Page 129 of The Last Guardian

Lyra’s amber eyes glowed with a sudden realization. She let out a breath. “You like him.”

I looked up at her, her eyes searching mine. “That’s not what this is about,” I managed to utter, my throat dry. “I like all of them.”

“No.” Lyra shook her head, her eyes alight with hope and a tinge of fear. “It’s different. I can see it in your eyes.”

I barked a laugh, rolling my eyes. “Please. I have enough on my plate already without getting tangled up with a man I’m likely never to see again once this is all over, let alone a guy who is centuries older than me.”

Compassion filled her eyes as she took my hands. “It doesn’t prevent anything.”

“Yes, it does,” I concluded. Giving no room for debate. She stayed silent. Lyra knew me well enough to know when to stop pushing. “And you…” I smiled, taking her hand in mine, changing the subject. “Tell me how you managed to get involved with my brothers?”

“The prick.” Lyra rolled her eyes. “After a few days, when I hadn’t heard from you, Arthur came by the shop to tell me you had left. Then he mentioned he was going south and disappeared. I decided to go after him. When I reached the eastern border, I made a stop at an inn, and that’s where I found your brothers, discussing how they were heading south to visit you. The following morning, I snuck into their carriage. They discovered my presence after we had already crossed the southern border. Arthur was furious. I managed to convince him to allow me to accompany them south. He’s been in a bad mood ever since.”

“Didn’t Arthur explain where I was before leaving Lorath? Who I was with? Or the cause he was working for?”

Lyra shook her head. “No, he didn’t tell me any of that until I was on the road with them. You know how he is.” She rolled her eyes, massaging the back of her neck. “He did warn me about the Southern Legion, though. To stay away because they’re dangerous people. Arthur is an insufferable jerk, but I trust him more than any of them.”

I frowned at her comment. “I wonder why Arthur told you that, when he’s allied with the commander to save the Guardians.”

She snorted. “A prick, as I said.”

“They’ve all been kind to me, and I’m glad I met them. They opened my eyes to everything. They saved me from Haedeon.”

A wave of emotion crossed her amber eyes: sadness, fear, guilt, anger. “And for that reason alone, I am eternally grateful. But that doesn’t mean I should trust them,” she said. “They saved you to get something in return, not just out of kindness.”

Lyra was the kind of person who could hold a grudge forever, and if they didn’t prove themselves to her, she wouldn’t believe it. I dropped the subject and asked, “What about the shop?”

Her store was her life. She poured her heart and soul into making it the most welcoming place in the world.

“I closed it,” Lyra admitted, her eyes fighting the urge to cry. “We can open another shop in another place. I don’t care, as long as you’re here to see it.”

A lump formed in my throat—at her sacrifice, everything she had left behind for me. Her parents’ shop, her flat. Her life.

“I should’ve… I mean, I didn’t think—” My voice trembled, before I added, “I am sorry you had to leave everything behind.”

Lyra shrugged and approached me, resting her head on my shoulders, whispering gently, “No matter where you go, whether it’s to the other side of the world or another planet, I’m coming with you. You’re my family, Alya.”

Her words sank in as I realized the danger she would get into if she followed me to Myrh. I feared who I would become if any harm befell Lyra or anyone that I cared about.

THE SUN HAD set long ago by the time we made our way to the dining room for dinner.

The sound of clattering dishes resonated in the room as Nefeli and Zaidkiel set the table, laughing together, teasing each other.

Zaidkiel’s eyes fell on me the moment I entered the doorway, scanning me from head to toe, taking in the navy dress I wore.

His gaze lingered a little longer on my eyes. My gaze never left him either, taking in his usual dark clothing and slicked-back hair.

Lyra cleared her throat at my right, and I looked away.

“Ah, there she is,” Dorian exclaimed when he arrived next to me, curling his arm on my shoulder. “We didn’t have time to catch up, sister.”

“Oh, do you need your big sister now?” I playfully pinched his cheek.

Dorian’s smile widened. “Terribly so. You left me alone with the grumpy one,” he said, eyeing Arthur, who was chatting with Dax.

I chuckled. “Aurora and Romy couldn’t keep you company?”

“Quite hard since they are in Kalor now,” he said flatly.