Destined

“She will fight,” Kalona said grimly. “And she has powerful allies in Darkness, her creature, and the Red Ones who follow her.”

“Then we will defend ourselves,” Thanatos said.

“Does that mean you are staying in Tulsa? Or are you going to return to your Italian isle and leave these children to battle Darkness?” Kalona asked.

Thanatos narrowed her eyes at him. “The Tulsa House of Night has a new High Priestess, and she is Death.”

Kalona stared at Thanatos, then he looked from her to his son. I could see the indecision on his face and I figured he was getting ready to fly away—actually the thought passed my mind that even though he’d said sorry to Rephaim and seemed to have a truce with us, we couldn’t really be sure he wasn’t still involved with Neferet. I mean, I’d believed in him before and Heath had died because of it.

But when the immortal finally moved it wasn’t because he was flying away. He strode over to Thanatos, and then he knelt on one knee and said, “It seems your House of Night will also need a new Sword Master. I pledge myself body, heart, and soul to protect you, High Priestess. I believe it is just that I serve as Death’s Warrior. Will you accept my oath?”

“Holy shit!” I heard Aphrodite murmur.

Beside me Stark moved restlessly and I saw him share a look with Darius.

“I do accept your oath, Kalona, and I will hold it as binding.”

Kalona bowed his head and fisted his hand over his heart saying, “Thank you, High Priestess.” When he stood, his gaze went directly to his son.

Rephaim’s smile was brilliant, even though his face was washed with tears. “You did the right thing,” he told his father.

Kalona nodded. “Yes. At last.”

“Well, then. Shall we return to our House of Night and see what awaits us there?” Thanatos asked.

We all nodded, even though I know I wasn’t the only one whose stomach hurt and who absolutely wanted to run screaming from whatever we were going to find back in Tulsa.

But none of us ran. None of us said much of anything as we followed Death and her winged Warrior to the bus. Darius and Stark carried Dragon’s cloak-wrapped body. I kissed Grandma good-bye and stared out of the bus’s window as we drove past the circle that had been blighted by Darkness and which was now filled to bursting with lavender plants in full, beautiful bloom.

“Wait,” I called to Darius. “Stop the bus.”

I opened my window and heard my friends all do the same. Then, as one, we breathed deeply, inhaling the magickal scent of reblessed lavender.

“Look!” Stevie Rae cried, pointing above the circle.

I looked up and there, hovering, was our Goddess. She was dressed in robes the color of night and wore a headdress decorated with stars. Her smile took in us all, and with the fragrance of the flowers, her words drifted through the bus:

Hold to the memory of the healing that happened here this night.

You will need that strength and peace for the upcoming fight.

I closed my eyes, bowed my head and thought, ah, hell …

THE END

For now …

ALSO BY P. C. CAST and KRISTIN CAST

Marked

Betrayed

Chosen

Untamed

Hunted

Tempted

Burned

Awakened

The Fledgling Handbook 101

Dragon’s Oath

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

#1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author P. C. CAST is an award-wi

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