Page 87 of A World of Ruins

While I may have some insight into what happened during those three months Darius was with Aurum, the undeniable truth remains – I didn’t live it the way he did. He was breaking, and like the Galgr said, there is nothing to fix that, but there is a way to heal it, maybe with time or all of us here at his side.

‘I think it’s time we went in,’ Lorcan says.

I look back at Ruvyn, nodding, though it is hardly a nod in the first place, as my mind only thinks of Darius.

Lorcan walks past me and I turn to him before I can stop myself. ‘Lorcan?’ I call out. He jerks his head back to look at me. ‘Thank you for not leaving us behind. It means a lot to him. To us.’

A whisper of a smile flickers across his lips as he bows and walks towards the throne room.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-SEVEN

As soon as I enter the throne room, Freya jumps on me, eagerly grabbing my arm as she drags me through the hall. She makes sure not to go near the still-broken pillars smashed along the floor or certain walls where the structure might break if one of us even leans against it.

‘We really need to get this place fixed,’ she mutters, her brows screwed up as dust dances through the air where the littlest bit of sun fixates on the centre.

‘We haven’t necessarily had time,’ I quip.

She chuckles as we look at each other.

‘Witchy,’ a deep, teasing voice says.

I whip my head back around as Darius walks over to us from the open balcony. My chest burns, and I have to swallow hard when I look at what he is wearing.

Just how I dressed up to receive the people of Emberwell, he did too. The problem is nothing can ever look bad on him. A simple black jacket with gold thread to match my dress and dragon scales sewn into the epaulettes showcases just how devastatingly beautiful he is.

‘Darius,’ Freya says, eyeing us both in amusement. ‘Take good care of her. You know I still can’t forgive you both for marrying without me there.’

I chuckle, patting her arm before letting go. She strides off in the other direction where my brothers and Tibith are.

‘Always a pleasure seeing you, Freya,’ Darius calls out to her, but his eyes are only on me. His gaze languidly sweeps over my dress as he steps towards me. My breath quickens. ‘You look horrid,’ he murmurs. ‘I should really rip that dress off you. Save me the trouble of having to look at it.’

I smile up at him. ‘I could say the same about you, but I would much rather get rid of those trousers.’ My eyes slip to the bulge suddenly straining against his dark clothes, and a devilish grin sneaks up on my lips. ‘They’re not your colour.’

Darius’s gaze drills into mine like I am about to be his undoing at any moment. I can see behind his ravenous stare that he desperately wants to grab me and take me out of here.

The torment inside him excites me as I grin even wider, my nerves about what will soon happen on the balcony fading into nothingness.

‘Stop right there.’ I hear Rydan’s dramatic flair of a voice from the side, and I curse him internally. ‘Am I witnessing Ambrose turning all soft for someone? Or do I say “Rivernorth” now, since you are married?’

I slowly turn to face him with a glare, but he doesn’t seem to care.

‘Have to say, I’m too used to Ambrose . . . Either way, this is nothing if not a miracle! Albeit I am jealous, but then again, can you just imagine the amount of people who are crying on the inside knowing the Golden Thief is taken?’ He shakes his head with incredulity. ‘I mean, I should know; I am one of them.’

I might just strangle him.

Darius just half smiles, half laughs, enjoying this, and now I might just strangle both of them.

‘Rydan.’ Lorcan comes to my aid, his expression blank and unfriendly. ‘Are you done?’

‘Speaking of jealousy.’ Rydan bunches his lips to the side, whispering towards us before he spins on his feet. ‘Lorcan! You look dashing. Being a phoenix really suits you.’

Lorcan doesn’t react to Rydan’s blatant teasing remarks. ‘Go prepare the dragons.’

‘Why can’t Link do that?’

‘Link is out. Crowd control.’

I can tell Rydan is pouting.

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