Novel & Cerita The Golden Years Book

I asked him. “The treasure has become scattered. Retrieve it.” I went into the tunnel and began collecting up the gold. What appeared to be a small scatter was misleading. There was a king’s ransom of coins and gemstones dislodged from the main pile. I gathered the pieces into my skirt. It seemed irreverent to simply pour the coins and stones onto the pile and I kept an eye on the golden-haired man as I did so. He did not look up from his book. The noise of them falling was impressive.

"never kneel." Chains blazed with golden fire, exploding across the room like lightning. Elders covered their faces, robes billowing in the blast. The hunched Elder shrieked above the storm, his hand on his chest. "See? He is tainted!" But Miyal's gaze fastened on him, burning white-gold, and for a moment the room was quiet once more. "If I were tainted," Miyal cut through the air, voice as keen as a blade, "you would already be ash."

Then Samuel ran up, eyes sparkling with excitement. "Mom, you were amazing! You looked like you were glowing up there!" Elaine’s expression softened into a gentle smile as she wrapped her arms around them both. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a golden glow over her face, outlining her in warmth. Her skin, luminous in the light, seemed to radiate with a quiet brilliance of its own. Years had passed, yet she had not aged. If anything, love had made her even more beautiful.

Zak and Rachel were as clueless as I was, as we exchanged bewildered looks with each other. Señor Ramirez looked at us. “The Golden Leaf has been stolen.” I gasped in horror, as did Zak and Rachel. Silence hung in the room. “No way,” I finally said, my voice trembling. “I received a call last night from my good friend from my time with the

“I wish to always stay by Zanny’s side.” Zann gazed at her with adoring eyes, a tender smile drawn. He then retrieved a velvet box from his pocket. My breath hitched. I knew that box all too well. Inside was a necklace, the token of our love he had given me on our wedding day. A year ago, I had to sell it to cover his medical bills. Back then, he’d promised he’d buy me something better someday. Yet now, that very necklace rested around Wanda’s neck.

I bought some once for my kid, and Mom acted like I lit money on fire. Katerina smiled. "Don't act so generous, Anya. Dad's got a pension—you're not paying for him. These two apartments should be my compensation anyway."

Her eyes slowly reddened. "I'm sorry, Simon. If you really don't want to see me, then I'll go…" Lowering her head, she took one step at a time toward the door. Watching her lonely figure, I suddenly called out to her. "Wait…" Claire stopped and turned back, her face lighting up with joy. "Simon, after all these years together, I knew you wouldn't be able to let me go…" I gave a cold laugh and looked at her indifferently.

I sat on the edge of my bed and looked at the cover in my hands. I would go back for the green book. When the time was right. When I understood enough of the present to be ready for whatever the past had to say. Stone City had spent twenty two years making me invisible. Something in that library felt like it was waiting to tell me why. I just wasn't ready to hear it yet.

“Sloane.” She turns at the sound of my voice, and the flicker in her green eyes nearly undoes me. Those same green eyes with gold flecks throughout them. Staring into my soul. It’s not surprise. It’s Recognition. I step closer, invading her space without touching her. The scent of her- warm vanilla and something unmistakably hers, hits me low and hard. Ten years. Ten damn years, and my body reacts like no time passed at all. “Rhett,” she says softly. Then, like she needs the distance, she straightens and steps backwards. “You came back” she lifts her chin sternly. “Looks like it.”

The door slammed shut with a heavy, airtight *thud*, cutting off the roar of the burning mansion completely. As Marcus slid into the driver's seat and jammed the vehicle into reverse, the sedan accelerated away from the burning crater of the Gilded Fortress, plunging deep into the fog-heavy upstate roads. Vivian stared out the tinted rear window, watching the orange glow of the fire fade into the gray mist. She reached into the pocket of her torn cashmere sweater, her fingers brushing past a small, hard object she had managed to snatch from the floorboards of the master suite before the explosion.