Page 54 of Secrets of Ruin

With her arach magic and touch, Lexi brought it back to life. They still didn’t know everything she could do, as the arach kept their abilities mostly concealed from others, but she’d figured some of them out.

As they strode through the drooping branches, colorful flowers, and multihued leaves that created a covering over the pathway, Brokk inhaled the fragrant blooms. His step sped up a little when he caught Kaylia’s scent amongst the others.

They discovered Kaylia, Sahira, Lexi, Elsa, Zeth, two other demons, and a couple dozen brownies near one of the fountains in the garden. Brokk had gotten to know Elsa and Zeth since returning from the Valley, and he liked them and the brownies, who were all playing and fighting on the edge of the fountain.

In the fountain’s center was a dragon with its wings spread as it prepared to take flight. Water poured from the creature’s mouth and into the pool below.

When Pip saw Orin, she sheathed her sword and scampered over to him. Without missing a step, he bent and scooped her into his hand.

She raced up his arm and settled on his shoulder, where she lifted the ruined end of her tail into the air. It was still amazing for Brokk to witness, but he couldn’t deny that his brother, one of the biggest assholes he’d ever met, cared for the six-inch-tall creature who equally loved him.

Not only that, but Orin was handling the loss of his hand with confidence and wasn’t bitter about it. He’d also fallen in love.

If someone had ever told him that Orin would fall in love, he would have laughed in their faces while questioning their sanity. But there was no doubt that Orin was head over heels for Sahira as he bent to kiss her, and they beamed at each other.

It was still more of a shock to Brokk than a jolt from the ophidians’ poles, but it made him smile. He couldn’t wait to see how this all unfolded.

Once gathered, Zeth introduced them to his son, Alrorud—or Rud, as he preferred. His wife, Vorndun, who went by Vorn, had her arm linked through his as she smiled at all of them.

Unlike Zeth, who was black in color, Vorn was a red demon with yellow eyes. Their son was a mixture of red and black coloring that swirled throughout his skin.

Zeth grinned at them as he kept his arm around his wife’s waist. Brokk doubted they’d been more than fifty feet apart since Zeth returned from the Cursed Realm.

Kaylia walked over to him and clasped his hand in both of hers. His skin tingled, and he had to work to suppress an erection.

She needed time to recover from everything she’d endured, and he would give her that, but he couldn’t control his body’s insatiable hunger for her. He kept it hidden to ensure she didn’t feel any pressure from him, or at least he hoped he did.

“How about a walk?” she asked.

Brokk smiled as he leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “Lead the way.”

They said goodbye to the others before leaving to wander down the pathways twisting deeper into the vast, sprawling garden. As they walked, they passed statues, more fountains, and massive yellow trees with flowers the size of his head.

Kaylia brushed her fingers across the leaves and blooms when they moved beneath them. He could practically feel her absorbing energy from the earth as her skin glowed the radiant hue she’d lost while in the dungeon.

Her hair once again shone, and she’d regained some of the weight she lost while in captivity. She’d never stopped being beautiful to him, but he loved the vitality she radiated as nature once again nourished her soul.

“There’s so much life here,” she whispered. “It pulses through the ground as it strengthens me.”

He squeezed her hand. “Good.”

They strolled into an area full of trees whose branches stretched over them. Their sweeping limbs covered the walkway in shadows and small peach petals.

Afterward, they crossed a small bridge into an area full of bushes laden with yellow berries. They were so thick he couldn’t see beyond the wall they created on both sides of the trail.

It was all so beautiful and peaceful that it helped pacify the ragged, still enraged parts of him that lingered from his time in the dungeon and the revelation of Fabian’s existence. He’d never been an angry man; he far preferred partying and fucking to anger, but what happened to them should never happen to another.

After months of abuse, he couldn’t shake the fury haunting him since his return. And while Fabian lived, his bloodthirst for him would never be sated.

Being near Kaylia helped soothe the raw edges of his nerves, but the bloodlust that screamed for revenge against the ophidians and Fabian wouldn’t be easily satisfied.

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

They took another turn in the pathway and emerged at the edge of a small pool. Overhead, the thick limbs of the trees cast shadows over most of the pool, but the sun glinting off the center emphasized its crystalline depths and sparkling blue water.

Kaylia released his hand, kicked off her moccasins, lifted her skirt, and waded into the water. When she laughed and started to kick at the water, he smiled. It had been months since he heard laughter flow so freely from her.

Her troubles melted away as joy overtook her. He’d been so unsure if either of them would ever recover from what happened to them, but watching her now, he saw it was possible.