Descent - Tara Fuller Page 0,80

at Finn. I’d said all the right things to hallucination Finn, but now that the real one was standing right in front of me on the precipice of life, the words were harder to come by.

“I’m sorry,” I finally managed to say. “I’m sorry for not fighting for you. With you.”

His brow furrowed. “You did.”

“I should have done it better,” I said. “You’re my best friend. I’d go through Hell and back for you. You should know that. You know, before you go off and forget about everything that happened before…about me.”

Finn shoved his hands into his pockets and looked away. “I’m not going to forget—”

“You should,” I interrupted. “It’s okay. That’s how it’s supposed to work. You got a second chance. You’ll never fully take advantage of what’s in front of you if you keep looking behind.”

Finn scraped his fingers through his hair and laughed. “When the hell did you get all philosophical on me?”

My scythe warmed my hip, the calm honey-like sensation so different from the scorching flames I was used to. I lowered my hand to my side, still expecting the burn to return unexpectedly. Finn’s gaze dropped down to the blade, and the humor drained from his face.

“It’s not good-bye,” he said.

“Nah.” I pulled him into a hug and clasped him tightly, not caring if I was going to get shit for going corporeal and touching a human. “We’re brothers. It’ll never be good-bye.”

Finn pulled away and gave me a sad salute. “See you in the afterlife?”

“Yeah.” I laughed, looking up to the sky. “See you sixty years or so.”

“Let’s make it seventy.”

“Deal.”

Finn raised a brow and I looked behind me to see Gwen waiting. She smiled and gave a little wave to Finn. He chuckled and shook his head.

“Take care of him,” he said. “Keep him on his toes. He gets cranky if you don’t piss him off at least once a week.”

Gwen laughed and stepped forward to lace her fingers through mine. “That shouldn’t be a problem.”

I looked down at this girl, the one who had been willing to give up everything for me, and I couldn’t even remember the guy I’d been. The guy who had wanted to be alone. She’d done that. Somehow, beyond all reason, she’d managed to heal me. And I loved her for it.

“Do you want company?” she asked, smiling up at me. “I won’t be too much trouble. Promise.”

“Yeah, you will.” I smiled and brushed my lips against hers. “I’m counting on it.”

I turned away and closed my eyes, summoning the bright tunnel of light that would take me to my reap. There were no screams here. No dread. No pain. No regret. Only peace. And Gwen. And love. And for the first time in five hundred years, I was okay with that.

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Acknowledgments

First and foremost, a huge thank you to the readers and fans that have loved this series as much as I have. In three years we have been to Heaven, Hell, and somewhere Inbetween together. It’s been a wild ride and one I’ll never forget.

A huge thank you to Entangled Publishing for helping me bring this series to life. Three years ago, Heather Howland decided to take a chance on me and my reapers and I will be forever thankful that she did. With her help we created a story and characters that I am so proud to be a part of.

Thank you so much to the editors that helped me make this book shine, Heather Howland and Kari Olson. I don’t know what I would do without either of you. You have a way of taking what I create and helping me shape it into something amazing.

Thank you to Liz Pelletier, Heather Riccio, Debbie Suzuki, Tara Quigley, Erin Crum and the entire Entangled Publishing team. I am truly blessed to have this amazing publisher in my corner.

Thank you to my fellow author peeps and friends Melissa West, Rachel Harris, Cindi Madsen, and Lisa Burstein, Cole Gibsen, Wendy Higgins, Megan Erickson, Christina Lee, and Stina Lindenblatt. I am so thankful that I have you girls on this journey with me!

Thank you to my family, Jared, Colt, and Caden. Thank you for supporting me and loving me through every book I write. I love you, always.