And true to our ritual, we climbed to our feet and enveloped each other in a goodbye hug.
I inhaled the world around us one more time as my lips quivered, trying to hold back the sob that wanted to rip out of me. I would never return to this special place that was just ours. I would never hear her voice again.
“You know I love you,” she whispered, her voice cracking as she continued, “it’s…it’s why I can’t keep living on borrowed time within the shadow of your own soul. I would never be able to forgive myself if one day they came for me and took you too.”
I wanted to argue with her, to tell her if they hadn’t come for her yet, we had no way of knowing if they ever would. Pandora knew me well, and smiled sadly at me in return.
“Don’t try to convince me to change my mind,” she pleaded, her own voice heavy with emotion. I couldn’t hold back my sob as I nodded, warm tears flowing down my face as I squeezed her to me. “You gave me so many more years than I was fated to have, Alex. I will forever be grateful for the selfless gift you gave me when you agreed to bind our souls as one. I am even more grateful for the beautiful memories our friendship has allowed me to have.”
“I love you, Pan. In this life and the next.”
As I said the words that had become the phrase my monsters and I used with each other, I was hit with the realization that our friends could also be our soulmates. I had to believe that one day we’d meet again.
“I love you, Alex.”
Two warm hands rubbed my back as I came back to the present, my cheeks just as wet with tears as they’d been during our goodbye.
“It’s okay, sweet girl,” Ama murmured before dropping a kiss to my temple. “A soul as pure as hers will find happiness on the other side of this. I know it.”
“Besides, no one can take these sweet memories away from you,” Zurie whispered from my other side as she leaned her head to rest on my shoulder.
They were right. I’d been blessed to have the time I had with her, and I would cherish it forever. When she went to the River Styxx, I knew in my heart whoever was in charge of judging her soul would forgive her for being a little late.
“Yes, this is what she wants,” I answered Psyche finally, looking at her as the flow of my tears began to ebb. “She is at peace with this decision.”
Psyche tried to discreetly brush away a few of her own tears before sniffling and nodding. “Okay. Let’s begin.”
She stretched her hands across the table between us, and I set mine in hers gently. Warmth flowed into me through my hands before trailing a path toward the center of my chest.
I closed my eyes as I felt a small snap deep within me. I gasp as a weight lifted, several connections slowly being cut off one by one in my senses.
First was Elias, then Zora, and finally Casus.
Relief flooded my being. They were finally gone and that chapter of my life closed. As Psyche dug deeper, her warmth traveling toward the magic in my core, I winced.
“Pandora’s magic from the box is deeply entwined within you,” she murmured. “When I release her soul, the magic will go with her. It was never meant to be yours, but she shared it freely with you. It might hurt a little bit to remove this from your own energy, okay?”
I nodded, already expecting that to be the case. It made sense why it was often hard for me to access and use the power of creation. It was never mine to control in full.
I gritted my teeth as she began to unravel the ball, the purple magic I’d grown so accustomed to seeing slowly trailing toward the center of my chest and leaving a pure white ball of light in its wake.
The purple energy disintegrated completely in the moment before I felt the connection to Pandora cut off forever.
Goodbye, Pan.
Epilogue 2
ALEXANDRA
Five years later
The venue for our wedding was everything I had ever dreamed of. Every inch was adorned with an abundance of white flowers and lush green foliage, creating an ethereal and romantic atmosphere, only made better by the hundreds of white candles flickering softly in gold lanterns. The fragrance of the flowers filled the air, mingling with the chatter of our friends and family around us.
I was feeling quite tipsy as I glanced around and soaked it all in, a result of all the toasts and celebrations that had taken place so far. Not to mention the damn tequila shot tradition that had started at Lo’s wedding and continued at Alina’s had made its way to my own. A bit of fatigue settled in from the whirlwind of activities and emotions, but it was the delightful sort of exhaustion that came with the knowledge that the day was nothing short of magical.
As I swayed on the dance floor with my friends, laughter and music enveloped us. The beats pulsed through the air, and the dance floor seemed like a world of its own. But then Lucien appeared, his eyes brimming with affection as he came over and gently tugged at my hand. With a playful smile and a knowing look, he pulled me away from the dance floor, leading me to a much quieter corner.
I quickly blew kisses at my friends as they teased me.
