Page 126 of The Last Guardian

The impact knocked the wind out of me, but I didn’t care. I fell against him in the warmth of his embrace.

“Hells, Alya,” Arthur whispered into my ear, his voice rough with worry, his arms locking around me as if letting go would make me vanish into the shadows. “You scared the shit out of me.”

I pressed into him, my tears soaking his shoulder. “I’ve missed you…”

Tears flowed down my cheeks as I closed my eyes, clinging to the comfort of my brother’s arms. One of his hands clamped gently around my head, holding me close, while he pressed a soft kiss to my temple.

My eyes opened and met my younger brother’s, and for a moment, he looked at me as if he were staring at a ghost. His gaze traced every inch of my face, lingering on details as if to convince himself I was here. Slowly, I disentangled myself from Arthur’s arms, feeling his eyes flick between Dorian and me.

Dorian’s brown eyes bored into mine. A single tear escaped, sliding down his flawless cheek, and something broke inside my chest. I closed the distance in a rush, wrapping my arms around him, holding him as if I could keep him tethered to me forever.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I whispered into his ear in a plea, my voice trembling.

“I had to see you with my own eyes, just to make sure that you were alive and well.” Dorian’s voice broke.

“I am,” I assured him, looking up at him, wiping away his tears. “Even more so now that you’re here. All of you.”

My words died out as my gaze fell on Lyra. Her grin stretched from ear to ear, and she threw her arms around me for a tight embrace, her dark green dress clinging to the brown tunic I was wearing.

“You will never do that again!” she warned me with a stern look. But she soon smiled once more and pulled me back into her embrace. “Next time, I will come with you.”

I chuckled, lightly caressing her back as she leaned her head against my shoulder. I had so many questions and things I wanted to tell them, but Arthur spoke up first.

“Are you all right? Are you hurt?” Arthur asked, his brow furrowed.

“We don’t injure princesses in our Legion,” Zaidkiel declared, stepping forward with Nefeli and Dax at his sides.

His emerald eyes found mine, and for a fleeting heartbeat, something softer flickered there—warmth, regret, maybe even something more, just enough to make my breath catch. But then my brother’s voice broke through, cold and sharp.

“Kidnapping my sister seems like an injury, don’t you think?” Arthur demanded.

Zaid’s gaze flicked to him, the softness gone, replaced by that familiar edge of defiance. “If protecting and helping her constitutes a transgression because you were absent,” Zaid said coolly, “then so be it.”

Oh. Only allies then—certainly not friends.

“So now you’re what? Her savior?” Arthur asked sarcastically, taking a threatening step towards the commander, but before he could do anything foolish, I stepped in front of him, facing my brother.

“They didn’t hurt me at all,” I assured him, placing my hand on his dark shirt to stop him. “In fact, he offered to let me go once I was healed from…” I glanced slightly at Dorian and Lyra for a moment before returning to Arthur, not finishing my sentence. I wasn’t sure the others knew what had happened with Haedeon. I would tell them later, but not in front of everyone. I cleared my throat and said, “I decided to stay with them.”

Arthur clenched his teeth and curled his fists at his side, looking at Zaid with such hatred that I wondered why, in the first place, they were allies.

Arthur’s nostrils flared, and for a moment, I thought he was going to talk. But he snarled, averting his eyes elsewhere, never crossing my stare. He closed his eyes slowly, fighting against something. But what?

I reached out to him, intending to prompt him to speak. But Zaid spoke before I could take my brother’s hand in mine.

“We must talk, Harenvald,” Zaid announced, looking at Arthur with a dark look. He turned to his sister. “Please escort Alyana to the house and make arrangements for her family. They will be our guests.” Nefeli nodded and approached me with a smile, and I felt Lyra still next to me.

“Just them? Or do I need to take Eirlys and the wizard too?” Nefeli asked, playing with one of the pommels of the daggers on her hip.

“No, they’ll stay at Bea’s,” Zaid replied, then looked at me and added, “Just relax and enjoy being reunited with your family.” His gaze lingered on my face for a moment, with such intensity I could have sworn it had left its mark on my soul. And then, he strode off in the opposite direction of the town gates, with Dax and Arthur in tow.

THE HOUSE WAS nestled in the center of a garden, surrounded by a myriad of flowers and bathed in a soft, golden glow.

It was different from the house where we stayed in Shavaar. It wasn’t built into a mountain. No, it was a sanctuary.

Stone steps led us down through rose bushes, past statues in all shapes, to a carved wooden door. We stepped inside the house, the hall decorated in cream and wood, with coats and vests hanging on the walls. In the back, Dorian was talking with Nefeli, laughing, while Lyra stayed close to me as I walked down the long, narrow corridor, which was filled with various paintings.

The first depicted a woman with long, dark hair and a mischievous smile, playing with three children.