A Shade of Vampire 77 A Fate of Time - Bella Forrest Page 0,91

to come at the cost of another apocalypse. We’d had enough of those, from both Ta’Zan and Brendel. The circle had to break. The pattern needed to stop.

“You would not owe Death anything.” A male voice came through.

I froze, recognizing his attire. The black suit and shirt, the dapper look and eyes filled with galaxies and darkness. A Reaper. This wasn’t Vesta’s, though. No, that one was hiding from sight, much like the rest of them. I hadn’t dared to call out to him after he’d vanished, after the slew of curse words I’d thrown at him for not showing her to me after she’d passed. I hadn’t dared to hope that her spirit was still around, either. Deluding myself would’ve been the last step prior to an unavoidable descent into madness, and I needed my wits about me for the near future.

“Who are you?” I asked, struggling to keep my temper. The mere sight of a Reaper was enough to piss me off, reminding me of their stupid rules and regulations. I couldn’t hate them too much, though. Rudolph had given me the chance to say goodbye, at least.

“Seeley,” he said, standing in front of Vesta and me. He’d appeared out of nowhere, but I was too tired to be startled. “I’m sorry we have to meet in such circumstances,” he added, giving me a grave look before he turned to look at Marion and the others. “But I felt the need to correct you. Death wants nothing in return. For all the good that Taeral and his crew have done, this is the least she could do to thank him, to thank you all for your resistance, for your opposition to the Hermessi.”

“What… What are you trying to say?” River replied. This was the first time she sounded coherent, since she’d been brought here. Her demeanor had done a 180 in a split second.

“This is a one-time only measure,” Seeley said. “I must add the disclaimer. Do not expect us to just come in and fix things whenever someone dies, going forward. We are not friends. We are not partners. Chances are we shall never see each other again after I’m done here.”

“After you’re done here doing what, exactly?” Sofia asked. Her lower lip quivered, and I could almost feel the conflict brewing inside her, between grim reality and that little inkling of hope I knew she’d held on to.

“Five million fae have perished unnaturally. The universe is out of balance. Therefore, the Hermessi’s error must be corrected,” Seeley declared. “The wounds they caused may never heal, but the world will move on. It will continue to grow, no longer tarnished by mindless rituals and elementals with a god complex. That is done and over with.”

His scythe lit up white as he raised it over his head. His lips moved, but I couldn’t hear him. I could, however, feel the chill leaving Vesta’s body. An invisible current jolted through every fae in the sanctuary, bursting outward like a draft. Silence and dust settled around us. Seeley seemed to be waiting for something.

My soul ached, temporarily seduced by the same flicker of hope I’d seen in Sofia’s eyes. Fearful that I might find myself disappointed, I squashed it quickly. But Vesta’s eyes opened, and she sucked in a wheezing breath, and relief washed over me like a violent avalanche.

“Vesta!” I gasped.

She wasn’t the only one, either! One by one, the fae came back to life! Ben, Grace, Caia, Vita… then Lucas and Kailyn. The GASP agents. The diplomats. The visitors from the Fire Star and Zephyr. Every single fae in the sanctuary, even Crane, had been revived. River’s shriek made my skin tingle—it wasn’t grief, though, that had fueled it. It was relief. It was joy. It was the complete opposite of everything that had tormented her until now.

For a moment, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. But Bijarki scooped Vita up in an ardent embrace, and Blaze kissed Caia a thousand times, crying and laughing at once. River sobbed as Ben smiled at her, and she wrapped her arms around him. Grace and Lawrence hugged and kissed first, before they reunited with Ben and River. The Novaks piled up on one another in a feverish group hug, arms reaching, souls swelling, tears flowing, as life had been breathed back into half of them. I worried once more that River might faint, but for different reasons.

Lucas hugged his wife and daughter. He even grabbed Heron by