A Clash of Storms (A Shade of Vampire #50)(56)

“Serena, I owe you my life,” he said gently, his finger tracing an invisible line from my temple to my neck. “I owe you my soul and a lifetime of bliss. A very long, long… long lifetime…”

He meant it, too, which was great, because I’d already started planning on an eternity together. I would never let anything happen to him ever again. I would spend every day of my life reveling in his love and worshiping him the same way he worshiped me.

“It’s over, isn’t it?” I asked, my body feeling soft and weak.

“I think it is, yeah.” He smiled, unable to take his eyes off me.

It was then that we finally looked around and noticed the shock on everyone’s faces. They were all still there. Hansa, Jax, Anjani and Jovi, Field and Aida, Vita, the six young Druids, Patrik, Thadeus, and five Druids who had changed back from their Destroyer forms. Even the three shifters had survived after the final pulse had kicked down the columns they’d sought shelter behind.

Viola was staring at us, her eyes flaring violet. She looked uncertain of what to do next, given the unexpected change in outcome, until Phoenix took her glowing pink hand in his and brought it up to his lips, dropping a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

“It’s okay, Viola,” he said gently. “They made it… I can’t believe it, but they made it…”

She nodded slowly, the light emanating from her eyes and hands dimming, and she relaxed against Phoenix.

“It’s over!” I heard Vita gasp.

“It is.” I gave her a warm, reassuring smile while Draven held me tight, both of us heaving sighs of relief. He’d been through enough. He’d thought death was going to be his only option. I couldn’t blame him for enjoying every lungful of air.

We all looked at one another, a mixture of befuddlement and joy settling onto our faces.

Vita was the first to drop to her knees, shuddering as she burst into tears. Aida quickly leapt to her side, hugging her. They both finally allowed themselves to cry freely. It wasn’t from pain or grief; it was pure relief. I completely understood, as I swallowed back tears of my own.

We heard footsteps from below, and we turned our heads to see Bijarki rushing up to the platform. He stilled at the sight of us. He blinked several times until he noticed the charred body on the stone floor, as well as the other dead Destroyers that had not been tossed over the edge during our fight.

Bijarki had been injured, his right eye swollen almost shut in a dark, shimmering gray. There were multiple cuts on his arms and chest, and a sword stained with crimson in his hand. He’d had to fight his way up here before Azazel was taken down, apparently.

“Is that… Is that Azazel?” Bijarki croaked, but didn’t wait for a response, as he saw Vita on her knees, crying. “Vita!”

Her head shot up at the sound of his voice, and she immediately sprang to her feet.

“Bijarki!” she cried out.

He shot across the platform and took her in his arms, holding her tight and dropping dozens of kisses all over her face. He shuddered in her embrace, hiding his face in her hair as she ran her hands down his back and cried some more.

I exhaled, leaning farther into Draven, who dropped a few more kisses on my forehead, holding me tight against him.

“It’s actually over…” I whispered.

“I know, it’s… It’s unbelievable,” he replied gently.

“What’s unbelievable is that you and these other five Druids are perfectly comfortable standing here, buck naked,” Jovi shot back with a glorious smirk.

I couldn’t help but giggle, while the others burst into laughter. I glanced over at the Druids, now flustered and using their hands to conceal their private parts, while Phoenix and Field tore their shirts into several pieces. They handed them over for the Druids to temporarily cover themselves. They nodded their gratitude while their gazes darted across the platform.

Jovi helped Abrille up, as she’d regained consciousness and was quietly listening to us, a smile blooming on her pale face.

Thadeus and Patrik shook hands, then hugged, apologizing to one another for the fight they’d had to endure while under Azazel’s blood spell.

“Don’t feel too bad.” Patrik grinned. “You held your own in this. I truly appreciate your ability to show some restraint despite his control.”

“Same goes for you, Patrik,” Thadeus replied, patting him on the shoulder. “You had plenty of chances to kill me, but your mind proved to be a little bit stronger than your body.”

“I’ve been mentally fighting for years to regain control over my actions,” Patrik said. “The blood spell was strong, but I’d already conditioned myself to resist Azazel’s control. He would’ve had to kill me, eventually, because he wasn’t going to be able to hold me down forever.”

“He’s dead,” Phoenix said, taking Viola in his arms. “I still can’t believe it. It feels like a dream…”

“Yeah, but it’s all coming into focus now, isn’t it?” Field smirked as Aida came to his side. He held her tight, running his fingers through her hair as she settled into his embrace. “He’s gone. The fighting is done.”

“Eritopia is free.” Hansa finally spoke, looking at Draven and me.

We all went quiet, and gazed around us. Black smoke billowed from the fires below, but there weren’t any swords clanging. Thousands of voices could be heard on the ground, but there was no more fighting.