Chapter 64
Chapter sixty-four
Delilah
“So, can we go to the party now?” Vine asked, already turning away from Modi and staring back down into the village. The bonfire had been lit, and someone had pulled out what sounded like a fiddle, sending lively notes floating on the autumn breeze.
“Shouldn’t we at least see if the Key will work?” I asked, more than a little eager to see if all that hard work was truly going to be worth it.
Before Modi could answer, the sound of approaching footsteps reached us, and I turned to see three people headed our way up the walk.
The first was a young woman, maybe only a little younger than me, with shoulder length blond hair and blue eyes.
The ends of her hair had been dyed a bright, bubble gum pink color, and she wore dark jeans, a black long-sleeved top, and aggressive looking combat boots.
Behind her walked a man whose size almost rivaled Corson’s, broad and muscular with short cropped hair and suspicious eyes. Next to him was another man, average height, but stunningly beautiful, his features sharp and his dark hair falling over dark brown eyes.
They moved fluidly, as a unit, and I wondered if they were members of the Brotherhood, too.
“Right on time,” Modi called, pushing past us and going to greet the newcomers. Holding out a fist, he received a bump from each of the guys, but the woman her greeted with a long, lingering kiss. The kind of kiss that happened between people who are destined to be together.
Forever.
“Did you get it?” the woman asked when the kiss finally ended.
“Of course, I did, butterfly,” Modi said, slinging one arm casually around her shoulders. “I told you my team would come through.”
“Let’s go then,” said the big one, his face painted in a scowl.
I was surprised when the woman, still standing under Modi’s arm, reached out and grasped the hand of the giant man, tugging him close to her other side.
“Easy, Corbin,” she said, offering him a smile that could only be called loving. “There will be plenty of fight left when we get there.”
“Listen to her,” Modi said, smacking a kiss on the woman’s cheek. “Halo knows what she’s talking about.”
“You’re leaving again?” Archer asked his friend, sounding resigned.
“Yeah,” Modi said simply, leaving the others and walking back toward us.
“And I don’t know how long for.” Sighing, he looked over his shoulder at the woman and her two companions.
The other man had now moved over to the woman, Halo, and was talking to her, his fingers twirling in the ends of her hair as he spoke as she continued to hold Corbin’s hand.
The scene was intimate and heartwarming, even if it was unconventional.
“This is the big one, Archer. The fight we’ve been waiting for.
” Modi turned back to us, his gaze taking in Archer and the guys, and he suddenly looked so much older than he had a moment ago.
“I have a feeling it’s going to be all or nothing this time.
Halo, Corbin, Sinclair and I have some work ahead of us, but I’ll need you to be ready when we call. ”
“Always,” Archer said, and I could feel his strength through the bond. He would be ready for whatever came, and I would be with him. Together.
“Thank you, Delilah,” Modi said. “For everything.” He placed his hand on my shoulder just long enough for Archer to growl unhappily and tug me away. “Relax, buddy,” Modi said, backing away. “You have your fated mate and I have mine.”
With that, he turned, drawing the others to him, and held up the Fallen Key.
I had assumed Modi would use it; as a member of the demon nobility, it was his birthright to be able to open portals to and from Hell.
So I was surprised when he passed the relic to Halo, allowing her to take the lead.
As I watched, she cradled it in both hands, whispering an incantation that was too low for me to hear, before a wide tear rent the air before her.
It looked just like one of Archer’s shadow gates, except instead of showing the interior of a lovely mountain chalet, this gate showed a dark, barren wasteland.
As far as I could see, black sand stretched to the horizon, with a sky as red as blood hanging overhead.
Smoke and brimstone drifted across the yard toward me, the air that poured out of the gate acrid with the taste of salt and sulfur, and in the far distance, what looked like a river of fire, flowing slowly along, burning anything it touched.
“I can’t believe it,” Corson said, his voice low and reverent. “Home.”
“It’s been so long,” Vine added, softly.
Mal stood stoically as he checked compass, then replaced it inside his shirt with a small shake of his head. “It’s not time yet.”
“No,” Archer said, taking my hand again as we watched the little group disappear through the gate. “We may be called to fight again, but for now, our work is done.”
“Farewell, brother,” Corson called as Modi and his strange little group stepped through the gate and into Hell itself. “Protect the Light.”
After the gate had closed behind them, Archer and I stood, staring down at the village of Fallow Hill and the bonfire that lit up the night.
The guys hadn’t waited long before they’d taken off to join the festivities—even if Mal did it in his raven form, so he could watch over the others from above.
The evening was peaceful, relaxed in a way I wasn’t sure I’d ever experienced. The Order may not have been defeated, but they had been bested for now. With the Fallen Key in Modi’s hands, they no longer had any reason to come for me; my blood had served its purpose.
Of course, that also left me feeling unmoored, drifting with no clear purpose now that I was done running for my life.
“So,” I said, nudging Archer with my shoulder and hoping the bond wouldn’t reveal just how unsure I was feeling.
Fated mates or not, would he even stick around now that his mission had been completed?
“You’ve had a house in literally every place we’ve visited these last few days. I suppose this one is yours, too?”
A low chuckle rumbled out of him, dark and amused. “Not mine, little witch. Yours.”
I blinked at him, certain I’d misheard. “What?”
Taking my hand, Archer pulled me onto the porch, drawing my attention to a brass plaque that was fixed to the door frame. Etched into the plaque was a very familiar symbol.
The tree within a circle, surrounded by neatly printed words.
Deep Roots. Strong Branches.
“This house has belonged to your bloodline for generations. It is your coven’s ancestral seat, abandoned after Salem. No one knew you were out there, the last of your line.” He paused, and I felt his trepidation as he considered his next words. “Everwood House is yours now.”
His words struck me like a tether snapping into place, binding me to the world I’d always felt adrift from.
Home. Roots.
A legacy that had been waiting for me to return.
I considered all the things I could do now that running was no longer necessary.
A big house in a village full of acceptance?
Could I make a place for others who had been like me?
People who were different, but not in the right ways.
Who had been turned away by the same groups of outcasts who should have accepted us?
I could picture it, this big house full of lost souls, people just looking for connection, community, and a place to belong.
A home for those who had never had one.
As the hope grew within my chest, I could feel another emotion building there, a small kernel of fear that I knew I couldn’t hide.
“If I stay here, will you stay with me?” I asked, not daring to meet his eyes. I wasn’t sure I could bear to see his face if he told me no.
His silence felt like it was strangling me, my heart rate climbing with each passing second. Finally, after what felt like forever, Archer spoke.
“Look at me, witch.” When I complied, he offered me an indulgent smile. “There is no force that could keep me away. Where you are, I will be. I plan to be by your side for the rest of my existence.”
“Well, I don’t know about the rest of your existence,” I laughed, trying to hide the tears that wanted to leak out of my eyes. “But I’d certainly have you for the rest of mine.”
Archer frowned, his head tilting in a gesture that was reminiscent of Mal.
“Do you not know?” he asked. “My witch. My love. Your life and mine are tied together in all ways. We are one, and from the moment we bonded, we were entwined for eternity.” Cupping my face in his hands gently, Archer smiled.
“That means as long as my heart is beating, so, too, will yours.” Laughing at the surprise on my face, Archer pressed a kiss to my lips.
“You’re never getting rid of me, Delilah. That I can promise.”
The joy that filled me was nearly incandescent.
It had been my secret fear, the fact that my mortal life would be so short.
That I would grow old and die while Archer, my mate, would go on with his unending existence.
Knowing that our bond meant that I could now share that life with him was a gift I could never have imagined.
“Thank you,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around him and holding him close.
“Always.”
Below us, the bonfire roared, sparks rising like stars into the night. The villagers’ laughter drifted up the hill, carried on the cool breath of autumn.
Samhain had come, the turning of the year, and with it, a new beginning.
And as I stood with my mate, staring across the village that I would make my home, I knew that no matter what came our way, we’d be alright.
Because we would face it together.
The End.