Page 54 of Wicked Ties
She didn’t have to say anything back to me. I wouldn’t push her to. That wasn’t part of what I offered her, but I wanted her to be a part of this moment and know that she’d done something that meant the world to a small messed-up family. I bent down low and dropped the contract on to the surface of the water. It floated out toward the middle of the river and the gold ink seeped from the page. It caught fire, making a circle around it. Slowly, the fire seeped toward the paper and it, too, caught fire, burning in bright hues of gold, purple, and blue. It curled in on itself as the edges burned. The water seeped into the paper, and once the whole thing was lit and gone, it disintegrated those ashes until there was nothing left.
I rose to my feet and the tension in my chest left my body as I turned back to my mother. “We’re free.”
She clapped her hands together, and when my father went to hug her, she put her hand on his chest, stopping him. “Franco, we’re finally free.”
When he tried to smile, he winced as his lip split. “Yes, yes, we are.”
“Great.” She looked him dead in the eye. “I want a divorce.”
He chuckled. “Me, too.”
“Finally.” I nodded toward Astrid. “Send my parents home. I think we’re done here.”
“Gladly.” She opened a portal for them and waited.
My father stopped just in front of me and offered me his hand. “I’m sorry, Mazerial. For everything.”
I took his hand and shook it. I wasn’t going to say it was all okay. He dragged me in to this. He wasn’t the greatest father, but at least he tried. “Go live your life now.”
Because I wanted to live mine. My mother blew me a kiss and I watched as they returned to the circus that was ashes, just like the contract was. Tilly moved to my side. “Are you ready to go home?”
I shook my head. “Not yet. We have one more thing to do.”
This one is for you, my sunflower.
CHAPTER 24
TILLY
“I don’t think they’re coming.” I paced back and forth in the middle of a huge field that sat across from the now abandoned Warwick Academy. It was dawn, and the first rays of light were coloring the sky in hues of pink, purple, and orange. Flurries floated from the sky in a soft dance that made everything so peaceful.
Maze stood a few feet from me with an apple in his hand and a huge knife. He shaved off a piece and popped it into his mouth. “They’ll be here.”
“How do you know?” The dead grass crunched under my feet. “Why would they come?”
“Because that’s what friends do. They show up.” He sliced a piece with the knife and offered it to me. When I shook my head, he kept on going. “Just like you showed up here for Astrid. They will be here for you.”
“If you say so.” I didn’t know why I was nervous. It was the first time I’d felt nervous since I turned into a demon.
But we were so close to getting my spirit back, and when I looked at Maze, I wanted to feel it all. The numbness had to go. Yes, life was pain. But it was also joy, pleasure, love, and fun. And damn it, I wanted them all. As much as this little body could handle. He was so calm, so sure, like he knew this whole thing would work out. But I knew Nyx and I knew the Keres, and nothing about them seemed workable.
A bright blue portal opened, and Zinnia marched out. She wasn’t in her normal clothes. Instead, she wore a pointed Gothic crown, tight leather pants, a black jacket, and black turtleneck. Strands of her hair were knotted into the crown, and silvery magic flowed over her whole body. A long sword was strapped around her waist. A wide smile spread across her face when she spotted me.
“Tilly, it’s time.”
One by one, the others all marched through. They spread into a straight line, standing just a few feet apart. Tuck was closest to Zinnia, and he, too, wore a huge smile. Tiny embers danced in his hand and down his arms, but no one seemed to notice. “Let’s get this done.”
They were all here. Tabi made all the grass around her come to life. It was like a patch of tropical weather in the middle of winter turning from brown to bright green. Serrina stood on her other side, with Ashryn next to her. She smacked Kylian in the arm and jerked him upright. Soto stood there yawning, with a pillow under one arm and a knife in the other. Ophelia came through the portal next, and she was full-on pouting, with her bottom lip sticking out and her arms wrapped around herself.
“Best friends let each other have fun. I will forgive you for this because your insides aren’t squishy yet. But when they are squishy, you will let me have fun.” She lifted her nose and marched away to stand all the way at the end of the row of people here to support me.
“And by have fun she means kill something.” Cross winked and followed behind her.
I didn’t know who was more of a demon, me or Ophelia. Astrid came through next, and she, too, had on her golden crown. Power flowed from her like a red carpet laying at her feet. She gave a small bow to Zinnia then took her place in the middle of the field. She turned to face everyone. “You all know why we are here. The second Beckett walks through that portal and isn’t under the protection of the school anymore with those souls, Nyx will descend on us. And we need to be ready. This is a negotiation, not a war. We want a fair exchange, nothing more.”
Ophelia stomped her foot. “Then what the hell am I doing here?”
“Okay. Let’s say if things go south, I will run your happy psychotic ass into the fray, and you can have at it. Until then, shut it.” Grayson motioned to Astrid. “And let’s get it bloody finished. I can’t be doing with pissing about.”
