Jem stood there in shock. Her father seemed shocked, too.

“But…Your Majesty…it…it’s not proper!” the general sputtered. “She is my only daughter. He is a commoner. My child must marry a nobleman!”

The king laughed lightly. “I understand your concern, General,” he said. “But this is unprecedented. We have mages again. This is important for the kingdom. I’m sure you, better than anyone, understand.”

“But…but…” General Vespertine said.

The king raised one hand. “I have a way to fix your dilemma.” He rose from his throne and descended to where the group stood. Although he was not a young man, he still moved with strength. He glanced around and then gestured to a nearby guard. “Your sword,” he said.

When the blade was in his hand, the king walked to stand in front of Matias. “Kneel,” he commanded. Matias fell to his knees, and King Mather tapped him on one shoulder, and then the other. “I officially knight you and bestow upon you a lordship. Rise, Lord Matias Aodren, knight of the crown of the first order and the newest baron of Eyvind.”

King Mather casually turned away to return the sword to the guard, then climbed back to the dais to sit on his throne. The entire group looked up at him in silence. He waved his hand.

“Rise,” he said. “You are a lord and baron now—nobility. Go and consummate your marriage with your noble wife.”

Jem could barely process the king’s words—it was all happening so fast. Did the king just knight Matias and tell him to consummate his marriage in the same breath? Jem glanced over at her father, her palms sweaty. General Vespertine looked furious, but she knew he wouldn’t dare defy the king.

Matias rose from the floor in time for Lukka to clap him enthusiastically on the back. “Congratulations on becoming a knight! Worked out rather well for you, didn’t it?” the prince exclaimed. But Matias’s face was stony.

“We will have chambers prepared for you. Nothing but the best,” the king said. “Lady Vespertine, I will send ladies to assist you for your wedding night.” Jem felt her face flush. The king turned to the rest of the group. “General Vespertine, Lord Aodren, please stay behind. We have plans to discuss regarding the raveners. That means you, Matias. I will let you have your long-awaited wedding night, but first we must discuss strategy for the kingdom. I promise it won’t take long. The mages might just be the answer to all of our problems.”

This can’t be happening…can it?

Jem felt a hand on her elbow, and she allowed herself to be led out of the throne room. When they got to the hall of tapestries, she turned and realized that it was Prince Lukka who was escorting her.

“Your Highness,” she said. “I…you needn’t see me to my room. I’m sure you have much more important duties to take care of.”

“I don’t mind escorting you,” he said, waving her comment off. “It’s my older brother who’s really involved in politics. I’m the spare to the heir.” Lukka grinned at her. He really didn’t seem to care about his bad reputation, or his position within the royal family.

When they reached the end of the hall, Lukka turned to a butler. “My father promised Lady Vespertine the best rooms for her wedding night. Please ensure she has them.”

The butler bowed. “Yes, Your Highness. Madame, please wait here. I shall send someone to fetch you when your chambers are prepared.” He gestured to a bench nearby and Jem walked numbly toward it. When she sat down, Lukka took her hand and kissed it.

“Good evening, Jem,” he said. “It is a pleasure to have you here at the palace.” He turned and walked down the hall, leaving Jem alone with her jumbled thoughts. A moment ago, all she had wanted was a moment to herself, but now that she had it, she wanted to be back in the safety of the throne room. It could have been five minutes or five hours since she left it—she was too dazed to notice. All too soon, two ladies-in-waiting arrived to lead her upstairs.

When they opened the door to her bedchamber, Jem gasped. The room was enormous—at least three times the size of her bedroom at home. She’d never stayed at the palace before, but this was far beyond her expectations. On one side, an enormous four-poster bed took up a place of prominence. On the other, a full bathtub stood waiting, rose petals floating on the surface of the water.

The two maids stepped forward and began undressing Jem. When she was down to her shift, she reached up and unclasped the wooden pendant she always wore. Matias had been so…harsh, so cold, that Jem almost felt embarrassed at how sentimental she’d been about this trinket. She squeezed it gently and then stowed it safely in a small chest on a nearby table. She stepped to the tub and allowed her shift to be lifted over her head.

As she sat in the warm water, she tried to come to terms with what she was being told to do tonight. Something involving her body and his in ways she could hardly imagine. Of course, she’d kissed Matias before…fleeting, innocent kisses that they’d stolen quickly for fear of being discovered. But now she was being told to do so much more. Jem tried to imagine being in Matias’s arms, and something hot and languid filled her body.

Even if she didn’t fully understand what consummating her marriage meant. As a lady of nobility, she was kept carefully innocent. It wasn’t as if Tauriel had explained anything to Jem either. Still, she wished she had someone to give her advice now. She’d heard the maids gossiping about being with men, but she still wasn’t sure what actually happened. She just knew that he would see her naked, she would see him, and that whatever it was would hurt the first time.

At least it won’t be with Lord Penrose…

The maids helped her out of the tub. They probably could have given Jem some answers, but she was too embarrassed to say anything. She didn’t even know what questions to ask.

One of the maids wrapped Jem in a towel and then stepped back with a curtsy. “There’s a gown for you on the bed, ma’am,” she said. Then the two maids stepped out of the room, leaving her completely alone.

Jem walked to the bed and lifted the gossamer dress over her head. It was soft against her skin, almost like nothing was there. But when she looked down at her body, she gasped. The gown was almost completely see-through! Jem was embarrassed—she hadn’t realized she would start the night practically naked. She looked around desperately, then pulled a silk robe from a hook nearby and wrapped it around herself.

A knock came on the door. Perhaps it was one of the maids, bringing her a real gown. “Enter,” Jem said, her voice a little shaky.

But the door swung open to reveal Matias. Jem’s breath caught. He had also bathed. The dirt and sweat from travel had been washed away, but he still had a ruggedness about him, as if he was more at home outdoors. His damp hair fell over his forehead, and for a moment, Jem had an urge to brush it back, before remembering that she no longer had his love or his favor.

Matias had traded his travel gear for a simple shirt and trousers. Jem wondered briefly why he was allowed normal clothes and not transparent ones like hers. He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. Jem gripped her robe more tightly over her breasts.

How was this supposed to go? What was she supposed to do to begin any of this?

Matias’s eyes filled with fire as they took her in. That same heated jolt Jem had felt a few times before moved through her body. But after a moment of gazing at her face, Matias’s expression became blank again.

“You look like you’re about to pass out,” he said disapprovingly.

Jem realized that she was shaking. “I…I’m scared,” she whispered.

Matias stood looking at her, and then he scowled. “I do not take women who are not willing.” He turned and placed a hand on the doorknob, seemingly preparing to leave.

No! He couldn’t leave. If they didn’t consummate this marriage, it would likely get annulled with her father’s pushing and she would be given to Lord Penrose. Whatever the risks were with Matias, he had to be the better alternative to becoming the young pet of an old man, no?

“Wait!” Jem cried out. She took a few hesitant steps toward Matias and laid a hand on his arm. She was certain that Matias didn’t love her anymore. But it was still her wedding night. And yes, she was scared, but something in her still wanted him. She was…curious.

Naïvely, she wanted the wedding night they should have had once.

“Stay,” she said quietly.

Matias turned to her, and Jem let out a tiny gasp at how close he was. She could feel heat radiating from his body, and it was doing something to her insides that she had never felt before. That heat curled its way down her body, finding its way between her legs in a curious, not unpleasant manner.

“Why should I stay? Because the king ordered me to?” Matias said gruffly. “You sent me to my death and now you want me? Is it because I’m a knight now? You can finally stomach being with me?”

Jem frowned and drew her hand away. “That’s…that’s not… I never cared about that!”

Matias scoffed, his impressive stature looming over hers. “Oh, really? Then what changed your mind?”

Jem took a step back. “I-I don’t have to answer you when you’re being cruel like this,” she said. “I just wanted… I just thought…”

Matias stared hard at her as she trailed off. Then he suddenly crossed to her and snaked his arm around her waist. He yanked her body to his and Jem’s mouth fell open. The material of her gown and robe were so thin that she felt the hardness of his muscles along her entire body. Her breasts pressed against his chest, and her breath grew shallow.

“Is this what you want, James?” he whispered harshly.

Then he pressed his lips to hers again in a bruising kiss.