dianna

I emerged from the portal, my lungs rejoicing with the pure, sweet air as I took what felt like my first breath. I stepped forward and felt my eyes widen, my gaze flitting all around me, trying to make sense of the incredible beauty. Mountain ranges and narrow spires towered over the valleys, their peaks piercing the dazzling blue of the sky. Forests stretched far and wide, the greens and blues of the trees interspersed with pops of red and ribbons of silvery rivers. Small floating islands cast massive shadows. Waterfalls spilled from their edges and poured into crystalline lakes, adding a shimmery mist to the air that burst into rainbows where the sun shone through.

“What is this place?” I turned toward Samkiel as he dragged the officiant through the closing gate.

“It will be the new Rashearim.”

“Here?”

He nodded.

Everrine dropped to her knees the second Samkiel released her. Raising her hands above her head, she bowed until her face was in the dirt. “Please forgive me, oh great future queen. I pledge my life to protect you and your kingdom’s secrets. Please spare me from my mistake.” She continued to ramble on.

“What is she doing?” I glanced at Samkiel. “What did you say to her?”

He shrugged. “I told her you are my future queen, and I want her to perform the ceremony. I assume she feels bad for touching me, even in gratitude. She is asking for forgiveness. Oh, and she also doesn’t want you to eat her.”

I rolled my eyes and stepped forward, grabbing her arm and pulling her up and off her feet. “Please, stop. I’m not going to kill you or eat you.” She quieted, but her lower lip still trembled. “Unless you don’t help us get married, then I might.”

“No, no, I will. I swear it.” She nodded. “My life is forever in your debt, Queen of Rashearim.”

My heart thudded. “I’m not—”

“You will be,” Samkiel cut off my denial, walking past us both. I dropped Everrine on her feet, and she straightened her gown, the arms and tail trailing behind her. “I know it doesn’t look like much now, but this place is the most beautiful of all the realms.”

“Fitting,” I murmured, standing by his side. He caught my joke, remembering how I’d told him how beautiful he was the first time I’d met him.

“I plan for this to be our home and, eventually, the epicenter of New Rashearim. Once I have my powers fully back, that is.”

“And we defeat your evil sister.”

“That too,” he agreed.

“And your evil brothers.”

“Yes.”

“And also rescue your family.”

He chuckled. “Yes, yes, all of that.”

Unable to take my eyes off the view before us, I nodded. I could see it, what Samkiel envisioned, but I worried he thought getting his powers back would be easy. Regardless, I’d help him any way I could.

“So, this is what you wanted to show me? Our future?” I said, smiling at him.

“Yes, but this,” he held out his hand, his silver armor matching mine as I put my palm in his, “this is what I wanted you to see.”

He led me toward the edge of the cliff and stepped behind me. His massive arm took up my vision as he pointed to the left.

There, carved into half the mountain, sat the largest castle I had ever seen.

“What?” I tipped my head back, gazing up at him in shock.

“This was the first place I went after our fight. I needed a place to keep the one person who I love the most safe. Nowhere we have been has been good enough, and when I remembered this realm, I needed to see if it still stood. It does, and it is also abandoned. I checked the entire place. They even left the furniture.”

“You left me to go house hunting and wedding planning after we’d just had a major fight?”

He shrugged. “Well, when you say it like that, I suppose it does sound a bit strange.”

There he was, once again proving that he was nothing like I’d ever expected. I had been miserable those days after we fought. Miserable and crying and depressed that I had ruined the best thing that had ever happened to me, yet he was quite literally building our future.

“I would burn the world for you,” I whispered, meaning every godsdamn word. “Take your helmet off.”

It disappeared in a flash, and he reached for my hand, flicking my ring so mine dropped next. His smile broadened, spreading across his face before he leaned forward to kiss me. Every worry I’d had over the last few days melted as his lips touched mine, neither of us caring about the gore that still covered us. I hadn’t realized how utterly scared I was that I’d come so close to losing him.

“Can we just get inside before you start all that, please?” Everrine said from behind us.

Samkiel and I broke apart and turned. We’d forgotten she was even here.

She held herself stiffly, the wind whipping at her garments as she shivered.

“I do not have well-insulated armor, and I am freezing since we are so high up. Let me perform the ceremony, and you can kiss each other until you turn blue.”

I FOLLOWED SAMKIEL INTO THE MASSIVE HALL, TAKING IN EVERY INCH of the estate, and estate was putting it lightly. Not only had he left me to fashion a wedding ring built to protect me, but he’d also found us a new home built for a queen.

My throat dried as he smiled and pushed open the twin double doors. The hinges creaked, stiff with disuse. He stepped aside, and I paused on the threshold, looking out at the room sprawled before me. I took a hesitant step inside and spun, taking in the towering ceiling and massive interior.

“This bedroom is bigger than the one we had on Rashearim.”

He nodded, watching me with pleasure. “It is.”

“They just left it all?” I asked, glancing around. A bed with four twisted wooden posts sat to my left, covered in an array of furs, but it was the mantle on the other side of the room that caught my attention. It stood sentinel above a fireplace that nearly took up half the wall.

“Yes, Nismera’s reign is not one to be taken lightly. I am sure that with the realms locked down and Unir dying, they must have felt abandoned and left to her mercy. The problem is, she doesn’t have any. The knowledge must have instilled the utmost fear and panic in them.”

I could hear the soul-deep guilt in his voice, his crown weighing heavily today when he had to confront the realities these beings had faced without him to protect them.

“I wonder what happened to them.”

“Probably captured or enslaved, or worse,” he said before clearing his throat. “I already removed the relics from the castle so you won’t see any pictures of them. There is still a lot of work I want to do in this place, but I thought we could do it together. I was only able to get a few of the most essential pieces from Rashearim.”

I swallowed the growing lump in my throat and reached for the frame resting on the split wooden mantle. The image went blurry, but I lovingly traced my fingers over Gabby’s smiling face. “The most essential,” I managed to say, my voice clogged with tears.

“Yes,” he said from behind me. “I want you to make this your new home . . . I want you to make this our new home. Fill it with laughter and joy like only you can. I want to fight with you here, love with you here, and fill it with our family. Only you can give me this, Dianna. I can give you the house, but only you can make it our home.”

I spun, tossing my arms around his shoulders as I kissed him once, twice, three times. My hands curled in his hair as I moved away just a fraction, my nose running across his ever so slightly.

“You shouldn’t have traveled back to Old Rashearim without me.”

“I was safe,” he whispered.

I sniffled, the overwhelming emotions threatening to take me. “I can’t believe you did all this in three days.”

He shrugged like it was nothing. “I didn’t sleep.”

Carefully, almost reverently, I pulled back and stepped out of his embrace. I turned, placing the picture back on the mantle and staring at the one next to it. Neverra and Imogen were making goofy faces. I remembered Neverra’s insistence that I join in, and I’d ended up squished in the middle. I looked so different then, so sad. They had tried with everything they had to help bring me back into living and not just existing. I would do the same for them.

Inhaling, I turned toward Samkiel. “I already love our new home.”

The joy that suffused his face took my breath away, and I knew my words meant more to him than a throne or crown. They were everything. This home would belong to all of us because I would carve our enemies into bloody ribbons to get our family back.

His fingers brushed a strand of hair from my face. “Miska, Orym, and Roccurem will be here as well.”

“A full house then,” I said, lifting one brow.

Samkiel nodded and lowered his hand, taking mine. “There is just one more thing.”

He led me deeper into the suite and through another doorway. This room was smaller but spacious enough that a group of us could move freely. A large, half-dusted, freestanding mirror stood proudly to the right. What used to be an ornate dressing screen was sectioning off one corner. It had seen better days, tilting to the side, sections of it broken. A large, round dresser took up a good portion of the center of the room, a collection of drawers running up and down its surface.

“I know you adore large walk-in closets, and I thought this would be perfect once we fix it up.” He smiled at me before dropping my hand. I watched him shift the broken divider to the side, revealing a long dress draped over a plush maroon chair.

My heart stuttered as he moved to the side, watching for my reaction with careful eyes.

“Is that . . .?” My words failed me.

He only nodded.

I stepped toward the dress almost hesitantly. Picking it up by the hanger, I walked to the mirror and held it in front of me, careful not to let it touch my gore-smeared armor. The contrast of the dirty metal against the pristine white fragility of the lace was nearly comical. The fabric looked so soft, and I longed to touch it but was hesitant, not wanting to mar its perfection.

Samkiel stepped behind me, and I met his eyes in the mirror. He was always behind me. I could face anything, knowing he stood at my back. He was my shield, my strength, and soon he would be my husband.

“I hate it,” I said. “The wedding is off.”

Samkiel’s eyes shuttered for a fraction of a second before he saw my smile bloom across my face. He grinned and leaned forward, nipping at my ear. I squealed, lowering my head.

“Stop it,” he growled against my cheek.

“It’s beautiful,” I said. “No, that’s the wrong word. It is stunning, Samkiel.”

He beamed and placed a kiss on my cheek. “Just as you are.”

“You just knew I’d love lace?”

He smirked adorably, his lips quirking in smug pride. “I may have paid attention once or twice.”

“Oh, yeah?” I grinned at the challenge. “What’s my favorite color?”

“Black, even though I tell you it’s not a color but the absence of one, and you roll your eyes and say I am being too literal.”

“Okay.” I chuckled. “That was easy. What about—”

“I know you broke your wrist when you were young, protecting your sister. You showed me where the scar was when we were in that small motel on Onuna, and you were trying to make me feel better about my outburst. I know the ocean is your favorite place, even if it still hurts you. When you were young, you lied and said that you and Gabriella had the same birthday so that people would think you were twins. Pasta was the first thing you learned to cook, but baking is your favorite. You prefer silk over most fabrics, leather over rough jeans, and you think that one of the best perks of immortality is that you can wear heels for hours and your feet never hurt.”

A small laugh escaped me at that last part, and I remembered bitching about that on one of our first long treks looking for Azrael’s book.

His eyes shone a bit brighter, and he dipped his chin to press a kiss to the top of my head. “Did I pass?”

I pursed my lips and shrugged. “You did okay.”

“I told you. I always listened, even when you thought I wasn’t.” He focused on the reflection of the dress. “But you do like it? Most I found were far too vibrant or fluffy. I thought this one was perfect for you. It is simple, yet elegant, and on you? It will be absolutely devastating.”

“It’s perfect.” I smiled at him, no longer talking about the dress. I hung the dress almost reverently and turned in his arms, my eyes prickling. I pressed up on my tiptoes and leaned against him, brushing a tender kiss full of promises on his lips. “Absolutely perfect,” I whispered before pulling back. “Now, get out of my room so I can get dressed.”

He threw his head back and laughed before meeting my gaze and stepping away. “As you wish.”

I turned back, staring at the dress again as he strode toward the door. “You know I can’t wear panties with this, right?” I called out, grinning mischievously over my shoulder.

He paused at the door. His expression was calm and innocent, as if my words hadn’t sent desire blazing through him. “Oops.”

“I HAVE NEVER HAD ANYONE DO MY HAIR BEFORE.” MISKA FIDGETED as she stared at herself in the mirror. She wore a champagne-colored dress, the hem dancing around her feet with her every movement. The fabric was light and smooth but shimmered softly at the smallest touch of light.

“Really?” I asked, twisting another strand and pinning up the side.

“Yeah, I always did it myself. Everyone avoided me in Jade City.”

“Right.”

“You’re good at it.” She grinned at me.

I smiled at her as I secured the last piece of her bun. “I used to do my sister’s, and she did mine. She actually taught me how to braid my hair.”

Miska’s head turned to mine. “What’s that?”

“I’ll show you one day.” I handed her a small mirror and turned her until her back was to the big one so she could see her hair. “What do you think?”

“Wow,” she whispered, reaching up and lightly touching it. “I’m pretty.”

“The prettiest.” I smiled and stepped back. “Okay, I need to get dressed now.”

Miska nodded and hopped off the stool before striding into the bedroom. I stared at the gown. It all seemed unreal, as if I should pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. I stripped off my robe and let it fall to the ground, carefully pulling the dress from the hanger.

The lace fabric was so soft. I was afraid it would rip if I moved too quickly. I unbuttoned the lower back before stepping into it. Slowly, I wiggled it over my hips and slid the straps over my shoulders. I reached behind me and buttoned up the low back before adjusting my breasts in the cups. The bodice had enough structure that I wouldn’t spill out of it if I bent over.

I turned toward the mirror and stared. My lips curved in a soft smile as I ran my hand across the fabric over my abdomen. Beneath the white lace, a silky panel cut to mimic my hourglass shape was sewn into the dress from breast to mid-thigh. Another piece lined the back, molding lovingly to my ass. Together, they hid everything he didn’t wish to share with the world. Along my sides, nothing but the sheer lace traced the curve of my breasts to the tuck of my waist and over the flare of my hips. It spilled to the floor and beyond in a breathtaking train. My back was bare, the edge of the dress starting just below the small of my back. I stared, marveling at my reflection.

“All done,” I called out.

I heard the shuffle of small feet draw close.

“Your bedroom is so huge you could have fifty husbands in here,” Miska said as she entered the dressing room and stopped. I saw her eyes widen in the mirror. “Wow.”

I smiled. “You like?”

“You look like a goddess.” Miska gaped. “No, you are way prettier.”

I snickered, continuing to stare at myself in the mirror. “I knew there was a reason I kept you around.”

“Wait, really?” she asked, something unsure darkening her eyes.

“No,” I grinned at her, “that was a joke.”

“Oh.” Her coy smile brightened her face. She stepped closer, looking at the long train. “This castle is fit for a god and goddess. I wonder who lived here before.”

I fiddled with my hair, trying and failing to decide what to do with it. I had used most of my pins on Miska’s. Gathering the silky strands into various styles, I finally decided on a half-up, half-down, pinning it back just enough to keep it out of my face.

“Samkiel said it was one of many abandoned places during Nismera’s conquest. This entire planet was just left,” I said.

She smiled at me. “Well, I heard any place can be home if you make it. Maybe this can be that. A new start to a new era.”

My eyes fell on her, a familiar sense washing over me. “A new era indeed.”

I grabbed the veil off the edge of the vanity. “Now come on, we need my shoes.”

Miska practically skipped out, and I gathered up the longest part of my dress before following her into the bedroom. Miska was right. It was massive. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I slipped on the shoes and buckled the straps around my ankles before standing.

“Okay, Miska, final touches,” I said, turning toward the mirror. I tossed the long portion of the veil over my shoulder to hang down my back. Lifting it to my head, I slid the combs along the band into my hair, securing it. I tipped my head, studying my reflection in the mirror and adjusting the veil.

“I’ve only ever heard stories about amata ceremonies, the grand balls and parties that last for days. I’ve never participated in one before,” Miska said, bending to grasp the edge of the veil. She gave it a shake, fanning it out to let it lay against my back.

“It’s my first one, too. Hopefully, the last,” I joked.

She smirked. “Thank you for letting me be a part of it.”

“Well, you’re kind of stuck with us now since I destroyed your home, but you’re welcome.”

She smiled at me. “You seem sad. Most pairs are so happy they can barely contain their excitement.”

I looked down at my hands, twisting my ring. “Not sad, not really. I wish Neverra and Imogen were here. You’d like them, and they’d like you too. Plus, Logan, Cameron, and Xavier, I know they would be giving Samkiel a hard time, but he needs them, too. And I just wish . . . I just wish my sister was here. She loved giant celebrations and love and every mushy feeling you can think of.” I half laughed, blinking back tears. “She would give me so much grief if she could see me now. I was the person who scoffed at the idea of love and forever mates, and here I am, in a castle, getting ready to marry the one person I cannot live without.”

“Marry?”

I nodded. “It’s what it’s called in my world. Even there, it is sometimes a huge celebration. It depends on the person, really. Gabby always dreamed of a huge wedding. She’d been planning her own wedding since we were teens. She had a dress and cake, and everything picked out.”

“Did you?”

I shook my head. “No, I dreamt of surviving and keeping her safe. I never thought that weddings, sweet words, and flowers from lovers were for me. This was her dream, and she isn’t even here to give me shit about it now.”

Miska’s hands fell to her hips as she scolded me. “Who says she isn’t? We heard stories growing up of how our most loved ones could watch over us from beyond. Even if we can’t see them anymore.”

A short laugh left my lips at her newfound attitude. I looked out the open window and into the night sky. Had she followed me into this new existence of mine?

“Maybe she is,” I said as Miska continued to smooth and adjust the veil and my train.

We were silent for a moment before she stepped back and said, “All done.”

I stared at myself in the mirror, not truly recognizing the woman looking back at me.

“I think you’re lucky all the goddesses aren’t here for this. They’d be so jealous of you.”

“Me?” I laughed. “No, but you? In an old book I once read, there was a goddess of flowers and herbs, a healer. That’s who you remind me of.”

Color tinted her pink cheeks a darker hue as she smiled. She was so unused to receiving compliments it made me want to burn Jade City twice. “I’m not anything special. The others could heal better than me. They’d have your king completely well by now.”

I stepped forward, the long end of my dress snagging under my heel as I placed my hands on her shoulders.

“Samkiel is broken because of the betrayal from those closest to him. Not you, okay?”

“I should have known about the poison. They were always so sneaky and kept me out of things.”

“Miska.” I smiled and crouched in front of her. “He is not mad at you. I am not. You saved him. You made an antidote.”

Miska nodded. “Thank you for taking care of me and not making me work until my hands bleed.”

“I want you to start over. You can be something this world doesn’t stamp a label on. You have a home with us, Miska. Our family may be small right now and a little broken, but it’s a family that will always stand by you.”

Miska smiled and hugged me gently. A knock came from the doors, and she stepped back as I rose.

“You can’t see me yet. I told you!” I snapped toward the closed doors.

“It is merely me.” Reggie’s voice filtered through the heavy wood.

“Oh.” I headed toward the door, Miska giggling behind me. “Sorry, Samkiel was being insistent earlier, and I just assumed.”

I opened the door, and Reggie paused, beaming with pride as he looked at me.

“What?”

He shook his head. “My apologies. I have seen this outcome in so many variations, but this one is my favorite. You look . . .” He paused, meeting my gaze, and I could have sworn the fate had tears in his eyes. “Like you have found your home.”

A soft smile spread as I stepped to the side, allowing him to enter. “Well, you don’t look too bad yourself.”

He nodded before stepping fully into the room.

“I fixed her veil,” Miska chimed in as the door closed.

Reggie gave her a grin in return. “It’s quite lovely.”

“So is your suit,” I said. “He had time to get that too, I see.”

Reggie nodded. “Yes, and a few other items. It is quite impressive given such a short time.”

I picked up my dress and walked back to the bed. “I need a drink,” I said, carefully sitting down.

They both looked at me.

“Not the blood kind. I need alcohol.” I let out a shaky breath, my leg bouncing nervously.

“That’s to be expected,” Reggie said.

“Is this really happening?” I asked.

Reggie grinned widely. “Yes, yes, it is.”

I stood again, wringing my hands as I paced. “You’d tell me, right? I don’t think Dream Reggie would lie. What if he changes his mind?”

Reggie clasped his hands behind his back. “I can tell you with a hundred percent accuracy that there is no vision I have ever seen where he changes his mind about you.”

I stopped, my hands dropping to my sides. “Okay, but don’t realities change all the time? What if he is downstairs as we speak, plotting his escape? Gabby had seen this movie one time—”

Reggie reached into his pocket. “He is busy with the officiant and Orym, organizing the final details as we speak, so I stated I would bring this for you. It is the words you must speak when signaled.”

“Oh. Words . . . words are good.” My hands were suddenly shaking, but I gripped the paper and unfolded it, reading through the words. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

“I’ll leave you for a few more minutes, then we shall begin,” he said, striding toward the door.

“Wait!” I called out far too loudly. Reggie turned, waiting patiently as if whatever I had to say was the most important thing he had to hear. “Umm . . .”

I handed Miska the paper, and she looked at me as if I had grown horns while Reggie watched me expectantly. My tongue darted out of my mouth, running over my lower lip. I tugged at a loose strand of my hair, but Miska reached out and swatted my hand away. I pouted at her but took a step toward Reggie, determined to do this.

“On Onuna, a bride would usually have someone give her away. Typically, it was her father, but Gabby and I always agreed that when she got married, I would walk her, you know? And I don’t have anyone.” The words were so hard to say. “You have been closer than a friend to me for a while now. You’re the closest thing I have to a father figure in that I-kidnapped-you-from-another-realm type way. You have been here guiding me, even on my worst days. So, Roccurem, would you walk me down the aisle?”

I met his gaze, a look I had never seen crossing his features. He smiled, joy lighting his eyes. “I did not see that coming.”

My finger lifted, and I pointed at him. “Ah-ha! See, even fate doesn’t know everything.”

Reggie gave me a deadpan expression. “That does not change the outcome. Samkiel is not leaving you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, dropping my hand. “So what do you say? My adopted father died with my adopted mom when Rashearim fell, and my real father sent me away, then was mind tortured and tried to kill me. So, do you want to be my stand-in daddy?”

“Never repeat those words.” He rubbed his brow before dipping his head slightly. “But, yes. It would be my honor to escort you, Dianna.”

I smiled so big my cheeks ached. Reggie left the room, and I turned to Miska. I took a shuddering breath and extended my hand. “Okay, hand it over.”

She laughed brightly, the sound like tinkling bells, and handed me the small piece of paper.

“All right, let’s memorize some words and get married.”