Island of Glass (The Guardians Trilogy #3)(100)

“I’m going to bleed all over the floor,” Sawyer began.

Luna stroked his wounded arm. “You will not. Come now to be tended and fed and bathed and rested. We are your servants today.”

It wasn’t so bad having a goddess as a servant. At least not when, Riley decided, it included luxuriating in a sunken tub full of hot water that a pretty young maid scented with jasmine. Or having every ache in your tired body rubbed out with oil.

She didn’t even mind—too much—putting the dress on again. Not when she had permission to explore, take samples. Some stones, some scrapings, a little dirt, some sand. A couple of flowers she’d never seen before.

When she rushed into the sitting room to find the others, she was all but flying. “You won’t believe what I’ve seen. They have chickens that lay colored eggs. I saw a baby dragon—the adults prefer caves. A freaking baby dragon.”

She grabbed a bottle, poured a glass not caring what it might be.

“And the library in this place? It makes yours look like the book turnstile at a gas station, Bran. Every book ever written, in every language. I mean freaking Hogwarts doesn’t have what they have.”

She gulped down what proved to be wine. “And their society? No war, not since that whole uprising with the Bay of Sighs—which, by the way, is back. People like their work, whatever they choose. Farmers farm, weavers weave, bakers bake. If they need to cut a tree, they plant another. Always. And— What?”

“We got around some, too,” Sawyer told her. “Annika got to swim with some merpeople in the Bay of Sighs. Sasha’s done half a million sketches. Bran, he’s been holed up with other magic types.”

“We went up,” Bran told her, “consecrated the ground within the circle.”

“Doyle’s been busy, too.” Sasha continued to sketch.

“Yeah? With what?”

“Nothing much.”

Sasha lifted her head, stared holes through him.

“Fine. All right.” He stood up, pulled something out of his pocket. “I got this.”

Riley stared, dumbfounded, at the ring. The pure white stone sat in a simple band. Its brilliance needed no adornment.

“You don’t like fuss,” he said.

“No, I don’t. But how did you . . .”

“Just ask, right? I just asked if there were any jewelers, and I had about a hundred rings pushed at me.”

“Sasha and I helped from there,” Annika told her. “Because it was confusing.”

“I don’t happen to have any money on me that works around here anyway. And they didn’t want any. But . . .”

“He had in his pocket a pipe—a musical pipe—he made as a boy,” Annika said helpfully. “He traded.”

“That’s . . . Jeez, that’s sweet.”

“It gets sweeter,” Sasha told Riley. “He asked Bran to engrave it.”

“Engraved.” Riley snatched the ring from Doyle’s hand, turned it to look inside the band. “Ma Faol.” Her throat simply closed as her heart leaped into it. All she could do was look at him.

He took the ring back. “Are you going to give me your hand?”

“Damn right I am.”

“It’s called the Stone of Glass. I don’t know what the hell it actually is.”

“I’ll be finding out.” It astonished her that her eyes stung, that she had to fight back tears. “And I can tell everybody you’re a cheap bastard, and it’s glass.”

“Bet you would.” He slid it on her finger. “You’re stuck now.”

Annika applauded. “Kiss her, Doyle! You need to kiss her now.”

“Yeah, kiss me, Doyle.” Despite the dress, Riley boosted up, wrapped her legs around his waist. “And make it good.”

He made it very good.





EPILOGUE




A royal celebration required fancy, Riley discovered. She also discovered Annika was a force of nature when the mermaid’s mind was set.

She banished the men, decreeing the women would dress together.

“It’s special,” Annika insisted as she patiently fastened what seemed like half a million buttons on the back of Riley’s gown. “When we have a special celebration, my sisters and I prepare together. You’re my sisters.” She rested her cheek on the back of Riley’s head. “I’ll miss you so.”

“Don’t cry.” Alarmed, Riley turned. “We won. We saved the worlds.”

“We’re still going to see each other.” Sasha moved in for a hard group hug. “We’re a clan, remember? We’ll come to your island, and Bran will make your pool so you can come to us. And we’ll all go to wherever Riley and Doyle are.”

“It’s an oath.”

“Pinky swear.” Riley held up her pinky. “A very serious oath.” She took Annika’s, hooked it, and Sasha added hers. “Done. I love you guys, sincerely. And I’m going to need regular Sawyer and Bran fixes.”

“Could I have a favor?” Annika asked.

Sasha kissed her cheek. “You have only to ask.”

“I’m very excited for the celebration here, but . . . Could we have one of our own? Just us, when we go back to Bran’s? A night for the six of us, without worry and weapons, before I go back to the sea?”