*Isla*
Poppy and I sit on the terrace, a pitcher of sweet hibiscus tea sitting between us on a small patio table as we balance the twins on our knees and let the sun warm our skin. Asher is resting on my thighs blissfully dreaming away.
“I forgot how much Isaac used to sleep when he was a newborn,” Poppy smiles, looking down at Daphne. “Or how small he used to be. I was shocked when I saw the twins for the first time. I expected them to be much, much bigger based on how big my bell had been.”
“This doesn’t last for long,” I laugh, sighing deeply. “Isaac learned to run before he could walk. Some days I miss when he was easy and small.”
“I’m looking forward to being able to take them down to the beach so they can run on the sand and help me look for seashells,” she replies, laughing softly. “Antony can teach them how to swim, and I can sit on a towel and work on my tan.”
“How’re you and Antony now?” I ask.
“We’re working through it,” she admits, giving me a sad smile. “Taking it day by day. I… I understand why he thought he had to lie to me, to all of us. He thought he was protecting us.”
“I know,” I say, swallowing hard. “I understand what that feels like,” I admit after a moment. Hell, if Maddox and I can work things out and live peacefully, so can they, I’m sure.
I glance down at the dainty wrist watch I’m wearing and sigh. We have to be at the port in a little under an hour. I’ve been so excited to go home, but now I wish I had just a little bit more time. I don’t know when I’ll see Poppy again. It could be a long time, honestly. Maddox and I have a tour of our kingdom coming up, and then I’ll be having another baby shortly after that. Poppy and Antony have a lot of work to do here, too. While no one outside of our group, save for Mary, remembers the events of the last week or so, Antony is now burdened with finding peace with KiloKilo.
Thankfully the Wizard Alatar hasn’t been seen or heard from in days. Chrisandra says he, well, he doesn’t make himself known very often, but when he does…
I shiver just thinking about it and focus on doting on Asher instead.
“Isla?” Antony says from one of the archways leading out onto the terrace. “Can we talk for a moment?”
“Uh, sure,” I say, looking over at Poppy. She nods, extending her arm for me to place Asher there. She nestles him close to his sister and closes her eyes as I walk away, falling into step with Antony.
We don’t speak for a long, long time. Eventually we walk out of the castle altogether and down onto the beach.
“Did you bring me out here to drown me?” I ask lightly.
Antony chuckles, shaking his head. “I did think about it. But Maddox already has enough to be mad at me about. The last thing I need right now is a war between us,” he says, tucking his hands in his pockets.
I’ve never seen Antony so disheveled. A pang of sympathy sparks in my chest, but I dismiss it as he turns to face me, the gentle waves lapping the beach behind him.
“I am sorry,” he says, meeting my eyes. His reflect gold against the sun drenched sand. “I am, Isla.”
“I know.”
“I don’t expect you to forgive me–”
“I do forgive you,” I say, cutting him off. “I understand why you hid this from us, okay?”
“I had to–”
“But I know why you thought we wouldn’t help you–”
“I didn’t know what Alatar meant to do with the heirloom,” he admits. “I didn’t know what kind of powers it held. I thought I was protecting everyone. I thought… giving myself up, giving up my kingdom in lieu of giving it back to him and letting him unleash whatever power it held was the better option. The right choice. But I was wrong, and I am sorry.”
“It was just a gift from his mother,” I whisper over the sound of the waves. “Men have fought over less.”
“I understand that now.”
A silence settles between us, broken only by the waves rolling onto the beach.
“You’re welcome here anytime,” he says after a moment. “I want you to know that.”
“Good because Maddox and I are considering building a home here,” I say with a laugh, thankful my words seem to spark some warmth behind his eyes. “Winter Solstice is miserable back home. Some warmth and sun would be good for us from time to time.”
“I’ll allow it,” he says, a hint of his old, sarcastic personality ringing clear.
I sigh with relief and smile at him.
“Everything’s going to be okay,” I say after a while, mimicking Maddox’s words to me. I hope they make Antony feel the same way I feel when Maddox says it to me.
* * *
My throat is tight as our boat pulls away from the port. Maddox has me caged against the railing, his hands gripping the rail on either side of my body as we watch our friends wave goodbye.
“We’ll be back,” he says. I nod, but it still hurts to say goodbye. I give one last wave as the port begins to fade from view, the bright turquoise water giving way to a deeper blue.
“Where are Emery and Elijah?”
“Emery is hopefully locked in her room. I don’t know where Elijah is. He said something about calling Trinity.”
I lean into Maddox’s chest, closing my eyes.
“What a fucking mess that was,” he laughs, the sound sending a tingle of warmth down my spine.
“Yeah, that sucked!”
“Well, we’re on our way home. And once we’re there, I plan on spending at least a week doing nothing at all.”
“You can finally finish building the swing set you started putting together for Isaac last month,” I offered.
Maddox frowns playfully, sighing. “Damn, I’d hoped you forgot about that.”
“Kinda hard to forget when it’s right within view of our bedroom window.”
“Fine, I’ll finish it,” he laughs, his hands leaving the railing to wrap around my waist as he kisses the ridge of my bare shoulder. “But first, let's go… rest for a while.”
“Rest, huh?” I laugh, closing my eyes against the soft touch of his lips as he brushes kisses over my shoulder and neck.
Moments later, we’re locked away in the stately master bedroom in the ship, Maddox teasingly untying the laces holding up my dress.
“You’re so tan,” he whispers into my neck, breathing in. “And you smell like… the ocean.”
“Like seaweed?” I laugh, but he shakes his head as he pulls down the straps of my dress.
“Like the sun touching the flowers that grow on the edge of the beaches,” he whispers. I close my eyes, tilting my head so he can access my neck. My dress drops to my waist, and his warm, calloused hands cup my breasts. It’s a welcome touch. They’re already so heavy from the pregnancy.
We undress in a flurry of clothing and soft gasps as he pulls me against his chest, his mouth covering mine in a greedy, passionate kiss. He presses me against the bed, hiking my leg over his shoulder and sliding his length into me in a single thrust. I arch my back and cry out, clutching the sheets.
“I love you,” he whispers, nipping my earlobe as he drives into me with very little gentleness. I want it this way. I want to feel all of him–his weight pressed into me, his cock filling and stretching me, his body gliding over mine. I want him to remind me that we made it. That we’re alive. That everything bad in the world is behind us, and it’s just me and him.
“I love you too,” I moan, sucking in my breath as he reaches between us to where our bodies are joined and circles his thumb in a slow, aching circle over my clit.
Tension builds in my body until I’m rigid with it. My muscles clamp down around him, and he hisses a breath, tangling his fingers in my hair as I come undone around him.
He unleashes himself at the same time, moaning my name and stealing my own cry of pleasure with a deep kiss that has my toes curling and body trembling with release.
We’re slick with sweat when we fall into each other’s arms naked and spent, my leg resting over his waist as he trails little circles over my lower back.
Outside the circular window of our bedroom, the ocean passes us by, the waves gentle and forgiving compared to just a few days ago when I was sure this was it for us, that we’d never make it off Maatua.
Now the sun was beginning to set, casting a rich golden glow over the water. We’d be home in the morning, thank the Goddess. Home to our friends. Home to our son.
“Maddox,” I whisper as darkness begins to creep through the room.
“Hmm?” he replies on the edge of sleep.
“What do we do now?”
“We live, Isla. Together, the two of us and our children. We live in peace. We guard our lands and titles, and pray that the Goddess has nothing left in store for us but this kind of happiness.” His fingertips brush over my spine.
“That sounds really, really nice,” I whisper, closing my eyes. He reaches down and pulls the covers over us, tucking them in around our tangled bodies. His warmth penetrates my skin, and his gentle breaths start to lull me to sleep.
I have everything I’ve wanted and more. My mate, the love of my life, has just fallen asleep in my arms. Between us, nestled tight in my womb, is our daughter who was conceived out of love, not duty, not expectation, and not to pay a debt.
She’ll never be a breeder. She’ll never have to deal with the heartache and danger I had to face. I promise her that as I let my hand rest on the growing swell. “Thank you,” I whisper to the Goddess. I don’t know if she’s listening, but if she is, I hope she knows just how much her blessing meant to me, and that I’ll spend the rest of my life using my powers to do good in her name.
When I finally fall asleep, I don’t dream. I am just blissfully, wholly at rest.
And when I wake?
I am only a few hours from home, still nestled in the arms of the man I love more than life itself, and everything, everything is okay.