Page 156 of On Brutal Thrones

Fenric's mother passes again and ruffles his hair. “Mother.”

“What?”

“I'm a grown man.”

“Are you?”

Talon laughs.

She immediately leans over and kisses the top of his head again. His laughter stops, and his ears turn pink.

This time, all of us lose it.

“Stop doing that,” Talon mutters.

“Why?”

He opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. Fenric's mother smiles and walks away, and Talon watches her for a moment before reaching for his wine. His expression is different. Softer.

I slip my hand onto his thigh beneath the table and squeeze. He looks at me, and I don't say anything. Neither does he. He simply covers my hand with his.

Eventually, the light outside begins turning amber.

Soon we'll carry blankets onto the lawn. We'll light the Solvane bonfire and eat chocolates while music drifts through the dark. Lyra will probably challenge someone to another ridiculous competition. Fenric will eat until he can't move. Talon will pretend he isn't tipsy. Thorian will sit beside me and quietly watch everyone because that's what he does when he's happy.

Hilda and Ivor will sit with us instead of worrying about whether everyone else has enough. Fenric's family will be there. Tomorrow they'll still be here.

That's the miracle I can't quite get over. There is a tomorrow. And another after that. We can make plans now and actually expect to live long enough to see them happen.

No Trial is waiting. No god gets to decide our fate. No curse hangs over our home. Our lives belong to us.

I lean back in my chair and look around at the people I love.

Fenric catches me smiling. “There it is again.”

“What?”

“That look.”

Talon immediately turns toward me. “Oh, I know that look.”

“You don't know anything.”

“She's happy,” Fenric says.

Thorian studies me. “Are you?”

The question is quiet enough that the laughter around us seems to fade. I look into his eyes. Then Fenric's. Talon's. These men have seen me bloody and terrified. They've seen me exhausted, furious, grieving, and convinced I couldn't take another step. They've carried me when I couldn't walk and trusted me when I barely trusted myself.

And they're here. The people I love most in the world.

My smile gets so wide my cheeks hurt. “Ridiculously.”

Talon grins. “Excellent.”

I narrow my eyes. “Why did that sound threatening?”

“No reason.”