Silas appeared at the doorway, surprisingly with a bunch of flowers in his hand. I'd expected a lot of luggage, maybe boxes of things that would clutter the entry for days but not flowers.

He offered a hesitant smile as he walked into my study, gently placing them on the desk.

"I thought about those couple of days, you know, the beginning."

I nodded gently, eyebrows raised but generally plain-faced.

"You said that I didn't care about my family, you probably thought a lot of horrible things and to be fair, most of them are probably true. I've spent years trying to get Alaric to where he is today and finally getting him there, it was like a burden had been lifted from my shoulders. To see that he didn't get closure to his issues, it hasn't been easy. It's all that any of us have wanted. We waited fifty years for that moment and it wasn't what we expected. I see how he is now and I tried to ignore it but when you said that maybe he was a product of a questionable upbringing, I realized that you were right. I'd raised that child, I created that monster."

"Silas,"

"No," He said, shaking his head. "I gave Alaric the belief that it was his birthright to be the ruler. I told him that he was robbed of his parents and even though the home we shared was a loving one, it wasn't the same as what his parents could have given him. You are right, he is a spoiled brat and I am the one that is responsible. To learn that you are pregnant, that I am faced with another child that I will raise, it has not been easy to deal with. Don't think that I'm backing out of this, I'm here one hundred percent."

"You're just suggesting that I not let you near the child?"

Silas looked at me, struggling to figure out if I was joking.

"This is a different situation. It's not going to be easy but there is no turning back. As for the past, it's just another one of those things that can't be changed. We can learn from them and I hope that Alaric has learned from what has passed between us. I want him to understand that he is destroying lives. Regardless of whether they are deserving or undeserving, these are still vampires that have loved ones. If Alaric sent his army in without giving the warning, I would be dead. Your child would be gone too. You might not realize it, you might have never known but that's not the point. He had no idea what or who was down here, just like the other provinces. Who has died that maybe didn't need to? I understand that he has a goal and that those provinces along the ridge were the ultimate prize but there could have been another answer. You didn't fail him as a guardian but you did fail him as an advisor. I hope that you will learn from this and pass the lesson onto Oliver. Maybe we can stop the bloodshed."

He smiled as he crossed the gap, wrapping his arm around my waist.

"Maybe we can guide them into a better direction for this land."

We could but the man was probably stubborn. He seemed very focused and I think that he wanted every single leader to pay for the past. Well, I wasn't going to pay for it but I suspect that my father had.

Silas kissed me, warily at first. I guess that it wasn't just a case of delicate territory, this was new and we hadn't started in the best of places.

"I know it was a forgery." He whispered against my lips.

I didn't say a word.

"This is what I offer to you to show you that I am more than what you think I am. I convinced him to sign the treaty based on a lie. I will continue to keep my silence to ensure that this province stays in your family."

"Why?"

"Because I remembered seeing you that night. I knew that your word was the truth. Maelen didn't talk politics to me all that often but if he trusted Farris and you with the love of his life then it meant a lot. To me, it said that you were worthy of this land and to go against anything that might have been previously agreed upon would be dishonoring two great men."

He pulled my fringe back, tucking it behind my ear. His eyes watched the movement, turning back to me as his fingers traced over my neck.

"The flowers are an apology. I'd planned on offering my condolences but when I saw you, I lost all thought. I didn't think that I'd ever see you again. When we were at the gates, I couldn't understand why you looked at me the way that you did. I thought it was pity which I didn't want from anyone. My mind was lost but it was sound. I soon realized that it wasn't pity, it was fear. You were worried."

"That place is a deathtrap."

"Oliver is sending a team in to tear the place apart. I asked him to ensure they are kind to the girls, they don't have an easy life."

His fingers traced over my stomach, teasing under my shirt. I was in comfortable clothes, a relaxed day of office work.

"I never considered this as a path for my life. Alaric's future was always my top priority. It has changed."

"Yes," I said wrapping my arms around his neck. "The bridge needs to be completed."

"No, it doesn't."

"I want his attention kept to the north Silas. Your wedding present to me will be that you keep that brat and his reach away from what is mine. Let him build the bridge, let him establish contact with those creatures."

"I'm not going back there."

I smiled, shaking my head gently.

"And you won't be. Your place is here, being a husband and a father. However, you will maintain regular contact with Alaric to ensure that everything goes the way that I want it to."

"Eyes to the north?"

I nodded and stepped back. Taking his hand, I picked up the flowers and we crossed the room.

"Asa, have one of the maids put these in a vase. Ask them to place it on my desk."

"Of course, your highness. Uh, are you ready to go through the evening schedule?"

"Not at the moment, Asa. I must give Silas a tour of the house."

He stared for a moment and then nodded, scuttling away into the back area. Leading Silas up the stairs, I turned back and looked at him. He smiled at me with a boyish charm that was adorable.

"Tour of the house?"

I nodded, grinning madly.

"Yep, starting with the bedroom."

Silas moved quickly, I yelped when he lifted me into his arms.

"Which way?"

"At the end."

He moved like a hungry man, pushing through the door and flicking it shut with his foot. Lowering me to the bed, Silas knelt between my legs as he lifted his shirt off. I watched with anticipation that burned hard. Unable to resist, I sat up and began to undo his pants.

I'd never been this frantic with anyone, Silas was the only one that made me desperate for more. When he ripped open my shirt, I knew that the need was returned, that he craved moments like this one.

Swooping down to kiss me, Silas pulled me further up, slowly peeling me out of my shirt. It was tossed aside and my skirt was pushed over my hips, left to slide down my legs.

Wrapped up in his arms, almost naked and ready for more, I stopped. It was only to soak in the moment, to enjoy every single second. My mother's words swirled through my head, that it was okay to let the wall down. I'd put it up to ensure that the Nighthawk never failed. I didn't want someone walking into my life and causing a disruption. Despite my efforts, Silas has done just that. He was the mission that altered my life permanently and honestly, I couldn't be happier.

"You're going to spend an eternity driving me crazy, aren't you?"

Silas grinned and nodded.

I smiled as my fingers traced over the fair skin of his jaw, looking at the places where I wanted to put bruises. Now I wanted to put kisses on them. I was a changed woman. In some respects, I wasn't entirely thrilled about it. Being a princess was not a life that I liked and being queen was not any better. It was a path that was always going to be, I couldn't change who I was no matter how much I tried.

The rules always grated against me, even if I lived by a lot of rules as the Nighthawk. It was a life that I'd picked for myself, it's why I didn't mind those rules. They kept me alive, they ensured that I earned a solid reputation. I suppose that the rules for my new life could be altered in a similar fashion.

Being queen was not going to be easy, becoming a mother was daunting and keeping Alaric focused on the north would be difficult but if I had this guy here with me along for the ride then I guess it may not be as bad as what I believed it could be. After all, I am the Nighthawk and she can do anything.