But none of us ran. None of us said much of anything as we followed Death and her winged Warrior to the bus. Darius and Stark carried Dragon’s cloak-wrapped body. I kissed Grandma good-bye and stared out of the bus’s window as we drove past the circle that had been blighted by Darkness and which was now filled to bursting with lavender plants in full, beautiful bloom.
“Wait,” I called to Darius. “Stop the bus.”
I opened my window and heard my friends all do the same. Then, as one, we breathed deeply, inhaling the magickal scent of reblessed lavender.
“Look!” Stevie Rae cried, pointing above the circle.
I looked up and there, hovering, was our Goddess. She was dressed in robes the color of night and wore a headdress decorated with stars. Her smile took in us all, and with the fragrance of the flowers, her words drifted through the bus:
Hold to the memory of the healing that happened here this night.
You will need that strength and peace for the upcoming fight.
I closed my eyes, bowed my head and thought, ah, hell …
THE END For now … ALSO BY P. C. CAST and KRISTIN CAST
Marked
Betrayed
Chosen
Untamed
Hunted
Tempted
Burned
Awakened
The Fledgling Handbook 101
Dragon’s Oath
#1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author P. C. CAST is an award-winning fantasy and paranormal romance author, as well as an experienced speaker and teacher. Her novels have been awarded YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, and have received the prestigious Oklahoma Medallion, Beacon, Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice, and Affaire de Coeur Awards. She lives in Oklahoma, with lots of dogs, cats, horses, and a burro. KRISTIN CAST is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who teams with her mother to write the House of Night series. She has stand-alone stories in several anthologies, as well as editorial credits. Currently Kristin attends college in Oklahoma, where she is focusing on attaining her dream of opening a no-kill dog-rescue shelter in midtown Tulsa.
