Marcus’s arms tighten around me, and I know he feels it, too. Whatever the future holds, we’ll face it together. No curses, no compulsions – just love, pure and true.
“Get a room, you two!” Poppy chirps.
I laugh, happiness bubbling up inside me like champagne. For once, I don’t even mind her sass.
And that’s when Gran says it: “Are you happy now, Gaia? I think this should be enough for you, surely?”
All of us turn to face her.
28
Chapter 28
Kara
WeallstareatGran, who’s looking at Poppy with an expression of determined expectation on her face.
The garden feels different now, filled with an energy I’ve never felt before. Marcus’s arm is around my waist, and I’m still processing everything that just happened. Gran is staring at Poppy with such intensity that I almost expect the squirrel to burst into flames.
“Well?” Gran’s voice carries an authority I rarely hear. “Surely this is enough now?”
Poppy twitches her tail. Her tiny paws fidget together, but her eyes never leave Gran’s face.
The rest of us exchange confused looks. Mom steps forward, her brow furrowed. “Mother, what’s going on?”
“Hush, Georgia.” Gran waves her hand dismissively, still focused on the squirrel. “This is between me and her.”
Marcus tenses beside me, and I catch a flash of his thoughts – concern mixed with curiosity. Rowan moves closer to Darick while Mia and Soren share a puzzled glance.
Dad places his hand on Mom’s shoulder, holding her back when she starts to speak again. He seems to sense, as I do, that we’re witnessing something momentous.
Poppy sits up straighter, her usual sassy demeanor replaced by something… older. Wiser. The way she holds herself reminds me of Gran when she’s presiding over important coven ceremonies.
“Three times,” Gran says, her voice firm. “Three vampires willing to die for love of our bloodline.”
“Could have been the blood match,” Poppy mutters. She hops off the bench and bounds up onto the edge of a fountain, looking out over the water.
There’s something truly strange going on here.
“Really, Gaia?” Gran folds her arms, one toe tapping. “You’re not convinced.”
Gaia?
“Maybe I am.” Poppy looks away.
I watch as Gran takes a step toward Poppy, her voice carrying that tone she uses when she’s about to deliver a history lesson.
“First, there was Darick Drake.” Gran’s eyes flick to where Darick stands with Rowan. “He chose mortality – gave up everything he was, everything he’d built over a thousand years – for love of my granddaughter.”
Darick pulls Rowan closer, and I feel Marcus’s arm tighten around my waist.
“Then Soren.” Gran’s gaze shifts to where he stands with Mia. “He endured torture, fought through a maker’s bond that should have been unbreakable, faced the sun – all for love of another Blackwood witch.”
Soren’s jaw tightens, and Mia squeezes his hand. The garden feels charged with an electric tension I can’t quite understand.
“And now Marcus.” Gran’s voice softens as she looks at the vampire holding me. “Who threw himself between Lucien and that sphere, knowing it would kill him. Not for advantage, not for power, but for love.”
I feel Marcus’s thoughts brush against mine – confusion mixed with a fierce protectiveness that makes my heart skip.
