Page 175 of Enchanted Heir
He nodded. “Yes. Very much so. It’ll have to be done in secret. Probably at night, much like when Keir and I practice.”
That had me smiling. “So can it be in the meadow too? Or the forest if you’d prefer there to be tree cover.”
“You’d get married to me in the meadow?” Krew asked incredulously. “Not one of the numerous grand rooms in this castle? There is a huge ballroom on the east side that we could use. Or even the room you train in with Owen when it’s too cold.”
I shrugged. “I’m good with the meadow. There’s no place else I’d rather get married, actually.”
Krew shook his head. “This is not at all how I imagined the rest of the evening going.”
Owen slapped him on the shoulder. “Thank Jorah for that. I cannot imagine the amount of moping around and sulking that would have been in store for both of you if the two of you would have been separated.” He walked back toward the door. “I’ll let you two get to wedding planning. Love you guys.”
“Love you,” I called after him. I was fairly certain this was the first time Owen had casually thrown out those words to me, but it felt odd. Like it should have been a habit long before now.
After the door shut, Krew took off his tailcoat and threw it on the couch. “Is this real? Did you really just tell me you want to be bonded to me and take my magic?”
As if recognizing it was being talked about, his magic was snaking along his forearms as he walked over to me.
I nodded. “Yes. Yes, I do.”
“And you wish to marry me? To become my...” he had to stop and swallow. “My wife?”
The sound of those two words from his lips was almost my undoing. I wrapped my arms around him. “Yes, I do.”
“And you know this will have to be done in secret? That if my father finds out it’ll possibly put you in dange—”
I leaned back and pressed my finger to his lips to shush him. “Don’t, Krew. As long as your father lives, I am in danger. So yes, I know. We will take our time and plan this out, when and how it happens so he won’t know. If there’s one thing I do know, it’s how good you are at brewing up a decent plan.”
He kissed me hard. “I love you.”
Standing there in his arms, I knew I had never made a better decision, magic be damned.
CHAPTER43
It was my last ball as an unmarried woman. All the plans were in place and one week from tonight, Krew and I would be both heart bonded and married. Krew had been adamant we wait a month, and I wasn’t sure if it was because he wanted all the details ironed out or because he wanted to give me a chance to change my mind. Regardless of the reason, we’d done lots of planning and talking the last month. Everything was set.
The king would receive a harder dose of sleeping tonic that night. Despite Krew’s reservations, rather than draw up suspicion by ordering a wedding dress for me, I was just going to re-wear my dress from the solstice ball. Owen would be there, and the officiant, but other than that, no one else besides Hatcher even knew. Silvia would be brought in on it a day or two before also. All the planning thus far had been mostly Krew and me.
For now, we had another ball to attend. Silvia had me in a light blue, one shouldered lace gown. My hair was partly braided and partly down. I looked the part for yet another ball, I just wished it was my wedding and bonding instead.
Was I nervous? Yes. I had learned in the past weeks that Krew and I would have to both cut our palms and press them together before the magic could be transferred. It’d tingle during the process, but the magic itself wouldn’t settle for a few days following.
Despite my hundred questions, no one knew how powerful Krew’s drop of magic would truly make me. And I wouldn’t know the shape and color my magic would take until after the magic settled.
Furthermore, I was becoming less worried about the actual bonding and more worried about how to keep my magic from showing once I had it. I wasn’t going to be given time to learn how to reign my magic in. I had a week or less before I’d face the king, pretending to be a final four consort when in actuality I was already married to his son.
What if I accidentally shot my magic at the king the first time I saw him after the bonding?
A hundred-thousand things could go wrong. I knew that. But still, I felt ready. Afraid, but ready. I knew this was the next step. I loved Krew with everything in me, and for us to protect one another, if we had even a remote chance at a happy ending, this was what we needed to do.
“Will you walk down with me tonight, fiancé?” Krew asked as he threw on his black tailcoat.
“Of course,” I smiled, “but only if you spend some time with Renna tonight too.”
“Fine,” he groaned.
“Make it believable,” I commanded. “We don’t need anyone thinking we are whisking off to be married.”
His lips were on mine in only a flash of a moment.
