I received a warm welcome from the guards and was led outside through one of the back entrances. I expected to find Dorian in one of the many courtyards he spent his time in but was instead taken farther out on the grounds, finally ushered into a small, pretty clearing ringed in the trees that had given the Oak Land its name. Several members of Dorian’s court sat around in the grass on blankets, making a picnic of the sunny day. Their focus was on the clearing’s center, which contained a medium-sized pond. A path of very small stepping stones extended across the water, stopping at about the middle. There, balancing on one foot on the farthest stone, was Muran. He was sweating visibly, but I doubted it was from the heat.
Dorian stood near the edge like some kind of mad ringmaster, the sunlight setting his long hair ablaze. With an elegant gesture, he made a rock float through the air and settle in the water in front of Muran. The servant—who had been starting to waver—gratefully jumped onto the new rock with his other foot.
“Eugenie, Queen of Rowan and Thorn,” announced the herald.
Dorian looked over at me with surprise that quickly turned to joy. It was such a rare outpouring of affection from his normally lazy smile that I felt weak in the knees.
“My dear,” he said. “You’re just in time. I was demonstrating the amazing bridge feat we conducted on our journey to the Yew Land. Muran is assisting me.” Another rock landed in front of Muran who immediately jumped on it one-footed.
It was perhaps one of the more ridiculous things I’d seen Dorian do with Muran—and I’d seen some pretty ridiculous things. I laughed out loud. I was suddenly so happy to see Dorian, I thought my heart would burst. Our life had been filled with so many complications that I hadn’t allowed myself to really feel or acknowledge how I felt. I had loved him for some time, I realized, and wasn’t going to deny my feelings anymore.
Ignoring propriety, I ran up to him and threw my arms around him. I kissed him hard, a kiss he didn’t hesitate to return with equal ardency. One of his hands rested on my hip, the other on my hair. He pulled me as close as we could possibly get while clothed, and my whole body turned to fire from that kiss. I felt like it would consume me, and I welcomed it.
Public displays of affection were perfectly normal among the gentry, but I had never made any secret of my disdain for them. I’d always rejected them, no matter how much Dorian tried to coax me. Right now, I really didn’t care who was watching. It was actually kind of a surprise that he was the one who pulled back from the kiss, though his grip on me didn’t lessen at all.
“This,” he said, “might be the most astonishing thing that’s happened in a while.”
I gazed up at him, momentarily caught in the green of his eyes that our children were already starting to inherit. “I missed you,” I said simply.
His lips twisted into a smile. “Even so, I’m not quite sure what I’ve done to deserve a welcome like that.”
“What haven’t you done?” I asked, echoing his constant “What wouldn’t I do for you?” rhetoricals.
“Um, Your Majesty ...”
Muran’s voice was tremulous, and glancing over, I saw he was dangerously close to falling into the water. Dorian studied my face a few moments longer before finally turning to see what his servant wanted. “Eh? Oh, that.” With an impatient gesture, Dorian sent a whole set of rocks across the water, completing the path. Muran sprinted across it, sagging with visible relief when he reached the other side. Dorian returned his attention to me.
“I wasn’t sure if you were coming back,” he said. “I figured you had a lot to occupy you in the human world.”
I smiled back. “Yup. But I have a lot to occupy me here too.”
“So I see.” Dorian traced my cheek and then touched the edge of my crown. “Jeans and emeralds. Quite the fashion statement.”
“Story of my life,” I said. “I don’t think I can give up either world. And I can’t give you up either.”
“Well, of course not,” he scoffed, as though I had just said the most absurd thing in the world. “Who could?”
I silenced any more witty Dorian quips with another kiss. His court sighed happily, as though it were the best thing they’d ever seen. It was certainly one of the best things I’d experienced in a while. My life was split by two worlds, but he kept me whole. Lost in his arms and his kiss, I could see a whole glorious future with him. The secret of Isaac and Ivy burned within me, and I regretted that dishonesty. At the same time, now that I was with him again, I had serious doubts about whether I’d actually be able to keep the truth from him. Dorian was kind of irresistible.
Whatever decisions I made, however, would be because I chose them. I chose to be with him. I chose to be an Arizona shaman. I chose to be Queen of Rowan and Thorn. My future was mine.
And not some prophecy’s.
