We walked in, killed them and walked out.
And without a leader, without someone telling them what to do and where to go, then doesn’t it stand that this crazy war, this rebellion, will fizzle out?
Fletcher laughs. “Look at us, you’d swear we lost. We won! We did it. We killed them.”
I grin at him; his enthusiasm is infectious, it really is.
Elodie looks thoughtful and takes a seat at the table. “I need to think about things, make sure all is well, but... I think we should celebrate.”
Thea and Talia let out some whoops, and I laugh.
Suddenly, the sombre, unreal feeling we all seemed to have when we left Zeta’s is replaced by pure elation.
There’s no other way to describe it.
Ember cracks open some champagne. “We’ve been fighting this war for longer than most of you know.”
A shadow of hurt passes over Elodie’s face, but I don’t think anybody else notices. She’s quick to smile, to raise her glass at Ember’s toast.
“To the ones we couldn’t keep safe, and to the ones we could.”
We all cheer, and I’m crying and laughing at the same time. We have been so close to death, all of us, and some of us didn’t make it. It’s a bittersweet moment, and we are all suddenly sombre.
It could have turned out so differently.
Elodie cooks and bakes, and Ember keeps opening more and more champagne, even letting us have some. We are all happy and relaxed.
Later on Fletcher and I sneak away, up to his room, where we lie next to each other on his bed and kiss.
“I can’t believe we both made it,” I say, pushing back his floppy hair, away from his face. His gorgeous face.
“I can.” He grins. “I’m not done with you, yet.”
“Sounds ominous,” I laugh, but I feel a thrill of excitement at the thought of our future together, what it might be, what it might bring.
“Not ominous.” He kisses my cheeks, and then my mouth. “Just good. Normal. Happy. Two teenagers, not two teenagers in the middle of a nasty species war. Just us.”
I close my eyes and snuggle up against him.
I can’t help but feel exhausted. We’ve been through so much, and now the immediate danger is over, we can finally relax.
I drift off and don’t wake until the next day.
2
Fletcher leaves Ellis in bed, asleep, and heads downstairs. Only his mother is awake. He kisses her forehead. “Tea?”
She shakes her head. “No thanks, love, I’ve got one already.”
He makes himself a drink then joins his mum at the table. “Everybody else still sleeping?”
She nods. “Jane and David took Sally home, but you and Ellis were sleeping by then. Ember and the girls are still crashed out.”
“You okay?”
Elodie nods. “There are still some things to do, to sort out.”
He nods and reaches for a croissant. “Is this spare?”
Elodie nods. “Once Ember is awake, I will ask her to contact all the members of the team that she and Griff were working with, the ones who were fighting this battle before we even knew about it. I want them to track down any last stragglers, anyone who’s so loyal to Zeta that they might try to cause trouble.”
“Outstanding idea. Do you think they’ll try to start it up again?”
“I don’t know, but the team know what they are doing, and it makes sense for them to continue with their work, at least until we’re sure.”
“Makes sense,” he says, pulling his croissant apart and eating it slowly, bite by bite.
“Get a plate. You’re so messy.”
“Sorry.” He grabs a plate and another croissant. “Anything else?”
She nods. “The council. Mya is dead, she was the head of the vampires. Vann is dead, he was the head of the fairies and Gregory’s dead, head of the shifters.”
“Who killed Gregory?” Fletcher pours himself an orange juice.
Elodie shrugs. “Not me.”
“Nor me.” Fletcher shrugs. It must have been one of the others.
“And the other council members are still tied up with magic in Scotland.”
Fletcher chokes on his drink. “Oh crap. They will be so mad.”
“Worse than mad. I’m nervous about what to do next. We have to set them free, and we have to tell them that their leaders are dead. It won’t be pretty.”
Fletcher is silent for a while, eating, drinking, thinking. “We lost Griff, too. It’s not like we’ve done anything wrong. We had to be sure who was on our side. They must understand. We’ll go up, be matter of fact, explain everything, try to make things right.”
“I don’t think things will ever be right again, but you’re right. We can’t put it off either. Once everyone’s awake, we’ll head up to Scotland.”
Elodie opens her mouth to say something, then closes it again, and then opens it, and then closes it.
“What is it, mum?”
She shakes her head, fear colouring her face.
“Can it be worse than the mob we’re about to face in Scotland?”
She nods. “The demons.”
Fletcher visibly shudders.
“We have to go to the portal, and we have to gather them up.”
“No!” Fletcher chokes out, panic clear on his face, “Mum, no, that’s dangerous.”
“Fletcher, I know it’s dangerous, but demons roaming the earth is even more dangerous. We need to tie up loose ends. The henchmen, Ember and her team can take care of. But the demons can’t be allowed to wander around unchecked.”
He is silent. He knows his mother is right, but he cannot bear to think about it. Demons are tricky. They managed them pretty well on the pier, but without a leader they could be anywhere. They have to be called back, put back in the portal; put back in their place.
“I think we should destroy the portal too. Make it so they can’t ever come back.”
“I think that’s the safest bet.”
They eat and drink in silence mostly, waiting for the others to wake up. “If they aren’t all up in an hour, we’ll wake them. I know we’re all exhausted, but it’s not over yet. Not quite.”
“What about the autonomy for the
