Page 53 of Run of Ruin

It wasn’t the time to question allies, not when loyalty was a rare commodity. But I couldn’t help it. Their care didn’t feel transactional. It felt real. And that terrified me more than it comforted me.

Briar was the first to speak, her voice soft but sure. “I can’t speak for the boys,” she said, shifting a little closer. Her eyes, green and steady, held mine without wavering. “But I’ve always been good at reading people. But you, Hollis…” She reached out and brushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear, her fingers lingering for half a second too long. “You wear your heart on your sleeve. Brave, open, and beautiful. And I..” she paused, swallowing a lump in her throat. “I really like the person I see when I look at you. I trust her.”

I felt the sting behind my eyes before I could blink it away.

Ezra shifted on my other side, his leg brushing against mine. “You didn’t deserve what happened to you,” he said, his voice low, like it was meant only for me. “None of it was fair. But you’re still standing. You’re fighting for your brother. You’ve got this fire in you, Bex. The kind that makes people want to stand beside you.”

His fingers found mine where they rested on my lap, his touch warm and steady. “You fight like hell, and I don’t want you to have to fight alone.”

Then Thorne, sitting across from us with the firelightdancing in his eyes, leaned forward just slightly. “Remember what I said about the stars?” he asked.

I nodded. He had said they had a tendency to shine on the people who earned it.

“They’re shining on you,” he said. “And I don’t mean that in some poetic bullshit way. I mean it quite literally. You’ve got a way of making people sit up and pay attention. It’s rare. It’s worth protecting.” He smiled at me. “Also you’re pretty hot.”

The four of us broke into an incredulous chuckle, even Ezra. And it felt light, and comfortable. Then the laughter faded. There was a moment of quiet, filled only by the soft crackle of the fire and the sound of my own heart pounding against my ribs. The tears I’d tried to hold back slipped free, hot and silent.

“Thank you,” I whispered, voice thick. “All of you.”

I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand, trying to steady the emotions that swelled in my chest. “I don’t know why I deserve your support. But I’m not stupid enough to turn it away. Whatever happens, I’ve got your backs too.”

Briar gave me a slow, radiant smile and laid a hand on my knee. “Good. We’ll hold you to that.”

Thorne’s lips quirked into that charming, crooked smile of his. “I’d say we’re officially a team now. Let’s get matching tattoos!”

I chuckled and Briar playfully smacked his shoulder. Ezra didn’t speak, he just leaned closer, his thumb drawing gentle circles on the inside of my wrist. His eyes flicked to my lips for the briefest of seconds, and the breath caught in my throat.

A team?

I think I liked the sound of that.

My map was right.A fact I was ridiculously proud of. It felt like a validation of my usefulness. I was starting to think maybe I really did stand a chance in winning for my brother and getting him what he needed.

When we finally broke through the forest, the towering, gleaming golden gates of Praxis came into view. A girlish giggle bubbled out of me, the absurdity of it all hitting me at once. We were here. We made it.

I exchanged a look with Briar, Ezra, and Thorne, and in that instant, everything seemed to shift. The excitement between us was palpable, like we were all running on the same high-frequency adrenaline. Without another word, we took off, sprinting together toward the gates.

The closer we got, the louder the roar of the crowd became. I hadn’t even noticed they were there, waiting for us to arrive. I could hear them calling my name, our names, like they knew we were coming just from the cameras strapped to us.

We broke through the last few meters, and as we neared the threshold of the gates, I slowed. We came to a halt just ten feet from the line that marked the end of this trial, this chapter of our journey.

I looked over at Briar and Thorne, heart pounding in my chest. I’d gotten us here. But I couldn’t be the one to cross the line first.

“Go,” I urged, my voice steady despite the racing of my pulse. “You deserve it.”

They exchanged a silent glance, a conversation without words. Then, Briar took a step forward and grabbed my hand, her grip firm and warm. Her eyes were soft, full of understanding.

I caught Ezra out of the corner of my eye, and his quietclearing of his throat didn’t go unnoticed. He stood beside me, waiting, his face unreadable.

“Together,” Briar whispered, squeezing my hand.

“And that leaves us, big guy,” Thorne said behind us, clapping a hand on Ezra’s shoulder. He sounded light, teasing. “I don’t suppose you wanna hold my hand too?”

I could practically hear the eye-roll in Ezra’s silence before he elbowed Thorne in the ribs. There was a brief moment of huffing, followed by the unmistakable sound of Thorne’s chuckling. “Okay, no hand-holding... Got it.”

The smile that tugged at my lips didn’t leave. Even in this crazy, intense moment, there was warmth between us, unexpected but undeniable.

Briar led us forward, her hand still holding mine, though I could tell she was trying to let me step over the line first. But I wasn’t going to let her have that. I nudged her just enough to make sure she crossed before me.

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