Page 108 of We Are All Sinners

I watch the son of a bitch bleed out, then walk back into the circle.

I move swiftly, my hands trembling as I gather the sacred objects of the trinity. The delicate necklace, the shimmering purple crystals, and Mark Boudreaux’s grimoire. Each item feels heavy with purpose as I place them gently on Evie’s chest.

Kneeling beside the love of my life, I can feel the weight of the world pressing down on me. My heart aches with every breath I take, yet there’s a fierce determination bubbling within me. The others stand still, caught in their own reverence, assuming I’m merely saying goodbye before we have to face the flames. But this moment is so much more.

I look at my family and friends’ reactions to Evie’s beautiful gators coming into view. I watch as they circle their prey, snapping at the two men. I watch Bojangles latch onto gunman one. The sound of bone crunching along with the witches chanting in the circle gives me a sense of peace.

Miss Minnie Pearl wastes no time taking off with gunman two after swatting his head with her tail. I watch it roll into the edge of the bayou, where she drags the son of a bitch’s headless body.

I smile as I look at my brothers and Evie’s new family outside of the circle, knowing that they will all be okay.

I look back to Evie, then up to the morning sky that seems to get brighter by the moment.

“As above,” I raise the dagger above my head, “So below!” then stab it into the ground on the other side of Evie’s body. “Take my soul for all to see, for the cursed witches and Saints, take my blood and set them free.”

I look to my precious little witch one last time as I let the tears fall, “Till we are ghosts’ baby.” I tell her one last time before I pull the blade from the ground and quickly glide the sharp, cool, metal across the delicate skin of my neck, much like I did to the bastard who took the love of my life away from me.

I see my brothers moving toward me, concern and horror etched on their faces, but I know they can’t stop what I’ve set into motion. I made sure they were distracted, their attention consumed by the lurking gators, unaware of the sacrifice I wasabout to make. This moment is mine, a final act of defiance against the cruel hand fate dealt us.

As they approach, I feel a surge of power coursing through me, a connection to Evie that can’t be severed. I am resolute. I won’t let them pull me back. Not now. Not when I’m so close to freeing her spirit.

The curse ends with us.

From the moment Evie touched me in her apothecary, I saw it. A certainty that this was my fate, just as she had seen hers. I glimpsed my own ending through her eyes, a haunting reflection of love intertwined with loss. In that moment, I understood that if we couldn’t change fate, I would take it into my own hands.

As my blood drips onto the dark objects resting on her chest causing flames to erupt with a fierce intensity. I welcome the sting of the flames licking my skin, feeling the curse lifting along with my soul.

I was right all along. I lock eyes with my beautiful girl, feeling her soul rise with the fire, waiting for me.

In one final act of surrender, my body collapses onto Evie’s, her face becoming the last thing I see as I fade away. The warmth of the flames envelop me, their caress both painful and liberating. A sense of completion washes over me, and I can’t help but smile, knowing that in this moment, we are forever intertwined. Everything else fades into the darkness, but her presence remains, a beacon of love guiding me home.

Everything turns dark. I feel nothing, no pain, no sorrow, nothing, except cold.I see a light above me and hold up my hand giving it my middle finger, knowing that unless my girl is in that light, it can fuck right off.

I sit up now seeing all of my friends and family standing around the circle, crying and now mourning us both. I know as long as they all have each other, they will be okay.

I stand, looking down, realizing that I’m looking at my body on the ground, lying on top of Evie as our bodies burn. Our hands are clasped together, as it should be.

I look around seeing the sorrow on everyone’s faces. The tears they are shedding for me and my love. I watch Liam break down with Noah as they hold each other up. I know they didn’t deserve to witness what I did, but I refuse to live in a world where Evie doesn’t. I made a vow to her when I was nineteen years old. That wedding may have been fake, but she became my wife that night in my eyes too.

“You didn’t make me wait long.” Her voice is melodic before I feel her soft hand take mine. I look to my right and know that I made the right choice.

“My perfect little witch.” I pull Evie into my arms, holding her close again, feeling her warmth.

“Brixon, I’ve been by your side since I had to leave you. I wanted you to live. You were supposed to live.” Her words are soft as she buries her face in my chest, and I breathe her in.

I vow in this moment to myself to never leave her side again, for eternity. “I told you, you are my past, present, and future. Till we are ghosts. And even then, I will chase you into the afterlife and love you until the heavens crumble.” I explain how I have only kept my word, as I wipe away her tears.

“We can watch over all of them together. They are gonna need us” She replies, smiling through her tears.

“We are ghosts now; we can protect them sure, but we can at least fuck with them a little too until they meet us in the afterlife.” I smirk as Jinx comes up to us, trying to paw at our legs, before he lays down on the ground and I watch a spirit come out of him.

“Something we got wrong by the way. Jinx is a girl. Meet Delina, the first LaBlanc witch in New Orleans. She just so happens to be my way far back generations over, great grandmother. I didn’t break the curse when I saved you. You broke the curse when you made the choice to not live without me. Something no other Blazendel man has ever done before you.”

“If you were with me, then you saw the text. They will be free! My line will carry on!”

“I did. She will be beautiful. Her moms and dads love her so much. You’ll see.” Evie smirks, knowing more but not telling me.

“A girl huh? I’m sorry that we didn’t get to have that life. I wanted to give it to you so badly.”

---