Renegade (53 page)

I brought her hand up and pressed a kiss to her palm.

Lorn gave me a cold stare and flew up into the sky, taking Ana away.

I didn’t have long to wallow because I was knocked off my feet by Hecate. She scrambled over me, toward the spot where the flower had once grown.

She pawed through the dirt, looking for something that was no longer there.

“No!” she screamed. “No!”

There was satisfaction in knowing she wasn’t going to get what she was after, in knowing I wasn’t the only one not getting what I wanted.

I rose up, ready to attack her, to lay all my rage and pain into making her pay. She looked at me, realization in her eyes, and then she smiled.

Like a puff of smoke she disappeared.

Robbing me of my chance at revenge.

I stood there alone, the fury of the storm still strong, and stared up at the sky where Ana had gone. Her words echoed in my mind.
Don’t let this harden you.
I was already hard.

But, now, I also knew what it was like to feel broken.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Heven

The sounds of Kimber and Hecate followed us as we raced to get the flower to safety. The vision of Riley’s face as he held Ana in his arms blurred my vision worse than this torrential downpour ever could.

How had I completely missed that he’d fallen in love?

My heart ached for him, knowing it was likely they wouldn’t be allowed together. Why did life always have to be so hard? Why did it have to hurt so much?

Because if everything was easy it wouldn’t be worth it.
Sam’s words cut through my inner monologue and rang with truth.

He was right, of course. Didn’t make it hurt any less.

Sam broke free of the Devourer’s cave and skidded to a stop next to the great dragon, whose breath was still labored and shallow. I climbed off Sam’s back, patting him like I would a horse, and his golden eyes rolled. “Sorry,” I said, sheepish. “Habit.”

The dragon made a sound and I rushed to his side. “Everything’s okay,” I soothed. I held up the hoodie that held the flower. “We saved the flower.”

His eyes wandered back toward the cave and I figured he was wondering about Ana. “She’s going to be okay too. I think she’s going to go home, to heaven.”

He stared at the entrance to the cave for long moments, almost like he was thinking about someone else, before turning his eyes back to me. I stroked a hand down his wide, feathered snout, ignoring the way the feathers shed.

Sam came up behind me. “What should we do now?” he asked, his body now back in human form. “We need to hide that flower.”

“Ana said someone would come for it. Someone we could trust.”

“Who could possibly come that we would trust enough to give them this flower?” Sam wondered out loud.

He was right. There was barely anyone left to trust.

“You can trust me,” a familiar voice said, as she walked out of the cave.

“Gemma!” I cried, rushing toward her, a smile breaking my face. “Where have you been?” I demanded. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.” I wanted to hug her, but my arms were full with the hoodie and flower.

“I—” Gemma began but was cut off by another familiar voice behind her.

“She’s been with me.”

I completely forgot about the load in my arms as I stared at the person who walked out of the cave. It would have landed in a heap had it not been for Gemma, who reached out to snatch it out of the air.

“Oh my God. Cole!” I rushed forward, running toward my brother, who I was sure I would never see again. I plowed into him, nearly knocking us both over, and he laughed and wrapped his arms around me.

“Sister,” he said, and I could tell he was smiling.

I wasn’t ready to let go just yet, and I hugged him harder, squeezing him until my arms ached. “I thought you were dead! What happened? How’d you get here?” I said, all the words muffled and jumbled against his chest.

He laughed and I heard it rumble through his chest before he pulled me back to stare down into my face. His eyes were bluer than they’d ever been, his skin clearer, and his face truly happy. He looked wonderful.

“Explain!” I demanded.

He grinned and looked over my shoulder at Gemma, his eyes holding a little extra twinkle. “Turns out Gemma was wrong,” he told me.

“Wrong?”

He nodded. “Loving her isn’t a punishable crime.”

“I want the details!”

He grinned. “I’d let you mind rob me and see for yourself, but, uh… there’s things in my head that little sisters shouldn’t see.”

“Cole.” Gemma groaned.

He wagged his eyebrows at me. “Long story short: I got to heaven. I told them I was in love with one of their fallen and if that meant I couldn’t have my body, then they could take it right then. They told me I was allowed to keep my body, and then they offered me a job.”

“A job?” Sam said, joining the conversation.

“Actually, they offered us both a job,” Gemma added.

“What’s the job?”

“We’re the new keepers of the flower,” Cole said, motioning to the bundle Gemma cradled in her arms.

“Well, if there was anyone we trust enough to give it to, it’s both of you,” I said. Then I squinted at Cole. “So you’re still dead?” Then I looked at Gemma. “And you’re still fallen?”

Cole nodded. “I’m still dead. I’m not ever coming back, Hev.” His face grew a little somber at that, but then Gemma started talking and his focus shifted to her.

“I’m not fallen anymore, but I didn’t get any wings. All the fighting I’ve been doing for all these years, the protecting of Earth, earned me back my angel status.” She glanced at Cole. “And the fact that I put him above my heart and wouldn’t act on my feelings.”

“Hmph,” Cole said, but then he smiled.

“We were told that we were perfect to take the flower and the island and protect it. They realized it was a mistake to keep Ana and all the other caretakers alone.”

“So you two get to be together after all?”

“Forever,” Cole said, looking at Gemma, his eyes warming.

“Death looks good on ya,” Sam told him, holding up a fist.

Cole bumped his fist against Sam’s and grinned. “Guess this time death was the answer,” he told him.

“You got me there.” Sam conceded.

I had no idea what they were talking about. I glanced at Gemma and she shrugged. Then I realized something. “The island! It’s destroyed. Hecate found it and—”

Gemma and Cole were nodding, like they already knew what I was telling them.

“We know. There’s a new island. It’s been relocated to a secret place,” Gemma said, her eyes growing serious.

“You can’t tell us,” I said, flat.

“No,” Cole said. “No one will ever know its location.”

“I’m never going to see you again, am I?” I asked him.

He shook his head slowly, his face drawing down into a frown. I hugged him again, trying to memorize every last detail about him that I could. “I’m going to miss you, Cole. So much.”

He cleared his throat. “Yeah, me too.” He pulled back, tucking a stray hair behind my ear. “Take care of yourself, huh? Stop getting into so much trouble.”

I nodded, unable to speak because tears clogged my throat. Finally, I said, “I’m glad you have Gemma. I want you to be happy.”

“I will be, sis. And so will you.” He spoke the words with utter certainty, and I wondered if with death came knowledge or if someone up in heaven told him so.

The ground beneath our feet began to rumble and shake. Lightning cracked through the sky. I worried about Riley.

“We gotta go,” Cole said, glancing at Gemma, who nodded.

My heart turned over at the idea of letting him go so soon after just getting him back. He turned to Sam. “Watch over my sister.”

Sam nodded. “Good luck, man.”

They did that fist bump thing again and I turned to Gemma, giving her a one-armed hug around the flower. “Thank you so much for everything, Gemma. You’ll always be my sister, no matter where you are.”

She smiled. “And you are mine.”

The ground shook again, this time more violently. Cole stepped over to Gemma, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her into his side. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and whispered, “I told you I’d pay any price. So worth it.”

The look of utter joy on her face was enough to keep me from crying as they disappeared from sight. We stared at the space they’d been for long moments after they were gone. One of my biggest wishes had always been for my brother to be happy.

And now he would be.

Forever.

Heven

We were still standing in the same spot, staring at the space my brother and Gemma had been, when Riley and Kimber came ripping through the cave.

“I don’t mean to interrupt your vacation, but the island is collapsing into the sludge, Hecate’s still on the loose, and we need to get the hell out of here, like yesterday,” Riley said as silver bolts cracked through his dark eyes.

Kimber was standing just behind him, looking pretty worn out from her fight with Hecate.

Riley saw me looking at her and he angled himself so he blocked her from sight. “Now’s not really a good time for a bash crazy party.”

“I am not crazy!” Kimber snapped behind him.

I didn’t feel like fighting with Kimber anymore. I didn’t feel like hating her for everything she’d done. Sure, not that long ago I thought we might be able to get back to some sort of friendship, but then she killed Cole. No, she hadn’t meant to do it. But she did.