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Resealing her fingertips, she peered at the doctor. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” said Dr. Nandez, standing. “I’ll be back to check on you in a few hours.”
As soon as she left, Cinder felt the air change. A sudden tension, a sudden stillness.
She licked her parched lips. “Are you the king of Luna now?”
Kai looked surprised at the question. “No. As Levana was never the true queen, she didn’t have the legal power to appoint anyone as king consort. I am technically a widower, but I think I can get that little mishap annulled.”
“‘Little mishap’?” For something she had risked her life to prevent multiple times, Cinder wasn’t sure she could consider Kai’s marriage a “little mishap.”
“A temporary mistake,” he said, shoving away the surgeon’s light so it was no longer blinding Cinder. “With all that was going on, we never even had time to consummate.”
Cinder coughed. “Unnecessary information.”
“Really? You weren’t curious?”
“I’d been trying not to think about it.”
“Well—think no more. I’m still thanking all the stars, one by one.”
Cinder would have laughed, except it hurt too much.
Pacing around the bed, Kai claimed the doctor’s stool. The wheels clacked on the floor as he pulled himself so close his knees pressed against the bed frame. “What else do you need to know before I let you get some rest?”
She ran her tongue against the roof of her mouth, wis.h.i.+ng she would have drank more water. “Am I … do they think I’m…?”
“The queen?”
She nodded.
“Yes, Cinder. You’re the queen of Luna.” The words were unrelenting. So unapologetic. “They ran your DNA while you were unconscious and you’re definitely Selene. According to Lunar law, that means you were the princess regent until your thirteenth birthday, at which time you became the queen of Luna. Levana was the impostor. They’re calling you ‘the lost queen.’ They’ve been celebrating your return since the night of the battle. Of course, they will want to have a ceremony eventually—more for tradition than anything else.”
Cinder bit her lip, thinking of the years she’d spent under Adri’s care. A mechanic, a servant, a piece of property. All that time she’d been royalty, and she had no idea.
“Even the thaumaturges, the ones who are still alive, say their loyalty is to the Lunar throne and whoever sits on it. At least, that’s what they’re saying now. We’ll see how they feel once things start to change around here.” Kai scratched behind his ear. “The army is being problematic. We’re recalling all those who were sent to Earth, but some of the soldiers are … well, not convinced the war is over. Some have gone rogue on Earth and the Earthen militaries are doing their best to track them down, but we’re hoping to—”
She reached for his hands, silencing him.
She was still working through the fact that she was the queen.
She was the queen of Luna.
She reminded herself that this was what she wanted. This responsibility, this duty, this right was what she’d been fighting for all along. The chance to rid the world of Levana and change the country she’d been born to. To change it for the better.
Kai’s fingers covered hers. Only then did she realize she’d grabbed him with her cyborg hand.
“I’m sorry,” said Kai. “You don’t need to worry about all that right now. Torin and I are taking care of everything. Making sure the injured are taken care of, getting the city cleaned up … oh, and the antidote. We’re preparing some big s.h.i.+pments for Earth, and the technicians have been working to produce more batches. We’ve already sent more than a thousand doses home with the diplomats and they say we’ll have triple that amount ready to go out tomorrow evening, although…” He hesitated, a shadow crossing his face. “The antidote is produced using sh.e.l.l blood, and there’s a whole complicated mess of laws surrounding the sh.e.l.ls, and the antidote, and I didn’t feel comfortable doing anything without you. That’s something we’re going to have to deal with, when you’re ready.” He trailed off, though Cinder could see the struggle warring in his eyes. The relief of having the antidote at his disposal, coupled with the horrible things Levana had been doing to obtain it.
She tried to smile, but she knew how drained she must look. “Thank you, Kai.”
He s.h.i.+fted his head, chunks of hair falling across his brow. “I’m sorry. I should let you sleep. It’s just … it’s really good to see you awake. To talk to you about all this.”
“How long was I out?”
“Almost three days.”
She turned her eyes toward the ceiling. “Three days. What a luxury.”
“A much deserved one.” Kai lifted her hand and pressed his lips against her knuckles. “Take your time recovering. The hard part is over.”
“Is it?”
He hesitated. “Well. The dangerous part is over.”
“Can you do something for me?”
Kai frowned, like he didn’t want to encourage any crazy ideas, but the moment was brief. “Anything.”
“Have all the Earthen leaders gone back to Earth?”
“No. We were able to sneak all the Earthens out of Artemisia during the fighting, once we got the ports open, but most of them came back after they learned you succeeded. I think they’re all waiting to meet you.”
