“The place we go to is a piece of Heaven. It’s as close to where we all come from as we’ll get in this life.”
I had actually been to the Heaven plane. It looked a lot like my penthouse. I didn’t mention that, though. It seemed like a momentous occasion, and my sarcasm is not always welcome at those.
“How exactly are we getting to this place?” Dean asked.
Summer held out a hand and a door appeared. “Turns out that the void was actually a door to the Summerlands. They’ve been trying to get me to come through it for a while now. Because my magic had been warped, it showed up as a never-ending void threatening to drag us all into nothingness.” She wrinkled her nose my way. “I know I need therapy, Momma.”
I laughed because I rather thought her therapy from now on would come from Marcus.
Summer held Marcus’s hand as the door opened in front of them, pure sunlight and soft winds coming through. I smelled the sweet scent of milk and honey waft in. She turned back to our friends one last time. “I wish blessings on you all.”
She walked through the door, her head held high—a queen returning to her kingdom, her king by her side.
“Let’s go guys,” Charlotte said. “We need to get home before she takes over. We don’t know when the planes will go wonky.”
Adam nodded. “Yeah, well, after all this I’ve decided I’m letting you set me up. Charlotte knows best. If she thinks I should be in a weird threesome, I’m there.”
Danny tugged on my hand. “Come on, baby. One last adventure before we go home.”
Dev followed eagerly. “Yeah, because when we get home, we’ve got some trash to take out.”
We had a problem to handle, but we would be together, and we could handle anything together.
We walked through the door and into paradise.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Summer
We walked through the door and into the Summerlands, Marcus’s hand warm in mine. We found ourselves in a field before a magnificent white palace. To our left I could see mountains, and I heard the sound of the sea in the distance.
Still, I was recovering from what had happened. That moment when I’d watched him die had been the single worst of my life. I’d felt half my heart shrivel and die, and only my father’s love had allowed it to become whole again.
“Don’t, bella.” Marcus brought my hand up to his heart. “It’s over and we made it through. Everything that has happened in the last few days are merely stones in the foundation we will build our life together on.”
He’d already forgiven me for not acting sooner, for letting myself be mired in guilt and self-loathing. I didn’t even have to ask. “I won’t fall back into those habits again.”
“I won’t allow you to,” he promised. “I intend to let you know every moment of the day and night how loved you are. I’ll start now. You are my beautiful love and you fill my heart and soul. I am happy to be here with you. I can feel your energy here and it soothes me. This place feels like home.”
A tear slipped from my eyes because he was right. This place felt like something I’d been waiting for all my life—peace. I belonged here. I understood things better here.
I understood that I was unique in all the universe, that the forces that shaped me made me an individual and also a part of creation’s whole. Everyone is. It’s not merely the superheroes of the world who have value. We are all unique and yet all connected, a vast network of life and emotion and learning. We are all learning, growing, angry, hopeful, sad, passionate, joyous.
I could hear the hum of the universe.
I stood in front of this beautiful white palace, gleaming in the light of the afternoon sun. But something was wrong. The grass wasn’t green. It was patchy and fading, like the ground was sick. There should be a full grove of healthy trees, not the wan, sad-looking ones I saw here.
I looked back to where my Fae father stood. “Papa?”
He shook his head. “Look at the ground beneath you, daughter. You don’t need me for this task. You simply need to let the land know you’re here.”
I bent down and touched the dirt, a warmth filling me, and the grass came to life. A vibrant carpet of green filled the space and the trees that seemed to be dying grew new