I called out a ‘hello’ to the Oracle, and she smiled back at me. I knew she wouldn’t come over and talk, but that was fine. She still liked to keep mostly to herself.
Moving my way through the crowd, I bumped into Zerus, Tejus’s brother.
“H-hello,” he mumbled. “You look beautiful today, Sofia.”
I smiled up at him, always charmed by his sweet nature. I’d grown increasingly fond of him since he’d arrived at Nevertide, and though (to my amusement) his attentions toward me irritated Derek to no end, I understood them for what they were; Zerus was an orphan who, despite his age, still searched for a mother-type figure.
“Thank you, Zerus. Did you enjoy the ceremony?” I asked.
“I’m very happy for Tejus and your granddaughter.” He nodded. “They make a beautiful couple. I’m glad my brother has found peace at last.”
I nodded, hoping that Zerus wouldn’t be far behind. Perhaps if he remained with us at The Shade he would find whatever it was he was looking for. I wasn’t sure what his plans were though—he refused to sleep in any of the accommodations we provided, insisting that he would prefer to stay out with the stars. I imagined that Zerus was a nomad at heart—perhaps he wouldn’t stay for long—but I wanted him to know he always had a home here should he need it.
“I hope you find peace too, Zerus,” I said gently.
“As do I.” He smiled softly and then was gone, swallowed up by the crowd.
Suddenly my husband reappeared, smiling down at me with a knowing look in his eyes.
“I take it you’ll be wanting to dance?” he asked, offering me his hand.
“Of course,” I said with a wry grin.
My stomach flipped over as his piercing blue eyes raked over my attire. Another thing that I wished for my granddaughter that I’d wished for my own daughter too—though would never have said so—was a husband who, even after thirty or so years, still sent molten desire running through their veins. Just like mine did.
“What are you thinking?” Derek asked me, arching a daring brow as I fell silent.
“Nothing,” I replied sweetly. “Absolutely nothing… Shall we dance?”
Tejus
Lights hung in the sky, seemingly suspended in thin air. They cast a hazy glow over the guests in the inky blue twilight, and lit up the dewy skin of my wife’s cheekbones and made her brown eyes golden.
“You put the stars to shame, Hazel,” I breathed in her ear. She looked indescribably beautiful, and all day I had been unable to tear my eyes away from her, still unable to comprehend that she was mine. My wife. That I would get to wake up next to her every day for the rest of my life.
“You are more romantic than I ever gave you credit for,” she replied, a small smile playing on her lips. She moved her hand to my shoulder, drawing her body closer. We were dancing—the first dance, shared with Ruby and Ash.
“Don’t get closer,” I murmured.
Her cheeks flushed, and the smile turned into a self-conscious laugh.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
“You will be. Later.”
“I’m taking my romantic comment back,” she replied archly.
“It’s not romantic to want to make love to my wife?”
She paused, smiling quickly at Vivienne, who was standing nearby as we turned.
“When you put it like that…” she whispered.
I laughed, moving her closer to me anyway because I couldn’t bear not to. The music picked up, and other couples began to join us on the dance floor. I’d never been around so many happy, relaxed people—not just today, but during the two weeks that we’d been residing in The Shade. It had taken some getting used to. Ash teased me about sleeping with a dagger under the mattress, but some habits were hard to break. But it was starting to feel like I could be truly content—not just when I was around Hazel, but in all manner of ways. It was a life that I had never envisioned, a future that I hadn’t mapped out. I thought about my mother; perhaps she had been able to foresee how different my life could be without the chains of Hellswan around my neck, how love might alter me. I knew Varga had hoped for this – for me, and possibly for himself too. What neither of them could have predicted was me finding the missing piece of my soul in another—or just how profound that love could be.
“You’ve gone somewhere. Come back to me.” Hazel jolted me back to the present with a teasing smile.
“I was thinking about my mother, and Varga. They would have liked this. I think it’s what they wanted for me all along.”
Hazel nodded. “I don’t know about your mother, but yes, I think it’s what Varga would have wanted for you. Zerus is happy for you too, you know.”