To Claim A Crown Book Two: The Winter Harbinger (Complete)

Chapter Thirty-Six: A Queen

Delilah shifts slightly. She awakes slowly, her mind begins to register her state. She is warm, there's a heavy blanket at her shoulders. Soft classical music fills her ears. It's Debussy, her favourite. A rich scent of dark chocolate and whiskey claims her nose and she inhales deeply with a smile tugging at her lips. She cracks an eye open then another. She frowns then lifts herself up from the bed, pulling the blanket as she does.

Stellan is sitting at the foot of her bed on a chair from the dining room. Atop the vanity is an old fashioned record player and a glass of blood. The smell is faint and lingers just slightly under the scent of himself. The vampire king. Delilah can feel herself frown. Stellan locks the screen of his phone then dares to look up at her. Delilah allows herself to truly look at him.

He has a thick dark beard covering his chin. It's trimmed neatly and short. He has a single braid that has gathered all his dark hair out of his face. He has deep eye bags cutting onto his skin. His heart is beating steadily. And after a moment she is certain his is beating in perfect rhythm with hers. His dark eyes have a hint of mischief and are full of kindness. Delilah squeezes her eyes shut as she sinks into her pillows. She is overcome with emotion. How had she not known? Of course it was him. He had been her safety ever since she arrived.

"Hey..." Stellan urges gently. He stands off the chair and walks to the bed, the bed dips with his weight. "Don't beat yourself up Dee. It was magick, a hex. Not your fault. Are you feeling okay?"

"I feel like an idiot. Of course it was you. I'm sorry your majesty. Forgive me-"

"-Stellan. Please call me Stellan. I know it's a lot and it's overwhelming. But you're my aeturnum and I am yours. Will you have me? In this life and until The Great After? I am dying without you. Without having you as my own. Every breath I take is pointless if I am to breathe without you. If I am to exist without you. I have lived a long life Delilah and I have never been more certain of anything. I am more certain about you that I am about the cycles of the Father Sun and Mother Moon and if the Father does not rise tomorrow I will still know. If the Mother should hide her face I will still know. You are my purpose."

Stellan hesitantly reaches for Delilah's hand. Delilah allows her hand to be held by his. Sturdy and warm. A lump forms in her throat and she cannot hold back her tears.

"I do not deserve this, Stellan. I am not a good person. Ever since my sister died I've tried to escape in the bottom of every bottle. I ruined Naomi...her life...and now the Gods gift me you? The vampire king? A good man. I do not deserve this."

Stellan shifts along the bed closer to where Delilah is sitting. He wipes the tears off her cheeks. His chest pains to see his aeturnum cry. He clears his throat.

"Look at me. Have you seen Naomi lately? I do not see ruin. I see a future and a promise of hope for our people. I know that you want to make things right with Naomi and I will support you every step of the way but first we are going to get you better. Help you come to terms with the loss of your sister. You will never have to go through this alone. Not anymore."

"And what about you?"

Stellan chuckles lowly. "I will begin to live. For the first time since The Great War. I will be alive."

Delilah muses over his words. She wants nothing more than to reach out to him, to be held by him. To hold him. It takes all the fight she has to not throw her arms around his neck.

"You're a king, Stellan. I'm a drunk. What does that make you? What does it make me-"

"-A queen, Delilah. My queen. Please let's just try. We give it a month. If it doesn't work then we know it's not for a lack of trying."

Delilah exhales a slow shaky breath. She can feel the trembles begin in her fingers. It spreads through her body like an icy cold wind. Stellan's face is knotted with worry.

"Two months Stellan, the first will be the withdrawals. You deserve better than a month of me being sick."

Stellan nods his agreement trying to hide his excitement. Delilah forces a smile as she lowers onto the bed slowly.

"How can I help you?" Stellan asks her gently. Delilah's eyes flutter shut as the trembling spreads through-out her body.

"Just hold me."

Stellan kicks his shoes off and walks around the bed. He eases onto the mattress behind Delilah and slips under the blanket. He tucks Delilah's back against his chest. He inhales against her hair. He rubs her arms gently and firmly as they shake and twitch. The trembles die down slowly but do not disappear completely.

Delilah breathes a sigh of relief. The trembles usually leave her feeling weak and nauseated. But now with Stellan holding her and stroking her arms and hair the trembles are a mere simmer along the surface of her being. Maybe this won't be such a bad thing. Maybe now she will finally fully stand the withdrawals. Maybe now she will finally stay sober.

Maybe now she too will begin to live. Maybe she will be able to make things right with Naomi. Just maybe.

"How are you feeling?" Stellan breathes against her ear.

Delilah shivers with a smile. "Better now. I just need to rest. I think you could do with some rest too, Stellan."

Stellan mutters a simple "mmhh," against her ear his breathing deepens and he tucks Delilah closer against him. Delilah forces her eyes open as she allows herself to drink in the feeling of being in his arms. The feeling of his chest rising and falling against her back. His warm breath against her ear. Her eyes fall heavily, closed.