Page 183 of Love & Heart Braking

She drifted to the ground, peering Bain’s way. He nodded, and her shoulders relaxed. Soleil had the unicorn’s stamp of approval?

I took her hand. “I can’t believe you did that. You didn’t need—”

“If you’re going to say that I didn’t need to protect you, then I’m going to demand a dozen chocolate muffins in reparation for annoyance caused.”

“I’ll get you all the chocolate muffins you’ll ever need. But what about the other sirens? They can tell everyone. You can’t enthrall your grandmother or parents.”

Devereaux answered. “Not a problem. Due to their powers, a gag is placed on them in the courtrooms. Their testimony and responses will be written only and checked over by me before they see the light of day, and their jail cells will have a gag, too, for obvious reasons.”

Would that be enough for me to stay here? A smile crept across my face.

I had a feeling the answer was yes. Disbelief pounded at my mind that after all this, happiness may still be a possibility.

Bain joined us. “The muffins are my job, Cerys.”

My friend pressed against him. “Eavesdropping is beneath you.”

“Lucky you own a bank, King Bain. Her muffin addiction will cost you thousands,” I muttered, grinning when Soleil whacked me.

She turned to her true love. “Help me with this?” Soleil extended the feather to him, then spread her golden wings wide. “Top right.”

“I know,” murmured Bain. He walked behind her and kissed the base of her wing, eliciting a shiver before he slotted the third feather into place.

Her Apollo shimmer burst across her skin, gold flared, and Soleil’s wings rippled, her face awash with joy. “At last.” She cracked an eyelid open. “Cerys, stop crying.”

I’d stop crying when she stopped making me cry. “I’m so happy for you, Sol.”

Her bottom lip trembled before she pressed her mouth into a thin line. “Good to be back,” she said curtly.

I bit back a smile. Always the same.

A dark intent stretched across the divide, and I met the gaze of Vera Calzane, who was being loaded into a jail carriage. “What happened there? She decided to help?”

“With a little push,” Devereaux said. “Though she went over and above. Maybe something you said reached her.”

My emotional diversity lessons? I’d be surprised. “Is she under arrest with the others?”

Bain tilted his head. “She has committed crimes, circumventing the licensing system, for which she will be tried.”

Phew. Looked like everything Vera had done to avoid the consequences had come undone. Perhaps that fate had been her curse all along.

Gug and Maligni joined us, the sphinx trailing after them instead of Tiqlig for once. The dude appeared like he’d been out for a pleasant walk. Being a sphinx must be so lonely, but he didn’t seem bothered by his disconnect from those around him. Or maybe he was so old, the isolation of what he was no longer affected him.

Soleil peered at Gug. “Thrall didn’t work on ya?”

The goblin shook her head. “Nearly. Your power is impressive.”

Maligni glanced between us. “What are you talking about?” He shot me a look. “Who’s she?”

Gug patted his hand. “A trip to the underworld will see you right, my love. But you’ll need to take this woman with you.”

The red-skinned descendant’s blank expression made it clear this was news to him.

His wife nudged him. “She’s part of the reason you got to rip the eldest Dethnel’s hearts out and feast upon his flesh.”

Ew, gross.

Maligni’s brow cleared, and the daemon looked at me curiously.

---