Kai eyes me anxiously. There’s still a line across their wrist where they were burnt by the silver.
“Crimson, I’m…I’msosorry,” they say. “I never meant for the shifters to find us!”
“You gotmarried,” I say, with a shake of my head. But my voice is more weary than angry, my fury all burnt out. “Kai, what were you thinking?”
“Ilovehim, Crimson,” they reply in a whisper, taking the merman’s hand in their’s. “And if…if you want to punish me, I’ll accept it. But I don’t want to exist in the shadows anymore. I want everyone to know about us, even if that means…”
They wince, and cast their gaze downward.
The mermaid squeezes their hand, and gives me a beseeching look. “Please, don’t hurt them…”
But I raise my hand to stop him. I’m not interested in what he has to say.
I step toward Kai, and I take their chin in my hand, raising their eyes to meet mine.
“I’m disappointed in you,” I tell them, firmly. “You kept a secret, and married without my permission.”
Their nose twitches, but they don’t reply. I steel myself for what I’m going to say next.
“But…you did it because I gave you no choice. It’s clear that you care about this merman, and that he cares about you. The shifters know of your relationship now, and there’s no putting that cat back into the bag.” I heave a heavy sigh. Kai looks at me in complete surprise. “I’m not going to punish you.”
The young vampire blinks several time. “You’re…you’reserious?”
“Yes,” I answer. “I only regret that…I wasn’t there to see you married. You’re my only surviving progeny, and I wish I had been there.”
Kai stares up at me in disbelief. “But…what about the wolves?”
“I’ll deal with Nella and the eastern shifter alliance. They were going to find a reason to break our alliance regardless of what you did. They’ve been suspicious of vampires since long before you were created. And I can handle them.”
“I can handle them, too,” Kai says, a fierceness in their bright eyes. “Thank you, Crimson. This means the world to me. And I promise, I’ll help you more with the shifters and the witches. I’m sorry that I’ve been distracted, since you ascended to the throne. But you can count on me! I give you my word.”
“Good,” I reply.
Then I hear the inimitable pitter-patter of a human heart, and a tantalizing floral scent fills my nostrils.
“Good evening, Paige,” I say, turning around to find her standing in the doorway, looking nervously at Kai and I.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, my king,” she replies. “I heard that there was something happening with the wolves, and I came right over. Are you both all right?”
The genuine concern in her voice prompts a guilty tinge in my stomach. Suddenly, the way I spoke to her earlier in our crypt seems overly harsh and unnecessary.
“Leave us, Kai, and take your husband,” I tell my progeny. They nod, and take the merman by the hand.
Now Paige and I are alone in the lounge. The bartender goes to the back of house, whistling a lilting melody as he counts the till for the night.
Paige comes up to me, tucking a flyaway strand of ink-black hair behind her ear.
“Did you say husband?” she asks. “Did Kai…?”
“Yes. They secretly married him last night. Asked one of the northern vampires to officiate.”
Paige swallows nervously. “My king,pleasego easy on them…”
I put a finger to her lips, and shake my head. Her brow furrows, butshe pauses, regarding me with confusion.
It takes me a moment to collect my thoughts. I don’t have many words for occasions such as this.
“I gave them my blessing,” I say, simply. “It’s too late. The shifters know of their union. But it’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before.”
