Page 75 of Up In Flames
“Oh. Yes, of course. You were friends.” Then I straightened my shoulders and looked back at Xae. “I don't want us to split up.”
“We'll talk about it later.” Xaedren pulled me in against his side. “We're celebrating right now. Come on, the Emperor has ordered a feast, and the other Wraith Lords are coming.”
As Xae led me away, I saw Taroc shake Ara's hand, then he motioned after me. Aranren smiled and came along with us, a part of my team that wasn't a team anymore. I wasn't sure what we'd be now. Our main purpose had been to fight him, but hewas now a part of us. My destiny had been fulfilled, and it was time for my rewards. But I had a feeling I wouldn't receive them as I hoped. What was it that Ara had said about fate? Sometimes it gives you exactly what you want, just not in the way you envision it.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
I had never been inside the Imperial Ballroom. And yes, its name had to be capitalized. It was that grand. That important. The floor was polished green marble, the walls mirrored in panels framed in gold, and the indigo ceiling was scattered with diamond lights to mimic stars. The Emperor had a dais on one side of the room, bordered by trees in enormous pots and canopied in silk as if we were outdoors. But he didn't sit upon his throne, not once while I was there. Instead, he walked among the Wraith Lords, shaking hands and hugging his warriors, celebrating with us. And when he wasn't speaking to lords, he was dancing with a duchess.
Holding Sally aloft with one arm while his free hand held hers, the Emperor of Varr spun his daughter as they laughed together. His purple hair streamed out to slap other dancers, all of whom smiled as if they'd been blessed by the Goddess.
That wasn't so far off. We were all blessed. Even the Corrupter—or ex-Corrupter, rather—felt the Goddess' smile upon him that night. I know because he told me.
“I feel her now,” Ara said as he led me around the dance floor. “Not just through you. I have my own connection to the Goddess.”
“She was always with you, Ara. Death just dulled your ability to sense her.”
“No, Ember. He cut me off from her entirely.” He made a soft sound of marvel before saying, “Before I was taken by Death, I never thought much about the Goddess. It was only afterward that I realized how each of us is born with access to her. How she touches our souls and gives us the key to finding her. Only when Death had me and I lost her key did I know that I had it.”
“Most of us don't feel her because she has always been there,” I agreed. “I didn't grow up feeling connected to her either. I never considered myself a religious man. Even now, I wouldn't call it religion. It's more certainty. Knowledge of the way of things. There is an aspect of faith to religion, but we don't need that, do we? We simply know.”
“Yes.” Ara slowed to a stop and pressed his forehead against mine. “We know.”
Aranren's hair fell forward, creating a veil between us and the rest of the room. It felt as if we had suddenly gone invisible, and I loved that, loved being alone with him in a crowded room. I know I hadn't been imprisoned by Death for long, a blink of an eye compared to how long Ara was held, but that time felt like a lifetime to me. At least a human lifetime. It felt as if I had known Ara forever and loved him even longer. I couldn't imagine that I had once hated him. It wasn't possible. But that was the power of love, wasn't it? It wiped away the past and made you focus on the future.
And our future was glorious.
“It's time to settle this,” Xaedren said.
Ara lifted his head and revealed the rest of my lovers standing beside us, wearing serious expressions.
“Settle what?” I asked.
“The bond, Ember,” Ara said. Then he asked the men, “Do you really feel it's still necessary? If we'll be living apart, the only bond that matters is our bond to Ember. It's not as if we'll be fighting together.”
“He's right,” Kel said. “And frankly, I'm looking forward to having Ember to myself.”
Xae grunted and looked at Rath. Ratharin was staring at Aranren, but then he shifted his gaze to me. I shrugged. As far as I was concerned, this was between them. I was already bonded to Ara.
“Is the bond complete without us accepting him?” Rath asked.
“No one had to accept Xae,” I said. “And Ara's right; we won't be fighting, so we don't have to worry about uniting. He was the one we were going to unite against.”
Taroc snorted. “True.”
“But this is your decision,” I said. I looked from them to Ara. “And yours, Ara. I will accept whatever you five decide.”
“Come with us,” Taroc said to Aranren. Then he turned and walked away with the rest of my lovers.
Ara kissed my cheek and smiled. “We'll figure it out, love.” Then he followed them.
I watched them go with a frown. When I said it was up to them, I didn't mean they should leave me out of itcompletely. But that was their decision too. Aranren was still broken, recovering from Death, but he was no weakling. If my other lovers thought they could force him into doing what they wanted, they'd be sorely surprised.
I wandered further away from the dance floor as I started to smile.
“Ember,” someone said softly.
I spun, instantly recognizing the voice. “Caleb?” I rushed over to him. “Oh, Goddess! Caleb!” I yanked him into a hug. How could I have forgotten about him? “I'm so sorry I had to leave you behind.”
