The Queen leaned back, looking impossibly calm for someone talking about volcanic dungeons.
“And, Abby?” she added before we could leave.
“Yes?”
Her voice dropped into something quieter. “Don’t lose yourself in the lightning. Or the Duke.”
I blinked. “Isn’t that a little late?”
She laughed, soft but real. “Perhaps. Just don’t make me attend another political wedding until I’ve had at least six more cups of tea.”
Alaric and I left the parlor without saying much else. The halls outside felt cooler. Sharper.
Only when we reached the marble balcony again did he murmur beside me:
“So.” His eyes were pure steel-blue heat. “You and me. One week.”
“For what?” I teased, though my pulse said I already knew.
“To close a Rift,” he said. And then, voice lower: “And maybe finally finish what w
