We all obey, everyone appearing as grateful as I feel to have less weight to carry. Kane and Finn head into the forest as Tynan sets about making camp, his braids falling into his face as he works.
“Ever sleep under the stars?” he asks me, grinning as he unrolls a thin pad that will act as someone’s bed.
“Many times.” I smile at the memories. “My mother loved a clear night sky more than anything.”
My smile falls away as I recall why she might have felt that way. I know she loved my father, but it’s clear in retrospect that she never got over Oberon. Why else would she have been so enamored with the night? Unless she knew somehow that I have this tie to the Court of the Moon. Unless she was tied to it too.
Tynan watches me curiously for a beat before returning his attention to the bedroll. “As did mine,”
he says softly. “Sleeping outside isn’t uncommon among the Wild Fae, of course, but the nobility tends toward more refined accommodations.” He shakes his head. “Not my mother, though. She’d take us from the palace and into the woods at least twice a month. She wanted us to be comfortable sleeping with nothing but a bed of pine needles beneath us and a blanket of stars overhead.”
“You were raised at Castle Craige?” I ask, realizing I don’t know much about Tynan’s background. He’s always so quiet.
Tynan nods. “Pretha’s my cousin. Our mothers are sisters.”
“Will you both go back to the Wild Fae Lands after everything’s settled here, or will you stay with Finn?”
Tynan’s eyes go wide, as if I’ve said something unexpected, but he shakes his head and returns his attention to unpacking another bedroll. “You’d have to ask Finn about his plans, but I know Misha would like me back, and I miss my home.”
Finn appears from among the trees, carrying an armful of thick branches, Kane by his side. I never thought about Finn’s plans. I think I’ve always assumed he’d end up on the Throne of Shadows. Now they all assume that I will—and as much as I want to be horrified by the prospect, it feels right on some level, like an unexpected puzzle piece clicking into place. But I can’t imagine doing it without my friends by my side. I wouldn’t want to.
“What about Pretha? Will she return home with you?” I ask Tynan.
“I’m not sure she considers the Wild Fae territory her home anymore. Pretha fell in love with Vexius at the Midnight Palace,” Tynan says. “Birthed Lark in the freshwater pools of Staraelia. She changed in these lands.”
“Changed how?” I ask.
Finn drops the pile of branches and laughs. “From a defiant young bride to a loving wife and doting mother,” he says, and Tynan nods. “When you take the throne, you’ll be able to choose your advisors,” Finn adds. “You should consider Pretha. She’d be honored, and I don’t think she’d be disappointed to have an excuse to stay in the Court of the Moon.”
“And what about you?” I ask Finn. “What are your plans?”
Tynan clears his throat, and he and Kane excuse themselves and retreat to the woods.
Finn meets my eyes for a beat, then is quiet for a long time as he builds a fire. “That will be up to my queen,” he finally answers, his eyes on his task. “But as your tethered, I can serve and protect you best if I’m by your side.”
“And if I’m not queen?” I ask. “If the solution Mab offers doesn’t involve my taking the throne?”
“I don’t think that’s likely. You’re Mab’s heir. You’re the promised child.”
“I think we need to consider that it’s still possible—possible that after all this, Sebastian will be the one to end up on the throne.”
Finn points two fingers at the pile of sticks and branches, and it catches a flame. The fire hisses and crackles as he walks around it to stand before me. “I will be by your side,” he says, cupping my face in one big hand, “as long as you’ll let me. Wherever you are.”
Finn takes the first watch, and despite sleeping through it, I’m completely aware of him when he wakes Kane for his turn and readies himself for bed. I hear Finn’s soft steps and the sounds of boots being shucked off, the swoosh of clothing being removed.
We never discussed how we’d sleep, but somehow I’m not surprised when he lowers himself onto the ground beside me, as if the moment his role as my tethered match was confirmed at the temple, he stopped trying to resist the impulse to stay as close as possible. Slipping under the blankets, he curls his body behind mine. His heat seeps through my sleep clothes, wrapping all around me. When he snakes an arm around my waist, I melt into him with a sigh.