𝐒𝐲𝐧 ┃𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

148. 𝑻𝒉𝒚 𝑾𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝑩𝒆 𝑫𝒐𝒏𝒆

Syn

All that mattered was her.

Queen used to want a nice house, dogs, a nice garden, and me. Without the Underworld, I could finally give that to her, and maybe, just maybe...that was what was written in the stars for us. Not this. I could see myself waking up next to her, the sunlight pouring in from the shutters as I watched her wake up. I heard her laugh echo in my head. One full of pure happiness and joy.

We could have a good life.

We'd raise Saint, take him to school every day, and remind him not to kill anybody...He would give us hell as a teenager, I was sure, but he'd make us proud.

It was a mundane life. More human than I'd ever imagined for myself before, but it brought a smile to my face. I had a family now. A true one. So long as they were with me it didn't matter if I was sitting on a throne or a porch.

Queen returned my smile and a part of me thought she had somehow read my mind and agreed.

But then she started clapping her hands, and the sound jolted me back to reality and the cheering around me.

"Syn," I heard him say. I turned to him and my eyes stopped on his raised hand. "You will remain our King."

What?

I almost shot up from the chair out of surprise, but the pure shock of it all had me glued to the seat. I genuinely thought I had lost the throne. Everything in me was preparing for a life without it. It was going to take me a second to snap back.

"Are we done here then?" I heard Drake speak up.

"Not quite," the warlock spoke up. "I do have a condition that comes with my decision."

A condition?

I let out a deep breath. Of course, there was a catch. "What is it?"

"You are to rule alongside Queen."

Queen and I glanced at one another. Was that it? Because that was easy. I had already planned to do that once we got married. I looked back at him and nodded. "Okay."

"The two of you are engaged to be married, correct?" He asked.

"Yes." I nodded.

"I'd like for the both of you to wed within the next month and complete the Underworld's bonding ritual. If you agree to the terms, my vote will remain."

If it were just my feelings I had to consider, I would have done it all tomorrow. But we just had this conversation. She opened up and admitted that the idea of having a wedding scared her and I understood her. Our first one was traumatic for her on so many levels.

I died.

Then our daughter's life was taken.

I told her we had time...

How could I turn around and force one month on her?

Not to mention the ritual becoming a term. Even though I wanted to do it and she said yes, I couldn't accept it. It was a serious commitment and there was no going back. There would be no more breaks or her disappearing somewhere where I couldn't find her, she'd be mine. Completely. And I'd be hers.

I wanted her to think about it.

That was why this wasn't going to work.

I spoke up first, "I don't think—"

"We agree to the terms," Queen spoke up for me and I turned to her, surprised. "We'll get married and we will do the ritual."

We will?