Page 37 of Fallen Star
The Prince of Lust looks around at the forest that surrounds our path, his face filling with awe. “Fen, can you believe it’s been 100 years since you and I rode through these forests together, searching for Arianna? I swear, it feels just like yesterday.”
Memories. Some fond. Some less so, flood my mind. And I look out onto the horizon with a smile. “Yes. I suppose it does.” Dean chuckles, and I study his joyous face, a face happier than I have seen in a long time. “I’m glad for you, brother,” I say. “Glad you have finally found someone to love. And who loves you in return. Alex Stone seems to be an amazing person.”
He blinks, a twinkle in his eye. “That she is, brother. That she is.”
We come upon a peak, and in the distance, I see it. Stonehill. Home.
And without a second thought, I spur my horse on, making haste, charging down the mountain through snow and wind, a big, uncontrollable smile on my face. Baron joins me, as excited to be home with family as I am. And as soon as I am through the gates, I see her standing there. Waiting. My wife. My Arianna. Dressed in a gown of pure white, her black hair drifting gently in the breeze. I leap off my steed with reckless abandon and rush into her warm embrace. I clutch her tightly against my chest. I bury my face in her hair. I take in her sweet scent and every detail of her beautiful face and her gorgeous eyes. She is even more stunning than I remember. And yet she is the same as she has always been.
Her dragon, Yami, leaps from her shoulders onto Baron's head, the two of them excited to be together again. But I am focused solely on my wife.
I take her head gently in my hands, and I press my lips to hers, and I am overcome with a love that I cannot even begin to describe.
“Welcome back,” she says. “Welcome back, my love.”
“There were times I feared,” I whisper. “Times I feared I would never return to you. But all I had to do was remember your voice. To rememberDum Spiro Spero. To remember to hope. And so I did.”
It takes a moment, for I am so absorbed by her, to look up, and when I do I see my son. I see Elias. He greets me with a smile and clasps his arms around my shoulders. How long has it been since I last saw him? Since he last went into exile accused of horrible crimes not his own? Before I can even remember, his words pull me from my thoughts.
“I missed you so, father. It’s been too long since we last went hunting together.”
“Yes. Too long, my son.” I pull him closer and kiss him on the forehead as a large black wolf walking by his side notices Baron. The two wolves, who clearly know each other, sniff and nuzzle each other, and my son grunts and steps back, beaming as he gestures to a woman at his side.
“Father,” he says, clearing his throat. “This is my fiancé. Iris.”
The woman has short black hair and a smile that is playfully devious, and she holds out her hand to greet me.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. I—”
I wrap her in a hug, cutting off her words. “And it’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Iris. I do not know you yet, but if my son loves you, then I am certain you are a wonderful person, and I can’t wait to get better acquainted.”
I step back, turning to Arianna. “Any news of Aya?” I ask, hopeful.
She shakes her head somberly. Then Iris, seeming to notice our exchange, closes her eyes, and speaks as the wind picks up around her. “I can sense her,” she says. “Aya is safe.”
I do not know how she has this ability, but her words bring joy to my heart. Elias winks at me. “We have much to discuss, father.”
“Yes. Yes we do.” I stand between my son and my wife, holding each of them close, and together we ascend up the mountain. To my castle. To my Stonehill.
To my home.
Asher Vane, Prince of Pride, an Epilogue
Lovely. The ship is taking us to the island in good time, but I spend most of the journey lounging on a pillow that is far too comfortable and snacking on grapes that are far too sour. The door creeks, and the most beautiful of men enters my quarters. His skin is gold like honey and covers thick chords of muscle underneath. His head, completely devoid of hair and covered in serpentine tattoos, is perfectly proportionate. His face is kind, and strong, and mesmerizing.
Varis meets my eyes. “You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?” I ask, tossing the hundredth grape into my mouth.
“Brooding. You’ve been locked in this cabin all day.”
I puff out my chest. “I do not brood. And if I do, I do so in enough style as to not make it brooding, but rather contemplating. Now come sit with me, my love.”
He chuckles, removing the heavy white cloak of feathers around his shoulders, and joins me on the sofa, stretching his arm out behind me. “What’s bothering you?” he asks, gently, stroking my hair with a soft touch.
I don’t speak right away. Instead, I take in his scent, the fresh aroma of silver trees and the slight hint of gryphons, things so much a part of his homeland in the air tribes. And I lean my head against his chest, and feel his strong pulsing heart against my ear, and I think, this is the only person who truly knows me. The only person I feel so comfortably safe around. And then I proceed to tell him of my worries.
“Recently, I have felt this new feeling. And I don’t know what to make of it, so yes, I have been in here all day, thinking on the matter, and I still don’t know what to think.”