Asa nodded. “They both are.”
“Why did you take people to the portal? Rose said we couldn’t get through until the prophecy was fulfilled. There are only six Protectors.”
The Djinn shrugged. “I merely did what was asked. After costing the town you and Jared and Hannah, it was the least I could do.”
I met the gaze of each of my sisters. I didn’t want to leave them, but I needed to see the people I’d spent the last few hundreds of years with. Whether they considered me their friend or not, I needed to tell them goodbye. I needed to tell them I was sorry I hadn’t been able to fight with them.
“Go, Calliope,” Demetra said, her voice soft. “We’ll be here waiting once you say goodbye.”
I smiled. Rhea nodded. They both knew I wanted to be with them. That I wanted to go home with them, leave this cold, forsaken spot in Russia and return to the warmth and beauty of Greece. To wake and see the sun glistening on the Mediterranean again would be a dream come true. And to do it with my family. My mate. I glanced to Godric.
“I’m coming with you, Calliope. Where you lay your head, so will I.”
His words filled me with peace. With love and a contentment I’d never felt before. I stretched out my hand to his sister. “Take me to the portal, Asa.”
The world folded in on itself the second she touched me.
When it unfolded, we were in the middle of a forest, and it was bright. The sun was high, and I shielded my eyes while they adjusted. People milled around in all directions. Most of the Lycans, I recognized. My gaze caught sight of Diana’s white-blond hair, and I headed toward her.
“Diana,” I called out. The Drakonae woman turned, showing her round tummy full of babies—triplets to be exact. Eira was next to her and Gretchen, but none of the men. Miles had to be alive or Diana would be a growly reptile eating us all—at least according to Miles, that’s what would happen if either of them lost the other.
“Hannah!” Diana opened her arms, and I stopped mid-stride.
I was in Hannah’s body, but Hannah was gone.
The three women moved quickly toward me, closing the gap in a second. Their arms were around me, embracing me as they exclaimed how glad they were to see me. That they’d thought I was dead.
“Hannah is dead,” I whispered.
Eira heard me. Her vampire ears missed nothing. “You’re standing in front of us.”
“I’m Calliope. Hannah died, and then so did I. But a Siren’s spirit, it can reincarnate. My spirit chose Hannah’s body and healed it, so I could live again.”
“You’ve done this before,” Eira stated, eyeing me suspiciously. “Do you have her memories?”
I shook my head. “Hannah was gone when I entered. My spirit would never take an occupied body.
“Calliope.” Godric’s voice calmed my nerves instantly. I hadn’t thought of all the questions I’d be asked. I’d forgotten I wasn’t me—at least on the outside. He was by my side in a few moments. One hand on the small of my back and the other seeking one of my hands.
“You’re different, now, too.” Eira moved her stare from me to Godric. “Only a vampire. There’s no Djinn magick in you anymore.”
“Long story.”
“Is this everyone?” I scanned the woods to my right and then the meadow where the large granite henge stood, a circle of boulders with one large rock in the center a few feet taller than all the ones around it. This was the infamous portal. The way to Veil. According to history, the world where all supernatural came from. But it wasn’t my home, and I had no desire to go there.
“There are still some in Sanctuary. Asa said they are burying the dead,” Diana murmured, sorrow lacing each word.
I didn’t see any of the Sisters milling about. Their white dresses would’ve been a dead giveaway. And there weren’t nearly enough Lycans, though I did manage to pick out Charlie from the crowd with her little girls and her two mates. “How many were lost?”
“All the Sisters,” Gretchen said, wiping a tear from her cheek. “And forty Lycans have been unaccounted for so far. We started a list of the missing. The basement collapsed in the fight. Everyone in that lower level died.”
I swallowed down bile and blinked back tears. “So many?”
Eira rushed from our group, shouting Killían’s name. We all turned and watched as she embraced her mate. Every few seconds, Asa brought another back. Alek. Then Miles. Erick. Bailey. The moments stretched on until six Lycans also stood with the small group. Then Asa stopped teleporting.
That was all.
The other women crowded to their mates, embracing, kissing…crying. Godric held me, and I just stood there, saddened to see how much loss the town had endured.
“It’s over for them, though, love. Just like it is for you. They are free from Xerxes’ hatred as you are freed from your father’s.”
I smiled, just a tiny smile. He was right. He’d known just what to say to make the sadness just a little easier to bear. This was the end of Sanctuary, but the beginning of a new life for us all.
Chapter 50
KILLÍAN
I breathed in my mate’s scent, grateful to once again be on the same continent with her. The portal lay in a hidden forest deep in Ireland. Thousands of miles and an ocean had separated us for hours that felt like days. “Never again will I leave you, Eira. Never again.”
She hugged me tighter. “I’m going to hold you to that, my love.”
I scanned the crowd of people scattered through the woods and the small clearing where the henge of portal stones stood in a ring. Asa had gone to stand with a man that looked…like her brother. She had found him after all. And Hannah! “Hannah?” I whispered under my breath.
Eira pulled away from my chest. “She says she’s Calliope. It’s not Hannah…just Hannah’s body.”
In this life, I’d seen stranger things. Fantastic things that couldn’t be explained by anything other than magick. Calliope was one of those things. She could see and feel and do things no other supernatural could do. Not even the most skilled of witches. If coming back in another’s body was a thing, I didn’t doubt Calliope would be the one to bring it into reality.
“You’re sure?”
Eira nodded. “I spoke with her. Even her eyes are Calliope’s. Brown, instead of green like Hannah’s were. She and Godric arrived a few minutes before Asa began bringing you back from Sanctuary. She hasn’t said it yet, but I think Calliope came to say goodbye.”
“Will she go with the Djinn?”
“He’s only a vampire now.”
I frowned and shook my head. “Don’t tell me. I don’t need to know.”
She smacked a kiss on my lips and smiled. “Now that Miles is here, it’s almost time. Are you ready to go home?”
I stared into her deep blue eyes and cupped her face with my hands. “My beautiful mate, are you sure you want to go? We can stay here. This was always your home.”
“I want to see your world. I want to stay with my friends. Diana and Miles and Alek and Gretchen. We should stick together.” Eira glanced over her shoulder at Miles, who had knelt in front of his wife and was kissing and talking to her rounded belly. “It wouldn’t feel right without them.”
“What about Charlie and the Lycans? The Brownies? Have they decided yet?”
She nodded. “They’ve decided to rebuild Sanctuary. They want Asa to take them back.”
It didn’t surprise me. For many of the wolves, Sanctuary was the only home they’d known. Unlike a lot of supernaturals, Lycans only lived about a half century. None of them remembered leaving Veil. They’d been born on earth. It was logical that they’d want to stay.
I bent and kissed Eira’s belly and smiled when the baby kicked against the place where my lips pressed. I can’t wait to meet you, little one. Then I straightened, giving Eira another kiss before I slipped an arm around her waist and released a deep sigh. So much had happened. Every muscle in my body ached from fighting then from digging grave after grave.
War was ugly.
War demanded a price.
But with war came victory.
“Let’s go say goodbye to our friends, love. I’m ready to go home.”
Chapter 51
GODRIC
I stood a short distance from the henge while the small group leaving through the portal said their goodbyes to Calliope. And to the others who’d decided not to go to Veil and were returning to Sanctuary to rebuild.
Miles took a dagger from a backpack Diana was wearing. He walked to the center stone of the henge, drew the blade across his palm until blood welled, and then pressed his hand to the stone. Mist filled the circle of stones, behaving as though a magickal barrier held it inside a bubble. I closed my eyes and called on Calliope’s magick. When I opened them again, the white mist was purple and blue and green. Swaths of colors all swam together. The center stone wasn’t stone any longer, but appeared to be more of a window to somewhere else. I could see Veil. I could see straight through the portal to another world. Purple skies. Tall mountains. Thick green forests. It was beautiful.
He disappeared through the window. Then his mate, Diana. Then Alek and Gretchen behind them. And Killían and Eira.
“It’s hard to believe after all these years, only six decided to leave, taking with them the only way to ever open the portal again—the golden dagger key Killían stole from Xerxes.” Calliope’s voice nudged me out of my haze.
“Perhaps Veil was more Rose’s dream than the others,” I said slowly.
“There will never be another chance for anyone to return to Veil, unless someone comes back through with the dagger one day. With the Sisters all gone and no Lamassu left alive, any hope of fulfilling the prophecy has been eliminated—if it was ever even been possible at all.”
“Do you wish you were going? We can. There is still time.”
I blinked and looked down at my mate, surrounded in a glowing golden light. For a moment, she seemed almost ethereal, surrounded in the essence of her magick. More beautiful than I could’ve ever deserved. Fate had truly blessed me.
“Do you wish you were going?” she asked.
“No,” I whispered. “I have everything I could ever want standing beside me.”
“So do I.” Her smile widened, and she leaned into my chest, wrapping her arms tightly around my waist. “You always know exactly what I need to hear. I love you so much my heart can barely contain it. I never thought I’d get to have a mate. And I never thought he would be exactly the man I needed him to be.”
I hugged her tight. “Forever and always, my sweet Calliope. Forever and always.”
THE END… sort of…
Chapter 52
Charlie, Travis & Garrett’s EPILOGUE
2 days later…
CHARLIE
Asa had teleported us back to Sanctuary, one person at a time. Most of the Lycans had chosen to return home and rebuild rather than head off to a new place. Garrett put a hand on the small of my back, and I turned away from the burnt frame of our old house. Almost every home on our street had been destroyed.
“We can rebuild, love.” Travis moved to stand on my other side, holding both our little girls in his arms.
“Our house is burned, Daddy,” Isis squeaked out.
“I know, little one. We’re going to build Mommy a new one.”
The now six-year-old clapped her hands excitedly.
I smiled and leaned my head against Garrett’s side. He tugged me closer, bumping my hip with his.
“Charlie!” A purple-haired pixie came running from across the street followed by several other familiar faces. The pixies had fled to the woods before the battle, using their ability to blend into nature to hide themselves from Xerxes’ army. I was glad to see Raven and Maven were alive and well.
“We weren’t sure if anyone would come back.” The small woman gazed at the street slowly filling with people emerging from the buildings that had been left standing. After being dropped off by Asa, we’d quickly been through the town, looking for food and safe places for all to sleep until rebuilding could commence. “A lot of you did. It’s good to see you, Charlie. And the girls and your mates.”
A royal-blue-haired woman stepped forward from the crowd of gathering pixies—Bella, one of their elders. She’d also been in charge of the market and growing food for the town.
“Nearly all the Lycans returned, Raven. A few stayed in Europe, but most of us decided to rebuild. Sanctuary is home.
“We’re glad to have you back,” Bella spoke up. “And we are here to help. It will take me a few days to get the greenhouse back to producing, but once it’s going, please come get anything you need. And spread the word, so everyone knows.”
“Thank you, Bella.” I left Garrett’s side and hugged the small, sparkling-skinned woman.
“The town in is bad shape, but we’ve already put out the remaining fires. We were just waiting…hoping someone would come back. It would be strange for Sanctuary to remain empty after all these years,” Raven said, holding her arms up toward Isis. Travis relented and let the little girl go to the pixie.
“Are you hungry, little one?”
“Yes, yes, Miss Raven.”
“We got the café kitchen cleaned up and functional and your favorite brownie, Corinne, is in there making her famous chocolate chip pancakes.”
The child squealed with delight and then looked up at me before turning back to Raven. “Will there be enough for everyone, Miss Raven? Everyone is so hungry. We haven’t eaten in forever!”
“Forever? Well, never fear, little bit. Corinne has enough pancake batter to feed the whole town twice over. The pantry in the back of the café was quite full of yummy food.”
“Yay!”
“Why don’t all five of you come on over and get some?” Bella said, her voice bright, but calming. “The house can wait until more of the pixies come out of the woods. We have some young men with special gifts that will be able to rebuild your house with a few splinters and a handful of dust.”
“From this?” Garrett asked, his shoulders hunched forward in defeat.
Bella winked at me and then touched my mate’s arm. I saw the slight transfer of pixie dust and smiled. He needed a pick-me-up. The poor man saw the destroyed town and didn’t know where to start.
“You’re not alone. None of your people are. We will have you all back safely in homes in a matter of weeks. Just give us a little time and trust in our magick. Your houses may be a little more alive than they were previously, but still completely modern and functional.”
“You mean part of our house will be a plant?”
Bella smirked and shrugged her shoulder.
I shushed Garrett and patted his arm.
“We’re lucky to have you all, Bella. It would take months on our own to have even a dozen homes livable again,” Travis said, snuggling with the two-year-old still in his arms. “Any help your people can provide will be very appreciated.”
“What about the giant hole?” Garrett asked softly. “We can’t just leave it like that,” he gestured to the massive emptiness that spread over where part of Main Street and the castle had been.
“Kaylee and Kylie are bringing up a lake to fill the crater as a memorial to those who were lost,” Bella said, her tone soft.
“We’re going to be happy here again,” I said, moving back to stand between my two mates. “This is home. Coming back was the right choice.”
Both my men kissed me on my cheeks, and I saw the first hint of a smile on them. We had a long road and a lot of hard work ahead of us, but Sanctuary would be home again. And because of the sacrifices made, our children and their children would be safe from Xerxes.
There was no prophecy to fight for. No Sisters to go to war for. Just a town that we all loved and called home that needed some TLC.
Chapter 53
Jared
and Manda’s EPILOGUE
2 days later in Veil…
(I know, you thought they were dead, didn’t you?)
JARED
Manda. I could smell her. Feel her body against mine. She was curled against my stomach. Our legs were entwined.
Grass and small pebbles dug into my bare back. I rolled to my side, sitting up and pulling her along with me. Her long, dark hair cascaded over my arm like a waterfall of silk. She smelled like lavender and honey and perfect, creamy skin. Not a single mark. I ran my hand over her arm, down her waist to her hip.
The cry of an animal above caught my attention, and I looked up, expecting to see a bird. Flames licked at it wings and tail, and it cried out again, circling over us…watching. A Phoenix.
Had I ever met a Phoenix before? And why was the sky so purple, instead of blue? The sun was high in the sky…wait. I looked at the ground. Two shadows, one on either side of me. Two suns. That seemed odd.
I searched the sky, finding one on my right and another smaller sun, but obviously a sun, on my left. The air smelled different, too. But other than my name and Manda’s, I couldn’t remember anything about how we’d ended up here on this mountaintop.
She jerked in my arms and gasped, like she was taking her first breath as a baby. She scrambled out of my arms, crawling several feet away before she realized she was naked. Her arms crossed over her body, but there was only so much she could hide with her hands.
“We’ll find some clothes somewhere,” I said, trying to reassure her.
“What happened? I remember falling.”
“That’s all I remember, too.”
“You’re my mate, aren’t you? Jared? Did you do this? Did you bring me here?”
“I don’t have an answer to that question. But he might,” I said, pointing up at the circling Phoenix.
My Vampire Knight (Sanctuary, Texas Book 6) Page 24