Page 125 of The Bones of the Cursed

She nods again, and the smile that grows on her face is magical.

I pick her up, squeezing her in a bear hug.

Malakai hugs her from behind, his hands closed around my back. It’s that that allows me to feel him stiffen, his hands clutching hard to my tunic. “Wait, you fought in a war knowing you were pregnant!”

She just pats his chest. “Shh. The healer checked me. Everything is fine. And anyway, I didn’t know until afterward.”

I release a breath at the quick bout of panic that sliced through me.

Malakai leads us around a corner and into an empty hallway, pushing her up against the wall as he shoves her dress up and moves her underwear to the side. Gods, I love watching them together. The two people I love more than anything. Malakai’s gaze latches onto mine, desire darkening his eyes. Before Alanis can even catch her breath, he has freed himself and is pushinginside her drenched center. I yank her hair, smashing my lips against hers.

Mal’s tempo is fast, an urgency filling him that she is loving. She runs her fingers through the hair on the nape of his neck, causing him to growl. He latches his sharp canines above her collarbone. The second his teeth make contact with her skin, she explodes.

He follows her over the edge shortly after. Her little gasps of pleasure and his groans nearly send me to my knees.

“Gods, I can’t get enough of you,” he says reverently.

I laugh and scoop her up, speedwalking towards Malakai’s room, which we now all share. My turn now.

I gently lay her on our bed before sinking inside. My tempo slow and filled with love, a far cry different than the ravage way Malakai just consumed her.

Later, when we are all sated, Malakai runs a gentle finger over her abdomen, leaning forward to place a kiss to Alanis’s belly.

His eyes shine with unshed tears. “Thank you for saving me.”

I place my hand on her stomach next, my fingers resting on top of Malakai’s. “I think you saved me just as much,” I whisper.

She kisses us each softly. “I love you both, in this life and the next.”

As she stares into our eyes, I know that this is the life we were meant to live. One full of love and joy, not endless pain and loss.

I thank the Fates every day for tying my soul to theirs.

“In this life and every other one to come. I will follow your souls anywhere,” Alanis whispers.

Two months Later

- KAILU -

EPILOGUE

Istand at the end of the aisle, pale pink and white rose petals leading from where I stand in the garden to the glass doors of the patio. Chairs are placed in evenly spaced rows, the hum of conversation doing nothing to calm the nerves ricocheting through my body. Malakai stands next to me, looking just as jittery. Staring out over the audience, my nerves grow worse. There are a lot of powerful people here.

Hannah saunters down the aisle, avoiding eye contact with everyone, but glances shyly at Ames.

What shocks me further is Ames’s stare at Hannah. His eyes are full of longing.

I glance at Siveral on the opposite side of the aisle, who grits his teeth in frustration.

What is going on there?

The music changes, and my heart thunders in my chest. Malakai grasps my shoulder, and I turn to him, smiling. His mother and father sit in the front row. His father’s health is declining rapidly. The king and queen were always more like parents to me than my own. Laylani is doing her best to find something that may help, but so far, we have had no luck.

The king and queen have been working alongside Malakai, myself, and Alanis, preparing us for the future. The people of the realm were hesitant of Alanis at first, since she is an outsider, even with her saving the realm. But slowly, people who truly knew her started stepping forward.

The woman who works at the apothecary spoke highly of her and her kindness to not only herself but also her children. Another woman spoke of how kind she was when she ran into her in the library. The woman was good friends with Maryanna, who always had something positive to say about my mate. The most shocking, though, was Helvin, who works in the florist shop. He is notorious for disliking everyone, but even he said she was always pleasant when she came in, and how during the battle with Iclas she saved not only him but also a boy who had lost his mother in the chaos. If she can make that old grump like her, anything is possible.

Everyone stands and Malakai’s intake of breath draws my attention to the beginning of the aisle.

---