When they were back on solid ground outside of the palace, Cyrene and Dean were bombarded with congratulations. Most of his siblings weren’t around much and didn’t know that tensions had been running high among the court or the fact that Cyrene was supposed to be getting on a boat to head back to Byern tomorrow.

But the ones who did know what was going on held back from the group. Brigette seemed indifferent, but Cyrene suspected she was nursing a broken heart. The very thing Cyrene and Dean were trying to avoid. Alise looked furious. Cyrene still didn’t know what her problem was, but she looked ready to spit fire at Cyrene. And she was very glad that Doma blood didn’t run in the Eleysian royal family.

The Queen, however, ushered everyone away from Dean and Cyrene and stared them down. “That was a very clever thing you did today.”

“I’ll take that as congratulations,” Dean said.

“I am happy for you both, but marriages of royalty are a matter to be determined by me and your father. If you think that by proposing in front of half of the queendom will change my mind about sending her off to Byern tomorrow, you’re wrong. Expect a long-distance engagement. I refuse to let this stand until I’ve had word from King Edric that he will allow this. His Affiliates are his to give away as much as my son is my responsibility.”

Cyrene’s heart sank at the words. That couldn’t be true. Consort Daufina had said that her father had married someone against the wishes of the court. But Cyrene highly doubted that, if she went back to Byern to ask for permission, it would go over very well…or at all.

Dean seemed to come to the same conclusion. “You can’t ship her back to Byern!”

“I at least need approval from King Edric for this marriage. He wants her back, and we don’t need a war over one girl,” the Queen said. “We have a celebration to get ready for tonight. I expect you to be on your best behavior after that debacle.” Queen Cassia left them standing at the docks.

Cyrene was sure they were supposed to follow her inside, but the last thing she wanted to do at this point was face his family after that conversation. She had the sneaking suspicion that Edric would never agree to let her marry Dean…or anyone really.

She looked down at the ring on her finger and felt her magic jump at the sight of it. She was engaged. And she had no idea if she would ever get married.

“Cyrene”—Dean grabbed her hand and kissed the finger that the ring was on—“you said yes.”

She laughed hoarsely and tried to hold the tears back. “I did. I mean…you proposed! You want me to be your wife. Are you sure that’s what you want?” she asked, her fears getting the better of her. “You’re not just doing this so that I won’t have to leave?”

“Of course I don’t want you to leave, but that’s not the reason. It was going to happen anyway.”

“It was?” she asked softly.

“Yes. I love you, Cyrene. I love everything about you.”

Cyrene smiled wide and threw her arms around his neck. “I love you, too.”

He squeezed her tight. “It is so good to hear that. I feel like I’ve been holding that in for months. But I’m glad you know now. I’m not going to let one letter get in the way of us. You’re not going back to Byern unless it’s what you want to do. It’s not, is it?”

She shook her head. “No. I want to stay here with you.”

He sighed. “Good.” He kissed her hard on the mouth. “Come with me. I kind of had something planned in case you said yes.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t?” she asked, following him back out onto the boat.

“I wasn’t sure if it would be too soon with you. I knew I wanted it, but I didn’t want to rush you. We have our whole lives.”

“I’ll admit, it wasn’t high on my priority list. I have a few other things I want to figure out before getting married. A lot of things actually, but that doesn’t mean it feels wrong with you.”

He leaned back in the gondola and kissed her as they sped through the canals to their destination. His lips were tender, as if her words had sparked a fire within him. His fingers threaded into her intricate updo, and he grumbled as he kept hitting pins.

Cyrene laughed and pulled his hand away from her hair. “Leave it be. I have to be presentable for the party later.”

He groaned and leaned his head back.

She ran her thumb along his hand. “So, where are you taking me?”

Dean smiled but didn’t fill her in.

A few minutes later, they were docked in Fifth Harbor, and Dean was pulling her toward a large ship. She followed after him and got on board.

“Another boat?” she asked in confusion.

“A celebration,” he said. “I wanted to do something special for you.”

“We’re celebrating on a boat?” she asked again.

“Well, at sea. I hired a small crew to take us out on the water. It is the Bride of the Sea ceremony today. And since you will be my bride at sea and are wearing a bride’s ring, I thought it was appropriate.”

“About as appropriate as it gets,” she agreed.

The crew cast off, and Cyrene watched the capital city grow smaller in the distance. She could still see it as a speck on the horizon, but they were closer to some of the other volcanic islands in the area. It was a beautiful sight to behold. It was the first time she had ever seen the island like this. The last time, they had come into the city at night. Now, she was seeing it as it would appear to a stranger.

The crew stuck to themselves so well that Cyrene basically never even saw them.

They had lunch above deck, out of a basket that Dean had filled with Eleysian delicacies. He spread a blanket and placed a few cushions out for them, and they toasted their engagement with a bottle of bubbly champagne that went straight to her head.

When lunch was over, they didn’t have that much time left before they needed to go back for the party, but neither of them seemed ready to leave.

Dean’s fingers trailed up her arm and to her shoulder. Goose bumps broke out across her flesh, and she leaned into his touch. He kissed her shoulder and then her collarbone. She sighed.

“Creator,” he groaned. “That sigh is going to kill me.”

He stood, hoisted her into his arms, and carried her below deck. She didn’t even protest when they entered the bedchamber. For the first time since she had found her magic, she felt out of control, and she loved it.

Dean set her down on the bed and lay next to her. She had slept in his bed more than once in the months since she had come to Eleysia, but never had it felt more intimate than the moment when she was looking up at her future husband.

His fingers threaded back up into her hair, and he slowly removed the pins, one by one. Her dark tendrils fell out of its style until it cascaded down her back. Then, he pushed his hands through the mass of hair once more.

“I like it better down,” he told her, brushing it to the side and gently kissing her on her bare shoulder.

“Then, I’ll wear it down,” she told him.

Their eyes met in the dim lighting, and it was as if everything in the world made sense. She might have been sent to Eleysia to find Matilde and Vera, but finding Dean along the way wasn’t a coincidence. And she loved him.

They moved together at the same time. All those months they had been holding back cracked open between them. Their lips touched and tongues explored.

He leaned her back on the bed and covered her body with his. The pressure of him against her just made her crave more. His hand slid under the fabric of her dress and caressed her calf, knee, and thigh. Her own hands were clutching his chest and back, trying to get him closer.

Fire built within her body as magic seemed to come alive with their connection. Every place his hands touched her was a shock to her system, both intense and jolting. She had never felt so alive.

When she pushed him back to tug his shirt over his head, her heart was hammering in her chest. She was entirely exposed and vulnerable to him. But Dean gazed at her with the most caring and wonderful look in his eyes. Those eyes swore to her with everything he was that he loved her…and they were going to be together.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

She nodded. Her body was shaking. Her powers were alive and pooling inside her, like she was about to release more energy than she ever had in her whole life. It was a buildup that could tear down kingdoms or re-create the world.

“Yes,” she confidently told him.

And then, as their bodies came together, she released that energy. Every last ounce of it, she let flow from her, and with all her might, she pushed it out into the world. It was like heaven and bliss and sweet pleasure. It was the best feeling in existence.

There was a split second of perfection. A perfect calm. A perfect stillness. A perfect being.

And then the waves started.