It hits me: he’s been with far more people than I have—he told me so himself—yet he’s acting as though I’m something coveted.

One of the king’s knees slink between my legs, spreading them apart. His hips settle heavily over me, and I can feel him right at my entrance. He shifts his pelvis, and then he’s pushing into me.

The king enters slowly, watching me the entire time. This isn’t the rough sex I expected. Somewhere along the way our frenzied movements have turned into this.

My lifelong enemy is now the person who’s physically closest to me. And I don’t mind. The remorse I felt on our wedding night is gone.

Montes thrusts into me, and the sensation is overwhelming. He’s overwhelming—over me, inside me.

Something about the languid way he moves and the way his eyes track mine makes me think this is more than just physical for him. That I might now consume the thoughts of the man who consumes mine.

A small smile tugs at the corners of my lips.

Montes stills. “That’s a first,” he breathes.

I’m finally giving into whatever it is I feel for this man and forgiving myself for circumstances beyond my control. I’m drawing a new beginning. One where not everything is a battle.

Long after we’ve finished, Montes clasps me to him. A light and fizzy emotion surges through me. Hope.

If not war, then love.

I don’t know the first thing about it—love. I don’t know if I’m even capable of it. But I also know that I have a limited time to learn. I’m still dying. If I hope to help the world before my time’s up, then I’ll have to work with the king to achieve it.

That’s asking a lot of the two of us—working together. We’re the last people for any of this. But it will happen. I’ll make sure of it.

“Weeks ago you promised I could get involved with medical relief,” I murmur.

Montes’s fingers trail my back. “I did.”

“I want to start tomorrow.”

His fingers halt. They tap against my skin once, twice. “Then I’ll put you in touch with the advisor on global health and wellness first thing,” he says. Whether the king is actually doting on me or just interested in keeping me busy doesn’t matter. I’ll get to work immediately.

Neither of us speaks again for several minutes.

Eventually, Montes breaks the silence. “What do you fear above all else, Serenity?” he asks quietly.

It’s a strange question, given our circumstances.

“You,” I say automatically.

I glance up at him, but he’s not looking at me. He’s staring at the ceiling, a faraway expression on his face.