"They're coming!" Olivia Fenwick shouted, hurrying toward the camp, her twin sister close behind. "We saw them!"
Madison's heart leapt to her throat.
Please let him be all right, please let him be all right. She started to walk through the woods, and then she started to run. She wasn't alone. And there they were, the prince at the front with the former governor beside him, driving the mule cart and a long line of soldiers behind. Madison and the others stopped and watched, anxious.
A broom swooped down from above, carrying two people and Caprice Rostanov hopped off the second it came to a stop, hurrying toward the cart as Thestia Monty waved her hand, making the broom disappear. Logan reached down and scooped Caprice up next to him, holding her in his arms and kissing her.
Aidan, where are you? And then she saw him, walking upright, holding a stretcher, upon which lay--
She ran toward them, her heart pounding. "Is he--"
"He'll be OK, thanks to Sakira," Aidan said, looking grave. "But it was pretty bad. She had to tend to him again in the woods."
Behind them walked Caleb Summerdream, carrying Sakira in his arms. She was asleep.
Connor's face was paler than she'd ever seen it, his body still as death under the blanket. Katrina looked like she'd aged five years in the past few hours. Madison fell into step beside Aidan.
"Can I help?"
"Just having you here helps," he said. "I wanted to ask you something if I made it out of here alive. I promised myself I'd do it the second I saw your face. But this wasn't how I wanted to do it."
"Just ask her," Takeo said. "Sheesh."
"You want me to ask her, huh."
"Yes!" Both his cousins said at once.
"Marry me," he said. "I know it's probably too soon and we should be sensible and all that but I already know that you're the person I want walking beside me for the rest of my life."
"Yes," she said.
"Yes?" His face broke into a huge smile.
"Yes," she said again.
Edgar walked up and nudged Aidan. "I'll take over," he said, grabbing the stretcher. "kiss her already, you idiot."
Aidan pulled Madison into his arms and kissed her as all around them the other rebels cheered and laughed.
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