"Thanks," Bianca gave him a beaming smile, offering a lovely display of her dimple in the left cheek. Then she hopped up to sit on her table and leaned her arms behind her. She looked at him for a long time and said, "How can I help your kingdom?" One thing was clear to Bianca—she was born because of him. And it wasn't incorrect on his part to seek what she had taken from him, from his kingdom. Over the time he had talked to her, she felt like she was a thief who took the life out of him. Or more accurately put, he had given the magic of Solaris to her, he had sacrificed it, to give it to her. And she… had to return it.

She was extremely infatuated with him, but was that love? She was so attracted to him that she wanted to possess him, but she wasn't sure whether she loved him or not. She was his mate and she had recognized him as hers. According to the Lykaes, mates were rare to find. Her parents were mates—one would follow the other to death. The connection they had was indescribable. Her Uncle Caleb had a mate, Elize. Now that she knew that she also had a mate, she wanted to explore further, but before all that, she had an obligation—to help Brantley. She was going to fulfill it, but she wanted to know how.

​​

Brantley walked up to her and stood in front. "Be my queen."

"What?" she jerked her head back. "Woah! That's intense!" Sweat appeared on her brows even thinking about the prospect of marrying him.

"Bianca, only my queen can help my kingdom. And only you can be my queen. I have waited for so long only to marry you, only to take you back with me. Once you sit on the throne as my queen, you will understand how you will help me. The place needs you and once you are there, you would automatically understand."

She frowned at him.

"My kingdom is a desert. It was so beautiful and lush green a long time back. Not only that, every damn village, every damn patch in the villages has turned brown. My people call me selfish because—" he didn't say that it was because he gave the ruby's powers to her. There was desperation in his eyes and plea in his disposition. "You will understand once you are there, and I can't emphasize enough."

Feeling his sadness, she sat straight and almost as if instinctively reached to touch his cheek. Brantley immediately leaned himself in her palm and closed his eyes. "I am so sorry for what has happened with your kingdom."

"Hmm." He hummed in a low voice.

"I don't know how this is going to work out, but I am willing to help you."

"Really?" her statement amazed him.

The man needed her to exist and help his kingdom. She gulped. She should have been as excited as him, but apprehension suppressed the emotion. She flushed at his excitement. She pursed her lips to let her flush cool down. A moment later she nodded. "But is it possible that I don't marry you and still go with you?" That was one giant leap she wasn't ready for. Marriage was something she had never thought about, and everything was happening so suddenly that she found herself not ready for it.

"The queen's throne won't accept just anyone Bianca. It will accept my wedded mate, my wife." He lifted her hand in his and looked intensely in her eyes. "Please Bianca, please be my wife." He searched for an emotion, any emotion but when she didn't say a word, he continued, "I understand that it is a giant leap for you, I understand that you don't want to get into this relationship unless you get to know me better, but don't accept it for me, accept it for my people, my kingdom… I beg you."

A shiver ripped through her. This was not what she had anticipated at all. Her hand dropped. "Brantley, I want to see you for my intelligence, I want you to nurture my strength and my power. My parents are mates and their connection is of body, soul and brain. They fell in love before getting married. How can you expect me to get married to someone I don't even… know."

Brantley stared at her. He nodded and then licked his dry lips. "I understand…" Once again he raked his fingers through his hair as a feeling of dejection settled on his shoulders. He couldn't press his urgency any better than this. He lowered his head and walked away from her. God, he had come as a happy soul in the morning. He had come to finally take his mate back… to the place she belonged to…

"Unless—"

He stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder.

"Unless you agree to my deal," she said and jumped off the table.

Brantley turned on his heels to face her. His eyes bore a hole in her skull as if he was trying to understand or gain access into her brain and check out what her thoughts were.

Bianca wanted to tear her gaze away from him and look anywhere else but she found herself entranced by the way he looked at her.

"I am eager to listen to your deal," he said as he stood there fixed to the ground.

Bianca ambled towards him with her hands clasped at her back. She had thought about the situation and this was the best for her, for him and for his kingdom. "I will marry you. Think of it as an agreement between us."

He opened his mouth but she quieted him by placing a finger on her lips and he closed his mouth.

"I don't know how much time would be needed to restore this balance, but I feel that it wouldn't require more than two months. And after the work is done, after nature is restored in your kingdom, I will come back to Bainsburgh."

Brantley rubbed his hand over his mouth. "I agree," he said. Even those two months would be more than enough for him to last a lifetime, but he wouldn't force her.

Bianca nodded. "But there are terms."

"I agree!"

"Don't you want to listen to them?"

"I will... later."

"Okay, cool! Then let's get married," she said holding her chin high.

His eyes widened and he studied her whether she was speaking the truth or not. She watched him with raised eyebrows as if waiting for his reaction. There was sincerity on her face. He chuckled and then walked to her to hug her. Without hesitating he hugged her tightly and said, "You amaze me."

His embrace made her feel safe and so good that she growled when he left her, but she gathered her composure and said, "But you have to guide me. We have to work on this together. Right now I feel I am about to jump in an unknown abyss but because you are there to hold me, I am ready to take the leap."

"I will always be there for you Bia," he said and hugged her again. "Thank you so much for the trust you show in me."

She felt better again and nuzzled in his chest. Wait. She stopped herself. This was an agreement. What she meant was that she had given him two months to make her fall in love with her. "When do we get married?" she asked, craning her neck up to look at him.

"Tomorrow, in Aztec, in the temple of Chimala."