A couple hours later, the door to my suite opened, and Knight slipped inside. I sat curled in a chair in the dark room, staring out onto the well-lit gardens. “Where’s Galath?” I asked, alarmed when he returned emptyhanded. “He’s with the ladies. They were more than happy to keep him for a bit while you and I have a moment to ourselves.” Hands in his pockets, he came to stand by my chair. My eyes strayed back outside in hopes of an escape. “I can’t do this,” I whispered. While I wasn’t lost in the panic that had initially seized me, I still couldn’t imagine a way my coronation would end well. Knight reached around me and hefted me into his arms like a child. “You can, and you will, and I’ll be beside you the entire time. You will not be alone.” He sat on the bed, keeping me tucked in his a
