Chapter 167

Violet’s POV

If I had thought it was adorable to watch Theo with baby Dahlia, I wasn’t at all prepared for how heart-warming it was to see him meet so many members of his own family. I was surprised and delighted, too, when I saw him leave behind the arrogant, confident mask he so often wore, opting to share the real version of himself with the Fairweather family. His family.

The next morning, back at Marcy’s place, I woke my husband up with a kiss that slipped into love making. Our afternoon off from researching had morphed into a day and a half, and I could feel part of me nervous to go a second longer without looking for answers. But I was only a few days away from having to leave my mate’s side again, and I needed time just the two of us.

Not researching, not training, just being together.

I told him as much over breakfast and found that he didn’t need any convincing at all.

We went back to the enchanted clearing where we could be alone, just a couple of bonded mates in love – even if our bond was currently a little tattered. As we kissed and flirted in the privacy of the jungle, we began to play with our magic. We found it was much easier with the magical support of the enchanted clearing, and we leaned into it.

We practiced splintering: vanishing from Theo’s arms only to reappear on his back like a monkey. Theo disappeared across the clearing to pop right in front of me, mid-kiss. I manifested flowers to decorate the ground just like at his cabin in the woods.

Eventually, we laid down next to each other, holding hands, taking in the floral smells and the bird calls of the jungle. “Did you know Caleb fought in the Bloody War?” I asked Theo.

He turned to look me, clearly surprised.

“His wife, Marissa, asked me if I had a big family, too. I said it was about half as big, though Braverns make up for it with big personalities.” The affection for my family in Theo’s eyes warmed my heart.

“Anyway, I mentioned that I didn’t have any uncles because they’d all died in the Bloody War, and she shared that Caleb was the only one old enough to fight in the war. That he brought home many scars from it, most of which aren’t physical.”

Theo caressed my hand with his thumb. “I’ve been reading about the casualties of the Bloody War in the book you asked about. It’s a miracle he came home at all.”

I took a steadying breath, then rolled on top of my mate, holding him tightly, desperately. He wrapped his arms around me just as tightly. “You said you don’t want me to hide things from you, right?” I asked.

Theo nodded as he kissed the top of my head.

“I’m scared,” I admitted. “I’m really, really scared.” I couldn’t bear to look at him as I went on.

“I’m scared to separate from you again, I’m scared that we have to get divorced even if it’s just a piece of paper, I’m scared I’m going to die and leave you all alone with our baby or worse, claim our baby’s life with me. I’m scared that we’ll never find the answers we need, that Owen will find out we’re coming for him, that he’ll stop us and continue to reign terror over the people we love. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to protect my territory or my family or myself or you or our child.”

Theo squeezed me tightly for a long moment, then he fit his forefinger below my chin, tugging it upward so that I faced him. I looked up into his beautiful eyes as he said, “Me, too.”

And even though it didn’t solve anything or temper my fear, knowing that I wasn’t alone in it provided a relief I didn’t need to understand.

I reached up to kiss him chastely, then settled into the strong breadth of his chest. “I learned something else of interest from Marissa,” I shared.

“Oh?”

I nodded against his chest. “I saw her necklace when she leaned over and it slipped out from underneath her shirt. It was a token – nearly identical to mine and your mother’s.”

I felt Theo raise his head in intrigue, and I propped my chin up to look at him. “Apparently, it’s a tradition for magical children to be gifted a token at birth. When they find their mate, the tokens are exchanged as part of the wedding vows.”

Theo looked into the distance, and I imagined he was remembering our wedding.

“I called Auntie to ask her about it while you were in the shower this morning. Apparently, when my mother died, Dad entrusted Auntie with my token as a magical representative from Mom’s side of the family. He must have forgotten about it when I married Lucas.”

Theo returned his gaze to me, trying to hide back his rage at the mention of my first husband. “You think your aunt forgot when you married Lucas, too?”

I smiled up at the love of my life. “I think she knew I hadn’t yet found my true mate.”

That put a smile on Theo’s face. He pulled me farther up his body to kiss me.

“We don’t have to go after Owen,” he murmured. “If our gut is telling us not to, then maybe we should just never leave Henosis and start our family here. It would solve enough problems for Owen that he might never come after us.”

“That’s just it though,” I countered, hating how much part of me loved his idea. “My gut is telling me to fight, even though I’m so scared. I don’t think either of us could live with ourselves knowing we could have made a difference for the kingdom and simply chose not to.”

“I know.” He sighed as if he had known the answer before I’d opened my mouth. “You’re right.”

He kissed me again, and I could have sworn our shattered forehead bands glowed a little brighter.

“Theo,” I kissed his cheeks, his mouth, his nose. “It’s time for me to ask again: why don’t you want the crown?”

He sighed heavily once more. “The responsibility of it feels overwhelming. I couldn’t stand to do it half-way, to be any less than a benevolent king who takes care of his people and provides for them.”

I threaded my fingers through his hair as I listened.

“I want a simple life, Violet. A small cabin in the woods with my family where we can grow old and laugh together. Being king would mean time away from my kids, away from you.”

I nodded in understanding.

“But I’d rather the crown on my head take time away from my family than the crown on my brother’s posing a threat to your lives.”

That was it then. “We’ll try to make you the last resort for our replacement as king, okay?”

“Thank you, Violet.”

It was a shame, but it wasn’t surprising. In my experience, I had found that the best people to take on roles of responsibility were commonly those who didn’t want them.

With that settled, I lightened the mood with a glare at my husband. “Don’t think I missed your reference to kids, as in more than one, by the way.”

Theo broke into a surprisingly embarrassed grin. “Is that not on the table?”

“I’ll get back to you after we get the first one out of me.”