Released (Eternal Balance)

by Jus Accardo

  The shadow pulsed twice then exploded, wisps of black careening in every direction before dissipating into nothingness.

  I waved my hand in the air where the demon had just been. “I can’t believe it’s all over. That he’s gone…”

  “Heckle?”

  I took a deep breath, filling my lungs—my lungs—with cold air. “Azi.”

  Sam’s lips tilted upward. “You called the demon a he.”

  “I did,” I said, smiling. “Because he deserves it. In the end, you were right. Azi cared about both of us. Cared so much that he gave up this lifetime so that I could stay here with you. Someone who does something like that—sacrifices himself—is just about as human as you can get in my book.”

  Van cleared her throat, and we both turned, having forgotten she was here. “Thank you,” she said. “You have no idea what you’ve done for me.”

  “Thank us?” Sam stuck her fingers through the gaping hole in my shirt and frowned. “I think we should be thanking you.”

  She grinned. Van was beautiful—even more so than Sadie had been. Her black hair, previously dull and lifeless, now shone with new luster, and her eyes… I hadn’t realized how dead they’d been before. “You have no idea what it’s like for a witch to be stripped of her powers—even if not completely. It was like I was living in the darkness, unable to find my way home. Here.” She made a fist and whispered something into her hand. When she opened her palm, a small white stone sat in the middle. “You only need to hold this and call my name. Not that I expect you’ll be needing me for anything, but if you ever do…”

  Hesitant, Sam took the stone from her. I knew she’d had enough jewelry to last ten lifetimes, between the Brim Stone and the demon cuff. “Thank you,” she said. “I’d love to say we’ll never need your help, but even though Chase is gone, there are other demons out there. Someone is always going to want a piece of me.”

  Her smile brightened, and Van pressed a single finger against Sam’s forehead, then shook her head. “No, they won’t. You’re human now as well.”

  She looked from me to Van. “But the Pure energy—”

  “Must have dissipated when you killed Chase and nuked the stone.” She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them, she was smiling. “I can’t feel it at all anymore.”

  Nothing short of a nuclear explosion could get rid of that energy…

  Van leaned in and hugged her, then me. Without another word, she turned on her heel and strode from the cave without looking back.

  “I want to leave, but I’m afraid,” she said, trying—and failing—to take a step forward.

  I laced my fingers through hers. “You heard her. We’re free, Sammy. It’s done. Over.”

  “Is it? Is it really? Can it really be that easy?”

  I pulled her around to face me, and just before crushing my lips to hers I said, “The world owes us a little easy.”

  Epilogue

  Jax

  We waited by the edge of the cliff. The sun was about to set, the sky painted in hues of pink and orange that reminded me of Sam’s breakfast this morning. Rainbow Sherbet. For the past four months, ever since expelling the Pure energy, she’d been eating the stuff like there was no tomorrow. Heckle said it was just a side effect of purging the energy. Nothing to worry about.

  I hadn’t been spared a side effect of my own. Several, actually. Though not nearly as pleasant as Sam’s, nothing so far had presented itself as a serious hindrance to our lives. In fact, one of them was downright helpful.

  While nowhere near as hardy as I’d been when Azi and I had been sharing the apartment, I had found that my ability to heal faster than normal had remained. Simple cuts and bruises were gone within hours, and when I’d broken my leg a month ago, it had healed completely in a week’s time.

  The other lingering effect from Azi’s residence was an ability to sense demons. I couldn’t explain it—there wasn’t a telltale smell or distortion in their appearance. It was as simple as passing someone on the street, and knowing deep in my gut that they weren’t human. Again, not horrible, but it rankled. Knowing what they were, that they would probably hurt someone sooner or later, made it hard to keep walking. And with Azi gone, I was merely human. A fight to the death would probably mean my own.

  Sam had stayed in contact with Van, and since her own experience with demons wasn’t a warm fuzzy one, we were currently trying to come up with a system that used her coven’s magic and my demon radar to help combat the threat these things posed. It made me feel like I was doing something, and since Heckle had released Sam and me from service as Balance Agents, there’d been an odd hole in our lives—which was seven kinds of fucked up when you considered we’d never wanted that job to begin with.

  I turned back toward the path and noticed someone approaching from the distance. When his features came into view, I realized it was Heckle. “’Bout time you showed,” I called, as he sauntered up to us, casual as could be. He was late—knowing how important this was hadn’t seemed to light a fire under his ancient ass.

  He glanced around, offered Sam a small nod, and shrugged. “Seems I’m not the only one.”

  He had a point. While we hadn’t needed Van’s supernatural help to combat demons chasing us down, we had enlisted her help for this particular mission. She was supposed to be here, with one of her coven sisters, to make sure things didn’t go south. There was one last thing to wrap up. A task that needed completing. After this, Azi and the whole demon mess would be behind us.

  After this, we could move on.

  “We’re here,” Van shouted, running up the path toward us. “We’re here. Sorry!”

  “Clearly magic hasn’t improved your ability to be punctual.”

  Sam rolled her eyes and threw her arms around the witch. “Ignore him. I’m just happy you could make it.”

  “Are you kidding?” She pulled away and gestured to the older woman standing to her right. “This is Calla. She’s our curses and charms expert.”

  Sam nodded to the woman. “Thank you for helping us with this.”

  “Of course,” she said. Her voice was soft, but it rang with authority. “We are indebted to you for bringing our Savannah back to us.” She gestured to the edge of the cliff. “Shall we start?”

  I sucked in a deep breath and wondered how exactly we’d come to this point—standing at the edge of the world together, with a centuries old Balance Agent and two witches, about to do the thing I once thought truly impossible.

  Glancing down, I spread my fingers and ran the tip of my thumb along the inside of my ring finger. I’d had a single word tattooed there nearly four months ago. Samantha. Sam had a matching one with my name as well. Our version of engagement rings. I offered to buy her a proper one, but she wanted no part of it. In fact, she threatened bodily harm if I ever bought her jewelry of any kind for the rest of our lives. This was fine. Better than fine. This suited us so much more than metal and stones. She was etched in my skin the way she was etched in my heart. In my soul.

  “So we’re doing this?” I said, glaring at Van. She had on ripped black jeans and a halter top. I was the last one to bitch about dress clothes, but even I’d cleaned up for this. Black pants and vest with a blood red—Sam’s idea of a joke—shirt underneath. “Dressed like that?”

  She looked down at herself and cringed. “Oops.” With a snap of her fingers, the offending outfit was replaced by a floor length, shimmering gown of green, the same color as her coven sister Calla wore. Had to be a witch thing.

  Calla cleared her throat and gestured for us to come forward. “Samantha Merrick and Jax Flynn have been touched by the world of the supernatural. They have endured and survived—thrived—where many would have faltered. For that reason, the goddess has given me her blessing to join them as I would any of her children. With the bonds of magic.”

  I didn’t know what goddess she was talking about, and I didn’t care. The only goddess that existed was the one standing in front of me. With h
er soft, caramel hair and sparkling brown eyes, Sam was amazing any day of the week, but today… Today she was nothing short of ethereal.

  “Are you both here of your own free will?”

  “Yes,” Sam and I said in unison.

  “And you understand that the bond I am about to bestow is unbreakable? That not even death will have the ability to sever you? That from this day forward, you are no longer two halves, but equal parts of a whole?”

  “Yes,” we said again.

  Sam grinned, and I knew exactly what she was thinking. We didn’t need this magical blessing for that. Death had tried to separate us not once, but twice already. It had failed. It would always fail. We were soul mates in the truest, simplest form.

  “There is beauty in this world,” Calla continued. “But also great horror. Are you prepared to face it, as one, for the rest of eternity? To stand with your friends and fight against your enemies?”

  “Yes,” we said.

  “And who stands for you both?”

  “I stand for Samantha Merrick,” Van said. “Savannah Gray, daughter of Imogen and Mark, member of the Seaborn Coven.”

  “And I for Jax Flynn,” Heckle said. “Abel, son of Adam and Eve, Keeper of Balance.”

  Calla’s lips tilted with the smallest hint of a grin. She placed a hand over each of our hearts and said, “Vernatum LoVioum Etertius.”

  The skin beneath her palm stung for a moment, and when she removed her hand, it was warm.

  “Grasp each other’s left hand, then each of you place your right hand over the other’s heart.”

  We did as instructed.

  “Samantha and Jax…” She placed her hands over ours and whispered something too low for me to hear. A second later, a jolt went through me. Something like electricity, only comforting. Familiar. “Your souls are joined. Be together in happiness for the rest of eternity.”

  When she let go, I tugged the collar of my shirt aside. There over my heart was a black symbol—a perfect circle linked within a circle, surrounded by vines. Like the fresh ink of a tattoo, the skin surrounding it was slightly reddened, but it felt amazing. I felt amazing. “That’s it?” I said, adjusting my shirt.

  Calla smiled. “That’s it.”

  “Then I can finally kiss my wife?”

  With a widening grin, she stepped back and gestured to Sam with a flourish. I wasted no time. I wrapped my arms around her and brought my lips to hers.

  We’d been to hell and, even though we hadn’t come back unscathed, we had come back. Together. Because in the end, that’s how we were strongest.

  I’d finally gotten Samantha Merrick, and nothing in heaven or hell would ever take her away. They couldn’t. She was mine and I was hers.

  Always had been—and always would be.

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  Acknowledgments

  As always, a huge shout out to my family—especially my husband who is a never ending source of support, and my mom, who embodies the words fighter and survivor—I’d be lost without you.

  A huge thank you to my editor, Liz Pelletier and everyone who helped get this book out into the world, including Stephen Morgan, Kelly Elliott, the Embrace publicity team, and, of course, Curtis Svehlak (I’m going to miss your cheerful emails!). And to my agent Nicole Resciniti who is an unending well of encouragement.

  To the readers who fell in love with Jax and Sam (and, of course, Azi)—you guys all rock my world. The enthusiasm for this series is amazing and it never fails to make me smile!

  And last but very far from least, a very special thank you to everyone who stuck with me during the break between the first book, and books two and three. For all the heartfelt good wishes, prayers, and overall encouragement—I am grateful.

  About the Author

  Jus Accardo is the author of YA paranormal romance and urban fantasy fiction. A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear, Oswald. When not writing, Jus can be found volunteering at the local animal shelter or indulging her passion for food. After being accepted to the Culinary Institute of America, she passed on the spot to pursue a career in writing and has never looked back. As far as she’s concerned, she has the coolest job on earth—making stuff up for a living.

  www.jusaccardo.com

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  Discover the Eternal Balance series…

  Ruined

  Jax lost the genetic lottery. Descended from Cain, the world’s first murderer, he’s plagued by a curse that demands violence in exchange for his happiness. Samantha can’t outrun her problems. When an attack at school drives her back home, she’s thrown into the path of a past—and a guy—she’s been trying to forget. But someone—or something—followed her home from school: a ruthless monster with a twisted plan centuries in the making. Forced together to survive, and fighting an attraction that could destroy them both, Jax and Sam must stop a killer bent on revenge.

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