Until Finnick groans, and small hands press against my chest, reminding me we aren’t alone. “Let go of her, you walnut.”
Evangeline ignores him as she pulls back to look in my eyes with admiration I don’t deserve. I acted as a coward, not wanting to be left alone, when she showed true strength. “You showed an act of true selflessness and were prepared to sacrifice yourself for me,” she whispers into my neck. “Yousaved us, Zephyr.”
I want to deny it. Want to tell her I didn’t do anything—that I followed her, that I was ready to die just to be near her, that I’m not the hero she thinks I am. I’m not the hero type. Never have been. Everything I did was out of pure selfishness and desperation. I wanted Evangeline and didn’t want her dying alone. Fuck, I didn’t want her dying period, so I did the only thing that felt right in the moment. I followed her in. I would follow this woman to the ends of the earth if it kept her safe. Apparently, so would Finnick.
“That’s really great, Zeph. Really great,” Finnick interjects. “Especially the part where you jumped inafterme. So, I think I performed the selfless act, thank you very much.” He rests his hands on his small hips, taking on a haughty attitude.
“Why did you jump, Finnick? You weren’t supposed to,” Evangeline chastises, but her expression is full ofgratitude. It was clear she had been worried about Finnick but touched by the act.
For the first time ever, Finnick blushes, looking down at the wet sand below us. He just shrugs. “You’re my best friend, Eva. I wasn’t going to let you die without me. I didn’t want you to be alone.”
Now Evangeline cries in earnest. She pulls Finnick closer, holding him to her chest. “You’re my best friend too,” she manages to say between sobs.
As they console one another, I can’t help but feel Evangeline is wrong. Neither Finnick nor I are the ones who made the sacrifice today. It has always been Evangeline, since the moment she got here. Giving up everything she knew to love a kingdom she didn’t grow up in. Saving people she didn’t know. Jumping into the well was just another sacrifice she made for everyone, and whether or not she will admit it, I’ll always know the truth and carry it with me until the day I die.
Thankfully, I don’t think it’ll be today.
Before I have the chance to tell her any of this, though, she moves in front of me, wrapping her arms around me, and her lips find mine. The kiss isn’t tentative. It’s not sweet.
It’salive.
Her lips crash into mine like she’s trying to brand her soul onto me. I kiss her back with the same urgency she’s showing me, anchoring myself in the taste of her, the feel of her, thelifein her. Her fingers run through my hair like she’s afraid I’ll slip away. And I grip her hips like I won’t let her, because I won’t. Never again. I’m seizing mychance at happiness, never going to waste another precious second again.
She breaks the kiss with a shaky breath, and I lie there in the sand, stunned, dazed, and completely in love with a woman I didn’t think I deserved or could have. Then, slowly, all around us, the land begins to change.
Where the ground beyond the sand was once dark and poisoned, vibrant grass pushes up through the dirt. Color returns to the world like someone painted it back in with a careful hand, splashing watercolors across the canvas. Trees, once wilted and gray, bloom with golden leaves. I feel it deep in my bones—something old has been lifted.
The curse is broken, or at least I think it is. A weight feels lifted off my shoulders. For the first time in a long time, I breathe easily, inhaling the woodsy scent of the forest and not just death and decay.
A deep rumble shakes the ground, and I remember we aren’t completely out of the clear yet. The battlefield is still in motion, and I rise to my feet, bringing Evangeline with me.
The fae and wolves howl in victory. Dragons circle the skies, their fire crackling high above as the last Nephilim fall under tooth, claw, and sword. Some of the dark beasts screech as they retreat, but most are already dead—twisted corpses that rot into black smoke. They have taken down the enemy in our absence, which begs the question: how long were we in the well? It felt like seconds, but also a lifetime.
Only one howling creature remains, and it doesn’t seem pleased by the fact. A tall Nephilim, its skin crackedlike obsidian, snarls and flails as demon guards imprison him with magic-infused chains. Magic wards hum with power so much stronger than the Nephilim’s that it takes the fight out of the creature.
“The king and queen want one alive,” a demon with white eyes growls.
“For study,” another says. “For vengeance.”
I don’t care why. Oziel is strange, and so is his wife, apparently. If he is in the business of having Nephilim pets, far be it from me to stand in his way. As long as he doesn’t gift us another one.
I nod, giving the demons permission they clearly don’t need because they turn their backs without another word and start to drag the creature away. They laugh in delight, enjoying this too much.
The wolves raise their muzzles and howl, the sound vibrating through the valley, a hymn of survival. It is a victory cry, followed by the voices of the others who fought alongside us.
Finnick flies close to me, still coated in sand, despite Evangeline’s attempts at cleaning him up. “She did it,” he murmurs, smiling at Evangeline. “Wedid it.”
I nod. “We did, and our kingdom is safer for it.” It will be quite the regrowing and rebuilding process, but I’m certain we can do it. Together. As long as our queen, Evangeline, leads those efforts. She is what the fae need now more than ever.
Behind us, wings cut through the air.
A sudden gust slams into my chest as Malix, the dragon king, drops from the sky like a thunderclap. He lands with his usual flair, shiftingthe moment he touches the ground. His very naked body is on full display for all to see, and he doesn’t seem to care.
Of course he doesn’t.
I groan and throw an arm out in front of Evangeline. If she’s going to look at another man’s dick, it will be Niko’s. I will share her with no one else. “Eyes up, sweetheart.”
She snorts. “I wasn’t even looking.” But the flush to her cheeks tells me otherwise.
