by Jayne Faith
When I turned and Amy’s eyes met mine, hers shone with happiness, and I knew she was thinking the same thing.
Two days after Chelle’s magic came in, Mother woke up. She was unable to speak, but she understood us and could nod or shake her head in response to our questions. The tubes went away, and she started drinking water and eating on her own.
A week later, Eduardo insisted on staying with her, shooing me and Armand out of the flat. I’d hardly been out of the building since the curse was broken, and stepping out into the sunlight and the breeze was almost shocking at first.
Armand and I walked slowly hand in hand through town. As we moved, many people called out to me or approached me, some of them crying openly. Somehow, everyone seemed to have learned of my role in ending the Watchtower’s tyranny. It was surreal, suddenly being known and recognized by practically the entire town. I appreciated their gratitude, but really just wanted a peaceful stroll with Armand.
We ended up on the edge of town, not far from the promenade that used to lead to the House of Light. The structure was gone, leaving only a jagged, cracked edge where it used to be. It was as if a giant hand had reached down and broken off the point of the pier. Citizens still seemed to be steering clear of the area, giving us some measure of privacy.
I reached out with my awareness, searching the sea for the giant serpent. I’d done this a few times before, but with the same result as now. I couldn’t sense the creature. Sadness stabbed through my chest. He’d saved me, and then disappeared down in the crevasse that had opened up in the ocean floor. I didn’t want to accept that he was gone, so instead I wove a tale about how he was traveling the world’s oceans, now that the barrier of the blood mist was gone.
Armand suddenly stepped in front of me, forcing me to halt and snapping me out of my sad thoughts.
“Let’s get married now,” he said.
I smiled up at him. “Now?”
“Yes! Why not? We’ve waited much too long.”
I reached up to wrap my arms around his neck. “I always dreamed of wearing Mother’s dress on our wedding day.”
“Okay, next week, then,” he said, smiling. “That will give you time to unpack the dress and make sure it fits.”
That night, I found the dress and tried it on in the bedroom. It fit as if it had been made for me.
The following week, we had a simple ceremony at the estuary’s cliff, just as the sun was setting. Just me and Armand, his brother Dane, my mother, Amy, Eduardo, my girls, and Erlich as the officiant. After Armand and I exchanged our vows, I turned to look out at the people I loved as they applauded with tears in their eyes.
In back of the little gathering, a few yards away stood a man. My lips parted in surprise. I recognized him instantly. It was Lorenzo. I hadn’t seen him since the curse was broken, and had assumed he’d gone.
He nodded at me, and then he lifted a vial, flipped the cork off with his thumb, and tipped his head back to swallow the contents. I’d forgotten. This was the last step, for him, anyway. He tossed the vial aside as a thin shaft of light spilled down from directly above his head. In a split second the light grew so bright it surrounded him and seemed to consume him. Then it winked out and there was nothing, as if he’d never been there at all.
Lorenzo was released back to where he’d longed to go, no longer cast out of Heaven.
Looking around me, I realized I couldn’t imagine a better place than this, not even Heaven. I had more than I’d ever dared hope for. I had freedom and I had more love than my heart could contain.
Read more books from the Cursed Angel Collection at www.charmedlegacy.com
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About Jayne Faith
Jayne Faith is the USA Today bestselling author of the urban fantasy Ella Grey Series, urban fantasy Shattered Magic Novels, and the dystopian romance Sapient Salvation Series. When she's not tapping away at her keyboard while swilling coffee and tea, she's playing with her dog; eating, flipping through recipes online, fantasizing about food, dreaming up her next meal (yeah, she's obsessed with food); doing yoga or Pilates; or binging her favorite shows.