In the following weeks, Levi and Eden were the talk of the town. Their names were whispered in meetings, over meals, and had made excellent pillow talk. None of it bothered them. However, tensions were high, and Levi found himself more on edge than ever. People were not exactly thrilled about his return to the Kingdom. He was still labeled an anarchist, putting a target on his back. The dragonbornes were a protective and violent lot. To have spent centuries believing he was the top threat to their way of living outside of witches, there was going to be an adjustment period.

They would accept him in time, he knew that. For the time being, Levi did count himself lucky that they had avoided complete disaster. If he hadn't kneeled before Carlyle, chaos would have ensued. Eden and Levi would have been forced to go on the run, live in imminent danger until Carlyle grew tired of the search or was overthrown, which could have been just as likely. Some part of Levi wanted to battle with that outcome, wondering if that was how it should have been—so that people would be free of tyranny, at least for a while, and get a breath of true freedom.

Just because it should have happened didn’t mean it would have. Levi had sucked up all of his pride and kneeled before the Mad King to secure his place at Eden’s side. That was more than enough for him. There was nowhere else he would rather be.

The last few weeks had been the most nerve-wracking and exciting time of his life. He and Eden spent their days together, talking from sunrise to sunset. They went out together to bars, drive-in movies, long walks in the forest. His favorite thing, however, had been watching her meditate. Levi could sit there the entire time and never not be in awe. Water gave him anxiety, like it did most dragons. He didn’t think he could ever gather the courage to submerge himself for such a duration of time. Eventually, Levi had grown curious enough to wade into the water. The way Eden’s eyes gleamed with wonder and passion as she explained it and encouraged him ever so softly to try made his heart nearly explode from joy.

The hardest adjustment was living at the royal estate. Levi had enough money to buy them a house. Of course, it wouldn’t be to the caliber that the estate was, but it would be their own. However, in the talks that followed Carlyle agreeing to “allow” their union, he had specified that Eden had to remain at the estate until they were married.

Eden wanted to wait the full year before the marriage, wanting to take their time to get to know one another and really fall in love. Levi already found himself growing impatient, which actually surprised him. He had never felt a rush to finalize things with her; all he cared about was being with her. At the same time, they were glued to one another’s side all day, every day. They were heady from their feelings about one another all the time. Even though the estate was massive, Levi felt cramped. He couldn’t relax, feeling as though he had to remain rigid and stern in case anyone came across his path. Not to mention, everything was so proper and elegant. Levi wanted him and Eden to have time alone, to relax and grow with one another, not be constantly mangled in the web of the Crown.

So, Levi set a plan in motion. One morning, he woke Eden early, and they went down to the lake. The sun was still trying to peek out from behind the trees when they settled onto a blanket by the shore. Eden stayed cuddled into his side, sleep still clinging to her consciousness.

“What are we doing out here so early?” she asked with a yawn.

“I thought it would be nice to watch the sunrise together,” he explained as he reached into the bag he had brought with them and pulled out a personal container of orange juice for her. She took it happily, drinking it down to get rid of her cotton mouth from sleep. Levi pulled out some Tupperware with fresh fruit, granola, and a container of almond milk. “Have some breakfast and just take in the morning.”

Eden eyed him a bit skeptically but did not question him. She reached into one of the bowls and picked out a slice of pineapple. Relaxing into his side, she nibbled on the fruit and sipped her juice. Levi kissed the top of her head and looked to the sky. They watched as it slowly lightened, the dark shades of navy replaced with warm tones of purple and pink. While his eyes could trace the shift in colors, Levi’s mind was completely distracted. How can I bring it up? How can I begin? I should have prepared something for this… I’m an idiot.

“What’s on your mind?” Eden asked after a duration of silence Levi couldn’t even begin to gauge.

“Just this beautiful morning.”

“Liar.”

His eyes shot over to her, a crease forming between his brows. “I beg your pardon?”

“Your jaw clenches when you’re thinking hard about something,” Eden told him. “You’ve been clenching it for the past ten minutes. So, tell me. What’s really going on?”

Then Levi saw that flash in her eyes. Whenever something between them was left open-ended, she immediately began to worry that being in the Kingdom was wearing on him and that the next words out of his mouth would be, I’m going back into exile. Except that that was the last thing Levi wanted right now.

“Can we just enjoy the sunrise for now?”

“I would rather know what it is you’re thinking about.”

“How pretty you are,” Levi replied with a weak smile, trying to keep the mood light.

Eden playfully shoved him. “I’m serious, Levi! You’re weirding me out. You drag me out of bed before it is light out, we come out here, and you won’t tell me why. You’re being quiet.”

“I’m always quiet.”

“Not this quiet.”

Levi sighed and shook his head. “You know, sometimes your impatience really takes the romance out of things.”

Her head reared back, obviously shocked and confused by his statement. “Excuse me?”

Levi scratched his head. “I was trying to pull off a… a romantic day for you.” He could feel the heat on his cheeks and turned his face to the sky to hide it.

“Oh,” Eden murmured. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s all right,” he interjected, gliding a hand down her back. He turned to her. “I know you’re anxious about this adjustment for me, but believe me when I say I’m not going anywhere.”

Eden’s eyes were sparkling oceans of clear blue water. It was all clicking together in her head faster than Levi would have liked. He had wanted it all to be a surprise, but she didn’t know everything that was on their agenda for the day. Only Levi knew that.

“So why the romantic day?” she asked in a tone that hinted at her knowing.

“How about we just enjoy it and see what happens?”

Her demanding nature got the best of her for a moment, a pout forming on her lips as her eyebrows came together. She wanted to know his intentions right then. Then, to Levi’s surprise, her expression eased, and she nodded before curling back into his side.

She kept to that. They watched the sunrise as they ate and cuddled together. Nothing had ever felt more right to Levi than the feeling of Eden’s skin on his. Once they had gotten their fill of the snacks and the sun was bright in the sky, they put on their swimsuits and headed into the water. They meditated together, though Levi never found his center like Eden. It was still relaxing and blissful, though.

After that, they headed into the city. They sipped coffee and held hands at a café before going on a long walk in a nearby park. As time went on, Eden seemed to forget about their conversation on the shore that morning and simply embraced the day. Hours slipped away from them. When early evening finally came around, Levi drove them through the suburbs until the houses became sparse. It was country, but not far from the city. The truck rolled to a stop outside of a two-story, colonial style house. It was pale yellow, with a bright red door and an A-frame roof.

“What are we doing here?” Eden asked, studying the house intently. “Do you know someone who lives here?”

“Something like that,” Levi answered simply. Getting out of the truck, he walked to her side and took her hand to guide her to the front door. His heart was thumping in his chest when they walked in. The inside was spacious and airy. All the walls had a fresh coat of white paint, and the wooden floors were polished but held the character of the house. His attention was solely on Eden as she wandered further into the house.

“There’s no furniture or anything,” she remarked. Turning to him with a dazed and confused expression, she repeated, “What are we doing here?” Levi forced himself to swallow the lump in his throat and step toward her.

“I wanted to end our day by showing you…” Fear gripped him for a moment, causing his sentence to trail off before he bravely continued, “I wanted to show you our home.”

Eden’s eyes grew wide, and her jaw dropped. “Our… home?”

Levi closed the distance between them. “I know you want to wait the full year before we get married, and there shouldn’t be any rush, but I can’t wait. I want you to be my wife. I want us to have our own space. For us to start our life together and separate from the estate. I don’t want to wait.”

Then, for only the second time in his life, Levi kneeled before another person. Reaching into the pocket of his jeans, he retrieved a small black box.

“You wanted to wait until we fell in love,” he told Eden. “Well, I’m already there. I love you, Eden. I love you more than I ever thought possible. I love every little thing about you. From the way your hair looks when you first wake up in the morning to your passion for healing. I love that you always speak your mind, no matter the consequences. You’re the most stubborn, demanding, frustrating, wonderful, and passionate person I have ever met. I want to be with you during the best day of your life, as well as the worst. What I’m trying to get to is… Eden Tallant, will you marry me?”

Eden’s hands were already covering her mouth, and there were tears bubbling from her eyes, matching the few Levi had beading down his face. He opened the little box to reveal an oval cut, lavender amethyst ring, with a band made of rose gold and three small emeralds framing each side of the main stone. Diamonds didn’t suit Eden; this did.

“I love you, too,” she breathed, sinking down to throw her arms around his neck. He hugged her back tightly, pressing kisses all over the top of her head. Then, she whispered, “But there’s one thing I have to do before I say yes.” Levi’s heart dropped, and he waited for her to move back to explain herself. “I need to go see your mother.”

His chest ached at the thought, both from joy and guilt. He was glad Eden wanted to meet his family, but he felt horrible that he hadn’t seen his mother as often as he would have liked. Although he had snuck out and visited her a couple times, Ginny, Levi’s sister, had been taking care of her. It had been too dangerous to pay her a visit, afraid of being ambushed or something happening to her.

Levi nodded. “Okay, we can go.”

Before they left, Eden explored the house. It had a galley kitchen with gray cabinets and marble countertops, a formal dining room, a large living room, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and he was certain her favorite feature was the in-ground pool out in the back. It had been his top requirement when looking for a house.

The entire way to his mother’s, Eden gushed over him buying a house for them. She was certain that if another man had done that, she would have been angry, but the one Levi had purchased was absolutely perfect. She could picture them spending years there, only leaving to travel if they so desired.

When they pulled up to Matilda’s house, Eden’s excitement had simmered, and a serious energy took over the air. Levi grabbed her hands.

“I just want to prepare you. She’s very, very ill. I know you know that, but it may be a little shocking at first. I want you to try your best to hold it together, okay? I know you have a soft heart, but…” He took a deep breath. “Just… please try not to cry. I don’t want her getting upset.”

Eden gave a nod of understanding before they departed the cab of the truck. Levi let himself into the house, knowing his mother more than likely wouldn’t have the strength to come to the door.

“Mother? I’m here,” he called in.

“In the bed, darling,” her voice called from afar.

Swallowing hard, Levi led the way to his mother’s bedroom. Admittedly, in the past week, he had been purposefully avoiding coming over. He and his sister hadn’t spoken, and so he feared that, when he came over, he would find his mother dead. She was alive, which meant Ginny had been keeping everything under control for the time being.

When they approached the door, Levi turned and signaled for Eden to stay there. Stepping into the room, he took in the familiar sight of his mother, pale and gray, lying in her bed in a nightgown. Her chest rose and fell in dramatic breaths. She did her best to smile at him. “I have missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too, Mom,” he breathed. “Look, um… I’m sorry to spring this on you, but there’s someone I want you to meet.” Matilda gave a weak nod, though she pulled her blankets up to cover her frail body better. Levi waved Eden inside and waited until she was standing next to him. “Mother, this is Eden. Eden, this is my mother, Matilda.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” Eden told her softly.

“No, it isn’t,” Matilda chuckled. The sound signaled Levi to fetch her some water quickly, knowing she was parched. By the time he returned, his mother was saying, “Please, call me Tilly.” Eden approached the bed and sat down on its edge. She and Matilda chatted nicely, making small talk for a while before his mother brought the point back around. “Now, tell me, what brings you by?”

“Well,” Eden began, clearing her throat. “I’m… I’m Levi’s mate.”

Matilda looked to Levi for confirmation and was astonished by his agreement. “I must say, I am shocked. I didn’t think this boy would ever find his mate.”

“Neither did I,” Eden admitted. “But… we are, and it was messy for a while. Now that things have settled down, we want to get married. And I can honestly say, I don’t want to have a wedding when you can’t be there.”

“Well, that’s remarkably sweet,” Matilda responded, clearly flattered and touched. “But I’m too sick to make it anywhere beyond my bathroom, I’m afraid.”

“I know,” Eden said, “but I’m a healer. I want to treat you. I don’t want you to think I’m healing you just so you can attend our wedding, but more because we’re family. From the first time I heard about your condition, I wanted to come to help you. Now has just been the first true opportunity we’ve had.” Eden bit her lip, “So… will you let me?”

Matilda was without words, as was Levi. He had assumed Eden just wanted to meet his family before they made such a commitment. She was going to heal his mother? God, he wanted to kiss her right then.

“I… I would be so honored, Eden,” Matilda said. “Thank you. Thank you, more than I could possibly put into words.”

Eden’s blue eyes found Levi. “Do you mind if we have some time alone?”

“Of course not. I’ll be in the living room.” Going to the door, Levi stopped for only a moment to press a kiss to Eden’s cheek. Then he went out to the living room. He sat down on the couch, fished the ring box out of his pocket, and studied the ring itself. They really were perfect together, weren’t they?

A couple of hours ticked by, and Levi started growing anxious. His knee continued to bounce, and he took to tossing one of his mother’s knick-knacks up in the air and catching it to entertain himself. Then there was the sound of his mother’s door clicking open. Fumbling to catch the little porcelain goat, Levi placed it back on the end table before standing and heading into the hallway.

“How is she?” he called to Eden.

“She’s asleep now,” she sighed. “We should go and let her rest.” His eyes flickered to the door before nodding and heading back outside with her. When Eden sank into the seat of the truck, she shook her head angrily. “It’s just cruel that my father allowed such a sweet woman to suffer because of the actions of her son. I mean, all the pain and discomfort she’s been put through… It’s unreal.”

“Is she going to be okay?” Levi asked hastily, worried that her anger came from a place of helplessness.

“Well, it’s going to take a lot more sessions, probably every other day for several weeks, but she will be fine. Back to her old self eventually.” Her eyes met his as she gripped his hand. “So, yes, I will marry you. I just don’t want us to get married until your mother is well enough to be in attendance.”

Levi’s throat dried, and he rapidly blinked the tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. He soon lost his soft hold on his resolve, though, and for the first time in a long time, Levi cried. Sometimes he would get emotional and a few tears would slip out, but this was a downright sob. Eden wrapped herself around him, rubbing his back and keeping him close. He was overloaded by love and appreciation for her. Even though none of this had turned out quite how he had anticipated his life to be, it was how it was supposed to be. He had his mate, they were going to be able to live the life they wanted, and his mother was going to be well again.

After a while, Levi finally managed to compose himself. Wiping away the streaks of wetness on his face and sniffling, he reached into his pocket and presented the ring to Eden again. She held out her hand, and Levi slipped the ring onto her finger. Before she had the chance to admire it up close, Levi picked her up and placed her into his lap. His fingers knotted in her long, soft hair, and he kissed her so feverishly that he was lightheaded. There was nothing like this woman, he was certain of it. Eden was complicated, emotional, and stubborn, but God, her heart was bound to be made of pure gold. All she ever tried to do was keep everyone happy and help others.

“I love you so much, Eden,” Levi murmured against her lips. It was so liberating to finally be professing his love aloud. He had been battling it internally for weeks, worried that it was too soon to feel such a way, even if they were mates. Most people, for the first few years, were just infatuated with the sensation of having a mate, not necessarily falling truly in love. Yet there was no doubt in Levi. He loved her. He loved her with such intensity that he had wept for her.

“I love you too, Levi,” Eden purred. Then she smiled weakly. “I wish we had some furniture in the house, so that we could spend tonight there.” He grinned from ear to ear.

“Are you opposed to a makeshift bed?” She looked at him curiously and shook her head as she slid back over in the seat. “Good.”

Taking the drive back out to the house, Levi parked the truck and retrieved a few duffle bags from the bed of his vehicle. Thankfully, he already had the house’s electricity installed, so it wasn’t a pitch-black trip to find the living room. He planned to have solar panels on the roof, but the contractors weren’t due for a couple weeks.

Taking out several blankets and pillows, Levi made a perfect pallet on the floor for them. He even packed a dozen candles and positioned them around the pallet while Eden went to the bathroom, with the bag he had packed her, to freshen up. All of the candles were lit in no time, and finally, Levi fished out a bottle of wine and a corkscrew. Turning off the light, he sat on the pallet and opened the wine. When Eden came from the bathroom, a gasp burst from her. Levi shot her a shy smile.

“So I may have forgotten glasses, and it isn’t chilled, but I have some wine to celebrate.” Sauntering over, Eden sat down next to him. Her eyes wouldn’t stop scanning all around.

“Wow,” she breathed. “You really outdid yourself, Levi. This… this whole day has been perfect.”

They shared a sweet kiss before Eden grabbed the wine from him and took the first drink. They drank from it rather rapidly, wanting to get a buzz going before they laid down. When they finally did, she was curled into his chest and sighing happily. “None of this feels real.”

“I know,” Levi confessed.

“Do you think we died before and this is the afterlife?” Eden asked. “Or maybe I accidentally drowned myself, and this is all some sort of fantastical coma dream.”

He laughed. “I think that’s always a possibility. However, if you’re in a coma, then I am, too, and we’re sharing this dream.”

“Well, if that’s the case, I hope we never get out of it.”

“I hope not, either.” Levi chuckled and kissed her lovingly. That was the kiss that finally sparked a primal fire in each of them. In the candlelight and the sound of a storm coming down outside, Levi and Eden made love as fiancées for the first time. It was sweaty, slow, and passionate. Then they finished the wine, curled up together, and slept the night away, filled with love and hope for the future—their future.