Page 84 of A World of Ruins

‘Yes, that makes itmuchbetter.’

‘I thought we could get over this petty squabbling. You got the girl – you even married in secret – and all of this belongs toyou.’

I stifle the annoyance building up in my throat. I don’t like how Lorcan referred to me as a prize in a game. Our relationship is a complicated one that no one can fathom. Yes, he has saved me many times, even risking his position in Aeris to come get us, but our history still lingers there on the brink of a precipice. And no matter what I do, he and I need more than a week’s worth of talking things out.

‘I nevergother.’ Darius shoots up from the chair, his face metres away from Lorcan’s. ‘This was never a competition for me. None of it was.’

Lorcan huffs, but Darius points a finger to his chest, his voice low.

‘I cared for you because you were my only family,’ he says. ‘At least I thought that until Gus.’

I might not see it on his face, but I know it hurts him just as much. He hasn’t said it to me, and I don’t think he will for a long time, but I can feel it. I can feel how much he blames himself for never having forgiven Gus to his face.

I let my guard down, choosing to walk away but not in the most stealthy way. Lorcan’s eyes flit over to the doorway, spotting me, and Darius’s gaze follows.

He turns and smiles as if nothing has been said. ‘Spying on us, Goldie?’

Lorcan looks at me pensively, wondering if I heard it all.

Throwing him off course, I stroll into the room, rolling my eyes. ‘I don’t need to spy on you to know you most likely talked about how much you love yourself.’

‘I think you’ve just unlocked another power from Solaris.’ Darius chuckles as I reach him. He crosses his arms over his chest as he dips his head closer to mine. ‘All knowing.’

I squash down the flutter in my stomach with a haughty grin.

The atmosphere turns sour when my eyes find Lorcan’s; I can almost taste the acid burning my tongue. Darius notices himself, his smile fading as he takes a step away from me.

I wonder if it is his way of wanting not to rub what he and I have in Lorcan’s face.

‘Lorcan was telling me how we should approach the public today,’ Darius says.

Lorcan’s expression turns sombre for a second, but he shakes it away with a clear of his throat. ‘Yes, um—’ He scratches the back of his head, not looking directly at us. ‘It’s important you show them they can be safe under your command.’

‘I am not looking to command.’ Darius sounds so serious that Lorcan sighs and runs a hand over his face in exhaustion.

‘That’s a problem we keep encountering with him.’

And Darius calls me stubborn.

‘Command is just another way of controlling others.’ Darius turns his back to us as he walks towards the windows and leans his his arm over his forehead, watching the garden outside, the dying trees . . . the barracks now occupied by shifters and surviving Venators. ‘That is exactly what Sarilyn and Aurum did.’

Lorcan looks as if he is close to losing his patience. A vein pops up on his forehead. ‘How do you expect to be king if you refuse to keep order in Emberwell—’

‘Unity,’ Darius simply says. ‘Make them understand that dragons, goblins, pixies, humans and more are all the same.’ The window reflects his gold eyes as he never takes his eyes off what’s outside. Darius never wanted to be king, and now it feels like his only choice.

I draw closer to him, placing my hand on his arm. The touch makes him turn to look at me. ‘What if they don’t want to understand?’

A shadow of pride and longing reaches his eyes before they snap to Lorcan. My head swivels to see him staring at us both. ‘Then,’ Darius says, ‘we give them time. And no matter what, we will always try to help the people of Emberwell get back what they lost, whether they approve of my future reign or not.’

CHAPTERTHIRTY-SIX

I’m poked and prodded as Leira and Aelle fit me into Sarilyn’s gown. Aelle works the laces at the back as Leira fluffs out the bottom of the silk skirt.

Tibith is on one of the settees watching, while Freya is behind me, pinning all my hair up with pins and pearls, which I had told her not to. I didn’t want the three of them to treat me like they were my maids, but they were just as headstrong as me.

‘Well, you look like you can’t breathe.’ Iker chuckles, barging into the dressing chamber with Illias, Idris and Link behind him.

I cut him a glare, holding on to the ornate dresser as if my life depended on it.

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