“We should hold a true vote,” Ursala says to everyone, stepping in front of the other High Council members. “And that vote should be for the coven that exists now. They have helped to out the Originator after all these centuries. However, they still have some powerful members who are Nightsides, and only one Trueblood running the coven. This is the case, laid simple and bare. All sit.”
Rage fills my chest, and the pressure threatens to explode from my skull again. We've gone through so much only to go through the judgment again, and we could die after all. But I swallow. If I show that I'm losing control, I'll doom us all.
We all sit as a unit.
Breathe, Olivia. You can control yourself. You don't have to fulfill any stupid Prophecy.
And behind us, the other covens sit as well.
The world stops as Ursala takes charge of the vote, and we wait. One by one, he calls out the head of each coven.
And I hold my breath.
Twenty-one ayes.
And nine nays.
Stella steps forward, and my ears are ringing from not breathing.
“The Johnson Coven is now official,” she says, frowning at Riley. “You are hereby expected to obey Trueblood law, and the High Council, and to be a better coven head than your father, Riley Johnson. Know that we can take your status at the first offense.”
* * * * *
Riley and I keep the shades down during the train ride home, but reality is no less bright.
For the first time in weeks, we can truly sit together and be together. I'm no longer Miranda, and we've got a private compartment on the train, a different model than the one we took to our fates.
Riley sits back on the red velvet seat, hands behind his head, and it takes everything I have not to jump on him and start making out right there. I close the door of our space behind me with a gentle click.
We look at each other for a long time. Riley's stunning in his suit, and I'm still wearing the blue dress, only now as Olivia. We're going home without the Originator, and with Dad.
It couldn't get better.
“We have a lot of catching up to do once we get home,” Riley says. “Poor Stanley, though. I think we hurt his pride.”
“Yeah, I almost feel sorry for the guy,” I say, knowing he's retreated to his own compartment near the front of the train to stew. Dad is up there somewhere, too, drowned out by the sound of the tracks under us. And so are the other Nightsides, who have gathered around him to confirm why he left a couple of kids in charge.
And, I imagine, he's got to call Mom and tell him we're both okay. Dad has a lot of explaining to do to her as well.
But now I'm confident that he'll work things out. That's his responsibility, and I've got to leave that to him.
Riley grins. “Well, we won't have to do another Convening for a year, and we'll have time to figure out ways to look better to them. So long as we follow the rules, they can't kick us out, and they won't put us on probation. And it's good to know that Dominic can't come back after us. He's still bitter.”
I shake my head. “I still can't believe this, but you know what? We can finally be together again. No more hiding.”
“Well, I wouldn't advertise our relationship,” Riley says. “But that's not a big deal. We just have to look good once a year. And the hunters won't tell them about us. Especially not Lily. I'm glad she's going to be okay.”
“She's such a badass,” I say, inching closer to Riley. We just might have forever, but what matters is now. Anything could happen in the future. But now, we have our own private compartment. Safety. Security. I lock the door behind me, glad for the noise of the tracks. “You know what, Riley? Shut up. We can talk about smoothing all this over when we get home.” I lower myself onto his lap, running my hand up his chest. “We're never going to be completely safe. And that makes life worth living.”
He smiles, sliding his hand around my shoulder blades and finding the zipper of my dress. Riley is here, and the pressure in my head is at peace. He's not going away. We've earned this.
“Yes,” he says, leaning in to kiss my neck. “It's worth every moment.”
THE END
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—Holly Hook
