Page 331 of The Gods Order

“Um, yes, because I had a blast, thank you very much.”

She shakes her head, side-eyeing my low chuckle.

“Ready?” Val asks.

Every conversation dies away.

Thayla steps toward the barrier, lifting her hand until her fingertips hover inches from its surface. The power responds before she even touches it. White ripples spread across it as if recognizing its new keeper.

She glances back at Val, and he gives her a single nod.

Drawing in a slow breath, she presses her palm against the barrier. Light blooms beneath her hand.

The woven power parts with surprising ease, peeling back into a narrow opening, wide enough for the seven of us to pass through. Just like he did the night he brought us here the first time.

On the other side, silence greets us.

The region rests quietly in the distance, tucked between rolling hills that have never known the devastation beyond this barrier. Wisps of smoke curl lazily into the sky from scattered chimneys. The setting sun bathes the fields surrounding it in a gorgeous glow. The meadow grass sways beneath a warm breeze, untouched by ash, blood, or ruin.

Peace.

Real peace.

I thought this place was beautiful when we stood at the edge of the ridge and watched the sunrise. It’s just as breathtaking from this angle, but my perspective is different. It’s happier, more hopeful.

When we leave here today, we won’t be planning a war.

We’ll be planning our future.

“They’re waiting,” Thayla says softly.

I tear my gaze from the distance and meet her smile.

“Let’s not make them wait any longer.”

Amick’s power wraps around us, Val, and Ellian. He releases us right in the spot we appeared the last time we came.

A long, deep breath slips from Thayla as she stares at the house.

“Did you tell her—”

My question dies as the front door creaks open. A woman eases out, her gaze sweeping across the yard. I stare wide-eyed at her familiar rose-gold hair.

“Thane…”

His name leaves her in a whisper so quiet I almost miss it.

Val doesn’t.

He’s halfway across the yard before she’s fully over the threshold.

The smile that breaks across Anylah’s face steals every ounce of caution that was present not even a millisecond ago. Tears brim in her eyes as she sprints to meet him.

He catches her around the waist, lifting her effortlessly as she laughs through a choked sob. She buries her face against his neck while he holds her like he’s making up for every day they’d been forced apart.

Gods. After centuries spent side by side, a handful of weeks must’ve felt unbearable.

Beside me, Thayla doesn’t say a word. I glance her way just in time to catch the sheen gathering in her eyes. A small, almost disbelieving smile curves her lips as she watches them together.