I vibrated in his arms as he picked up some serious speed, both of us laughing the entire time.
Over his shoulder, I was just able to make out Luka, Scorpius, and Orion gaping after us like we were idiots.
John ran us all the way to the kitchen.
He was a good man.
We feasted on rich jam, crackers, exotic cheeses, and colorful fruits until our stomachs hurt.
Time continued to meander forward lazily.
After eating and talking by the hearth for a few hours, the rest of the men joined us and we found cards. We went back outside to play on the lawn.
The sun set over the hills in shades of pink and orange.
Scorpius brought out a bottle of enchanted wine that was three centuries old, and we passed it around and drank greedily. Fuzzy yellow insects with rows of wings buzzed around us, drawn to the sweet alcohol.
Corvus joined us, and we all made fun of him for being so sleepy.
I didn’t mention his nightmare.
But when I leaned down to give him a hug, he trembled in my arms as he held me, like he was afraid the mirage would break and we’d be back in dimly lit corridors, chasing monsters.
Drunk on wine, one another, freedom, and the shock of surviving the war, we lay awake for hours and talked under the stars. Galaxies swirled across the sky in streaks of purple.
When there was a lull in conversation, Orion whispered cryptically, “I always suspected it.”
Everyone turned to him with confusion.
He pointed up to the sky and said, “The Ara constellation. It sits closest to Scorpius and belongs to the family of stars that includes Corvus.”
I inhaled sharply.
“Ara” was engraved in gold on the mittens he’d given me. Even in the middle of war, he’d been trying to tell me. My chest became toasty and warm.
The quiet king whispered reverently, “Ara sits so close to Scorpius that it, too, is directly opposite Orion.”
The men all made different noises of surprise, but Corvus stared at Orion with betrayal on his face. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked. “I thought the engraver had made a mistake.”
All of us laughed at his incredulous expression.
Orion shook his head wistfully. “I didn’t want her to feel pressured or think that we only wanted her because of fate.”
Corvus made an annoyed noise but didn’t argue.
“But we are fated,” Orion whispered. “We’re all destined for each other.” He turned to the twins. “You two included.”
John made a warm noise of contentment next to me.
My heartbeat faster.
Scorpius shifted so he sat closer to me, and he pushed John away so he could put his arm over my shoulder.
John scoffed, “Hey, what do you think you’re—”
He stopped talking as Scorpius draped his other arm around him, and he pulled us both close against him.
“I always knew these two were mine,” Scorpius said, and everyone snorted.
“Bullshit,” Corvus laughed while John tried, but failed, to get away. It was wrong, but it made me feel better to see someone else struggle.
I laughed and settled into the crook of Scorpius’s arm as we continued to stargaze.
Luka played with my hair, and Corvus readjusted so Orion was sprawled against his chest.
The night was quiet and full of new beginnings.
Hope was a fragile, delicate thing.
It unfurled around us.
Chapter 66
Aran
GIFTS
Troth （noun）： loyal or pledged faithfulness.
Weeks passed in a semidream state.
The six of us spent our days riding horses, talking, feasting on cheese boards, and pretending the rest of the world didn’t exist.
The strange euphoria of surviving the war was broken up only by moments of panic.
Every night, at least one of us woke up screaming in bed. On one night, early on in our stay at the estate, all six of us woke up shouting and kicking at one another, like we were in the middle of battle.
Little things would also set people off.
A door would shut too loudly, and Scorpius would snatch a knife from his pants and prepare to throw it.
Corvus would randomly burst into flames.
I tripped over a flower one day, and Orion screamed out in fright as I fell to the ground. All the men had unknowingly frozen in place.
Some days John would tell a few too many jokes like he was overcompensating, and Luka would refuse to let us out of his sight.
I left trails of ice across the estate and balls of scarlet fire followed me around wherever I went.
I’d reassured Corvus a hundred times that I wasn’t cold anymore, but he refused to put out his flames. One time, he’d just grunted and said, “It’s my job as Ignis to keep my Revered warm. Let me do my job.”