Page 79 of Secrets of Ruin

When they finished, they collapsed on their asses, lifted thimbles from the table, and drank. Inelegant burps and more laughter followed.

Kaylia’s face was aglow with happiness, and her eyes twinkled as she watched. She was so happy and relaxed, so carefree for the first time in months; he’d prefer not to intrude on this bubble of happiness and remind her about Fabian, but she had to know.

She deserved to go after that fucker more than him, and this couldn’t wait. They risked Fabian moving on if they didn’t go after him soon.

When Pip started a new song, Lexi set her glass down and rose. She bowed to the two brownies on the table before they jumped off to settle on one of the chairs with four others.

Lexi started to spin but stopped when she spotted him in the doorway. Her brilliant smile widened at first before faltering.

“Is everything okay?” she demanded.

He hated taking away her joy too, but if all went right, he’d never have to come to them with this again. “I have to speak with Kaylia.”

Kaylia placed her glass down and rose. “What is it?”

The laughter vanished from the room as they all watched him. “I’m sorry I interrupted you.”

“No need to apologize,” Lexi said.

When Kaylia reached him, he stepped out of the doorway, and she followed him into the hall. They walked a ways before he turned to face her and clasped her hands.

She wanted Fabian dead too and was impatient to find him, but the man had manipulated and used her; he’d ruined centuries of her life, and now there was a chance she’d see him again. No matter how much she’d prepared herself for this, it would still be difficult for her to hear.

There was no easy way to break this news to her, so he dove in. “There’s been a sighting of Fabian.”

Some of the color drained from her face as her eyes sparked with determination. “Where?”

“The human realm, in a tavern, in what used to be Boston.”

“I’m coming with you.”

He buried his uneasiness as he leaned forward to kiss her forehead. “Do you have to say goodbye?”

She glanced back at the door. “They’ll worry if I don’t. Give me a minute.”

Brokk released her hands, and she returned to the room.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT

Before the Lord’s war devastated the human realm, Brokk frequented human establishments. He liked to watch the mortals going about their days, completely oblivious to the immortals who moved amongst them.

He’d often fed on the blood and sex of the mortal women. They weren’t as powerful as an immortal and didn’t sate him as well, but he’d still enjoyed them.

Back then, the human cities teemed with a vitality that was sucked from many of the immortal realms—years of being ruled by insane assholes who couldn’t control the power of the arach throne had dulled life in the Shadow Realms.

Unlike immortals, people were always hustling around, trying to get everything done quickly. Everything was so important to them, but they had such short lives that they had to pack as much as possible into those small timespans.

Unfortunately, many chose the wrong things to fill their lives with. Still, they’d been fascinating to watch as they lived in a bubble of blissful ignorance.

Now, the cities he once loved were shells of their former selves. Many of the once grand skyscrapers had fallen beneath the dragons’ fire and the Lord’s fury.

Dilapidated buildings stood in place of the once-towering structures. Of the buildings that remained standing, none had survived unscathed. All of them were missing windows and the top part of their structures.

People still resided in them, but they lived on the lower floors, and he doubted it was safe. Most of the remaining buildings looked as if a breeze would topple them.

The majority of the humans who survived the Lord’s war on the cities chose to remain living in them, but those who did resided mostly in the smaller apartment buildings or stores. While they had sustained damage too, they remained mostly untouched by the war that ravaged this place.

Over time, the humans cleared some of the streets of debris and bodies. Many sidewalks remained clogged with chunks of concrete, bricks, rebar, and other assorted materials used to create the skyscrapers that once blocked the sun.