Page 52 of Secrets of Ruin

“We should go,” he said.

Kaylia sighed; she’d prefer not to do this, but they had to. She strolled over and slid her arm through his.

As soon as she did, the familiar thrill of desire ran through her. From under her lashes, she glanced at Brokk and saw his jaw clench before he looked down and smiled at her.

She missed that connection to him and knew he required it, but she still felt emotionally defeated. Leaning against his side, she took solace in his steady presence and the love he evoked as they made their way out of his bedroom, through the sitting room, and into the hall.

They descended the sweeping staircase spiraling down to the grand entry of the palace. Once they arrived at the bottom, they walked toward the great hall.

Along the way, they passed statues of the arach who once roamed these halls. They were some of what little decorative pieces remained after the Lord’s rule.

The walls remained mostly bare as Lexi and Cole didn’t have much time to decorate the palace, but despite the barren walls, the place felt warmer than it did when the Lord lived here.

Once they arrived at the great hall, they descended the five steps to the stone floor. Normally, they wouldn’t meet Cole, Lexi, or others here. It was too uninviting, and while the Lord died in this room, it was full of a lot of bad memories and emanated an aura of death and suffering.

Countless immortals had filed into the great hall today, and this was the place that would emphasize Lexi’s powers over the realms. Plus, the throne was a sign of power that would remind everyone who their queen was.

Far over their heads was a domed ceiling with an opening in the middle. The dragons’ black scorch marks marred the interior closest to the opening.

Two dozen dragons perched on the edge, their heads craned to peer into the room below. At the first sign of a problem, they would descend and feast on any who tried to harm Lexi.

Kaylia didn’t foresee that happening. Everyone here was an ally, but the dragons were a welcome reminder of what a betrayal to Lexi would cost the immortals here.

Lexi already sat on the throne at the far end of the hall. Cole stood on her right and Del to her left. Orin and Varo were beside Cole, while Sahira, Skog, and Maverick stood near Del.

Del’s red sun medallion glinted in the light. Cole had given him the amulet to protect him from the sun’s rays.

Behind the throne, Alina sat proudly. Her head, towering over Lexi, was a constant reminder to all those within to remain on their best behavior.

Inside the hall was an eclectic mix of lycan, witches, vampires who stood in the shadows, and demons who stood closer to the dais. Sirens, merfolk, dwarves, and some warlocks also filled the room. Above, peering over the dragons, was the giant queen, Banba, and her brother, Gibborim.

Near the front of the crowd, standing by the demons, Ryker, Tucker, and Leland had gathered. Before them was a contingent of brownies.

As she got closer, Kaylia spotted a brownie perched on Orin’s shoulder. The tiny creature, with her mouselike face, had a steely expression as she sat proudly with a spear in one hand.

Sahira and Orin had told her, and later Brokk, about what happened in the Cursed Realm, and she knew about the brownies, but it still astounded her to see Orin with such a tiny creature. She waited for him to pick the brownie off his shoulder, spin her around by the tail, and fling her across the room.

Instead, when the brownie leaned over to say something in his ear, he smiled before nodding. Times have definitely changed.

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

When they reached the steps to the dais, Kaylia squeezed Brokk’s arm before they separated. He went to stand with his brothers and Cole’s uncle while she moved to stand beside Sahira.

Standing at the top of the dais, looking over the crowd of assorted immortals, a sense of pride swelled in her chest. They’d brought these many species together through hard work and dedication.

In doing so, they enabled all these immortals to be in the same room without trying to kill each other. There were species such as the amsirah and demons who far preferred to keep to themselves, even if the demons often enjoyed jumping into a good battle.

The demons and brownies had sworn their loyalty to Lexi before she and Brokk returned from Doomed Valley. This revelation shocked her a little as the demons were known more as mercenaries than loyal followers, but Orin and Sahira’s friend Zeth had a lot of pull with his uncle, the demon king.

She wasn’t sure the brownies had ever sworn loyalty to anyone, but they were often overlooked creatures, discounted because of their size. The brownies were respected here, and Orin made that abundantly clear by having a brownie on his shoulder.

When Kaylia’s attention shifted to Brokk, love filled her as he stood proudly beside his brothers. He was still far too thin and pale but handsome and strong. He’d remained relentlessly by her, hadn’t pressured her even though he’d been starved for months, and loved her as deeply as she did him.

A lump formed in her throat as she shifted her attention from Brokk to the others on stage. They’d accomplished all of this together and succeeded in stabilizing the realms when so many others failed before them.

Despite everything revealed to her about Fabian, she couldn’t recall a time when she was ever this happy or content. Friends who had become family surrounded her; she was surrounded by love.

Kaylia had to force herself not to smile while the different factions of immortals, who had complaints and suggestions, talked. They listened and didn’t argue when Lexi spoke, not because they were afraid of her like they were the Lord, but because they respected her.