Alec was determined to make him suffer, fully embracing all he hated about himself to hurt the man who had ruined our lives. His expression was feral, his teeth bared, his eyes wild. Blood dripped down his face, and his muscles bunched with every movement.
I knew he’d hate himself for getting lost in the pain later, but I couldn’t worry about that yet.
Alec wanted Davis to suffer, but I just wanted this to end.
“Ty!” I managed to yell. Tears of frustration streamed down my face, mingling with the blood and dust in my hair. He was refusing to leave my side, but he saw the desperate look in my face, knew Ethan didn’t have much time.
“Josh!” he yelled as he rose to his feet, raising his gun.
Josh whipped his head around, figured out what was needed in under a second, and lifted his arm. Using his ability, he yanked Davis out from under Alec and lifted him into the air.
Davis stopped screaming. His one good eye rolled into the back of his head before it focused on me. Somehow, he managed to smile, the good side of his face pulling up in a twisted, horrific way. “You’re all—”
Tyler pulled the trigger, shooting him through his good eye and finally ending his life. Josh released his hold, and Davis fell to the ground next to a slightly confused, panting Alec.
With the screams and the sound of punches gone, my weak voice carried. “Alec.”
He finally looked at me, the violent haze clearing from his eyes.
“Need you,” I panted. He was rushing to me before the words were even out of my mouth.
Josh’s ability lifted me so gently that not a joint was bent, not an injury jostled. He lowered me next to Ethan just as Alec and Tyler dropped to their knees on my other side.
I reached for Ethan, knowing they’d follow my lead. As I grabbed Ethan’s cold hand—his hands were never cold—Josh wrapped a hand around my ankle, Alec took my other hand, and Tyler cupped my cheek.
I hoped to the vastness of the universe, to whatever divine power was behind the Light and all that was made possible because of it, that this would work.
I let my hold on the Light go.
My skin lit up, glowing brightly for a few intense seconds before fading once again. My Bondmates grunted and steadied themselves as the force of the Light slammed into them.
I sighed in relief—finally, I could breathe.
Ethan groaned, stirred, then sat up, looking disoriented. It should’ve taken him at least a day or two to recover from being depleted of Light to the point of unconsciousness. He looked down at our joined hands, and his eyes widened.
“Eve.” My name on his lips was a combination of question, plea, and sigh of relief.
I sat up, and Ethan pulled me into his arms. “You scared me, big guy.”
“You scared me too, baby.”
Ethan would’ve held on to me for days if he could have, but within moments, I was pulled out of his embrace and into another set of strong arms. Then another and another. We held on, making sure we were all there, all still breathing.
We weren’t unscathed by any means. Ethan had nearly died overusing his ability, Josh was limping, the gash on Tyler’s head was still oozing blood, and Alec was so covered in gore I wasn’t sure what his injuries were. My own body ached all over. Muscles I didn’t even know I had were burning, my elbow still throbbed, and I could feel the bruises and scrapes from Davis’s bashing.
But we were all still there. We were alive and he was dead.
Once I was sure of the most crucial things to my existence—the functionality of my own vital organs and the survival of the loves of my life—other things started to come into focus.
The airport was trashed. Debris and damage covered everything. Holes in the walls, charred furniture, lights hanging half off the ceiling, bodies everywhere.
I’d never seen so many dead people.
Most of the survivors were either sitting on the ground or leaning on things, catching their breath and evaluating their own injuries. They were all watching us. I looked around at their faces as I rose to my feet. I didn’t recognize most of them, but no one was looking at me with hostility or hatred or fear. Mostly it was curiosity and awe, even a few uncertain smiles.
Dot stood nearby, leaning on Kyo.
As soon as our eyes connected, we moved toward each other, wading through the debris and gore to finally wrap each other in a big hug.
“I’m so glad you’re OK,” she whispered into my neck as I said at the same time, “I’m so sorry about Jamie.”
We took shaky, uneven breaths, fighting tears. As we pulled apart, we looked into each other’s faces. I wondered if she saw as much strength and determination in my eyes as I saw in hers.
She would survive this. I had no doubt.
When she stepped back, her knees gave out. I lunged for her, but Marcus caught her, sweeping her up into his arms and planting a gentle kiss on her cheek.
“Let’s get you some water.” Kyo led the way to the heavy timber table that was somehow still standing. He found a few chairs, righted them, and the three of them settled in.
A sob drew my attention back to where Kyo and Marcus had been standing a moment earlier.
Charlie held Ed in a tight hug, his eyes red from crying as his boyfriend fell apart in his arms. Josh took my hand, and I followed his gaze to one of countless bodies near the couple’s feet. Ed’s brother lay on the ground, a knife sticking out of his chest, his eyes wide but unseeing.
Once again, I fought tears, my lip trembling. I didn’t even get to meet him.
I felt frozen. Simultaneously I wanted to turn my face into Ethan’s broad chest and forget it all, and I wanted to rush around and look into every single dead face to know exactly who we’d lost.
More and more sniffles and sobs started to fill the air as people took stock of the aftermath.
Olivia and Henry, Mr. Takata, and a handful of other people who’d been hidden away came out of a back corridor. Olivia and Henry went straight to their children as others started to help tend to the wounded.
A spark of electricity drew my eyes to a spot nearby, near where I’d tackled Davis to the ground.
Zara was on her back, her left leg twisted at an unnatural angle, her face scrunched up in pain as sparks flitted over her skin. I stumbled over to her, the guys sticking close by, and dropped to my knees.
“Eve.” Her eyes widened, then scrunched up in pain as another flash of electricity skittered over her body. “Are you . . . is he . . . did we win?”
I nodded, swallowing around the ever-present lump in my throat. “He’s dead.”
She smiled, showing teeth covered in blood. She moaned in pain, and the electricity came more suddenly this time, a violent bolt shooting out of her chest and connecting with the high ceiling above.
“I can’t . . . hold . . . you have to . . . Eve, you have to . . .” She was struggling to control Rick’s ability. With all the pain she was in and how weak she was, I was surprised she hadn’t fried us all already.
“Someone find Dana!” Tyler roared, and several agents dropped what they were doing to rush in various directions. But they didn’t get far before Dana came running up.
“I’m here.” She sprinted directly for us, a big group of paramedics rushing up behind her. The electricity stopped sparking as Dana approached, and Zara sighed in relief.
Dana skidded to a stop and took Zara’s hand. “I told you not to die, you bitch.”
Zara laughed, then coughed, the sound wet and dangerous sounding. “Fuck you.”
A paramedic appeared next to her, and we backed up so they could work. I wasn’t sure if Zara would make it. The blood she was coughing up indicated internal bleeding, and that was pretty fucking serious. But with paramedics here, she had a fighting chance. That was more than I could say for her mom, whose body lay lifeless several feet away.
Had Zara killed her own mother, just as Rick had? Or was she felled by another’s hand? Was it Zara’s own mother who’d inflicted such
damage on her body? It was beyond disturbing to think about, but then, my own father had been beating me only minutes earlier. Had it only been minutes?
“Where the fuck did all these humans come from?” Tyler scratched his head and winced when he accidentally scraped the gash in his forehead. The paramedics were moving through the wounded quickly, prioritizing the worst cases.
“Oh, that was me.” Dana waved a hand dismissively, her worried gaze fixed on Zara. “I’ve been working with some HEN groups in the area. I took a chance and told them what was happening, and most of them decided they wanted to help.”
“Why didn’t you say something when I called you?” I asked. I’d been so worried after our talk.
“Couldn’t. I was about to go into a meeting with Variant Valor—too many of Davis’s people around.”
The sneaky bitch had been playing both sides, biding her time to make the best move.
“I’m really fucking glad you’re not a treacherous bitch,” I told her.
As the paramedics lifted Zara’s body up on the stretcher, Dana finally looked at me and smiled. “Had you going.”
“Yes, you did.” I pulled her into a hug.
“And I’m glad you’re not, like, dead and shit. I guess.” She shrugged, but it didn’t escape my notice how tightly she was returning my hug.
“This will never not be weird.” Alec sounded disturbed, and we pulled apart. I couldn’t believe I was able to smile so soon, but if we were to have any chance of getting through this, we had to hold on to these moments of positivity.
Dana rushed off with Zara and the paramedics as they evacuated the worst of the injured. The few people on Davis’s side who’d managed to survive were being led away in handcuffs. Karen was one of them. She was cuffed to a stretcher, her head wrapped in bandages, blood seeping through the crisp, white fabric already.
“Eve.” Tyler pulled on my good elbow, his voice laced with urgency.
I turned to look behind us.
Near what used to be the windows and was now a big gaping hole in the wall, a group of people were gathered around something.
I didn’t want to know, wasn’t sure I could handle losing another person, but I made myself ask. “Who?”
“Nina.” Tyler was already pulling me along. I wasn’t sure I could’ve made my feet move otherwise.
I had no idea what time it was, but it was night, and the giant hole just looked like a black pit of darkness and despair. Nina was lying close to the edge of it, the other Lighthunters surrounding her.
“Why didn’t the paramedics take her?” I said angrily as we got close enough to see her broken body. They were supposed to be taking the worst of the injured.
Tyler’s ability answered the question better than anyone could’ve. “Her injuries are too extensive. She’s got minutes if she’s lucky.”
The anger evaporated, replaced by a heavy longing feeling it was hard to put my finger on. Nina was a friend, but she was so much more. She’d been there when we needed her most. She was the reason we’d been able to save Charlie. She was the one who’d explained my nature to me better than anyone. She was wise and kind and selfless. The world would be worse off without her. I would be worse off without her.
I went to kneel next to her, but she rose into the air, as though floating on a cloud. Her body was lifted upright, her feet hovering above the floor.
Frowning, I turned to Josh, but he looked just as confused.
The other Lighthunters made a semicircle around us, facing the black night.
“Evelyn.” Nina’s voice sounded weak but calm. Her features were smooth, not at all creased with pain, her eyes tired but relaxed.
“Nina.” Tears trailed down my cheeks, but I managed not to sob. I reached up to touch her, but I hesitated, scared I would hurt her. She caught my hand in hers and held it.
I squeezed her fingers, as though if I held on tightly enough, she’d stay.
“Please . . .” I knew it was silly, that it was way beyond anyone’s control, but I couldn’t stop my plea. “Don’t leave me.”
So many people had left me, abandoned me, betrayed me.
She smiled. She was dying, her clothes filthy, her umber skin covered in gray dust that only made the blood appear brighter. Her other arm hung limply by her side, the shoulder angled down in a sickening way, but she managed a smile.
“But you are not alone.” Her French accent seemed thicker as she glanced behind me to my Bondmates. “You will never be alone again. Just remember to lean into the Light. Let it guide you. Trust your instincts.”
She started to glow in much the same way I did when I used my Vivid Light. Her hand felt tingly in mine, and when I looked down, it started to disintegrate before my eyes.
I gasped in shock and looked back into her face just in time to see her close her eyes and smile. She looked at peace as she faded. It was as if she was absorbed by the glowing Light and as if the Light came from within her all at once.
Slowly, softly, she disappeared. Eventually I stood with my hand held out in front of me, staring into the darkness.
As the last few sparks dimmed, the Lighthunters sighed in unison. They held hands for another moment, then all at once, let go.
I couldn’t quite believe what I’d seen. It was some kind of molecular disintegration, the very fiber of her being coming apart on a microscopic level and transforming into pure Light.
I filed it away to wonder about later.
“Does that happen every time?” Josh asked. “I mean, do all of you . . .”
“Yes,” one of the Lighthunters answered, a stocky man with dull brown eyes. “The Light takes us at the end. Death is never painful or unpleasant for us. We die knowing we continue to serve that which we dedicated our lives to.”
The Light absorbed them back into itself, and they lived on in anyone with Variant DNA.
I took a deep breath and leaned back, knowing Alec was there to wrap his arms around me. He always had my back.
The Lighthunters started to clear out, and the five of us gravitated toward the big timber table where Dot sat in Marcus’s lap, her feet in Kyo’s. Ed and Charlie were with them. Ed had stopped sobbing, but silent tears still streamed down his cheeks as he stared into the middle distance. Charlie was rubbing soothing circles into his back.
Ed had lost his brother and his Variant. My chest felt too tight to breathe at the mere thought of losing one of my Bondmates. I couldn’t imagine the pain he felt.
As Josh righted some more mismatched chairs with his ability, I paused at what used to be a bar. Half of it was disintegrated, still smoldering from Ethan’s fire, and glass covered every surface. My attention snagged on a few bottles that had miraculously survived the violence. Just as we had.
I stepped past the debris to reach them. Two were some kind of liqueur that looked like it contained more sugar than alcohol. I grabbed the third, a bottle of tequila.
Alec searched the cupboards and found a tray of glasses.
Everyone settled into chairs and stared into nothing, trying to process in their own way. I stood at the table and looked around at all the people I hadn’t lost. I looked at each one of them in turn and thanked the Light they were still here, still breathing, still living and loving . . . and grieving.
As I opened the bottle, I turned my thoughts to those I’d lost. I poured a bit into each glass and then lifted one.
“To Nina.” I slammed it back and immediately reached for the bottle again.
Everyone else watched me, either with blank expressions or as if I were crazy. Then Ethan reached forward and grabbed a glass.
“To Nina.” He downed it. Slowly, one by one, they all reached for glasses and toasted the Lighthunter.
I refilled them and raised mine again.
“To Jamie.”
We drank. Dot had to take a few deep breaths before she could down the strong alcohol.
We toasted Ed’s brother next, then name after name as we remembered the fallen.
/> As I poured the last drops of the bottle into the last glass, Tyler stood and raised his.
“To everyone we’ve lost. Their deaths will not be in vain. We will fight to make this world a better place.”
As one, we drank.
As I dropped the glass back to the table, I swayed a little. I wasn’t sure if it was from exhaustion, the alcohol, or a combination of the two, but just like always, my Bond was there to catch me.
Ethan pulled me into his lap, and I relaxed into his embrace.
Everyone fell into silence. All the injured had been tended to or taken away to hospitals. Those who hadn’t needed medical attention had left. Where had they gone? What do people do after an epic battle? Just . . . go home? Have a shower and go to bed?
I could use a shower, and my body already seemed to be shutting down, ready for oblivion. But I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to sleep—if I’d be able to close my eyes without seeing crimson.
Ethan’s booming voice broke the silence. “Can’t believe he called you ‘the fruit of his loins.’ Who the fuck talks like that?”
For a beat, everyone remained silent. And then we all burst into laughter. We laughed for a solid minute, bent over the table, wiping tears of both mirth and grief from the corners of our eyes.
It was exactly what we needed to break some of the thick tension. As our laughter receded, we slowly got up and started making our way home.
Thirty-Three
I stood at the foot of my bed in my underwear, my hair falling down my back in waves, my makeup done, staring at what I’d decided to wear.
It was only a dress, but this felt important, momentous even.
The black fabric and bright poppy prints contrasted starkly with the creamy white linen sheets.
I ran my hand reverently over my mother’s dress, the only piece of her I had left. I’d saved it like the precious artifact it was, hardly even touching it where it hung in my closet for over two years.
It was time to honor her memory by wearing it. It was time to remember all the times I’d seen her in it, smiling and happy. It was time to remember all the good and, instead of feeling sad about what we’d lost, feel happy about all we had to look forward to.
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