Page 123 of A Legacy of Wrath and Reckoning

“So she trapped him in his tomb,” Zylah murmured.

Another dip of Sira’s chin. “My mate never learnt about our child. When Ranon sent me his wings, when I couldn’t find him…” She trailed off, pressed a hand to her chest. “I should have known it was Pallia’s doing after everything else she’d done. Every monster she’d created. The centuries of war. All of it in my name. This was the only way we could stop her.”

Stop her from creating more monsters. From poisoning every priestess with her lies. But it had taken her own daughter to put a stop to the madness. “Anwen.” Zylah breathed her mother’s name, the sound of it filling an empty space in her heart.

“And your father, Gideon.” Sira held out a hand and Zylah’s sword appeared in it, the purple stone almost navy under the light of the blood moon. “This sword was made to honour your mother. Because no one could know what had transpired here. Your parents told only their most trusted friend.”

Zylah sucked in a breath, fingers closing around the sword’s hilt. “Holt’s mother.”

Sira smiled. “They would be so proud of you, Zylah. Of both of you; everything you’ve endured.”

Holt joined them, crouching at Zylah’s side, an arm encircling her waist. He’d heard all of it through their bond, felt everything she had. “Thank you,” he told Sira. Not just for taking out Pallia, but for giving up her life. For preventing Pallia from pulling Astaria into ruin forever.

“Some sacrifices are worthwhile. We defied the odds in the end. Didn’t we?” Sira asked, the corner of her mouth lifting.

Zylah shot her a sad smile.“Be certain you’re prepared to defy the odds,”Sira had told her, back in Morren.

But Sira only paled. Gathered her skirts and rushed to her feet, lips parting. “Arioch.”

Chapter Sixty-Two

TheSeraphimmusthavecome through Ranon’s gate. Arioch ran to his mate, both of them falling to their knees in each other’s arms.

Zylah had to turn away from the sight, Holt’s arms wrapping around her. Centuries Arioch and Sira had waited for each other. Centuries of knowing the other was still alive, somehow, but not being able to reach them. How they hadn’t gone mad from it, Zylah didn’t know.

Worse not to know,Holt said quietly in her thoughts, pressing a kiss into her hair as his embrace tightened. Because she hadn’t known if he was alive when she’d been trapped in the maze, somewhere amongst the passageways beneath their feet, his regret at all of it echoing his words.

Zylah tilted her head up to meet his gaze, bright and glassy with emotion.Nothing would make me give up on you.

“I know,” he breathed over her lips, his fingers threading in her hair as his mouth came over hers, her lips parting at the first stroke of his tongue.

They’d come so close to the end. To leaving this life, nothing but their names and their legacy to follow them.

I want to take you far away from here,Holt said gently, but it was enough to bring her back to the moment. To the hurried movement around them, a stark reminder that they should be helping.All the creatures have been dealt with. Nye and Arlan are handling orders.

The others? Daizin? Rin and Kej?With her threads and her sight exhausted, the shadows in her eyes, she braced herself for his answer.

All fine.He stole another kiss, his relief and exhaustion and elation and pain and—amongst all of it, a craving. For the euphoria he’d felt using his magic over and over again. He tried to hide the feeling, to pull it back the moment she felt it, but Zylah showed him nothing but her love, her admiration for what he’d done. The strength he’d shown. And as another tremor rippled through her body from the after-effects of Pallia’s magic, he understood. Neither of them had walked away unscathed. But they were alive. Whole.

“Save one for me,” someone said beside them, clearing their throat. Kej grinned at them both, a ball of feathers in his hands. “Alright, for Kopi,” the Fae said, rolling his eyes.

Zylah sucked in a breath, scooping Kopi from Kej’s hands, the little owl trilling quietly as she stroked his head and gently looped a finger under each of his wings to check him for injuries. He made a quiet warbled sound, something that could have just as likely been an “I’m alright”as a “don’t fuss” and Zylah half laughed, half sobbed as she slid him onto her shoulder. He hooed quietly in satisfaction as Holt scratched his head, the corner of her mate’s mouth twitching.

“You scared the shit out of us there for a second,” Kej said, a hand on Holt’s shoulder. “We thought…”

“So did we,” Holt told their friend.

The Fae threw his arms around them both, Kopi digging his little claws into Zylah’s shoulder as the movement jostled him about. “I’m sorry about your brother, Zylah,” Kej added softly.

Zylah could only dip her chin at that as Nye joined them, the general freezing as Zylah hugged her tightly. “Thank you,” she said thickly, sending every bit of gratitude into her embrace at the memory of Nye stood before them, facing up to Pallia alone.

“I had a little help,” Nye murmured into her hair.

“You didn’t know they would come. And you did it anyway.” Zylah pulled back, resting her hands on Nye’s shoulders. “We won’t ever forget that.” She studied her friend’s face, the crusted blood from the wound someone had healed shut for her, wondering how close the Fae had been to losing her life at Pallia’s hands. How much she knew. “Zack…”

Nye squared her jaw. “Was it quick?”

“He tried to protect me… I should have…”

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