Her smile was so soft and hopeful that his heart ached. But she walked to the couch in front of the TV and sat down, as if testing it out. Testing out this house, this life.
“I think their dads will want to keep them close for a while after what happened,” Lidia said, “but yes … I would love for them to be here sometimes.”
Ruhn sank beside her on the couch. “They’re going to raise Hel when they’re older.”
“I’m fine with that, so long as it’s not literally.” Lidia sighed. “I’ve had enough of demons for a while, however friendly.”
Ruhn chuckled. “Me too.”
For a few minutes, they sat in companionable silence, the apartment—their apartment—settling in around them.
“I can’t believe we’re alive,” Lidia said at last.
“I can’t believe the Asteri are gone.”
The past few days had been such a whirlwind that he hadn’t really processed all that had happened. Or the current state of the world.
Lidia said carefully, “Your sister and Athalar’s intentions are good, but it’s going to take a lot more than one meeting with a bunch of world leaders to sort out an entirely new system of government. Or dismantle slavery.”
“I know. Bryce knows.”
“Are you … What do you plan to do?”
It was a loaded question, but Ruhn answered, “I’ll help her. I’ll head up the Aux with Holstrom, I guess. Since the Fae throne’s gone as of this morning.” It had been a wonder to behold—Bryce standing in front of the crowd of cameras and nobles, ending the monarchies with a stroke of a pen. Their father’s favorite pen, no less.
Ruhn had never been so proud to be Bryce’s brother.
He smiled slightly. “The Oracle was right in a lot of ways, I guess.” Lidia lifted a brow. “It wasn’t just that the crown would go to Bryce, but that she’d end it. The Danaan royal line is finished.”
Lidia clicked her tongue. “You’re not dead or childless, after all.”
“Not yet,” Ruhn said, laughing again. All that time spent dreading the prophecy, worrying over his fate …
Lidia looked at him, in that way that no one else on Midgard did—like she saw him. “Are you prepared to not be a prince anymore, though? To be … normal?”
“I think so,” he said, nudging her knee with his own. “Are you?”
“I have no idea. I don’t even know what normal is,” Lidia admitted.
Ruhn took her hand, linking their fingers. “How about we figure it out together, then?”
“How to be normal?”
“How to live a normal life. The normal, adult apartment’s a good start. For both of us.” No more veritable frat house living.
But wariness flooded her eyes. “My life is complicated.”
“Whoever said normal isn’t complicated?” he countered. “All I know is that whatever tomorrow or next year or the next millennium has in store for this world, I want to face it at your side.”
Her expression softened. She leaned closer, brushing a strand of his hair back with her free hand.
They weren’t the Hind and a Crown Prince of the Fae. Weren’t Day and Night. Right then, there, they were simply Lidia and Ruhn. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
But Ruhn got to his feet and walked to the kitchen, opening the fridge. The other request he’d made of the realtor: stock the fridge with one thing and one thing only.
Maybe the veritable frat house wasn’t entirely gone. He walked back to the couch and handed Lidia a beer.
“As promised, Day,” he said, twisting off the cap on his bottle. “One beer.”
She looked at the bottle, pure delight shining on her face. She twisted the cap off her own beverage, but got to her feet and clinked her bottle against his before drinking. “To a normal life, Ruhn.”
Ruhn leaned in to kiss her, and Lidia met him halfway. And the love and joy in him glowed brighter than starlight as he said against her mouth, “To a normal life, Lidia.”
* * *
It would take the wolves of the Den a few days to come back from where they’d been lying low. But they were coming back.
Ithan didn’t know if it was Amelie’s order or if Perry had asked them, but everyone was returning. Perhaps just to see how shitty he’d be at leading them as Prime.
Or to assess the dynamic without the Fendyrs.
Or to get their stuff before the firstlight power grid failed and chaos reigned.