They sat for a moment in silence. Celine reached out and took his hand. “You okay?”
“Yeah, yeah. There’s just so much that I don’t understand.”
“Ask away, D, I’m an open book.”
“Ha! Thanks, Jos, oh, well, uh, I guess that should be Celine.”
“You called me Celine right after you got back from Martinque.”
“Yeah, but it still takes a little getting used to. You’ll always be Josie to me.”
“I am Celine but a part of me will always be Josie.”
Damien nodded, lost in his thoughts. “So, how did you end up like you are, Celine? You didn’t kill anyone that night, right?”
“I didn’t follow through with killing that man, no, which is what would have bonded me to Marcus’ coven. But killing someone and then signing the book with their blood was always Marcus’ own requirement. He deemed it exhibited the deepest pledge of loyalty. The only ‘requirement’ is to draw blood from someone else.”
“And you did that?”
“Yes. That man, the one Marcus ordered me to kill, I came across him in the tunnels. He wanted the book, Marcus had sentenced him to death, most likely for disobeying him. The man presumed retrieving the book for him might redeem him somehow. He was willing to kill for it, in fact. He stabbed me, took the book and left me to die.”
The admission stunned Damien. “So, what happened? Why didn’t you die? Not that I’m complaining!” he said, holding his hands up and waving them in front of him.
“Marcus. He found me bleeding to death. He killed the man and then healed me, he cut himself and poured his blood into me.”
“So that’s what you meant when you said his blood ran through your veins. Wow, for once he did something noble.”
“Well, I’m not sure how noble it was. I was a great power for him to possess.”
“True. So, what happened next? How did you manage to get the book from Marcus?”
“After he healed me, I saw the book and the knife. So, I took the knife, plunged it into his gut, grabbed the book and ran.”
“You drew his blood which…” Damien began.
“Made me what I am, what he was.”
Damien pondered for a moment, analyzing it all. “So, how did you become Josie? I mean, you’re immortal, right? But we’ve been together since we were kids. How?”
“Yeah, Celine is an immortal. Josie was a human. Years ago, I was so exasperated and exhausted by centuries of being chased by Marcus that I made a deal. I went to an adjudicator, a neutral party. I wanted to be human. I wanted out. So, I bargained for a new life. I was literally reborn, given to a human set of parents and given twenty-five years. If in twenty-five years I did not change my mind, never took my powers back, I was free to live my human life in peace. I didn’t quite make that cutoff.”
“No, by the way, happy belated birthday.”
She laughed. “Thanks, D.”
“So, do you have a handler or whatever like the Duke?”
“No, I don’t, I don’t owe my soul to anyone. I always try to do good with the powers I was given.”
“Hmm,” he said, pondering the conversation.
“Hey, guys,” Michael said, coming up from behind them. “Admiring the scenery?”
“Yes,” Damien said. “It is beautiful here.”
“Yes, we finally can enjoy the beauty and peace here,” Celine said.
“I’m glad for that,” Damien answered, sighing. “I don’t know how I can go back home without you.” He stared down at the ground.
Celine looked over at him. She would also be heartbroken if he left her. She had already given the situation hours of consideration. She could understand what Damien was suffering through. She had left her family before, she would not do it again. “About that,” she began, “I was thinking, you’ve been talking about going one hundred percent remote with your company, perhaps now is the time to do that.”
“How would that help? Then I’ll be alone even more in that house,” Damien answered, kicking the ground with his foot.
“Not if you stayed here with us.”
Understanding filled his face, along with a smile. “You mean… move here?”
Celine nodded. “Yes, move here. Then I wouldn’t miss you and you wouldn’t miss me and besides we could always use a good person like you to help us fight the darkness. The Duke is gone, but evil will always exist.”
His smile broadened. “I would like that. I will talk to my supervisor first thing tomorrow morning.”
With Damien settled, Celine turned to Michael. “How about you? Are you okay to go home?”
“Well, it looks like I’m losing two of my friends, but at least there’s the internet. And I’m not sure there is a normal life for me after what I just experienced. I just feel this connection I don’t want to lose. Unless…”
“Unless?” Celine asked.
“Unless we open a branch here. I could oversee it, live in town.”
Celine smiled. “Well, we make a good team.”
“Will there be more trouble?” Michael asked.
“Like I said, there’s always evil in the world,” Celine answered.
“So maybe I should stick around like Damien,” Michael said.
“Maybe you should,” she agreed.
“You should. We are a team…a team of shadow slayers! Besides, we already have our next task,” Damien joined in.
“We do?” Michael asked.
“Yeah. As far as I know, that painting is still missing. Which, according to the legend, means no one is safe. We need to find that painting!”
Epilogue
Celine fell back onto her backside, blown backward by the force of the portal closing. She blinked, clearing her eyes from the intense wind as the sand settled back to the beach. They had vanished, both of them with the book. They had made it to wherever they were going, she hoped. “Good luck,” she whispered.
“Celine!” she heard a voice shouting. “CELINE!” She saw Celeste running toward her. “Are you all right, Celine?”
Celine stood without answering, brushing herself off. “Yes, I am just fine, sister dear,” she said, disdain filling her voice. “No thanks to
