As wild and free as the Magyr Mountains.

Her heart started to beat again.

She pressed her fingers against the glass, her eyes riveted on the scene before her.

Damien stepped beside her. “Incredible, isn’t it?” There was pride in his low tenor voice. “Would you like to go outside and stand along the cliffs?”

“Yes,” she answered without turning.

“Then follow me.”

He directed her toward the end of the corridor, where a door led to the outside ledge and cliffs that lined this side of the castle. As Selene walked beside him, she caught his scent, a strange scent, almost like the ocean itself.

Damien opened the door, then waited as she exited the castle. A cold wind blew across the jagged stone cliffs, sending her hair flying to the side. The gap between the castle and the edge was about twenty feet, ending abruptly in a sheer drop-off with white crested waves far below. To her left, a narrow ledge jutted out over the sea like a finger pointing north.

Her cloak fluttered behind her as Selene came to stand near the edge and looked over the sea. “It’s even bigger than I had imagined.”

“Yes.” Damien stepped beside her, a soft smile spreading across his lips.

“All I could picture was one of the crystal lakes in the Magyr Mountains, but this is different. It’s like a whole land unto itself, only made of water. Do you go out to sea often?”

“Not as much as I would like. But I do have my own ship that I use to travel up and down the coast, or to the other lands. Most of the cities and villages of the Northern Shores are located near the coastline. The majority of our trade consists of fishing and transport.”

Selene clasped her hands together as another gust of wind grabbed ahold of her cloak and sent it flying, along with her hair. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the salty-sweet air. She stood there, letting the wind and the waves block out everything else.

“I wish we had a bit longer,” Damien said eventually. “But there is some business I need to attend to before this afternoon.”

The public announcement of their nuptials. Selene dropped her hands and opened her eyes as reality came crashing back. “I understand.” She let her mask slip back over her face. Yes, this had been a thoughtful gesture on Damien’s part. But it didn’t silence the whispers inside her mind. I only married you to save myself.

“I’ll have Taegis escort you to the throne room when it’s time.”

Selene nodded without saying a word, the weight of fear latching back on to her chest.

“Selene?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you nervous?”

Selene glanced over at him. “I was raised knowing I would marry someday out of duty. Our marriage . . . it’s not what I was expecting.”

He nodded and glanced at the sea in thought. “It’s not what I was expecting either.”