Page 110 of Nearly Dead

When we finally break apart, his eyes have shifted to their vampire red, but there’s warmth in them now, replacing the hollow grief from before.

“I love you,” I tell him, the words falling easily from my lips.“Not because of the sire bond.Not because I have to.Butbecause I choose to.”

There was a time I would’ve flinched at those words, when I believed every emotion I felt around him was just some magical compulsion, not real, not mine.I fought against him, against us, too afraid of losing control to admit I already had.But now?Every heartbeat, every choice, is mine.

He pulls me closer, burying his face in my hair.“And I love you,” he whispers.“The human, the wolf, the vampire,all of you.”

A throat clears somewhere behind us, reminding me we’re not alone on the rooftop.Anthony stands awkwardly by the stairwell door, pointedly looking anywhere but at my naked form.

“Um, Tam?Maybe save the romantic reunion for somewhere more private?”

I laugh, feeling lighter than I have in weeks.Costin pulls the jacket back up my arms, his touch lingering longer than necessary.

“Your brother has a point,” he says, though his eyes tell me he’s in no hurry to be anywhere else.

“He usually does, the annoying know-it-all.”I look over at Anthony, who rolls his eyes but can’t hide his smile.“Is everyone okay?”

“Mostly.A few bad injuries, nothing fatal on our side.”Anthony gestures toward the stairwell.“Astrid’s arranging transport for the wounded.Our father suddenly appeared to fully support our efforts.I imagine he plans to take credit for the victory with the council.You know, the usual family dynamics.”

I shake my head but can’t find it in me to be angry.Davis Devine will always be Davis Devine.Some things never change.

I feel the first hints of dawn approaching, a subtle pressure against my skin that warns of the coming sunlight.Costin feels it too, his body tensing beside me.

“We should go,” he says, his hand finding mine.“The night is ending.”

I look at him,reallylook at him.The master vampire who became my reluctant guardian, my sire, my lover, and now something else entirely.Partner.Equal.He finally broke free of his own chains to stand with me.

“No,” I correct him gently, squeezing his hand.“It’s just beginning, my love.”

His smile transforms his face.“Where to, then?”

“Somewhere with a very sturdy bed and excellent blackout curtains,” I suggest, feeling heat rise in my cheeks despite everything we’ve been through together.“We have a lot to celebrate.”

“Gross.”Anthony makes a gagging noise.“And that’s my cue to leave.Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, which still leaves you plenty of options.”

He disappears through the stairwell door, leaving us alone on the rooftop.The first pale light of dawn touches the eastern horizon, turning the sky from black to deep indigo.

Costin pulls me against him, his arms encircling my waist.“Are you sure about this?About us?”he asks, vulnerability still lingering in his eyes.“You’re free now, Tamara.Free of Elizabeth’s influence, free to choose your own path.”

“I am,” I agree, looking up at him.“And I’m choosing you.Not because of fate or prophecy or supernatural bonds, but because it’s what I want.What I’ve always wanted, even when I was fighting against it.”

His kiss is tender, reverent, a promise sealed in the growing light of a new day.When he pulls back, his smile holds centuries of patience finally rewarded.

“Let’s go home,” he says softly.

We leave the rooftop together.He carries me with him as we travel through the city toward his underground home.I feel the balance inside me settling into place.The vampire, the wolf, the magic, the human, all existing in harmony.I don’t know what challenges tomorrow will bring, but for the first time since my death, I’m not afraid to face them.

I am Tamara Devine, survivor.

And I am, finally, completely, free.

ChapterTwenty-Five

Power recognizes power.

I feel it the moment we enter the council’s office building.Heads turn to watch me, all movement stopping as if their motions were merely a pretense to fool humans who might peek inside.I feel them assessing me, measuring the threat I represent.The council building appears unremarkable from the outside, just another glass skyscraper among many.Magical barriers shimmer like heat waves over the sides.

It has been three nights since I took Mortimer’s magic and Costin turned his sister to ash.It only took one before the council summoned us to account for our actions.Their summons came in the form of a carded invitation.Though it looked polite, it was anything but.The supernatural world still buzzes with whispers of what we’ve done.

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