Everlasting (The Immortals #6)(81)

intimidating to say the least. And I can’t help but wonder why they would even think to listen to me—a seventeen-year-old girl whose biggest worldly accomplishment so far (other than locating the tree) is having barely gotten through high school.

Why should they even think to consider giving up everything they’ve known and loved for so many years for some unknown, completely esoteric idea, which I can easily explain but have no way to prove?

But then I look at Lotus, see the way she nods encouragingly, those rheumy old eyes cheering me on, and it prompts me to gulp down my fears, addressing them al when I say, “I know you’re expecting to see Roman, but Roman’s no longer here, and so you get me. And while I’m sure I can’t even come close to competing with him, now that you’re here, I hope you’l at least consider hearing me out.”

This is met by mumbling. Lots and lots of mumbling. With a good amount of grumbling thrown in as wel . The roar growing so loud I’ve no choice but to shove two fingers into my mouth and let off a long loud whistle to quiet them down.

“When I said that Roman is no longer with us—I meant it in the physical way. His body has perished, though his soul stil lives on. And I happen to know this because I’ve seen it. I’ve communicated with him. The soul never dies. He’s truly immortal now.” I pause, expecting more outbursts and surprised by the quiet that greets me instead.

“And so, while I know you were expecting the elixir, I’m going to offer you something else.” I shift my gaze, my eyes taking in the multiple bottles of red juice left to chil in my mini-fridge, and suddenly changing my tack when I say, “No, actual y I’m going to give you a choice.” My eyes meet Lotus’s, afraid of what she might think, but finding her nodding encouragement, not the slightest bit disturbed by my words. “It only seems fair that you get a real choice. But I want you to consider the choice very careful y, because after today this choice may never come again. So, in short, I’m going to offer you a drink from the elixir that’l extend your life as you know it—

preserving your youth and beauty and vitality for another one hundred and fifty years—but you should know that it comes at a price. You can stil die. If one of your weak chakras is targeted your If one of your weak chakras is targeted your body wil disintegrate and your soul wil be trapped in the Shadowland—a terrible place you don’t want to visit. Or…” I pause, knowing how important this next part is, and wanting to get it just right, to stress its ful importance, before I lose them completely. “Or, you can taste from the fruit I picked from the Tree of Life

—the

fruit

that

offers

true

immortality—the

immortality of the soul. And just so you know, eating it wil reverse everything you are now. Your body wil age, and grow old, and yes, you’l eventual y die. But your being, your true essence, your soul, wil realize eternity as it was always intended to be.” I bite down on my lip as my hands fidget by my sides, knowing I’ve said al I can. The choice is now theirs. And though I think it’s an obvious choice, it’s stil a pretty big decision to make.

There’s much murmuring, much questioning, much suspicion, and since everyone already thinks Lotus is crazy, and since everyone equates me as the girlfriend of the one person they’ve been trained to hate, it’s pretty clear that my little speech was not nearly as wel received as I’d hoped.

But just as I’m sure I’ve only convinced them to embrace another one hundred and fifty years of what they’ve come to know and love—the flower, the shooting star, and the tree step forward, step right out of the crowd, making their way to where I now stand. And I blink in astonishment when I realize it’s Misa, Marco, and Rafe.

They’re glowing.

Absolutely, positively glowing.

Their auras beaming bright, glistening in the most unmistakable way, just like they did upon leaving the tree.

They pick up right where I left off, talking excitedly, voices overlapping, explaining about the miraculous transformation they made the moment they tasted the fruit.

Tel ing the crowd what I already sensed to be true—al of that whooping and hol ering they engaged in just after having eaten the fruit wasn’t because they believed they’d ensured their physical immortality, but because they felt their soul’s immortality being restored.

Experienced the thril of their karma righting itself with the universe.

While they’re talking, Lotus looks at me, steeples her hands against her chest in a silent blessing, and goes about placing smal bits of fruit into little paper cups, ensuring there’s enough for everyone, before she plucks one for herself, looks at me, and says, “Please.

Come with me.”

I hesitate. Wanting to witness the moment when the immortals, convinced by what they’ve heard, al step forward as one, and choose their new path. But Lotus just shakes her head and says,

“You’ve done al you can. The rest is left to them.”

I glance over my shoulder, see the way the crowd moves closer to Misa, Marco, and Rafe, then I fol ow Lotus down the stairs and through the house, col ecting Ava, the twins, Jude, Stacia, Honor, Miles, Holt, even Sabine and Munoz along the way, wanting to take this final journey with those who’ve helped her to get to this point.

She leads us into the backyard, where she kicks off her shoes, closes her eyes, and sighs as she sinks her toes deep into the grass.