Broken Road (Fate's Intent Book 7) (17 page)

Chapter 31

Darius

We were last ones left in the dining room to eat and sat in complete silence next to each other.

“Well, I guess I better pack too.” Ruby said, getting up to her feet while taking her dishes.

“Yeah, okay. That’s probably a good idea. I don’t want to have to get up any earlier to do that.”

Ruby agreed with a nod and a light smile and we brought our dishes into the kitchen. She washed them quickly while I waited by then we both started up the stairs together in another silence between us.

We reached the third floor where I have been staying and I paused there, not going up another step. “Well, ah, I’ve got to pack I guess.”

Ruby looked back at me then to the door I would be going through. Her eyes turned red but she put a smile on her face. “Yeah, you do that.”

“Ruby.” I took a step towards her but she just took one up the stairs. “I said it to them but I know we’re not really passed this. We should still talk.”

“I’m not stepping foot near that room. You want to talk, you come to me.”

She continued on up the stairs and I paused just at the bottom with a sigh. I wanted to make things right with her before we reached Randal but I knew there was still some work to be done. She may have acted like her normal self around me when we were outside but I knew it was just to hide the truth from Zayden and Troy.

I finally looked away from the stairs when I couldn’t even hear her going up them anymore and turned to my room. I opened the door and just stepping in made me remember everything that’s happened with Meg and the time we spent together.

How could Ruby forgive me for any of it? I wanted her to so I could really have her back but I wouldn’t blame her if she couldn’t.

I couldn’t stay there very long. I quickly went over and shoved all the clothes I had in a bag and grabbed my sword before leaving. The door was closed and I took a long breath while leaning on it. Now it was time to see Ruby. I walked up more levels of the palace until I was at the fifth floor and knocked on her door.

“It’s open.”

I took all of my stuff with one hand and opened the door. Ruby was sitting up in bed, writing in a book and I simply set my stuff on the inside of the door before stepping in closer to the bed. “Hey. Packed already?”

Ruby didn’t say a word. She just pointed with the end of the quill pen she was holding to the desk and I saw her stuff sitting on it, ready to go.

“Well, good. Me too.”

There was a long pause while she remained on the bed and I stood feet away just looking in her direction.

“Is there something you wanted?” Ruby asked with red eyes as she looked up. “Or are you just waiting for me to say something?”

“We still need to talk about this.” I said, staying exactly where I was.

“I don’t think there’s much to talk about, Darius.”

“Yes there is.” I took a step closer but made sure I stayed off the bed unless I was invited again. “Is this how it’s going to be? You seem completely fine when everyone else is around but when we’re alone, you have to be like this? You’re giving me mixed signals. I need to know what it is you really want. Me or not?”

She paused there for a moment with her eyes on me and still red. “You want to know what I want?”

“Yes.”

“I want her dead. I fought hard not to do it when she was here because she’d be around me with that annoying upbeat attitude like nothing was wrong with her fucking my husband.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

She looked away and got back to writing. “I have good restraints when I want to but I will get my revenge.”

“She’s not even here.”

“I think I’m aware of that. It’s the only reason why you’re talking to me.”

“Ruby, please. She meant nothing to me but I get it. You want her dead for it but I want to know about us. Before, when I was sitting with you and you were holding me, I missed that and you said you didn’t want me to leave. You said that you were still mine. I need to know if that’s even true.”

“We’re married, aren’t we?”

“I meant besides that. I need to know if you even still love me.”

She didn’t say anything at first and I’ve come to hate those long pauses. “I may be mad at you right now but that’s not going to stop me from loving you, Darius. I want to be able to say I can forget about this. I really do but I don’t think I can.”

“Then what do you want me to do? I’ll do anything. I want you back for real.”

Ruby started crying with no reply and put her head down on the book. She was truly upset and her inconstant breaths along with heavy cries only proved it.

I walked around the bed and kneeled down on the other side with my hand on her back. “Ruby, calm down. Please. Think of the baby.”

Her breaths started to become lighter. “Why did this have to happen now?”

“What?”

“We’re fighting because of him.”

“Don’t blame him. This was my fault and I’m sorrier than I could ever be. I want us to be happy again. I want my wife back.”

“And you have me.” Ruby said, throwing her arms around me. “I just don’t want to talk about this anymore. It’s never going to go away if it keeps getting mentioned.”

“Is that what you really want?”

“Yes.”

“Then done. We won’t talk about it anymore.”

“I’ve missed you.”

I held her close to me and savored every second of it. “I’ve missed you too and I’m sorry it took so long for me to realize it.”

“Stay with me.” Ruby pulled away and looked in my eyes with hers their original color. “I want this to be our room again. Are you going to move back in? I left the choice up to you.”

“Yeah. I will.”

“Say you’ll stay for good.”

“And I’ll stay for good.”

“Then come on. Stay starting now. We still have to get up early.”

I smiled as I stood up and walked around the bed to the other side. I got in under the covers completely clothed and was pulled towards her. I let it happen and Ruby faced me, wrapping my arms around her while she laid cuddled against my chest.

“I love you.” She muttered.

I let out a shuttered breath and almost couldn’t believe this was happening but I pressed my lips to the top of her head. “I love you too.”

I was ready to do whatever I needed to prove it.

Chapter 32

Ruby

I woke next to Darius for the first time in a while and I still didn’t even believe it was real. I wanted to forgive him; I wanted to forget about this but I didn’t know if I could so easily as I’ve been saying. Something like this would take time and it was only worse that we were leaving to make ourselves public in the city and everyone’s focus would be on us. I still had some more acting to do.

“So, how does this work?” Jaylyn asked.

We were outside early that morning, ready to go on our first fast trip with Zayden. I wasn’t sure what to expect.

“You just stay on your horse.” Zayden said as he stood in front of us just holding the reins of his horse. “And keep your eyes closed. It will be a few hours.”

I sighed. “Oh, great.”

“It’s really not that bad.” Darius smiled. “Zayden does all the work!”

“Come, Rift. Up you go.” Zayden picked up his little pup who wasn’t exactly that little anymore. He was growing fast and he put him up on the horse with Adele. “Stay. Okay, give me the reins. We’re going.” We gave Zayden the reins of our horses and got ready by closing our eyes. “Keep them shut unless you want to be sick. I’ll let you know when we arrive.”

I felt the initial jolt when he started to run but everything after that just felt like I was on the sea on a windy day, swaying back and forth in a steady rhythm. It was almost relaxing but it took hours.

“Here we are!”

I was relieved and opened my eyes but this had to be some kind of mistake. We weren’t in the city. This was Darius’s glass manor in the middle of the northern forest.

“This isn’t Randal, Zayden.” Adele verbally pointed out. “Why are we here?”

“It’s just for a quick stop.” Darius got down off his horse first. “You can stretch your legs.”

I was confused about why but we did it, following him inside.

“How about I not do that?” Zayden suggested as he was first to the setup of couches around the fire place and sat down with Rift jumping up next to him.

“It’s fine.” Adele stood behind him and started rubbing his shoulders. “You deserve the rest.”

“Of course I do.” Zayden smiled and leaned his head back to relax. “Taking your time Darius?”

“You’re going to make this weird, aren’t you?”

“What are you doing?” Troy asked.

Zayden peeked over at him for a moment, clearing his throat and raising an eyebrow with a half smirk on his face.

“Oh, shit, really?”

They knew something we didn’t and I wanted to find out what.

Darius sighed and pushed one of the tables in front of the fire place, climbing on top of it then to the mantel. He placed his hand on a sheet that covered a painting of some kind and pulled it off.

I stared in amazement. It was a larger than life-size portrait of a woman seen sitting in a fancy chair while resting her head on the back of it and gazing up like she was thinking with her left hand resting on her pregnant belly.

“Whoa.” Jaylyn muttered. “Who is that? She’s beautiful.”

“Take a closer look.” Troy suggested.

She did and looked right to Darius still standing in front of it. “Oh, is this your mother?”

He merely nodded.

“You look like her.”

“I know.” He steadied his balance on the mantel and pulled out a dagger.

“What are you doing?” I took a step forward in front of the couch while he held the dagger in his fist and started bringing it towards the portrait, making me gasp. “Darius, don’t!” He cut a slit in the canvas across his mother’s fingers over her stomach as if he cut them off.

“Relax.” Troy whispered.

Darius reached within the opening and pulled out something small, clenching it in his hand. He turned just slightly and hopped down to the table then to the floor. He approached me who stood calm but still confused as I tried to take Troy’s advice.

“There’s something I want you to have. My mother once told me that love was an everlasting hope and if I was to ever find it, give her this.” He brought up his hand and held a beautiful large dark red ruby marquise and gold ring between his thumb and pointer finger.

Jaylyn almost let out a sound but Troy quickly covered her mouth.

I was just staring at it in awe. “It’s beautiful.”

“I know it’s not like all the other great ones you have but it really means a lot to my family and I want you to have it.”

I let him take my right hand and slip it on my ring finger. I couldn’t take my eyes off it until I noticed something. “Wait.” I shoved him aside by his shoulder and looked up at the portrait of his mother. She was wearing the ring on her hand that was on her stomach just where Darius cut the canvas. “This was hers.”

“Yes and she would have loved to see me give it to you but something came up.”

My eyes started to water. I felt sad yet happy too and I leaned up on my tiptoes to kiss him. It was our first kiss since everything happened and it was just completely perfect.

“Can I make a sound now?” Jaylyn asked, pulling away from Troy. “That’s so romantic!”

I parted from Darius with a smile and looked over to Zayden, still getting a shoulder massage from Adele. “You knew about this, didn’t you?”

There was a pause and he didn’t respond because he still had his head back and his eyes were closed.

“She’s talking to you.” Adele whispered.

“Huh? What?” He opened his eyes and looked around.

“I said, you knew about this. That’s why you brought us here.”

“Yeah. He asked me to take us here and I gladly did. We never thought he’d brave-up enough to give that away. It does mean something.”

I looked up at Darius and stood close to him. “It does to me too.”

He smiled as he touched my face and we kissed again.

“Well, this was touching.” Troy said, breaking it up. “But maybe we should keep going.”

“I did what I came for.”

“Are you ready to go again?” Adele asked.

“I guess we should. Father’s probably waiting.”

“Whenever you’re ready.”

“Now is good.” Zayden got to his feet. “It’s not much farther. Come on, Rift.” He jogged to get outside and the wolf excitedly chased after him to the horses.

I was still a little flustered by all of this but we followed. This was a sign that he really did choose me because it was his mother’s ring and I would cherish it―always.