She belonged in a better place, somewhere that souls could find peace. It was hard to think of her as soulless when she’d been so full of life. She’d been my other half and now…now it was gone.
We stepped back as they lowered her body, into the ground, covering it with a green tarp once they’d placed the earth upon her coffin. She was right where she’d want to be, beside Joshua. Unlike his embellished headstone, she had a small concrete slab that merely held the initials MF and Unborn Son.
Flowers were placed on the ground above her body along with wreaths for protection. Candles and other things were lit, giving some resemblance to a normal coven burial. Once we’d finished, we started towards the cars that lined the field along the property. Lucian was the only one to remain as we left her at peace.
The club was a reminder of what had transpired. The atmosphere was sober, silence reigning throughout it as we waited to see if Lucifer would return, or what other creature crept from the few worlds which had been unlocked. The Fae had brought the word to us that there were a few unsealed portals which, of course, led into this world.
Life seemed to be at a standstill, as if everyone held their breath as they waited for something to happen. Me, on the other hand… I felt numb, unable to ignore the emptiness Lena had left without her bond to let me know she was there with me. The finality of it reminded me every day that she was gone; every moment was empty, and every time I reached out for her, she couldn’t reach back for me.
“After a time, we will remove any sign that she ever existed,” Grandmother said, and I watched as my mother broke down, and had to be helped from the room by Alden. My hands smoothed over my belly and I excused myself to do the same.
I walked through the hallway and Lucian stopped, staring at me with a look I didn’t understand. He backed into the wall and shook his head before he turned around, leaving me to ponder his reaction. I lifted my hand to my face and exhaled. I had her face, her beauty, but I lacked her fire; the fire of life that burned so brightly from within. They could try to remove her from history, but I was a constant reminder that my sister had lived, that she existed and had been real.
Chapter 38
Dying sucked, but then I’d known it wouldn’t be easy. I’d died to save those I loved, to protect them from what would happen if a sacrifice hadn’t been offered. I’d made a choice, one I intended to live with. I’d known going in that it would be my grand finale, my big bang, if you would. The sands had foretold it, and I’d known that everything I’d been told was real. All the facts had lined up.
I couldn’t die. I had no soul to take. I’d gone in with that knowledge, that power to face Lucifer. I’d died with dignity, for a good cause. Saving those I loved? I’d do it a million times over.
My brother had explained what happened when souls fractured. He’d told me everything, and how not having one would save my life. You cannot kill something that never existed in the first place. I was never born, I was cloned. Katarina had been correct about that, but not about everything.
I hadn’t come out unscathed. I’d killed my child to protect him. I’d made my first and only decision as a parent alone. I’d freed him to be reborn, to find life again with a new family. I’d spared his father the unspeakable choice of murdering his own child to save this world. I would carry that burden alone, the loss of his life before it had even begun.
I wasn’t a saint. I’d known heaven would never want me and Hell couldn’t hold me. I had no soul for them to take. Much like my brother’s, it had left him, and in its place was power, untold power that made the world ours. We had nothing holding us back now.
When it came down to it, I’d made my choice knowing that the reason the sands had shown my life line ending, while my son’s had been never-ending, was because something else was in him. When the sand had turned around and moved back towards my line, I knew it was evil driving him. Good keeps moving, it keeps going to help the next one in line. Evil turns around when it’s finished its goal—it goes back to the familiar things it’s known or loved to destroy them in the end. I’d protected the coven from it, and its father.
That’s okay, though, I’m not done yet. My life has just begun.
I opened my eyes as soft steps approached the water I floated in. Opening my eyes, I peered at my brother’s disheveled appearance.
“Hey, Lenny girl,” he laughed as he bent down and touched my cheek. “Please tell me my funeral wasn’t that miserable?”
“Worse, Joshua, so much worse,” I laughed as I stared into his loving face.
“Few more days and you should be healed,” he said as he examined my head and throat. “Next time, no dramatic bullshit,” he grumbled as he lifted the cloth from my neck. “That is going to scar.”
“Scars are fine, Josh,” I uttered. “They just mean I lived.”
“Soon as you’re healed, you need to meet the others. They’re dying to meet you,” he announced.
I winced at his words and shook my head carefully. “Too soon,” I whispered.
“It’s never too soon, not when we have eternity,” he replied.
~The End For Now~
About the Author
Amelia lives in the great Pacific Northwest with her family. When not writing, she can be found on her author page, hanging out with fans, or dreaming up new twisting plots. She’s an avid reader of everything paranormal romance.
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Sleeping with Monsters Page 37