Page 41 of Shattered Galaxies (Tears of the Siren #6)
LORCAN
Fifteen years after the war…
“I know I’m Queen of Smoke,” I grumbled, eyeing the crown on the table before looking back at Desmond, “but I seriously think everyone already knows that. I don’t feel like I have to wear it all the time, do I?
I mean, I literally have your mark branded into the center of my chest. Everyone knows I’m yours. ”
Desmond’s mood improved considerably. “You’re not wrong.”
“See! I don’t need to wear it.” I dropped a kiss on his lips while waltzing out of the room, Desmond shaking his head. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to wear the crown—I did—just not while shopping at the market. We were literally on holiday right now; this was our vacation.
He was just feeling particularly possessive today because our time alone this morning had been interrupted by the sharp knock of one of the castle staff.
I was grumpy about that as well, truth be told.
But I knew that over the next few weeks we’d have plenty of time alone while Desmond’s parents took the kids to visit a few of the Demonic sectors for fun.
When we had visited Valentina’s kingdom for the previous holiday, making sure to take time to stop and see my mother, they had talked about the adventure for weeks after. So I had no doubt this would be an equally fun experience.
“Mom? Are we leaving soon?” Serelune asked, looking up from where she sat on the large couch of our suite.
Her outfit brought an instant smile to my face.
At eleven years old, Serelune could only be described as fabulous.
Her wings were out on full display, a soft pastel pink, and her chocolate-brown hair was tugged up in an elaborate updo that showcased its pink and purple streaks.
She was dressed in a large cupcake-like dress that cut at her knees, and her ballet flats had bows all over them.
I had no idea how this had happened, truly, but I loved it. I could only assume it was to stand in direct contrast to her multiple dads and two brothers, which she did. She was literally a poof ball of pink. She’d also convinced me to wear far more pink than ever before.
Serelune was the more vulnerable and soft counterpart to her brothers.
She was an open book and always explained exactly how she was feeling, unwilling to have any miscommunications.
In fact, she spoke so clearly it was almost to the point of being blunt—but she always expressed it in the nicest way possible.
I worried that her openness would lead to heartbreak, but she also dealt with issues like that—like losing a friend—with a calmness I could only hope to exhibit.
She had endless empathy for people, even those she barely knew.
“Yes,” I said. “Just need to grab a few things.” I moved toward the other side of the suite closer to the balcony, where Dean, Draven, and Adriel sat talking quietly.
Rummaging through a bag, I managed to find the new pair of shoes I’d bought yesterday, their soft material wrapping around my feet comfortably—perfect for walking through the markets.
“You look beautiful,” Adriel said casually, and Dean rumbled in agreement. Draven’s gaze moved from the vast kingdom below us, offering a small smile.
I nearly blushed at their attention—ridiculous after fifteen years, if you asked me—but they always loved when I wore comfortable clothes.
I was wearing linen pants and a tank top, but something about being relaxed and comfortable was attractive to them.
Try telling the fashion industry that, though.
“Got me all distracted,” I grumbled, not even getting a chance to respond before the door to our suite opened and in walked Altair, throwing his hands in the air in frustration.
I arched a brow at my eldest as he shook out his auburn hair, which was covered with sand, before chucking off his shoes and jacket.
When Cash came in behind him, looking amused and slightly frustrated, followed by a grinning Emeren, I quickly put together what had happened.
Altair and Emeren were very similar in some ways—they both could shift, the first into a jaguar and the second into a lion—and they both exhibited characteristics of unique magic, like Altair’s ability to cast illusions and Emeren’s ability to star-travel.
But they were wildly different in every other way.
Altair was often too serious for his own good, and at fifteen was a rule follower to an extreme.
Those aspects worried me sometimes, but past that grumpy exterior was one of the sweetest kids I had ever met.
Altair was extremely loyal and a hard worker, willing to put everything out there for the people he loved.
On the opposite end was his younger brother, Emeren.
The kid was chaos incarnate, always doing something wild and unhinged—like I was sure had gone on just now.
He was one of the most protective and loving kids in the world.
He would do anything for his siblings, no matter how crazy, and he gave all of his heart and time to the people he considered as part of his circle.
“What happened?” I asked. It was probably harmless, but I still worried.
“We were walking past this sand dune,” Altair shot out, “and Emeren created an illusion that it wasn’t there, so I walked right into it.”
I arched a brow at Emeren. “Since when can you do illusions?”
“This morning.” He flashed a big smile. “Now I can star-travel and do illusions. Neat, right?”
“Not neat when your brother gets hurt,” Cash pointed out, although he hardly looked bothered by it. Altair stormed toward his room as I pointed a look at Emeren.
He sighed. “I’ll apologize.”
“Thank you!” I said as he walked out the door. “Tell your dads to head out when you get a chance.” Rhett and Zander were working in the workshop. In the past two years, they had gotten remarkably close, and it had all started with the simplest thing—their fascination with clocks.
If that wasn’t the most ‘old man’ thing you’ve ever heard!
Seriously though, they’d started to collect clocks, pocket watches, and the like, everywhere we traveled.
And now they were building them. It made zero sense to me, but they had a blast with it.
If I had to guess? Rhett liked the mechanics of it, and Zander liked the connection with time since he’d literally lived for thousands of years.
But that was just my guess…which was totally correct.
“Hmph.” Serelune made an annoyed sound and flipped through her magazine. I arched a brow, turning to look at her now suddenly upset face. Rhett clocked the same thing when he walked into the room.
“What’s up?” Rhett asked as he crouched down next to her.
“I just think it’s unfair they get so many powers.” Serelune’s wings fluttered in irritation.
“Honey, you can turn into a mermaid and fly,” I reasoned. Rhett nearly broke into a smile, but Serelune scowled.
“So? What if I have to get into a fight? What do I do then?”
“Zander!” I fussed as the siren walked into the room. I knew exactly what this was about. “Have you been telling her war stories?”
“No.” He put his hands up. “I haven’t since last time.”
“That would be me.” Dean rumbled, making his way over. “She asked about the war.”
“And I realized I have no powers to help me fight!”
“Why do you need to fight? Ever?” Draven demanded. “Plus, you have wings—you can fly away.” Adriel nodded in agreement.
“No.” She growled, just enough to sound vicious. “I want to learn how to fight.”
“Just remember, honey, I didn’t save the universe by being on the battlefield—I did it by playing music,” I tried to reason.
“I know,” she huffed, “and that is incredibly cool…but last time we visited the Horde, Aunt Gray was telling me about all the cool weapons she’s used in battle before. And then Nova was telling me about how fun it was to fight the gods!”
I totally needed to have a conversation with my friends about this.
Shaking my head, I walked away from the conversation.
This wasn’t a battle I was going to partake in.
If Serelune wanted to convince her dads she needed to learn how to fight…
well, I supported her completely. I didn’t think it would be a battle easily won, though.
To say they were protective of our kids was an understatement.
In their mind, there would never be a need for them to use weapons. Ever.
I hoped they were right.
As I reached the balcony, I saw that Maggie and her little crew of kids were waiting downstairs with Ella.
I had a feeling the Nadar brothers and Apep were nearby as well.
I smiled at the thought of how much love our kids—our entire family—were surrounded by.
Turning back to the room, I looked over each of my men, emotion catching in my throat.
I once believed I was unlovable, but now I was living a life that overflowed with love—all because of them .
The End.
I hope you loved the conclusion to Lorcan’s epic journey of loss, love, and healing.