I threw my arms around him again, so blessedly grateful to have him back with me. He pulled me up into his arms, sweeping me out of the snow. I clung to him, my enormous skirts covered in snow. He strode through the drifts, exiting the freezing landscape and arriving back in his flat.

I leaned up and kissed him, determined never to let him go ever again.

19

Carrow

Two days later, after we’d cleaned up the snowdrift in Grey’s flat and confirmed that we hadn’t changed any of the present while in the past, Grey and I returned to Silviu’s Castle. I raced down the stone stairs into the depths, Grey at my side. We needed to see the seer—needed the confirmation that we’d broken the curse.

I was certain we had, and Grey no longer felt the beast inside him, but I needed to hear it.

We’d approached the castle under the cover of night like last time, but we’d come with a better plan. Meeting Silviu again was out of the question, so the Shadow Guild had come along. Mac, Eve, Seraphia, Quinn, Beatrix, and Cordelia were all currently outside, creating a massive disturbance on the side of Silviu’s mountain.

We’d waited while they set off hundreds of Eve’s fireworks. Unlike human fireworks, they formed monsters and armies, all made of light and fire. It looked like a legitimate attack. It would act like one as well, fooling Silviu for at least a little while. Long enough for us to get our answers, hopefully. And as expected, Silviu had run outside, along with Remington and all the guards in the castle.

Grey and I had made our move, darting through the main entrance and heading toward the seer’s underground lair.

“This is how we should have entered the first time,” he said as we raced down the stairs. “I never should have expected him to be reasonable.”

“It worked out in the end.” I panted, exhausted from the all the sprinting. “How far are we?”

“We’re nearly there,” he said. “Only a couple more flights.”

“Thank God.” There were so many that I’d lost track. If we ran into Silviu, we could fight him. With the Shadow Guild at our backs, we could take out the creepy vampire and all his guards. But it’d be better to avoid it.

Finally, we reached the bottom of the stairs. The enormous cavern echoed with our footsteps, the cool mist making goosebumps rise on my skin. Long icicles hung from the black rock walls.

“I can’t believe it lives down here,” I said.

“I’m not sure live is the right word for it.” Grey reached for my hand, and I gripped his tightly.

As we walked deeper into the cavern, I prayed the seer would come to us. Prayed it would have the answers we sought.

The mist surrounded me, touching every inch of my skin with an inquisitiveness that shouldn’t be possible. But this mist was the seer. It began to swirl, a breeze making my hair rise off my neck, then coalesced in front of us, thickening until it fell to the ground with a loud splash and formed a puddle. The opalescent water lapped at the tips of my boots.

It was all so eerily similar to last time, when we’d started out on this journey.

The water rose upward, forming the same ethereal figure with indistinct features and no discernable gender. Wisdom radiated from the seer, making me feel warm inside.

Grey and I bowed, rising slowly.

“You are back,” the seer said, its voice slow and steady.

“We’ve broken the curse,” I replied.

“We believe,” Grey said. “But we would appreciate if you could confirm it for us.”

The seer moved around us, circling us slowly. My heart raced as it drifted, its magic wafting around us. When it returned to stand in front of us, its form slipped into Grey, the white mist disappearing.

He stiffened, his brow furrowing. I shivered, remembering the odd sensation from our last visit.

After a few minutes, it drifted back out of his body.

Well? I bit back the words.

“The curse is indeed broken,” it said. “Your death severed that dark bond, though you are still mates.”

Joy, warm and bright, filled my chest. “And when I brought him back, everything went okay?” I hoped I hadn’t screwed something up for him.

“He is as he should be,” the seer said. “No longer immortal. Still a vampire, but mortal now, like born vampires.”

Grey’s shoulders relaxed, and I knew it was with relief. He’d been worried about living forever, having to watch me die.

“Is there anything else you could possibly tell us?” I asked.

“Hmm.” It watched us, crossing its arms. Clearly debating something. “Did you cause the commotion outside a short while ago?”

Grey hesitated, then said, “Yes, that is our doing.”

It was impossible to be sure, but I thought it smiled. “Good. That Silviu is a miserable bastard. I enjoy his annoyance. Therefore, I will tell you that you will grow old and die together. When your time on Earth is up, you’ll travel to the same afterlife.” Its voice sharpened. “But don’t use that as an excuse to go do stupid, dangerous things.”

Elation exploded inside me. It was more than I could ever hope for. More than I could dream.

“Thank you,” I said. “Thank you so much.”

Grey inclined his head. “You have my sincerest gratitude.”

The seer nodded. “As I should. Now I suggest that you leave here before Silviu’s guards return.”

We thanked the seer again, then ran from the cavern. As I raced up the stairs, my heart felt like it was going to explode from the joy of it.

We’d done it. Broken the curse. Saved our own lives. And we had a future together. An amazing, beautiful future.

A few moments later, we raced out the front door and away from the fireworks on the west side of the mountain. Silviu and his men appeared to be figuring out that it was all a trick. In the distance, behind a rock outcropping, I spotted my friends. Cordelia sat on Quinn’s broad shoulder, and the others gathered round, peeping their heads up from behind the rocks.

They waved, gesturing us closer. We sprinted toward them.

“Well?” Mac demanded as we neared.

“We’re good!” I said, grinning wildly. “It worked!”

“Then let’s get the hell out of here.” Eve scowled up at the scene in the distance. “They’re going to start looking for the cause of that little show soon.”

I nodded, beaming at them all. My eyes met Beatrix’s, and she smiled widely. “This is crazy,” she said.

“Isn’t it?” It made me so damned happy to see her here. To see them all here. “Come on. Let’s go.”

The seven of us raced down the mountain, with me leading the way.

Epilogue

Grey

The coast of Cornwall was bloody lovely on a sunny afternoon. Sunlight sparkled off deep blue waves, and wildflowers dotted the green grass that topped the cliffs.

Beside me, Carrow looked impossibly beautiful, her golden hair gleaming like the sun. She was the sun.

“I think we’ve almost found it.” She pulled me along the coast path. “I can feel it.”

We were searching for Evangeline’s grave. Her friends were having a picnic a couple of miles down the coast, and we would join them once we were done.

But this was a journey just for us.

And Cordelia, who ran far ahead of us on the path.

A week ago, after we’d visited the seer in Silvius castle, we’d begun to look for the grave. Carrow wanted to do it, and I wanted her to be happy.

She’d saved me. She’s saved us.

“I think this is it.” Carrow pointed up the hill to a spot about twenty yards off the path. “See the pile of stones?”

“I do. Let’s go visit.” I held a bunch of flowers we’d gathered along the coast.

Without Evangeline, we wouldn’t have each other.

Carrow laughed as we ran through the grass, headed up the hill toward the grave. For the briefest moment, I had a vision of what we must look like. It was an out-of-body experience.

I was running through grass. Laughing.

It was so far away from the interminable years of my immortality that it seemed like a different planet. This one was in color, fully and brightly. The air smelled better, the grass felt softer, and everything tasted divine.

Carrow was here.

We slowed to a stop in front of the pile of stones. They were arranged in a neat pyramid, and pink flowers grew between them, trembling on the cool sea breeze.

“It really is her.” Carrow knelt. “I can feel it.”

I joined her, laying the flowers on the cairn. “She’s with you always.”

Carrow nodded, her eyes gleaming slightly. “She and my mother and all the rest of my family.” She turned to me and kissed me. “And you, too.”

“Always.”