Parrish shook her head. She didn’t want to kill her. Not like this.
But Lily cried out again, and this time, as she looked up, her eyes took on the hint of a glow. A dark, purple glow Parrish recognized from the rotter she’d faced back at the compound.
The Dark One was taking over, and there was no time to stop her.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
She plunged her sword deep into Lily’s chest, putting an end to her life.
Fifty
Parrish
“Parrish, is that really you?”
Parrish turned and ran toward her sister, her legs nearly giving out from exhaustion but her heart pushing her forward.
“Zoe,” she screamed, stretching out her arms.
Zoe’s face was dirty and stained with tears. Her clothes streaked with blood.
But it was her. It was really her.
Parrish fell to her knees and gathered her baby sister in her arms, sobs shaking her body. After all this time, she had finally found her.
“I thought I’d never see you again,” she said, running her hand down the back of Zoe’s hair and kissing her forehead. “I missed you so much. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Zoe said, smiling through her tears.
“I was so scared you didn’t know just how much you meant to me,” Parrish said. “I never got the chance to let you know how much I loved you when you left.”
Zoe shook her head. “I’ve always known,” she said. “I was so scared, though, Parrish. I can hardly remember how scared. I thought I was going to die up there in that room.”
She scratched at her arm, and Parrish stood, looking her sister over to make sure she was really okay. It had seemed so impossible that this moment would ever come, and now that it was here, it didn’t feel real.
“Are you okay?” Parrish asked. “You’re not hurt?”
She just wanted to hold her sister close and never let go. She was never going to let this little girl out of her sight again. To see that she was here and she really was okay made all of the struggle worth it.
“David took care of me,” Zoe said, reaching for Parrish’s hand. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to him.”
Parrish smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes.
David was even younger than Parrish had realized. Smaller than Zoe, he couldn’t have been older than eight or nine years old, but his eyes held the wisdom of his years.
“Hi, David,” she said.
The boy looked up at her and smiled. “Hi,” he said. His voice was as clear in her head as if he’d spoken out loud. “I’ve missed you.”
He glanced around, frowning at Lily’s lifeless body and shaking his head.
“Where are the others?”
Parrish gasped. She’d forgotten they were still back there fighting that horde and the decoy zombie.
“We need to get back to them,” she said. “Here, take my hand.”
They both grabbed onto her, and she used the fatalis stone again to teleport the group back to the fight.
“Hell, yes,” Crash shouted when they appeared.
Hell, yes, was right.
The moment Parrish touched down, her entire body lit up with power, as if someone had finally turned on the lights in a dark room. If they thought they’d known power before this, it was nothing compared to what it was now that the five of them were together.
“Welcome back, old friend,” Noah said, nodding at David.
“We’ve missed you,” Karmen said.
Parrish lifted her sword into the air and smiled at the zombie horde that remained.
This wouldn’t take long.
“Shall we?” she asked. “Zoe, stay by me. Everyone else? Let’s end this.”
Fifty-One
Zoe
“Where do we go from here?”
Parrish grabbed Zoe’s hand and pulled her close, making Zoe want to cry in relief. She still could hardly believe her sister had come all this way to save her.
All those nights alone in the hotel room, she’d dreamed of this day, but she’d never really thought it was possible.
“We should find a safe place inside to talk through our next moves,” Crash said, looking up toward the darkening sky as the sun began its descent. “We don’t have much daylight left, and we’re all too exhausted to keep fighting tonight.”
“Noah’s bleeding,” Zoe said.
“She’s right. Those bird women really did a number on you, huh?” Parrish ran a finger across Noah’s cheek, and from the look of tenderness he gave her, Zoe was pretty sure her sister’s secret crush wasn’t such a big secret anymore.
She hid a smile against her shoulder, not wanting Parrish to see her blush.
“Besides, I’m anxious to get inside somewhere and make sure Zoe’s okay.”
Zoe frowned. “I’m fine now,” she said.
“Well, I want to be sure for myself,” Parrish said, squeezing her hand.
“What’s a good spot?” Noah asked, looking to David for his opinion.
The boy pointed to the building across the street.
Apartments. Rest. Then, when we’re feeling ready, we’ll go to the island together.
“Do you know where it is?” Parrish asked.
“What island?” Zoe asked, though she had some faint memory of an island.
Didn’t she?
David smiled.
Not much time now, he said. I will lead you all there soon.
The warmth of excitement spread up Zoe’s cheeks. Yes, there was something exciting about this island, even if she couldn’t quite remember what it was. Some part of her had been looking forward to that for a long time.
Together, their group settled in an apartment close to the first floor, and Karmen whistled as they entered the foyer.
“Well, we’re sure getting our fair share of luxury this week,” she said. “What do you think a place like this goes for?”
“Nothing, anymore,” Crash said, and Karmen slapped his arm playfully.
“You know what I mean.”
“Ten million?” Parrish said with a shrug. “I honestly have no idea, but if it’s safe, it’s priceless. Let’s check the place for stragglers and block the
