by Sarah Biglow
“Do you smell strawberries?” The hint of hope and longing in his tone nearly broke me.
I didn’t want to freak them out by just throwing myself at him. I let them come to the realization that something magical was happening. Avery tilted her head to one side and nodded.
“It’s like someone dumped an entire bushel. It’s not a smell you should find at a cemetery, not in the dead of winter.”
Mom nudged me forward and I stumbled on some frozen dirt. It was enough to draw their attention. One by one they turned around to face me.
“Uh, hey guys. Surprise!” God, I could be such a dork. To think there was a time I wouldn’t have spoken to them at all, let alone joke with them.
“This isn’t real,” Dad gasped, clutching at his chest.
“It’s real, Dad,” I told him and reached out to take his gloved hand.
“I … How?” His fingers shook against mine.
“Magic, of course,” Mom answered and stepped up beside me.
“You said she was gone,” he rambled.
“That piece of me was gone, but our daughter is far more powerful than any of us. She did this. She gave us this last chance at a proper goodbye.”
“Hey there, cinnamon,” Desmond said to Avery as she stared at him, open mouthed.
She gave a hiccup of laughter and threw her arms around his neck. “I hate you for not saying goodbye, you jerk. But also, I love you. And I miss you.”
“I love you, too,” he said just loud enough for me to hear.
“I don’t know how much you all talk in the afterlife or whatever this is, but we got you justice,” she added.
He cupped her face and kissed her nose. “I was there with her the whole time. I saw what she did and how you helped. I’m glad you didn’t lose yourself on my account. I don’t think I could have handled it.”
“I’ve updated my playlist,” she said and dragged him along the headstones to his grave.
I turned to face J.T. as he still stood by the spot where my headstone would go. Tears stained his cheeks and unshed ones glittered in his eyes. I took his hand and led him to a nearby bench.
“You feel so … alive,” he whispered and wiped at his face.
“Small bonus of being dead, winter is done kicking my ass,” I commented.
“I miss you. More than I ever thought was possible given everything we’ve been through.”
“If dying hadn’t done me in, leaving you behind when we just started to explore our future together would have killed me,” I told him.
“I think I understand what you felt when you lost your mom now. That sense of helplessness and loss of purpose—feeling rudderless.”
“Unlike me, you know what happened. I know you were there at the end. I know you tried to save me. I could feel you, but I had to go. For this to be over, for you to be safe, I had to let go. You don’t have to wonder or listen to people make up shit that’s not true.”
“I don’t fully understand what happened, but I guess none of us ever really will.”
“The details are a little hazy for me, too. But the creature Bearach created all those centuries ago finally got its chance to do some damage and my life was the price that had to be paid to keep it from winning.”
“Is it wrong I kind of hate Aoife for forcing you into that position?”
“No. But, without her and the decision she made, I wouldn’t have existed at all. So, double-edged sword and everything.”
He nodded and a small half-smile crept onto his lips. “Good point.”
“Tell Jacque I miss her and that I hope she isn’t too hard on whatever new partner Captain Beech gives her.”
“I don’t think her new partner is going to have any trouble handling her. She’s transferring to the FBI, working with Agent Cartwright.”
“Bad guys beware,” I replied. The change seemed abrupt, but I could understand her need of something new. Losing your partner isn’t something you get over easily or quickly. Besides, maybe she’d reconsidered Molly’s suggestion to do undercover work.
“So, I’m guessing this isn’t going to be a recurring thing,” J.T. sighed and gripped my hand tight in his.
As if on cue, the world around me flickered, growing dim around me for a few seconds. I felt less tethered to this plane and the man I’d married. I squeezed my eyes shut and sent up a silent plea. Just a little more time. You owe me that much.
“I wish I could stay longer, but I think I may have overstayed my welcome,” I answered when the world came back into focus. I couldn’t tell if the blip in being solid had been noticeable to Desmond or Mom.
“Magic owes you so much,” he sighed.
I kissed his lips. “I know. And I’m not going to be far from you, even if we can’t talk like this again. My last spell before I died was to protect my city. It’s like I’m a part of everything. It’s hard to put into words or even assign a feeling to it. Only I’ll be around. Plus, every time you do a spell, I’ll be there.”
He hung his head. “So, no passing your magic onto someone else somewhere down the line?”
I shrugged. “Never say never, but not any time soon. I think maybe the world reclaimed my power, because that’s where it belonged.”
“And that thing you fought. What happened to it?”
“All of that magic is out there, looking for new hosts. So, don’t be surprised if you see a spike in magical bloodlines surfacing in a few years. Try to get them in on the side of good.” Although, as I’d learned over the last nine months, good can’t exist without evil. There was always a balance that had to be maintained. Maybe we’d learned our lesson now and the world would stay balanced for a while on its own.
The world flickered again, and I held tighter to J.T.’s hand. He kissed my knuckles and pointed to where my parents stood over by Mom’s grave. “Go say goodbye to your dad.”
“I’m not ready to leave you,” I admitted.
“I’m not ready, either, but your dad deserves some closure, too.”
He gave me a little shove forward, and I staggered over my own grave. If I could still feel the cold, I would have shivered at the weirdness of it alone. Dad looked less shaken now as I approached. He pulled Mom and I into a three-way hug. He didn’t speak, but it was enough to tell me how much he loved and missed me and Mom. The fact we’d never get to have a hug like this again overwhelmed me, bringing tears to my eyes.
“I didn’t think the dead could cry,” I sniffled and pressed the palms of my hands into my face.
“Love is a powerful emotion. It can bring all sorts of other things to the surface,” Mom said as Dad reached for my hand.
“Tell me one thing. Are you at peace? Truly?” His words drew J.T., Avery, and Desmond’s attention.
“I am,” I answered, standing tall and looking him in the face. I’d accepted the fact that I had to die for the world to finally be safe. I could feel the balance had been restored and knew the people I loved would look after each other.
I never expected to die at age twenty-five or to have saved the world so many times. Magic had asked the ultimate price of me and I’d paid it, because I was the Savior. I was born for this very fate. Dad’s fingers slipped through my hand as it went translucent and immaterial. Mom and Desmond shimmered around me once again.
“I love you all. I know it took me a long time to remember what was important, but all of you helped get me to pull my head out of my ass and own my destiny. Look after each other.”
Behind Dad, a blinding light appeared, and my feet moved of their own volition. Mom and Desmond appeared beside me, each taking one of my hands in theirs.
“So, I guess the whole going into the light thing is real,” I murmured as the three of us together stepped through to face whatever adventure waited for us beyond death.
The End
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About the Author
Sarah Biglow is a USA Today bestselling author. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and son. She is a licensed attorney and spends her days combatting employment discrimination as an Investigator with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.
You can find an up-to-date list of all my books here