“Oh, Goddess! Thank you!” Rephaim fell to his knees before her. With a happy cry, Stevie Rae dropped to his side, laughing and hugging him joyously.
I had to blink the tears from my eyes so I wouldn’t miss what happened next.
With Kalona at her side, the Goddess walked to where Emily Wheiler still sat on the ground with Lynette. They both bowed their heads as she approached them.
“Children, your love for one another did not simply save you, it also saved two worlds. Know that you shall forever be family. Lynette, I task you with helping Emily, who finally found herself today, not to make the same mistakes again.”
“I gladly and gratefully accept that task, Goddess.”
“Good. Then you shall need this so that you will not leave her side too soon.” Nyx kissed Lynette’s upturned forehead and the sapphire tattoo of a fully Changed vampyre appeared in the shape of interlocking knots that created hearts.
“Oh!” Lynette breathed in awe, touching her forehead. She bowed, and in a voice filled with happy tears she said, “Thank you, my Goddess!”
“Young Emily, welcome back to my service. I look forward to what you shall do this time around with the new gifts you have been given.”
Emily’s voice was shaky, but she bowed her head and said, “Th-thank you, great Goddess. I will do my best to serve you.”
Finally, she faced the body of our Neferet. The Goddess sighed sadly. She lifted her hand, and a form raised from Neferet’s body. It had a vague outline of a person, and if I squinted hard, I saw the resemblance to Neferet, though even her spirit was twisted, deformed. “You chose vengeance when you could have chosen to heal. You chose cruelty when you could have chosen mercy. You chose hatred when you could have chosen love. Had you also chosen to remain mortal, you might have been redeemed, but you chose to become immortal, so I must judge you on scale with the gods. I judge you unredeemable.”
Nyx raised both hands and drew a circle in the air. Within that circle I saw a terrible, unending blackness. “And now you will cease to exist. Begone!” At her command, Neferet’s spirit was sucked into the blackness as it shrieked in anger one last time.
Nyx turned to us, and there were tears in her eyes. “Remember, my children, you are powerful. Your choices matter. You matter. It is my greatest wish that you choose love, always love. Until we meet again, may you blessed be.”
Nyx, the Goddess of Night, stepped into Kalona’s arms, and he lifted her into the sky, holding her tightly, lovingly, until they disappeared in a shower of diamond sparks.
EPILOGUE
Zoey
We spent what was left of that night helping Anastasia and her House of Night figure out where to put the several dozen soldiers who were now little boys, and who definitely needed dinner and then bedtime.
The school’s fledglings helped a lot, but it was Grandma Redbird who swung into high gear and fixed everything—because even High Priestess Anastasia admitted to being out of her range of expertise when it came to human boys who were barely older than toddlers.
“Of course I will stay and help you set up a nursery,” Grandma said, holding one chubby boy on her lap while another played with her long, silver hair. She sent a smile my way and said, “I find that in this world I am short at least one child, and they shall do my heart good.”
Anastasia actually went to Grandma and kissed her soundly, which made them both laugh.
When the little boys were finally asleep, tucked into dorm rooms with fledglings nervously watching over them, I would have been happy to lead my circle in calling the elements and returning to our world—but we were just too damn tired. Instead, I sank into bed beside Stark and fell fast asleep in his arms.
The next day we met in the dining room just after the sun had set. We’d pulled together several tables and were just finishing breakfast when I stood. My circle went silent and gave me their full attention.
“I understand if you want to stay for a few days and help Anastasia,” I said with no preamble. “Personally, even though I love being here with Kevin,” I paused to grin at my brother, who returned my smile, “I’m eager to get home and let our people know they don’t have to be afraid anymore. But because of what we’ve all just been through, I wanted you guys to vote on it, and I’ll be fine either way. So, what do you want to do? Stay for a few days, or go home now? Stark?”
“Home,” he said with no hesitation.
“Aphrodite?”
“Home to my Warrior.”
“Rephaim?”
“That is up to my High Priestess,” he deferred to Stevie Rae.
“Okay, Stevie Rae—what’s your vote?”
“Home, definitely,” she said firmly.
“Damien?”
“You know my vote, Z. Jack’s there, stressing out while he waits for me.”
“So, another home vote. Ice Cream Shoes?” I asked.
She was sitting beside James, who—along with my brother—had joined us for breakfast. Kacie cleared her throat and stood. “I don’t get a vote because, with your permission, I would like to stay in this world—permanently. The red fledglings and vampyres over here have no red High Priestess. I want to be here for them.” She looked down and smiled softly at James. “Among other things.” His face flushed pink, but his smile blazed as he took her hand and kissed it. Then her attention returned to me. “Do I have your permission, High Priestess?”
“You do, but you don’t actually need it. Nyx already gave it to you. And you’re right—they need you here.”
Stevie Rae wiped tears from her cheeks and said, “You’re gonna make a great High Priestess.”
“Thanks, mentor. I learned from the best. And I’ll still cast the circle with you guys—I just won’t go through the door with you.”
“So, it’s
