Page 250 of Fallen Nocturne

Landon finishes his tea and rises. “I should leave before the spider returns with a marriage contract.”

“Thank you for visiting,” I say, rising to kiss his cheek.

Landon inclines his head toward Svenn. “Send word when the braces are ready.”

Svenn nods.

The herald looks at me again. “I’ll return in a few weeks.”

“You know where to find us.” I squeeze his hand before letting him go.

Landon gives me one last smile, then gathers his things and heads outside. Dorcha lowers herself while he secures his travel pack.

He pauses beside Coral when she returns covered in leaves and cobwebs. Landon pats the side of her neck. “Farewell, little menace.”

Coral nudges his metal arm and chirps.

Dorcha carries him into the sky a few moments later. I watch until they disappear beyond the trees.

When I return to the kitchen, Svenn is studying my recipe. His eyes move from the list of ingredients to the empty plate.

“Perhaps your recipes are meant for fae and their creatures,” he muses. “Landon liked it. So did the forest folk.”

Coral races past the window again with two spiderlings chasing her this time. Their delighted shrieks fade into the forest, leaving the cottage unusually quiet.

Svenn and I are finally alone.

We carry our tea outside and sit beneath the old tree beside the cottage. The setting sun spills gold across Astefar, catching on the leaves and turning the distant hills amber.

“A bakery in Avalon,” I murmur. “Imagine it.”

A smile tugs the corner of Svenn’s lips. “I already built you a second oven.”

I look at him. “What? You did?”

“It is in the storage shed.”

Delight bubbles through me. I picture a little shop in Avalon with bright windows and warm shelves. Customers waiting outside. People carrying my bread through the streets.

“There could be a queue,” I say giddily. “A very long one.”

“Perhaps we might finally earn money. Not that you need it,” he says. “But you will be popular.”

I sit straighter. “I will be the most famous pâtissière in the entire continent.”

His expression changes. “Perhaps not too famous.”

“Why not?”

“I do not enjoy sharing you.”

His shadow curls around my waist before I can answer, drawing me across the grass and into his lap. I laugh as my hands catch against his shoulders.

He kisses me beneath the darkening sky, slow and possessive. The forest glows around us while the cottage windows shine with warm light behind us.

For once, there is no war waiting beyond the horizon. No crown on my head. No kingdom demanding my time. There is only Svenn, our cottage, and the life we chose together.

He rises with me in his arms and carries me inside as the sun disappears beyond Astefar.