Asher steps forward, still glowing faintly. "Thank you, Birdie. Seriously. But uh—" He holds up his hands, studying the shimmer beneath his skin. "Why do I feel different? Like,reallydifferent. And why am I glowing?"
Birdie's smile turns mischievous.
"Your human life ended. I couldn't bring you back exactly as you were or the balance would be upset." She taps his chest lightly. "So I gave you an arcane upgrade. A pretty cool one, if I do say so myself."
"An upgrade?" Asher's eyes light up. "What kind of upgrade?"
She winks. "Oh, I’m not going to spoil the surprise on your new tricks. But I will tell you that since you’ve always been Poppy’s guardian angel, I’ve made it official. Your life force is tied to Poppy's now. As long as she lives, so will you. And when she passes, whether that be in a month, a decade, or a lifetime, the two of you will face the next life together."
My breath catches.
"And since you’re an arcane being now," Birdie continues, "you’ll be much sturdier than before—though not indestructible, so don't get too heroic."
Asher looks like someone just handed him keys to a spaceship. "I can actually beusefulto the team now!"
"You've always been useful, Ash. You are, and always have been, the foundation of everything I do. Still, yeah, this is amazing."
He turns to me, his expression serious despite the glow. "We're really gonna kick Tharuzel's ass now."
"Damn right we are."
Birdie clears her throat gently. "It's time for you both to go home."
The grotto seems to brighten, the edges growing hazy.
She opens her arms, and we both step into them. The hug is warm and encompassing, filled with a love so pure it makes my magic sing in recognition.
"I love you, kids. And more importantly, I believe in you."
Warmth spreads through my entire body, chasing away the last shadows of grief and fear.
"We love you too," I whisper.
Asher nods against her shoulder.
She eases back and reaches to cup my cheek with one hand and Asher’s cheek with the other. "Now go. Your friends are worried sick."
The golden light intensifies.
The grotto begins to fade.
Birdie's smile is the last thing I see before everything is engulfed in golden radiance.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Ireturn to my body and wake with a gasp, scrambling to stand bolt upright next to Asher’s hospital gurney. He’s blinking up at me, whole and alive.
“What the hell?” Orion has a hand up, shielding his gaze from the brilliance of Birdie’s portal power. When the energy dies down, he sees Asher is alive and…
“He’s going down…”
Asher grabs Orion’s arm, and Wylder rushes around the gurney in time to keep our white tiger shifter from assplanting on the cubicle floor.
Wylder holds Orion until his eyes flutter open, and his fainting spell passes. When everyone has recovered from the initial shock, Wylder pegs me with a look. “What happened? What’s going on?”
I give the two of them a very brief recap and get to the immediate problem. “How do we get him out of here without the doctors and nurses seeing him and wondering how this is possible?”
Orion is still hugging Asher, their foreheads pressed together. "Not a dream. You swear?”
