Chapter 1

The air thundered with expectant energy and the stars in the sky seemed to ring out a single, beautiful note of music that made me want to weep.

I wasn't sure what was happening as the twins were lost to the ethereal light that had burst from the sky, so bright it was blinding to look at. I did know one thing though; the stars were here among this celestial magic, and it felt like the ghosts of the dead were watching on too, witnessing the tune of fate changing forever with the ascension of our new queens. They may not have sat upon their rightful throne yet, but there was no denying the power of the sons and daughters of the most powerful Fae in Solaria bowing at their feet.

Tyler's hand was fisted in my shirt, and my face was wet with glittering tears. My gaze moved to the one entity among the chaos which was sturdier than the ground beneath me. My brother kneeling there, his back to me now but there had been no refuting his existence when he had stepped through the crowd. It had to be a gift of the stars, allowing him a moment back here on earth, but his time could already be waning.

Everyone began to rise to their feet, and I leapt upright too, nudging Tyler back before charging toward my brother. Sofia neighed hopefully as I ran through the crowd, shoving people aside to get closer as everyone clamoured to get a look at the Heirs. My heart thundered chaotically, and my mind twisted around so many unanswered questions, I couldn't count them. I just had to see him. Had to look him in the eye and find what my soul was yearning for most. A precious moment with my lost brother.

The Heirs were rising to their feet, and Caleb yanked Darius into his arms while Max fell on them next. Seth leapt onto Max's back so he could lean over and bury his face into the middle of them, kissing Darius on the forehead. There was a thrum of excitement, a surge of the onlookers pushing to get closer to try and see the fallen Heir. But I was owed it most.

Panic flooded my chest as I moved faster, shoving people aside with a snort of fury and a stamp of my feet, crushing toes in my haste to get to him. I couldn't see him now that the bodies were closing in again, and what if he disappeared the moment they parted, his time here in our world dwindled and not a moment of it spent with me?

"Darius!" I cried in desperation, blasting people away from me with water and giving up on showing any kind of courtesy to them.

The way was cleared, and people cursed me, scrambling to get up again, but I ran through the centre of them straight to the group of Heirs.

Seth was racing around them in circles, howling wildly and not letting anyone get nearer. I spotted Orion standing just beyond them, his fists clenched, and his eyes set on the Heirs as he waited to get closer too, looking on the verge of tearing Darius clean away from his friends and claiming him for himself. In the next second, his resolve broke and he slammed into them full force, nearly knocking them all off their feet.

Seth clashed with them again, and Orion's arm nearly sent him flying as he slung it around Darius, but Orion caught the Wolf, dragging him back into the embrace.

Caleb squeezed Orion's arm and even Max drew him tighter, the five of them locked together with Darius in the middle. For a moment, I saw how it could have been if politics and my father hadn't fucked with everything, forcing Orion to keep his distance, making the Heirs bond as brothers and hardening them to everyone but each other.

Seth broke away again, circling them all as fast as he could possibly run, and Orion stepped back from the group, giving them space once more. But it was my star damned turn.

I rushed towards my brother with my hands outstretched, but Seth slammed into me full force, knocking me to the ground. His eyes widened and he laughed riotously, only to be cut short as I swung my fist into his face.

"Get off me," I snapped.

"Ow," he barked, blinking at me in shock.

"Let me see him!" I bellowed and he frowned, nodding quickly and hurrying to get up.

"Come on, bro." Seth held out his hand to help me to my feet, but I slapped it away then fell abruptly still.

Behind him, Darius stood there, sidestepping Seth to look down at me, his dark eyes full of love and his hand extended in an offering.

I shook my head, a sob wracking through my chest. "You're not real."

"I'm real, Xavier. And I'm staying," he promised.

My breaths seized up in my chest, not an ounce of oxygen making it into my lungs.

"It's not a trick?" I hissed, the burning pain of my enduring grief nearly tearing me apart.

I would not survive losing him twice, and this scrap of hope, this view of him before me would be too much to bear if it was nothing but an illusion.

"No trick. No lie." Darius placed a hand on his chest. "Heart beating. I'm right here. Against all the motherfucking odds. Now get the fuck up and let me hug you."

I reached for his hand, fingers trembling as he clasped my palm and dragged me to my feet. I staggered into his chest, breathing in the scent of cedar and smoke, and the solid feel of his body against mine. He was here, alive, real, defying all possibility, all realities I had concluded.

He crushed me in his arms, and I crushed him back, unable to draw a single breath, but nothing seemed more vital than embracing my lost brother. His heart thumped against my chest, powerful and speaking of all the years of life that had been stolen from him by our father.

"How?" I looked up at him, the gleaming starlight still surrounding the twins, bathing us in an otherworldly glow. The stars seemed to have claimed them, perhaps speaking to them of their ascension, but in the face of this incredible truth, I couldn't focus on anything but Darius.

"I'll tell you everything." His eyes skipped up toward the twins who were still lost to that light. "As soon as they return."

As if in response to his words, the light dimmed until the two of them reappeared hand in hand, their fiery wings billowing out at their backs and the crowns of fire no longer on their brows.

"Secure the academy!" Tory called to the crowd, amplifying her voice with magic to a chorus of barks, howls and roars.

"This is our home, and we're staying right here," Darcy added fiercely, then the two of them flew over the crowd, leading the uprising as Orders of all varieties shifted and raced to obey their word.

I spotted Gabriel running through the crowd, colliding with a giant Nemean Lion who let out a deafening roar, nuzzling Gabriel's head and purring loudly. Dante Oscura jumped from the Lion's back, slamming into Gabriel and the two of them held each other close before the Lion shifted back into his Fae form, revealing he was Leon Night. Butt naked and smiling from ear to ear, he dragged Gabriel out of Dante's arms and held him in a bone-crushing embrace.

They shared a few words then Leon nodded, taking Gabriel's hand and leading him off into the crowd with Dante racing after them. I lost sight of them in the masses, and knew Gabriel was looking for his wife and kid, certain The Sight would lead him to them in no time.

Darius released me and Orion stood just behind him, his jaw grinding with restraint at holding back.

"Tell me, brother, how many stars did you have to fuck to be given another chance at life?" Orion asked.

Darius turned to him with a smirk creeping across his face. "No stars, Lance. But your dad took it like a pro."

"You motherfucker," Orion said through a wide smile, eyes burning bright with relief, confusion, and love for this man before him.

"Fatherfucker," Darius corrected through an even bigger smile, and the two of them strode forward, grasping each other in a furious embrace and laughing loudly.

"I missed you every damn day, Darius Acrux," Orion growled, gripping the back of Darius's head.

"It's been hell," Darius sighed, holding his friend tighter. "There's no asshole quite like you beyond The Veil – though Hail Vega made a decent effort. But I'll tell you more about that once I get a cold beer in my hand."

Orion shook his head in awe, releasing him reluctantly as the Heirs and I gathered closer, Max's gaze brimming with all the joy surging through us. His own happiness poured out of him along with a crash of his Siren power, amplifying everyone's feelings tenfold. Some of the Fae close by squealed their joy, enraptured by Max's strength, and I let it flow over me too, euphoria making my head spin.

"Oh joyous day, the stars are turning their fortune on us for sure!" Washer bellowed, throwing his arms into the air and taking off down the hill, his own Siren gifts luring a large group of Fae to follow him, whooping and laughing with enhanced exuberance.

Caleb couldn't stop smiling, and Seth rested his chin on his shoulder as he peered over at Darius with tears in his eyes.

"This is Tory's doing," Caleb said knowingly, and Darius nodded.

"Who else?" he said. "My wife has a way of getting what she wants."

A squawk akin to a parakeet crashing into a window filled the air and we all turned to find Geraldine dragging herself across the ground like an injured seal, blubbering so much she clearly couldn't see very well.

"Lead me to the Dragoon," she begged through another racking sob.

Sofia hurried up behind her, helping her to her feet, and Geraldine waved her hand in front of her as if she was blind. I reached out, guiding it onto Darius's cheek with a bright laugh.

Geraldine shuddered all over, blinking at him through her tears, then honked like an injured goose and collapsed backwards as she fainted. Sofia gasped, trying to hold her up, and Max shot over to catch her, pulling her upright so she sagged against him, blinking as she came back to life.

"Maxy boy, take me to him. Lay me upon his mighty form - nay! Toss me to my knees before him and strike me with a whip of the wandig," she choked out, and Max gently led her towards Darius who was laughing low in his throat.

"Come here, you nonsensical stepsister," he said, and Geraldine shrieked at that, stumbling into his arms and completely falling apart, her legs going slack so Darius had to hold her up entirely.

"Oh dear, dear, hapless brother," she croaked. "You have journeyed through the grass stalks of doom and roamed the ins and outs of the beyond. But no yonder was far enough for your destined soul not to find you. One of my queens – nay – our queens has done this." She turned to the Heirs, finding her feet as Darius released her and looked between each of them. "The goons have finally accepted their goonishness. Each of you have found your place and it is upon your nellies before the great and all-powerful Phoenixes."

"I knew they'd kneel eventually," Orion taunted, and I shot him an amused look as the Heirs all bristled from her words.

"Less of the goon talk, Gerry," Max warned.

"Oh, but my dear salmon, don't you see? You have taken off your too-large boots and placed your toe beans into slippers that fit your goonish feet at long last," Geraldine said, batting her eyelashes at him. "It is most becoming."

"I-" Max looked like he was going to argue, then faltered. "Becoming?"

"Yes, you loon of a lampfish, my Petunia has never jittered so much as it does now for you!" Geraldine ran to him, stamping her mouth to his, and they fell into a PDA I didn't care to watch.

"Let's hunt down the K.U.N.T.s. Then I'll go over all the shit that led me back here," Darius said, his eyes sparking with hunger as he looked to the surging crowd, his hand reaching for the hilt of his axe.

"Dibs on Highspell," Orion said darkly. "Will you hunt with me, brother?" he asked Darius hopefully, but Caleb was already pulling him away, Seth baying loudly at his side too and drowning out the question. It seemed only I'd caught it.

Orion's face fell, and I gave him a tight smile, looking to Sofia and Tyler as they beckoned me over.

"I'm gonna…" I pointed to them and my brother, wanting to stay with the group and be there the moment Darius explained all of this insanity.

"Yeah," Orion muttered, twitching a smile at me. "Go run free, little Pegasus."

I beamed, liking the idea he gave me as I shed my clothes and tossed them to Tyler. I leapt forward and shifted into my lilac Pegasus form with a wild neigh that was full of endless happiness.

Darius looked back at me, and I charged for him, lowering my head in an offering as I reached him. He grinned as he took hold of my mane and swung himself onto my back, raising his axe and releasing a battle cry that rattled right down to my heart.

A fire restarted in my soul, one which had been put out the moment I'd lost him, and it burned in only the way my love for my brother could. Full of childhood memories and jokes just the two of us understood. There was nothing else in this world like it, no replacement at all, and all the pining I'd done for him in his absence washed away like water spiralling down a drain. We made up parts of each other that were integral to our beings, and without him, I'd known I would never be quite whole again.

But now, Darius was back, and by the stars, the moon, and the ever-watching sun, it looked like I was too.