Page 102 of A World of Ruins

‘My Solaris,’ Darius whispers, sliding beside me and turning me to face him.

The people of Emberwell begin to celebrate, throwing bundles of gold dust into the air.

‘My Crello,’ I say, before noticing he has taken the Rivernorth pendant out from his pocketand he’s holdingit in front of us.

I carefully lift the pendant from his open palm. Its golden exterior catches a soft glint of light as I lean in, deciding to drapethe piece around his neck. ‘There.’ My voice is a warm breath of air as I whisper. ‘It is back where it truly belongs.’

Darius’s eyes are on me, not the pendant, as I take a step back to admire it on him. I last five seconds before my gaze flickers up to his lips.

The tension dissolves into jubilation as my brothers hoist me into the air, their victorious cheers ringing in my ears. Balancing atop Iker and Idris’s sturdy shoulders, I find myself soaring above the crowd while Illias stands before me, his fist thrust high into the air. There are tears in his eyes, happy ones that pull my chest tight with adoration.

Darius watches us with his hands in his pockets and the most handsome smile on his face. The people around continue their overjoyed celebrations, and when Lorcan joins us beside Darius, his gaze on me severs as he turns to face him.

This is the first time that I see Lorcan smile at Darius as he extends a hand for him to shake, only for Darius to pull him into a brotherly embrace. I laugh at the wide shock on Lorcan’s face, his hands outstretched at his sides before he gives in to it.

I savour the moment like it is the last meal I’ll ever receive. In fact, I savour it all. This day, this exact place and the hope we have instilled in others.

My brothers then set me down as Freya, Leira and Aelle come bundling towards me.

‘You’ve saved us,’ Leira whispers, an overwhelming emotion clutching her throat as she touches my cheek. ‘You’ve saved this world.’

I shake my head, smiling bittersweetly.

Freya cuts in, enveloping me in a hug so tight I chuckle. ‘I’m so proud of you, Nara.’ Tears are in her eyes, prompting mine to kick in.

Everyone seems so at peace right now, and I don’t want it to ever end.

Link and Rydan steal Freya from me and start playing with the gold dust while my brothers come back to me with Tibith by their side. I pick him up, grinning as he squeals in delight, and I spin him around as shimmering gold falls all over his fur and nose.

‘I always knew you had magic in you, Mrs Nara!’

‘You did.’ I nudge my nose against his and scrunch up my brows. ‘You always did.’

‘This is going to be a pain to remove,’ Idris huffs from the side as he glances at his golden-coated arms.

I throw my head back and laugh, placing Tibith down before grabbing Idris, Iker and Illias. I pull them all into an embrace, making sure I kiss all three on their cheeks.

Iker pretends to be disgusted as he wipes at his skin, but I know he is happy and proud of me. They all are, and that is all I want from them right now.

I then turn to go and find Darius, but ultimately see Ruvyn standing amidst the crowd. He has this childish smile on his face as he watches a little girl draw shapes on the ground. He straightens into a guard-like posture when he spots me and bows his head at me.

I jab a finger in his direction, wanting him to enjoy this moment just as much. He gets the hint when he chuckles and loosens his shoulders.

At that moment, arms wrap around my abdomen, lifting me off the ground as I’m spun around. I squeal and laugh, knowing who it is by just the warmth of their hands.

As I am put down, I whip around, facing Darius. I place my hands behind my back, hiding the gold flakes covering them and grinning. ‘I got you something.’

He raises a brow and smirks. ‘If it is not you naked, Goldie, then I highly doubt I’ll want it.’

I pretend to ponder that thought. ‘Not even if it is me naked and wearing . . .’ I bring my hand out from behind my back, showing him all the gold I have collected. ‘This all over me?’ It will certainly leave areas where scrubbing clean won’t do anything, but it’s worth Darius’s reaction.

He closes his eyes with a groan and drops his head into the crook of my neck. ‘Oh, you are cruel.’ I gasp as he hoists me over his shoulder and my friends stop to watch the commotion along with my brothers. I can feel my cheeks flame bright red in response to Darius’s laughter as I wiggle in his tight grip.

‘Idris is going to kill you,’ I tell him, too embarrassed to look at my brother as I train my eyes on Darius’s backside.

He chuckles. ‘At least I’ll die a happy man having had you tonight.’

I cover my face to stop myself from smiling, but it is nearly impossible.

---