“Thank you,” I told her.
“You will bear these scars forever, I’m afraid. But my wish is that you never forget how necessary they were. Only a daughter of the sea could have defeated the god of the sea. His fate was sealed the moment you were born. Your destiny is fulfilled.”
“And now I’m free to live my life how I please.”
I couldn’t really make out her face, but I could tell she was smiling when she said, “I hope you do. That would give me the greatest pleasure.”
“I expect our paths will never cross again?”
“That is your wish, is it not?”
I nodded. “That would give me the greatest pleasure.”
She laughed. Even Hermes laughed. “Then we shall take our leave as soon as you ask your last request.”
She caught me off guard because I hadn’t thought of anything to ask her… but then it came to me. “My friend,” I asked hoarsely. “She was on Nix’s island the last I heard. If you could… If you-”
She held up her hand and assured me, “We will deliver both of your friends. You should be free to mourn your dead. And your other friend will need you until she heals.”
“What about the rest of the girls? His house was filled with-”
She held up her hand to stop me. Her voice held the infinite sorrow that still racked my heart. “We will take care of all of them. We will make sure they all get home.”
“Thank you,” I said through another onslaught of tears. I turned to Hermes, “Was this everything you hoped for?”
Something darkly amused danced in his amber eyes. “And then some.”
I ignored the tones of foreboding, and told him sincerely, “Thank you, Hermes. We couldn’t have done this without you.”
His only response was a soft smile and a quick nod. In the next thirty seconds he flashed back and forth until Exie’s lifeless body lay in my living room and Sloane had been safely delivered.
Hermes moved to stand next to Delphi. Before she left, she gave me one last order. “Zeus asks that you care for your sister until he sends for her. Is this acceptable to you?” I nodded because I couldn’t speak. I was too happy. I was too overwhelmed. With a smile in her voice, she said, “I thought it would be.” She walked back over to me and for the briefest moment every one of her features was clearly discernable, but then they flickered into a hazy memory I couldn’t grasp onto. “I believe this is yours, Siren. I found it on my island.”
I took something from her hand and she moved back to stand with Hermes. He put his hand on her shoulder and they were gone. It wasn’t until they disappeared that I looked down and saw that she gave me the letter my mother had written me.
I took a deep breath and looked around my apartment. It was just us. It was just those that I cared about most in this world. It was just us without any threats hanging over our heads or dangers lurking around every corner.
We were free.
All of us were free.
Ryder turned me into his body and pressed his lips to my hair. “You are the bravest, smartest, most relentless girl I have ever known. I love you, Red.”
I cried harder because for most of my life I had felt like a coward. I had felt stupid and weak. That Ryder could say those things… feel those… that was beyond words. “I love you, too,” I promised him. “I’ll love you forever.”
His lips glanced over my ear, “And what a good forever it’s going to be.”
Then we turned to face Exie and Sloane and my mother and we properly mourned our friends and our past lives and those that had died before us.
We cried and grieved until we couldn’t anymore until our bodies were spent and our souls were cleansed.
After that, we began our new lives.
Free.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Six Months Later…
