“You asshole,” I snapped, but his smile broke into a laugh and I realised how fucking happy he was at long last. The strength went out of me and I let him go, falling back down beside him instead. “Fuck you,” I said lightly as he continued to laugh, and a grin tugged at my mouth which I gave up on trying to hold back.
My laughter joined his and I soaked in the peace in this room that seemed so impossibly unreal after all we’d been through. Hell, things might not have been perfect with Lionel still ruling the world and society falling apart piece by piece under his command, but in this haven beneath the ground I was in the company of my best friends in the world and the star damned love of my life, so I wasn’t gonna complain. I’d spent too long living in the shadows in my mind, and it was time I stepped into the sunlight for as long as I could.
“So you played me, huh?” I elbowed Darius as he rolled onto his side to look at me.
“Seth played you. I just let him,” he said innocently. “So are you gonna thank his ass or spank it?”
“I’ll ram a fucking pineapple up it,” I muttered.
“He’s a good guy,” Darius pushed and I tsked. “Alright, he’s a bit of a sadist, but he’s got a good heart. Better than most actually. It just doesn’t always seem that way.”
“Well, I’m never gonna be in the mood to go mining for his heart of gold, Darius. I’ve got enough friends. Especially now I have you back,” I said stubbornly, unwilling to change my opinion on the mutt.
“You didn’t lose me,” he scoffed.
“I thought I did for a minute there,” I murmured. “You and the Heirs, I…I’ll never be that for you. But I’ll be here. Always. Whenever you need me.”
He frowned. “I’ll always be here for you too, Lance. And you’re not that different from the Heirs, you know, you just dislike them too much to let yourself see it.”
“They’re a bunch of entitled pricks,” I said dismissively, shaking my head.
“So am I.” Darius grinned. “But you like me just fine.” He pinched my cheek and I smacked his hand away, though I guessed he had a point.
My hand fell on something cool and hard on the bed and I looked down, finding the silver coin there which was concealing my father’s diary. It must have fallen out of my pocket, so I picked it up, examining it and pushing the concealment spell off of it so that the leatherbound book appeared in my hand.
“When’s the full moon?” I wondered aloud and Darius grabbed the golden clock off of his nightstand which had the moon phases curving along the bottom of the clock face.
“Tonight,” he said, looking to the diary. “You wanna read it again?”
“Yeah,” I said decisively. I’d been memorising the power words for the Imperial Star the last time I’d been able to read it, but there were plenty I still hadn’t committed to memory. I really had to start teaching them to the twins as soon as possible in case they ever got the chance to use it. We had to be ready - though I could tell by the look on Darius’s face that he wasn’t exactly happy about my new role as the Guild Master. And I didn’t wanna leave things unsaid between us even if he had claimed he didn’t want to fight over this before.
“So…are you still planning on challenging Lionel?” I asked and Darius nodded firmly, his eyes flaring with the passion of that task. The sole thing we’d been working towards year after year, and I was still firmly in his corner when it came to defeating his psychotic father. Only, I could see a different way to do it now.
“Of course,” he growled passionately, smoke seeping between his teeth. “As soon as Gabriel sees a chance to strike at him, I will challenge him and I will win.”
“And you’ll take his throne?” I asked, an edge to my voice because I knew what that could lead to next.
“The Heirs and I will figure it out from there,” he said, not meeting my gaze. “They’ll either challenge their parents or their parents will step aside and we’ll form a new Council. One that will succeed in bringing peace to Solaria.”
“And what about the twins?” I asked in a growl and his eyes bored into mine as his jaw ticked.
“I’m Fae, Lance. What would you have me do? Bow down like some weakling after all my father has done to us?”
“Weakling?” I snarled. “Is that what you think of me?”
“So you’ve really bowed to them then?” he asked in shock like he didn’t already know. But what did he expect? I was the Master of the Zodiac Guild. I was in love with a Vega princess.