“Who killed you?” I demand again, and he reels back, dumbfounded. “We’re going to fuck them up; I don’t care if we’re all ghosts or angels or whatever, we will find a way to make it happen,” I tell them.
I spin to see if I have wings or anything on my back. “Do we get wings and shit?” I ask, turning to look at Lachlan. He’s been doing this whole afterlife thing longer and would know.
“Bruiser, we’re not dead,” Bastien declares.
My gaze snaps to his, and I stare at him for a moment, confused.
Shit, do they not know they’re dead? Maybe they didn’t see it coming like I did. Fucking Suryn.
“I’m sorry, Bas, but you are,” I tell him softly, moving toward the end of the bed so I can hug him.
“No, I’m not,” he repeats with an incredulous snort.
My eyes fill with pity. Poor guy’s in denial. I look for Sabin. He’s always rational, he’ll help everyone to see. I find his forest green gaze. It’s filled with love and warmth, and it makes my stomach go all gooey.
“You know you’re dead, right?” I ask him, and his eyes search both of mine for a beat.
“Why do you think you’re dead, Vinna?” he asks me simply, and I snort out a humorless laugh.
“Because I felt myself die. I got all warm and fuzzy. Everything went black. I woke up in the white monochromatic room and had a whole conversation with Lachlan,” I tell him, and understanding flares in his eyes.
Finally.Now we can get past this wholeshit, I’m deadthing and get right intowho the fuck do we need to haunt for making it happen.
“Vinna, I’m not Lachlan,” Lachlan says, stepping toward me.
“Oookay,” I drawl with a titter. “Who the fuck are you then?”
“I’m...I’m your dad. I’m Vaughn,” he answers, and my amused smile falls right off my face.
“What?” I whisper, stunned.
I take a step back away from everyone and look around confused.
“I’m not dead?” I croak, my voice bleeding emotion and shock.
Valen reaches for me, but I back away, feeling overwhelmed and reeling.
What the fuck is going on?
My eyes well up, and I look from Vaughn to my Chosen, completely lost.
“How?” I ask, and everyone’s eyes soften.
“When the Sovereign died, the barrier fell. That warm feeling you felt was all of us pushing Healing magic in to you. The blackness was you passing out, not dying,” Sabin tells me, his eyes suddenly filled with unshed tears. He reaches out, and this time I take his hand. I need him to help me feel tethered, to help me process what the fuck he’s saying.
Emotion slams into me, and a sob works its way out of my mouth. I slam my hand over it and then fall on the bed and cry. I’m so fucking happy and shattered and overwhelmed that I just collapse into a pile of sobs. Comforting hands rub my back and arms and legs. Someone strokes my hair slowly, and they all just let me break, their touch and reassuring words promising they’ll help me put it all back together again.
Gradually my soul-racking sobs taper, and my tears slow. I purge the desolation and anguish one salty drop at a time until it no longer weighs me down. I wipe at my face and lift my head. My eyes lock on Vaughn’s, and he wipes at his wet cheeks.
“Hi,” I tell him, no clue what else to say in this situation.
He smiles, and we both give a watery chuckle. “Hi,” he answers back, and then he hugs me.
His arms lock in a vice-like grip around me, and his chest shakes from the sobs working their way out of him. I hold my dad as he takes his turn breaking. I hold him tight and let him know it’s okay, because we’ll help him put it all back together when he’s done. I have no idea how he’s here, holding me, but it’s a story that can wait. I can’t even imagine what he’s been through. But in this moment, his embrace is so much more than I could have ever hoped for.
I don’t know how long we stay like that. Father and daughter slowly piecing themselves back together. When we separate, I’m immediately pulled into another set of waiting arms. I hug Bastien hard, and we breathe each other in. Valen steals me next, burying his hands in my hair and kissing me gently. Knox shoves his way in and lifts me into his arms. My feet dangle as he holds me, our locked arms offering the reassurance that we’re both desperate for.
Torrez peels Knox’s arms from around me and sits down on the bed and pulls me into his lap. He tears the neck of my shift and rests his head against his runes on my shoulder. I run my fingers through his black hair, fortifying our bond with each breath and each stroke of my fingers.
