I watch as her fairy friend stays by her side. No one has glared or yelled at me. I wish they would.
Have I made a mistake?
After a few minutes, Zoe’s body glows with renewed and commanding purple Light.
She has finally come into her full powers.
Chapter Forty-Six
Zoe
I’M DYING. I FEEL MY body shutting down. My life’s essence is diminishing. I think of my family.
My school friends: Cali, Quinn, and Rena. Yes, I still call Quinn my friend. I forgave her. It’s Aiden who I blame for everything.
My protectors: Sidelle and Vash.
And Kieran. The greatest best friend anyone could ask for. He’s been there for me since my birth and has protected me ever since. He’s family, and I’m going to miss him, but I know I’ll see him again somewhere in Heaven.
“Aiden. Why?” I barely whisper as I gaze up at him in disbelief. He doesn’t respond. His wings droop, knowing full well what he did. He didn’t know about Quinn, that she was Gabriel in disguise.
Would he still have chosen to kill me if he’d known who she was?
His face hardens.
Is that remorse in his expression?
A light flickers in his eyes.
I move my eyes toward Shay. “I’m sorry. I love you.” I stare into his aqua eyes, which are filled with love. These are my last words.
He is the last person I see before the emptiness of death swallows me whole.
It’s dark.
I feel ... nothing.
I draw my last breath.
I am dead.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Zoe
MY BODY FLOATS ABOVE my earthen form. I watch as my spirit lifts like a ghost and comes to stand next to my best friend.
“What did you do, Aiden?” Kieran runs toward me, screaming. “How could you?” He raises his hand to blast Aiden with Light. He easily absorbs it. “After all she’s done for you. I know you are still evil, but she put her faith in you that you still had some good someplace in your soul. But she was wrong. There is nothing good in you.”
“I’m going to kill you,” Shay screeches as he takes down the last of the horde Aiden had sent. “If you run now, I’ll find you. I’ll avenge her until my dying breath. That’s a promise.”
My best friend kneels beside me. I try to pat Kieran’s shoulder to let him know I understand his grief, but my hand passes though him. My body releases my soul. I don’t look at anyone but Shay.
“Wait, Kieran.” Aiden holds up his hand. “Before you end my existence, just wait. Let me explain.” He drops both swords.
Kieran is beside himself, yelling and raging. Mumbling to himself and battling between striking Aiden down and leaving Earth to go find my soul someplace in Heaven, or wherever souls go.
“It’ll be okay, Shay,” Aiden says. He doesn’t hear him. His grief over the loss of me is too great. “She will rise again, like a phoenix rising out of the ashes.”
I hear my faint voice ask Aiden why. I move my eyes toward Shay and whisper, “I’m sorry. I love you.” I stare into his aqua eyes, which are filled with love. These are my last words as my body gives away.
Now as I stand beside my friends, looking down at my own body I listen to them continue discussing my death.
“I had to.” Aiden responds, looking down at my lifeless body. “You don’t understand.”
“You’re right,” Kieran says. “I don’t understand. How could you have killed her? And with her own sword, too.”
I look at my own sword protruding from my chest.
“I had to,” Aiden repeats. “She can’t die by her own sword. Now, she can take the open and available seat next to her mother, Grace.”
“What are you talking about?” Kieran asks, angrily. “She looks plenty dead to me. We need her down here ... with us.”
“Wait,” Aiden sighs. “She will rise again.”
Sidelle and Vash stand quietly. I watch them form a circle around my body behind Shay, and I stare into his aqua eyes. He doesn’t feel me. Shay kneels by my side and holds my hand. It’s weird, seeing myself dead.
I’m dead. It hits me hard, the sword in my chest. I still can’t believe Aiden killed me.
“Zoe. Welcome to Heaven.”
There is a quiet harp playing music somewhere. It’s very soothing.
“Mom?” Her voice reminds me of hot cocoa sliding down my throat and making me all warm and tingly inside.
“Yes, sweetheart. You have finally made it.” She’s floating next to me, gazing down. Her body glows with a faint purple hue all around her. Soft, pink lips pout as her massive and almost identical wings to my own flutter ever so slightly.
All I see around me is white. I’m lying on my back on the floor, which is made of the softest material. It’s like down feathers, silk, and cotton all rolled into one. The sky is fluffy clouds moving in the breeze, even though I don’t feel the wind across my face. And nothing else is moving. There are no trees, grass, or any other animals.
“But I need to finish ... I need to go back there and help them. Without me who is going to stop Sam from taking over and destroying everything?”
“Zoe, you have done well. More than we thought you would do. Your time on earth is complete.”
“How can that be? Sam is still out there.”
“Sam will always be. No one can ever really defeat him. He will lay dormant until he can strike again. There will be others who will pick up the task and banish him when he returns.”
“What about the prophesy, Mom? Was that a lie? I know now I’m not the Redeemer. Am I?”
“You are not. You don’t need redemption. But the prophesy is partially about you ... and Aiden.”
“Aiden? What does he have to do with this? He’s a lying, no good demon!”
“Yes. He is that but much more. It is he who needs redemption.”
I think back to the prophesy, and something doesn’t make sense. All I know is that I need to help my friends. Keep the world safe from Sammael. Live my life and do everything I dreamed of doing.
“I need to go back. Shay ... what’s going to happen to him?”
“Is it your choice to return? Are you choosing him of your own free will? You have already sacrificed yourself to be here with the other seraphs ... will you choose to go back to earth?”
“And if I do? Can I come back here?”
“Yes, but you may have to watch him die if you return to him. That is the downfall of your choice ... You understand?”
“Yes.” I did understand ... perfectly. I would remain a Seraph Angel and watch Shay, the absolute love of my life, die someday. I will come back and take my place in Heaven, but I need to be with him now. I want to spend the rest of his life by his side.
Resolved in my decision, my face must reflect my determination.
“Go, my daughter, return to earth ... to your body. And when you rejoin us, we will again welcome you with open arms. Be safe, Zoe.”
“Thank you, Mother. Can you and the other Seraph Angels help us?”
“We cannot. We are not strong enough. When we banished Sam to the underworld, he stripped us of some Light. That is how he retained his. We cannot take human form, so we created you.”
“I will return to my rightful place. I won’t abandon you just like I can’t abandon my friends on earth. Not yet.”
My beautiful mother’s form fades from the whiteness.
I again see my body lying on the ground, surrounded by my friends. I am only gone a matter of seconds. I float next to my body, staring down. I look in my friends faces who are mourning my death. I hover and touch my hand. As soon as I do, my spirit body is pulled into my physical one. I feel my inner mind drift back to my body with an unseen pull. The moment I touch the ground, I materialize back into myself.
My eyes snap open.
I gasp for a huge breath of air.
“Aiden!” He steps back. “Where is he?”
“Zoe?�
�� Shay hesitantly asks. I try to sit up, but my body is too weak at the moment. “Oh, my God. Zoe! You’re alive? How can that be possible?”
“Z?” Kieran’s head shakes, and his eyes are focused directly on my face.
“I told you she could not die,” Aiden says with a small amount of relief in his voice.
The field is still deep in the throes of battle. My friends have managed to drag my lifeless body to the edge, away from the front lines. Dead bodies lay everywhere. To my left, are the Winter and Summer fairies going at it against legions of DKs. They are picking them off in small groups.
And there are the angels who are flying around, dotting the sky and land with color. Their wings brighten the area, like fireworks. They are aiming their forces at the Marquises demons because they are harder to take down.
Shay lowers himself and hugs me tightly, lifting my upper body off the ground. “I love you,” he murmurs into my ear. “I love you so much. I was beside myself ... when ... you died.” He sucks in a breath. “Aiden ... he ...”
“I know.”
The wolves are fighting on my right and only targeting the Marquises, unless an unsuspecting Knight is in the way. The Pack works together like a well-oiled machine.
For a split second, I worry about Vash, but this is what they are born and bred to do: fight against demons. He leads his Pack to the next demon. They take him down. Cali is easy to spot with her snowy coat. She’s learned so much since our time on the Silico program. She seems at ease with her new form. Maybe it was always a part of her.
Sidelle is snapped out of her surprise. “Oh ... my ... Zoe!” she exclaims. “Do not ever do that to us again. Do you hear me?”
It’s strange to see these sworn enemies finally working together for a common cause. King Oberon leads the charge against some Marquises demons, Queen Mab at his side. I can easily distinguish between the two groups of fairies; they all wear battle gear, but Summer holds wooden spears and shields. Winter only holds ice daggers. They don’t need other armor because they throw up ice to block any attacks.
“I’m not planning on dying again any time soon, Sidelle,” I say with a small smile, looking over Shay’s shoulder since he is still hugging me. “Okay, Shay, help me up. Let’s do this. It’s time to end Sam’s reign ... and I know what to do.” Turning my head toward Aiden’s retreating back. “You and I are not done. Not even close,” I yell.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Zoe
I CAN SEE EVERYTHING down to the base elements. Dust motes clear. Tree leaves shows every vein. Each blade of grass stretches toward the sky as they grow. Sweat beads sparkle all across the Void. I used to think there were seven standard colors of a rainbow, but I know now that there are many more than the human eye can see.
Everything is covered in a red haze.
My eyes lock onto Aiden’s. He drops his Protective Shield. His head nods slightly, and then he flies away. He doesn’t stay long enough for me to even thank, or throttle, him. I think he knew what he was doing the whole time. At least that’s my hope.
“Come on,” I tell my friends again.
They rejoin the melee and before long, each of us has an evil opponent to battle.
A white shimmer catches my eye. It’s a round, floating orb and waves like a flag. In the very center of it, a gold line is drawn, and something black is making its way out.
My stomach falls as I get a feeling that I know who has arrived at the fight.
I must stop him at all costs.
All my friends are fighting off a demon.
“Hey, guys,” I shout over the clang of metal clashing. “Look.” I point, and Kieran and Shay look where I point. “I think that’s him. He’s coming. We have to stop him. Now.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right, Zoe,” Shay agrees. He disposes of his demon quickly with a swipe of his sword across the neck. He steps to my side, and we run to the orb as quickly as possible.
But there are still quite a few demons blocking our path. We punch, push, kick, and when that all fails, we cut through the crowd with our swords blazing.
It’s still taking too long.
The line opens farther. Two hands appear, trying to rip the opening more.
I turn my head to look for Kieran and Vash. They are still battling a couple of steps behind us. They must get there in time. We all must.
That hesitation costs me.
A group of Marqs barrel into me, causing me to land on the ground with a hard thump. Two pin my arms down while the other is ready to stab me through my heart. Right as the tip nears my chest, Shay’s form knocks the demon away, and Vash is right there to end his existence. I breathe a sigh of relief. The demons holding my arms loosen their grip. I clutch my sword and swing, decapitating one of their heads, barely missing Shay in the process.
“Sorry, Shay.”
“It’s okay. I’m fine. You missed me. Remember to keep your focus.” He extends his hand and helps me stand.
“Yeah, I lost it for a second.” I place my palm over my heart. It’s still racing as I thought I was about to die—again. “Okay, let’s get moving.”
Vash nods and sprints after us. Cali isn’t far behind.
“We have to make a circle around the Veil.” I direct Shay to stand on my right and Vash on the other side of him. Shay lays a palm on Vash’s massive shoulder. I don’t need to tell Cali where to stand. She knows her place is next to her mate. She touches Vash with her front paw. Kieran joins us shortly after killing off two Knights, linking hands with me. I need my two boys close to me. “Kieran, I need you to contact Sidelle and Finn and get them up here. I’m going to need all the power I can get.”
“What exactly are you going to do?” Shay asks.
“I’m going to borrow all of your Light and the fairies’ glamour to close the rip before Sammael can come through.”
“All right, Sidelle and Finn are on their way,” Kieran says.
As I turn my head, searching for the fairies, ten Archangels surround us. They block any demons trying to get through our circle.
“We’re here, Buttercup.” Sidelle winks at me as she joins hands with Kieran. She turns back to Finn who has not taken her other hand. “What are you doing?” she demands. “You need to join me and take my hand.”
“Not until you say it.”
“Finnegan, we are not having this convo right now. Get up here.” She points to the ground next to her. “If you don’t get your wings up here right now, I’ll tell my father to keep the scepter longer and your reign over Autumn will be less.”
Her eyes flash bright green and Finn complies.
When did he come? Must have been with Mab. I feel bad for him because I know Sidelle will lay into him about this transgression, too. All the same, I’m glad he’s here with us.
The circle is now closed.
I shut my eyes and pull my Light from within.
Blinding purple light pours out from my body and wings. All of the angels and Nephilims who had their wings hidden, have them out and extended.
“Hurry, Zoe.” Shay squeezes my hand. “Sam’s upper body is pushing through.”
I dig deep into the recesses of my mind, calling forth everything I have. The Ribbon Light swirls around me and extends past Shay and Kieran. My eyes open, and I see that all the angels in the circle have similar Ribbons. They, too, are giving everything they have.
Past them, everyone still battling the demons also have Ribbon Light around them. Suddenly, a shock wave hits my body. I’m propelled forward but not enough to break the circle. My wrist where the Heaven’s Mark is heats to a blazing temperature, and white light shoots out, projecting a symbol into the air.
The Enlightens surrounding me emit the same power of light.
The orb containing Sam wavers and seals a fraction. His upper body has stopped moving forward, and one of his hands releases the side of the tear. A sucking sound rings in the air like a vortex is upon us.
But all the Light isn’t enough. I’m
tiring and notice that everyone else in straining, too. We aren’t going to close the Veil if we don’t find more Light.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Zoe
SOMETHING BEHIND ME draws my attention. My soul instantly aches. Aiden’s eyes focus on me. A dagger is sticking out from his chest. I feel his pain course through my body. It’s probably our bond. Since the time he held me captive, it’s changed from that first moment. I know he’s not really my soul mate. His connection to me is different than Shay’s. It could be my wishing, but I don’t love Aiden. With Shay, I gave him my heart, my love and was rewarded with a bond so deep that nothing will shatter it. Not even death.
“No,” I scream until my voice is hoarse. “No, Aiden, what did you do?” I drop Shay’s hand and run to him. My knees hit the ground as I kneel next to his body. I tug his torso in my lap.
“It’s okay, Zoe. Go back to the circle and send him back to Hell,” Aiden pants. “I guess it’s my time.”
“It can’t be. Why did you do this?” I haven’t moved, even though my people need me.
“You know why.”
“No, I don’t.” Tears stream down my cheeks. “You didn’t have to—”
“You know I did. You needed to have more Light, and this is the only way.”
“But you’ll never come back from this.” I look at the royal fairies’ dagger he used, still jutting out from his soul. Old glamour. He knew the consequences; he would actually die.
“That is my choice. Now, go.” He coughs as red Light pours out from his dying soul. “Zoe, it’s okay. You can’t save everyone.” It runs down the side of his body and pools on the grass next to me.
“Yes, I can.” I try pulling the dagger out.
“Zoe,” Shay urges. “Come on. We have to finish this. Aiden made his choice. It’s time to make yours.”
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