weaker than I really was, and served only to open the chamber. Which he never stopped looking for. In fact, the clues started aligning, and it seemed he was getting closer to finding the damn tomb, which meant I had to get out. Cecilia and I waited for the right moment. It took a few months, but in one of the few outings he took us both on—when I was supposed to use my powers to his advantage, and he took Cecilia as leverage so I would cooperate—we fought back and escaped.
At first, it was a deadly wild chase, and Cecilia and I didn’t stop running for months, afraid that if we paused for a second, they would catch us.
Until now.
“I should have known,” I muttered, watching out the window to the passing landscape. “We shouldn’t have stopped here for so long. Deep down I knew he would find us, and yet, I allowed us to stay.”
Devon reached over from across the seat and took my hand in his. “I’m glad you stopped here. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have found you again.” He pulled my hand up and placed a quick kiss on my skin, his eyes always on the road.
A shiver traveled down my arm, filling me with love.
Despite our little time together in this life—and in my previous one—my feelings for him were exactly the same. I loved him with all my heart, and having him here, holding my hand, taking care of me, was more than my poor heart could bear.
Tears filled my eyes, but I glanced away before he could see them.
His car sputtered, the engine making a weird noise, making us both tense. But it turned smoother again. The side of the car had been badly banged up when he stopped the vans, but thankfully, it still turned on and was driving us home.
Then, it was his turn. When I was done telling him about me, Devon told me about himself. After I was killed in my previous life, Devon and the warriors fought Ingur, but he was too strong. And, before they could stop the demon, the gods punished him by sending him to hell.
To hell. Damn, these gods weren’t fooling around.
When I was reborn, the gods sensed me and pulled him out of hell. They gave him my ring and told him to figure out what his mission was and make it right this time.
I snorted. “That’s nuts.”
“I know!” He slapped the wheel. “I’ve told Ryder that thousands of times, but the gods never gave me another clue. Until you showed up and I started having visions, or rather memory flashes, of past you, I was lost.” He gripped the wheel tight, his knuckles turning white. “Well, I wasn’t good enough this time either, was I? After all, they took you and—”
“They almost got me,” I corrected him. “You saved me this time.” I squeezed his hand, reassuring him that I was here and well.
We drove into town and parked his car in his driveaway.
Lia and the kids burst from the front door of his house, with a tall guy following behind them.
“What are you doing?” I asked, exiting the car and pointing to Devon’s house. Then, I frowned at the strange man. “And who’s that?”
“It’s Owen,” Devon said, joining me on the other side of his car. “He’s a warrior like me.” This was the third warrior I had met. The first was Devon, the second was Ryder, who had helped Devon rescue me. He had stayed behind to clean up the mess we left behind on the road.
“I’m glad to you see you alive and well in this lifetime, Kianna,” the warrior said, his voice deep and stoic.
“Thank you,” I replied, not sure what else to say.
“I asked him to stay here with Lia and the kids to make sure they were safe,” Devon explained.
I started walking to the porch, but Sabrina and Kevin rushed at me and bear-hugged me. I smiled as I hugged them back. These were Selina and Calvin. My sister and my brother. My heart filled with love for them, for meeting them again. Tears sprang to my eyes as I glanced up, looking at Cecilia. She was a friend and a mentor now, but long ago, she had been my mother. My real mother. I gestured for her to come to us, and she did. She wrapped her arms around the three of us.
“I was so worried,” she said, a sob breaking her words.
“We’re fine now,” I