Chapter 20 Cinder #2
He caught her, spinning her in a circle as they both laughed and cried. Ash and Ember raced over to join them, and for the first time in months, the Holland family was complete. A tear rolled down my soot-stained cheek, and I didn't bother to wipe it away.
Hecate turned her gaze toward the demons. Discord, Chaos, and Mayhem stood tall, reverent, and they bowed their heads as the goddess approached.
“You were forged in strife and bound by spite,” Hecate said, her silver eyes scanning each of them. “But you chose love over vengeance. You chose to save a world that denounced you. The Fates recognize your growth. Welcome home.”
“Home?” I asked, my breath hitching. “Do you mean they get to stay here…in Salem?”
She looked at me, then at my sisters. “I mean, they can never return to Hell.”
Ember arched a brow. “Even if I stab him in the heart and chop off his head?”
Mayhem laughed, but Hecate narrowed her eyes.
“Your souls are no longer merely bound,” she continued. “The ritual you performed wove your essences together. Because you channeled my light without buffers…and survived…your life forces are now intertwined. Your very beings have become one with your soulmates.”
I looked at Ash and then Ember, skepticism warring with the hope in my heart. “So if Lucifer decides he wants his princes back…?”
“He is out of luck.” Hecate fought a grin, and I had a feeling she planned to hold this over his head and enjoy every minute of her victory. “Your energy grounds them to this realm. It is physically impossible for them to cross the veil, no matter who tries to summon them.”
Cool relief flooded my system, and I truly relaxed—with absolutely zero sense of existential dread—for the first time since this entire ordeal began. Since the moment I learned the truth about the curse.
“Hold on.” Ash lifted a finger. “If they’re stuck here because of us, what happens when we die? We’re going to grow old eventually.”
A nonexistent breeze rustled Hecate’s hair. “You will not age as mortals do. You will live as long as the demons you love, anchored to this realm by the strength of your bonds.”
The goddess gestured to Chaos and Mayhem. “They have been inside your minds.” She looked at Discord and then me. “You have exchanged a blood oath. My magic has sealed those bonds for eternity.”
A surge of energy emanated from Discord’s hand, washing through me, its steady, eternal hum warming me from the inside out. We didn’t have to worry about the end of our time together.
We had forever.
Hecate turned her attention to Patrice, who flinched as the goddess stepped toward her. “You hid your lineage and allowed a dark artifact to corrupt a fellow witch. Your choices resulted in the deaths of many.”
“Forgive me, goddess.” Patrice bowed her head and clasped her hands. “I accept responsibility for the mess I made. My intentions were pure, even though the results were anything but.”
Silence stretched between us all, heavy and thick. I rested my hand on Discord’s chest, the thump of his heart grounding me in the moment as we awaited the goddess’s verdict.
“You helped mend what you broke,” Hecate finally said.
“But there are consequences for such deception. You will be stripped of your status as a healer, and your powers will be bound for a year and a day. Miles, you will serve in her place, and I will grant you the knowledge of the healing arts that you lack.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He bowed his head, and Shade smiled, rubbing his back.
“Patrice, you will remain in Salem and serve the coven in its most menial tasks,” Hecate continued. “You must face the families of those who perished from your actions and seek their forgiveness. If you succeed, your magic will return to you, at the discretion of the High Priestess of Salem.”
Patrice swallowed hard, and fresh tears streamed from her eyes. “Thank you, goddess. Thank you for your mercy.”
Hecate looked at all of us one last time. “The Holland sisters and their demons saved the realms today. Remember the lessons you learned in the darkness and use them to enhance your light. Protect each other. Protect the realm. You are the Veil Keepers now and forevermore.”
With a final flash of silver light, she vanished.
We all let out a collective breath. The frost melted into the damp ground, and the static in the air dissipated as the temperature warmed to its natural state.
We stood there silently, each of us clinging to our respective mate.
Patrice sank onto a fallen log, distancing herself from the aftermath, and I looked at my sisters, one corner of my mouth pulling into a crooked smile.
“I’m sorry for keeping secrets from you,” I said. “From now on, we do everything together.”
Ember laughed. “That’s the smartest thing I’ve heard you say.”
“It’s an excellent plan,” Ash said.
“Indeed.” Mayhem looked at Discord. “Forgiveness all around.”
A shrill ring pierced the quiet calmness of the clearing, and Ember groaned before tugging her phone from her pocket. She pressed a button on the screen and held it up. “Yeah?”
“What the hell did you witches just do?” Chief Higgins’s voice sliced through the night, and Ember visibly bristled. “An earthquake shook the entire town, and then it just stopped. No aftershocks. No visible damage. Everything went back to normal, like it didn’t even happen.”
“You mean like magic?” Sarcasm dripped from her words.
“Everything is under control, Chief,” I said. “The Halloween festivities can continue as planned.”
“Cinder?” Disbelief tinged his voice. “I thought you were dead.”
“I was. We’ll brief you tomorrow.”
Ember hung up the phone, and I turned to my demon, lacing my fingers behind his neck. He rested his hands on my hips and tugged me closer, kissing me softly, slowly, until I had to come up for air.
I pulled back just far enough to look into his eyes. “You heard the goddess. We’ve got a city to protect and a veil to keep.”
He smiled. “And we have forever to do it.”
“Are you sure you’re up for the job?”
“As long as you are by my side, I’m up for anything.” He kissed me again, and for the first time in my life, I wasn’t afraid of the future. I had my sisters, I had my parents, and I had a demon who would love me with every shred of his soul for the rest of my existence.