“How did…how long…”
I don’t recall tugging my soul.
“Long enough to let you stand on your own, but never alone.”
He gives me a tender smile and holds his hand out. I bite my bottom lip as I stare at the tiny spoon.
“Thank you,” I mumble.
He runs his thumb under my eye for a brief second before stepping out of the way for Creed and Amick. They each holdtheir hand out as V places the necklace in Creed’s hand. The pen in Amick’s.
“Go ahead, my endling. Finish your creation.”
My shoulders relax involuntarily like he just lifted a weight I didn’t know I was holding.
I force the tremor in my hand to steady as I scoop a small amount of ashes into the spoon. Creed holds his palm flat, giving me the best angle to pour them into the empty center of Laney’s star.
As gently as I can, I close the glass up and seal it with my power of Creation. My spine tingles as I command a barrier around it that’ll keep the pendant and chain from breaking.
Amick’s eyes soften on me as I move in front of him next.
“I aspire every day to be more like you,Mysenta. You have an unfathomable amount of love in you.”
My heart thuds in my ribs and my soul wraps his up so tight, I accidentally steal his breath for a moment. At his nod, I fill the hollow in Lambrit’s pen, then seal the engraving of the open book. Once my barrier covers it, he passes it to me. Then Creed hands me the necklace.
“I still have to—”
“Let us take it from here, gorgeous,” Kyzen says as he steps back up with the vase clutched in his hands.
Creed and Amick step passed me, both laying a kiss on my forehead.
Riven doesn’t give me much of an option when his fingers curl around my wrist and he pulls me forward. He presses his chest to my back and rests his chin on my shoulder as we face the others.
As carefully and as considerate as they can, they move Mrs. and Mr. Armend’s ashes into the vase.
“Want to know something, little burden?” he whispers into my ear.
“What?” I ask just as quietly.
“You truly are an angel walking among us mere gods. This isn’t the first time you’ve taken something broken and shaped it into something beautiful. Worthy. You’ve done it four times before now.”
“Riven,” I mumble.
“When Lambrit got back and told us where you were going, for a moment, I was pissed. I thought to myself, I know good and damn well she isn’t trying to hide her power from us still. That didn’t settle well in my belly. Then he went on and briefly told us what you two discussed. That’s when it clicked.”
“What clicked?”
“You thought you were protecting us. Protecting our sweet, tender hearts. You didn’t want us to witness something so devastating. You thought you were saving us from another touch of trauma. Didn’t you?”
I rest my head against his shoulder.
“You’ve all been through so much lately. And with this…you all have been beyond amazing. I didn’t want to place something else heavy on you.”
He hums.
“You may not realize it, but every day you make us better men. You shape the darkness in each of us a little more with every passing second. We will carry any and every burden you face because the weight of this realm can’t measure up to the love we have for you. That extends to the people you love. You never have to face anything alone and you don’t have to protect our hearts from things like this. You are our heart.”
A reckless tear slips free, and its path down my face is stopped as he lays his lips in the way.
