Kerrick beamed. “They’re going to be ecstatic.”

“So they are close?”

“Out hunting. They’ve been keeping me company.”

“That was nice of them.”

“They were upset, too.”

“Gee, this is my third time—you’d think they’d be a bit more relaxed,” I teased.

But Kerrick failed to see the humor. “It was a long two months.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Not like you had any control.”

“I meant for lying to you. Tohon had to die.”

“I know. It took me a month, but I forgave you.”

“The good news just keeps on coming.” And one of the best parts—the war was over. “Is Ryne going to keep his promise to reestablish the Fifteen Realms?”

“Yes.” Kerrick explained about the leaders. “And he offered me Tohon’s realm. But I can’t accept it.”

“Why not?”

“Because I can’t leave the forest. Because I go dormant in the winter. Because—”

“What if I told you I can break your bond to the living green?”

“Without killing me?”

“Yep.”

“How?”

“By doing this...” I kissed him.

He pulled away. “What’s the catch?”

“After spending lots of time together and sharing magic, we’ll be bonded. You’ll be swapping one bond for another. There are some limitations and the whole ‘if I die, you die’ thing and vice versa.” I suppressed a shudder, remembering my link with Tohon. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to.”

Kerrick crushed me to his chest. “Avry, today you just gave me back my life.”

“Does that mean you’ll accept the position of King of Sogra?”

“Depends.”

“On what?”

“If you’ll agree to be my queen.”

My heart jolted. “And a healer?”

“Of course. Belen figured you might want to reestablish the Healer’s Guild.”

“That’s a great idea. I can work with the Death Lilys to discover more potential healers. Without harming them, of course! And Danny and Zila can live with us.”

“I’d like that.”

“And we’ll have children?”

“As many as you want. That won’t be a problem.” He leered.

“And we’ll have a very long honeymoon?”

“Oh, yes. As long as you wish. It’s going to take a while to knock down Tohon’s castle and build another.”

“Oh, no, you can’t knock it down.”

“Why not? There’s nothing but bad memories there.”

“There are good memories, as well. The infirmary is wonderful, there are lots of Peace Lilys, and a rooftop garden that you would love—trust me. Besides, that’s where we kissed for the first time. Not under the best circumstances, true, but...”

“All right, we’ll keep the castle as long as we can have a huge bonfire and burn all of Tohon’s things.”

“Agreed.”

Kerrick dug into his pocket and removed a ring. “Avry of Kazan Realm, will you marry me?”

“Yes.”

He whooped and kissed me.