“Would you look at that,” Lucyan murmured, wonder in his eyes.
“It seems that the dragon god is not above performing miracles after all,” Drystan teased in a voice too low for anyone in the audience to hear. Rofana gave him a slightly reproachful look, but there was a hint of amusement in her gaze that told Dareena they had not truly offended her or the god.
“And now,” Rofana said, quieting the crowd again, “while the dragon god is still with us, we shall bestow the divinity of his office upon the four he has chosen to rule our people.” Four attendants came up, each carrying a crown of gold and fire diamonds on velvet pillows. “By the power vested in me,” she said as she placed a crown on each of their heads, “I proclaim you four to be the rightful and just rulers of Dragonfell. Take heart,” she cried to the people, “and rejoice!”
The hall immediately erupted in cheers. Trumpets sang, ribbons and hats were thrown into the air, and Dareena and her mates cheered with them.
“We did it,” Drystan cried, taking Dareena by the waist and lifting her into the air. He kissed her soundly, then set her down just in time for Lucyan and Alistair to shower her with affection as well.
“Come now,” she said, laughing as Alistair put her down. “We must make our way down the aisle now, or these poor people will never make it to the reception!”
“With any luck, neither will we,” Lucyan growled, taking her hand. Dareena’s cheeks flushed at the heated look in his eyes, but she put her desire aside for now as she took her mates’ hands.
Later, they would have time to make love. For now, this celebration was as much for the people as it was for them, and after all the work she and her ladies had put into it these past few months, she had every intention of enjoying the fruits of their labor.
Epilogue
“Shhhh,” Dareena said, gently rocking the babe in her arms. She sat in a rocking chair by the window, looking out at the starry sky while she nursed. “Come now, Kade,” she said, guiding his mouth to her nipple. “Don’t fuss. You know what to do.”
The babe latched onto her teat, and his wailing ceased instantly as he took a long pull. Dareena winced—his little gums were getting much stronger, and he was twice the size of a human babe his age. Holding him securely, she gently stroked the peach fuzz on his head, losing herself in his amber eyes.
He was nearly four months old now, and his features were growing more defined by the day. There was no way to truly know which of her mates had fathered Kaderion—there were some moments where she thought he had Drystan’s serious gaze, others where he gave her Alistair’s gentle smiles, and moments of cleverness that made her think of Lucyan. But it truly did not matter—all three of them treated him as their son.
“You are the only babe in the kingdom with three fathers,” she cooed, pressing a kiss to his forehead and inhaling his scent. “How lucky does that make you?”
“The luckiest boy in Terragaard,” Lucyan said, coming up behind her. She turned her head as all three of her mates entered the room. “Which makes you the luckiest woman, correct?” He winked.
Dareena laughed, tilting her head back to receive his kiss. “How is your father?” she asked as they joined her by the fireplace in their suite. “Has he shown any signs of improvement?”
Drystan shrugged. “His health has improved, and his disposition is vastly different than before the fall.”
“That is an understatement,” Lucyan said wryly. “He has gone from a mad tyrant to a kindly, middle-aged fellow. If he saw a pauper on the street, he might very well give him the shirt on his back.”
Alistair smiled wistfully. “I wish that his memories would return,” he said, “although I fear if they did, his old personality might come back.”
“Did the dragon god not answer when you went to the cave to petition him for a cure?” Dareena asked. “Surely he spoke to you, at least.”
“No, he did not,” Drystan said, sounding disappointed. “Not so much as a peep out of him. I fear that the god either does not have a way to cure Father or does not wish to do so. Perhaps this is his penance for all the evil deeds he committed.”
“I suppose we could always try that spell I found in Shadowhaven’s royal library on my last visit there,” Lucyan said reluctantly. “Though we would have to hire a warlock to do it.”
Dareena shook her head. “That sounds far too dangerous,” she said. “Didn’t it require draining him of nearly all his blood and replacing it with human blood?”
“Yes,” Drystan said, “which at his age would almost certainly kill him.”
“There is no guarantee it would even work—the technique was hypothetical,” Lucyan admitted. “As much as I hate to see Father like this, there are far worse fates he could suffer. At least this way, he is safe and comfortable.”
They fell silent for a long moment, watching tenderly as Dareena continued to nurse.
“He looks so much like you,” Alistair said, leaning in to stroke Kade’s cheek. The babe’s eyes fluttered closed, and he released her nipple, a soft snore coming from his open mouth that made everyone chuckle.
“He looks like all of us,” Dareena said, tucking her breast back into her dress. She handed him off to Drystan—all three of her mates loved to cuddle Kade, but Drystan asked to cradle him far more than the others, and was the first to get up in the middle of the night to comfort him if he cried. “I am very much looking forward to having another of him.”
“Speaking of babes,” Lucyan said, withdrawing a letter from his pocket, “we have received a missive from Tariana.”
“Is she pregnant, then?” Dareena exclaimed in a hushed voice, doing her best not to wake the baby. She hurried around the couch behind Lucyan so she could read the letter over his shoulder.
“Yes,” Lucyan confirmed. “She is three months along, and doing well.” He grinned. “It appears the elven goddess kept her promise and lifted the curse.”
“This is wonderful news,” Alistair said, his eyes shining in the dim light. “I imagine that the rest of our sisters will marry, once they have learned the news.”
“Not Xenai,” Drystan said with a chuckle. “As I understand it, she prefers women.”
“Well, they don’t all need to be married,” Dareena pointed out. “Either way, I am sure they will be ecstatic. We will have to make an announcement and hold a grand celebration to mark the end of the curse.”
“Agreed,” Drystan said. “The people will be overjoyed, and I expect it will become a national holiday.”
“Damn right, it will,” Lucyan said. “But enough talk for now,” he said saucily, scooping Dareena into his arms. “You said something about making another baby, did you not?”