Page 91 of Secrets of Ruin

She’d broken free of the Cursed Realm only to discover she was the last living member of her family. Her mother, father, and the rest of her relatives all perished while Pip was gone.

At first, Lexi believed Pip was focused on her dress, which was why she stayed in the palace so often. Now, she thought it was too painful for the brownie to see everyone else reunited with their families while she had no one.

Recently, Puth had agreed to let her remain living here so she could be the brownies’ delegate in Dragonia. Lexi and Cole had given her a room in the palace, designed it with smaller furnishings to make her comfortable, and welcomed Pip as the newest member of their growing family.

Brokk and Kaylia followed Varo and Pip, and Sahira hugged her before she went next with Orin. A minute passed before the music changed again, signaling it was her time to go.

CHAPTER EIGHTY-NINE

It wasn’t the traditional wedding march Lexi had grown accustomed to while growing up in the human realm. It was a mix of the dark faes’ musical instrument, the ocraba, and the beautiful song of pixies that mingled perfectly with the birds’ melody.

Her father squeezed her hand, drawing her attention to him. “I never knew it was possible to be this happy and sad all at once. I don’t know where my baby went, but you grew into a beautiful young woman, Andi, and I’m so proud of you. We’re not related by blood, but you are my daughter. My heart.”

Lexi blinked away the tears stinging her eyes. “And you are my dad; I wouldn’t be here without the strength you instilled in me.”

He sniffled while wiping the tears from his eyes. Lexi rose onto her toes to kiss his cheek. “I love you, Daddy.”

A choked sob escaped him before he suppressed it. His attention was drawn away from her as Astarot, Belindo, and Nithe trotted into view, pushing and shoving against each other while they jostled for position.

Strapped to their backs were baskets full of white flower petals. When Lexi made a clicking noise with her tongue, their heads turned toward her, and their faces stretched into grins.

Astarot was the first to reach her, and though he was the size of a small car now, he still considered himself a lap dog as he brushed against them, demanding attention. Lexi laughed as she petted him before turning her attention to his sisters.

They still weren’t good at flying as their bodies had grown faster than their wings, but they lifted off the ground a little to show their joy before settling down again. They emitted small, cooing sounds, and Belindo released a small burst of fire that caused smoke to spiral out of her nostrils.

Not to be outdone, her siblings also showed off this developing skill while continuing to circle for attention. Some flower petals fell from their baskets, but Lexi didn’t stop the young dragons; they were too happy to stop.

“Enough.” Her dad waved his hand as he shooed them away. “It’s time to go.”

Looking more than a little disgruntled with him, they shifted their attention to Lexi, who laughed while rubbing Nithe’s head. “Go on now. We’ll play later.”

They perked up at her words and, pushing once more against each other, shuffled to the head of the pathway. Once there, they each took a mouthful of petals and cast them onto the flat, gray stones Lexi and her father would traverse.

“Ready?” her dad asked.

“Yes.”

When the trio of young dragons disappeared, she and her dad followed them to the bend in the trail and around the corner. When the two of them turned the corner, the large crowd came into view, and they all rose from the white chairs set out on either side of the path. And there were so many immortals in those chairs.

This wasn’t the small, quiet wedding she’d anticipated, but none of that mattered as her eyes locked on Cole. Her breath caught, and her heart smashed against her ribs as she grinned from ear to ear. His smile might have been bigger than hers.

She forgot about the numerous immortals watching them as she almost dropped her dad’s arm and ran to Cole. Sensing this, her dad squeezed her fingers, bringing her back to him and the crowd.

Her smile didn’t lessen as she focused on Cole while moving past the different species packing the seats. Pixies fluttered from the branches sweeping over her head while they sang.

Their colorful dust floated around her to speckle the pathway. It caught the sinking sun and reflected it in a beautiful array of colors that made her dress come alive.

Murmurs and gasps ran through the crowd, but she barely heard any of it as her eyes remained locked on Cole’s. He stood on the intricately carved wooden stage the dwarves had created for them.

He looked so handsome in his black fae tunic with silver embossed on the sleeves. A vine-like pattern ran around the edges at the bottom of his sleeves and the bottom of the tunic. A pair of formfitting, black fae pants emphasized his muscular thighs and taut ass.

His black hair was brushed back from his face to accentuate the handsome planes of his face and Persian blue eyes. A neatly trimmed, short beard lined his square jaw.

He’d never looked more handsome to her, and she was sure she wasn’t the only one here practically drooling over him, but he was hers. And after this, everyone in all the realms would know it for sure.

As they neared the front row of chairs and immortals, she saw Zeth and his family, along with Firth, Mira, and some other merfolk. Yamala and Cela sat on the opposite side of the aisle, and, watching from above, were Gibborim and his sister, Banba.

She also spotted Ryker with Leland and other witches, but he was the only amsirah in attendance. His future king hadn’t decided what he planned to do about pledging fealty to her, but she was glad to see the amsirah general.