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  “Hey, do you hear any protests against their former King’s execution?” I listened, and now that he pointed it out, I found he was right. I could hear cheers and excited chatter amongst the villagers. Darcy chuckled as he saw my hopeful and somewhat relieved expression. He leaned down and kissed my cheek.

  “It’s going to be fine. They already love you, Emma.”

  As we made our way to the center of the crowd, people parted to let us through. That’s when I saw the tall wooden structure in the middle of the square. My eyes widened, and I stopped in my tracks, backing into Darcy.

  “I… I don’t think I can do this.”

  “It’s going to be okay. Just don’t watch.”

  I waved my hand toward the structure. “It’s a freaking guillotine! It’s an archaic device!”

  “I know. But as you know, the customs and fashion here are… behind the times compared to the human realm.”

  “Yeah, clearly.” I let out a frustrated breath. “I can’t believe they still use a guillotine.” I muttered the last part as we continued our way to the base of the instrument of death. The base of the archaic structure was a circular slab of ancient stones. They looked similar to the stones used to build my castle. As Darcy and I waited near the steps leading up to the guillotine, I heard cheers as Eva and Ash arrived followed by guards pulling my father along in shackles.

  The guards led my father up the stone steps and over to the center of the platform. He was pushed down to his knees below the towering wooden frame and the razor-sharp blade of the guillotine.

  Nervous beads of sweat formed on my forehead, and I wiped my hands down my red dress once more.

  “I don’t know if I can do this,” I admitted.

  “It’s completely up to you, you know,” Darcy said, turning to face me. “You don’t have to actually release the blade. You just have to make a tiny speech about why he is being executed today. Or Eva can do it. But just be conscious of what your actions may reflect on you as a leader.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of. If I do nothing, or chicken out, I may appear weak. If I execute him myself, I may appear cruel, like he was. God, becoming queen is a lot harder than I thought.”

  I turned around slowly in a circle and took in the faces of my people. This was the Capital, the center of the entire supernatural realm. Yet I saw many different kinds of creatures in the crowd. Selkies, faeries, shifters. They had all come here today to support me, the lost hybrid Queen of the Dragon Realm. They didn’t care that I was wearing modern clothes (frilly dresses with puffy sleeves and corsets were so not practical), or that I was a half-breed. I could tell this by the smiles on the faces of the adults and children. A small fae girl waved at me from the comfort of her mother’s arms. I smiled and waved back, then turned and held my hand out to Darcy.

  “I’m ready. Let’s do this.”

  We climbed the stairs to the dais and stood beside Eva and Ash and the executioner, as well as the kneeling form of my father. I glanced at Eva and Ash, and they smiled and gave me reassuring nods. Darcy squeezed my hand, and I stepped forward and stood before the crowd with my back to my father.

  “People and realm creatures, I stand before you today as your Queen with a proposition.”

  The entire square went deathly silent as everyone listened to me. I smiled and held my head high.

  “I once ran from this realm and this world because I was afraid for my life. Well, I am not afraid anymore. Fear has taken a back seat. No, fear has been obliterated. You don’t have to be afraid anymore because justice is about to be served.” I gestured toward my father. “My father, your former King, has ruled this kingdom with an iron fist and cold heart for far too long. Change is coming!” I held up my hand and heard the executioner swing his blade up, cutting the rope to the guillotine, and the blade fell. Then I heard the slice, and the double thud as the blade separated my father’s head from his body, and his body slumped to the side.

  A wave of sound plunged over the square as people cheered and celebrated the end of their former tyrant’s reign and the start of a new era.

  “From this day forward, the Trans-Realm Treaty is solidified. Supernatural creatures are allowed to venture across the veil into the human realm and humans are allowed to come here. But on the condition that those with supernatural blood not harm the humans or reveal their true form. And all humans are forbidden to hunt our kind or solicit transmutation. I call for peace and harmony across the realms forever more.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Later that night, I put out the word that Dragongate Castle and Inn were open to anyone who wanted to join us in a pre-Coronation party. The official ceremony would be tomorrow at the castle, and all who wished to attend would be welcome.

  The music, which was part human and part Fae, was turned up loud. The drinks flowed from the open bar (on my tab, of course), and everyone was happy. I had changed into jeans and a more modern gold sparkly top to attend the party. I threw down another glass of champagne as I jumped and danced to a Taylor Swift song with some of the other women. As I watched some of the women in their puffy, heavy gowns, I made a promise that I would introduce human clothing stores to this village. Most of the young supernatural women, though, were already starting to dress like me. I heard some of them say they had rushed out to the seamstress and begged her to make them “Queen Emma clothes.” I couldn’t believe it. I was a fashion icon. I laughed and jumped up and down, losing myself in the beats of the music and the numbing effects of the alcohol.

  Somewhere, during a slower song, someone grabbed my hand and waist and pulled me toward them.

  “Whoa!” As I was spun around, I collided with a rock-hard chest. I smiled as I recognized his familiar dark brown eyes. They had a slight red tinge to them. Was he horny or hungry?

  “Darcy,” I breathed. I was drunk, but I didn’t care. I slid my hands up his lean chest and threaded them around his neck. He smiled down at me.

  “Hi,” he said in a low seductive tone. He was so sexy. I reached for his face and kissed him. He kissed me back then pushed me away.

  “What the hell, Darce?”

  “As much as I wanna kiss you or make love to you right now, or even dance with you, we need to talk.”

  “Mm. Uh oh. Are we gonna have the talk?” I asked, giggling.

  “You are wasted right now.” He chuckled. “We’re not gonna have that talk, but we are gonna have a talk. We need to talk about where we’re gonna live.”

  “Mm. I like where I am right now. Right here is fun. Dance with me, Darcy!” I threw my arms up in the air and danced around in a circle.

  “I don’t really do that kinda dancing.” He sighed. “Maybe you’re too drunk right now. We’ll talk about this tomorrow then.” He stepped away from me and headed toward the bar.

  “Oh. You’re not leaving me, are you?” I ran over to him.

  “No. I’m grabbing another drink, and then I’m gonna join you for another dance before we both head to bed.” He turned back to me with a beer in his hand. I gestured to the bartender for another glass of wine, and then, when he handed it to me, I clinked it against Darcy’s beer. Then we headed into the midst of the party for another dance.

  By the time we made it to my bed in the castle in the early hours of the next morning, we were both too tired and drunk to do anything other than fall into bed with our clothes on.

  Chapter Seventeen

  I woke to the sounds of a constant irritating tapping sound.

  “Ugh! Stop!” I rolled over and went to pull the pillow over my head to stifle the sound, but my hand touched cool flesh. My hand stayed on that cool flesh, and it began to move. And then I was yanked to the side and pulled on top of that mound of cold flesh.

  “Good morning,” he said, reaching up to pull my face down to his. I kissed him slowly and passionately.

  “Mm. Hi.” As I slid my hands down his bare chest… wait, his chest is bare… so is mine… I reached for the sheet draped over our hips and pe
eked under it. I looked back at him, eyebrows bunched. “We’re both naked.”

  He smirked. “That we are.” He ran his hands down over my buttocks and squeezed. I sat up on his hips.

  “I’m not complaining. I just… I don’t remember undressing.”

  “I barely do either. We were both pretty drunk, even for supernatural beings.” He grabbed my hips and pulled to him, pressing me against his manhood. I gasped as he groaned. I smiled and kissed him, then used my supernatural speed to impale myself on him. We rolled over and made love until the sounds of the incessant knocking ceased and faded into the distance.

  Sometime later, it was only when the knocking came back, this time accompanied by voices, that I realized what today was. I sat upright.

  “It’s Coronation Day!”

  “Miss? Your Majesty, are you awake? I’m here to get your ready for your big day,” called my maid from the other side of the door.

  “Yeah. Yes. Just a second!” I flopped back down and rolled over to face Darcy. He had his arm underneath me, wrapping me in it. He pulled me to him and kissed me before rolling out of bed. I yanked the bed sheet to my breasts and stared at him in horror.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” I watched his retreating form and his bare bum head into the bathroom and shut the door—but not before he had given me a wink and a smile. I groaned and pulled the sheet over my face. I was surprised he hadn’t already been the death of me. Was I dead? He was too good to be true. I pinched myself to make sure. Yep. This moment was real.

  While he was in the bathroom, I allowed my maids to enter. They didn’t question my appearance as they went about preparing me for my Coronation.

  My dress for the ceremony was gorgeous, and in a more modern style, as requested by me. It was made from soft floaty cotton, in a champagne gold and white. The skirt fell to my ankles, and the breast was covered in tiny pearls and diamonds. Darcy’s suit lay on the bed beside mine. It was a three-piece suit in black with a gold waistcoat and a white cravat. After my hair and makeup was done, my hair straightened and curled in loose waves down my back, and pinned at the sides to accommodate my crown later, the maids left so Darcy could gather his suit. When he left the room to change, the door opened, and my mother entered.

  “Oh, my goodness. Sweetheart, you look so beautiful.” I smiled and hugged her then pulled back to admire her.

  “Thanks. So are you.”

  She was dressed in a silver spaghetti strap satin gown in a modern style, also chosen by me, and her hair was in a similar style to mine. The silver made her white hair stand out even more.

  “Are you ready?” she asked, standing before me. I placed my hands in hers and smiled.

  “Yes. I am.” And I knew I was.

  At the beginning of this journey, from the day I fled this castle and these realms, I couldn’t predict my future. I knew one day I would become queen, but I didn’t know it would be like this.

  I had ended the reign of my controlling, abusive father, and restored peace to my kingdom. I knew my people had been crying out for change for quite some time, and I knew I would bring the change they had always wanted.

  ***

  The Coronation would be held in the throne room of the castle. The official ceremony, anyway. Only my friends and family were invited to the throne room. The general public would wait outside in the courtyard and in the village square where I had performed a little magic that morning with the help of my mother. We made several large TV screens appear in the square and the courtyard for the public to view the Coronation ceremony. When the people saw the screens, they whispered nervously amongst themselves, wondering what on earth they were before realizing they could watch the ceremony on them. I smiled contently as we made our way back to the castle after magically transporting the screens from the human realm. Sometimes, magic was a good thing to have.

  Trumpets sounded as I entered the throne room with Darcy on my arm. In the old days, Kings and Queens ruled alone. There was only one monarch. Even in the modern human realm, there was only one reigning monarch. I wished to change that. Darcy will be my equal, and he’ll help me with many important decisions. He would be my advisor as well as my King. It was time we stopped living in the past.

  I tuned out during most of the ceremony. I only paid attention when it was time for my crown to be placed on my head and for me to say my oath. And what a gorgeous crown it was. Made of white gold, silver, and rose-gold weaved together to form diamond shapes. Like dragon scales. And in the center sat a large pink diamond.

  When I was asked only a few days ago, what I wanted my crown to look like, I hadn’t known. I had no clue how to be a queen. But thankfully, Darcy knew me. He had designed my crown, as well as his own, in secret. His crown wasn’t as elaborate as mine was, but it was still made with the same trilogy of gold twisted together like golden vines around his head in a ring shape. Tears welled in my eyes as I smiled at him. He winked, and taking my hand, he brought it to his mouth and kissed it.

  Eva had the honor of crowning me, as she was President of the Realms. When she placed the crowns on our heads, she grabbed my hands and whispered a few words in my ear before winking and turning back around to face the audience.

  “Please put your hands together to welcome your new Queen and King—Queen Emma and King Darcy!”

  When we made our way to the balcony to see our people, as per tradition—one I thought should stay—Darcy turned to me. We stood before the doors leading out to the balcony that overlooked the courtyard.

  “So, what did Eva say to you?”

  “Hmm,” I said, realizing he was talking to me. I had been too busy listening to the cheers of the people outside that I hadn’t been paying attention to him. I turned to look at him. “Oh, she just said she’s going to take care of a few things for me here while I take care of a few things back home.”

  Darcy’s jaw dropped in surprise. “What? Home?” I didn’t say anything. I just smiled as the doors to the balcony opened. I stepped through them, and Darcy followed.

  “Wait,” he said, joining me in waving to our people. “Does that mean you’re going back?”

  “Yes. I’m going home.”

  “What about this? What about being queen? What about your people?”

  “They will be fine here under the care of my mother, Eva, and Ash. While I enjoyed becoming queen and staying here, Sydney is my home.”

  “But what about our people? They might think we’re abandoning them again.”

  I waved and laughed as a little shifter child waved little doll versions of Darcy and me in the air. “We’re not gonna run away. We’ll return every now and then.”

  He looked at me and cocked an eyebrow. “We, huh? You’re assuming I’m following you?”

  I paused my waving, and my heart skipped a beat. But then I saw his smirk and smacked him in the chest. He almost had me. I kissed him and snuggled into his chest.

  “You’ll follow me to the end of the earth.”

  Epilogue

  One year later

  I entered the office with a pep in my step. With a coffee in hand and my sunglasses on, I made my way to work. As I passed the reception desk, the young secretaries hollered their greetings. I nodded and smiled mine. My heels clicked on the polished wood floors as I pushed through the glass doors into Illuminate Media. The pink glass logo literally sparkled as I walked past.

  When I reached the doors to my new office, a spacious private one surrounded by glass overlooking the harbor, I placed my handbag on the desk beside my coffee and let everything sink in. I should say this hasn’t been easy. That I had to work for where I am now. But to be honest, all it took was a little bit of courage and a touch of magic to make it happen. I walked over to the window and stared out at the sparkling blue water. Getting here has been a journey. I’ve had to overcome many battles, including my own personal demons. But I made it, and I have mostly Darcy to thank for that. Without him, I don’t think I would have made it. I would have gi
ven up and given in to the darkness long ago.

  But I know he would tell me otherwise. And he’s right. I finally realize that I am here because I made it happen. Me. I forgave myself, Darcy, and obliterated my demons. I ended my father’s evil reign and saved my mother. I became the queen of a secret magical land, but my mother was regent and caretaker of the throne. I even became Editor in Chief and CEO of my own media company. I abolished the use of archaic torture devices such as the guillotine in the supernatural realm with the help of Eva. Anyone who deserved the death sentence was given a simple trial and lethal injection. While the execution of my own father made me look like a hypocrite, I stood by my decision. That death symbolizes the end of the past and the start of the future. It was out with the old and in with the new.

  I made all this happen because I woke up, illuminated my dreams, and obliterated my fears. I turned back to my desk and turned on my laptop. A few keystrokes later, and Darcy’s face filled the screen. Speaking of Darcy, we’ve never been happier. I sold my apartment in the city and moved into the flat above Darcy’s nightclub. I smiled at him.

  “Hey,” I said. “How was the trip? You didn’t come across any unruly natives, did you?”

  “Hey. No. everyone has been very accommodating. Guess where I am?”

  I squinted as he moved the phone to pan around his surroundings. He was in what looked like a small cottage in the woods. I could see nothing but trees outside the window. I spotted a pregnant woman in a rocking chair sitting by a fireplace.

  I gasped. “Is that…”

  “Yes. Shalia. Daniel is just out gathering more firewood. I was passing through the shifter realm when we crossed paths. They invited me to stay with them for the night. Which was lucky, because they need our help, Em.” Shalia, the female werewolf we had met in New Zealand, turned and gave me a small wave from her chair.

  “Hi, Emma.”