He nodded and shuffled along as Marissa cleared her throat.
Behind him was Donelle. Her lips were pinched together, clearly not happy at being put in line behind a shifter. She forced a smile on her face as she nodded toward the two of us. I made myself smile as well. I still didn’t like her and didn’t trust her, but it would not be a good look for Taimarah if I was to bash her head in.
“Congratulations on your heirs,” Donelle said. She started to step away but stopped and gave Luken a once-over. His discomfort from her appraisal came through our bond. Hmm. If I handed Tally to Marissa, I might be able to get in a little bit of head-bashing before it became an incident. Donelle’s gaze snapped to me quickly. “I hope you appreciate what you have, Queen Elara.”
She moved on, and I moved a little closer to Luken. He was already brushing aside his discomfort to greet the next dignitary, an orc prince. I gazed at him in admiration, then did the same.
The line was long, but the babies stayed happy and content in our arms. Once the greetings were over, we handed the twins to Thessa and Darcie so we could open up the dancefloor with a waltz. As the music started to play, I gazed into Luken’s amber eyes, grateful and amazed we’d gotten here. Even with everyone in the room staring at us, I felt comfortable and at peace.
“The peace summit seems to be a success,” I murmured to him.
Luken nodded. “New trade routes are opening. More exchanges of information and ideas. It’s better than I planned.”
He twirled me and caught his arms around me so my back was against his chest. We swayed to the music as he kissed my neck. I cupped his cheek with one hand, letting my eyes drift shut. Yes. This was good. And I knew the future would only get brighter from here.
*****
THE END
