Page 155 of The Star's Sword

A world where demons like Samael would be walking out of camps and out into the light.

A world where there would be no more rogues.

A world where I didn’t even have to train anymore, because I’d finished my hardest task.

Hand in Samael’s, I moved to the portal Mor was making to send those of us who were injured back to the sanctuary.

Finally, time to go home.

49

When we got back to the sanctuary, everyone split up to go recover and heal.

Ara and Mor stayed with Os and Griffin in the celestial realm to help calm the celestials and help usher in a transition.

Mark went back to check on Simon’s keep while Simon, Zadis and Cayne went to see our smith, Betty, about prosthetics she could make until Drorren tech could be sourced.

Samael and I went back to his room in the sanctuary, as we were both too exhausted to do anything else.

When we reached his room, I closed the door as he stumbled in and realized his clothing was still burnt. He snapped his fingers, then looked slightly confused when nothing happened.

Then it hit us both. He wouldn’t have any celestial powers anymore.

“I’ll have to learn fabrication,” I said, moving over to the armoire and pulling out clean clothes for Samael.

Despite me being the one to explode into a nova, I was in better shape than Samael. My healing was fast and he had been half-obliterated. And before that they had been feeding on his energy.

We got him dressed and laid him in bed. His red hair was flecked with soot, and he smelled like smoke, as I did, but nothing else mattered as I put on clean clothes and climbed into the covers to join him.

We snuggled in together deep, letting the covers almost cover even our faces from view, surrounding us in comfort and warmth.

“Did it hurt?” I finally asked, when I had the courage to. I was tucked under his arm, my head on his chest, and he looked down at me with tired, red eyes that still held wonder every time he realized we were both still alive and together.

He’d truly thought he would die.

I marveled at the kind of man he was, that even with such a cruel life, he was willing to give up the rest of it to prevent others from going through the same cruelty.

He was one in a million and now I had him for the rest of my life.

But he still hadn’t answered my question.

His hand tensed on mine. “I guess it did, but probably not how you think. It was just the thought of never seeing you again, as the energy wave came toward me. I felt my certain doom, and I was proud of you, glad you did what you promised, but…” He held me tight. “Just as oblivion came, I felt so desolate, knowing I wouldn’t be by your side again. It was the worst feeling. Not dying, but knowing that you can’t be there anymore for the one you love. Knowing that they will hurt so badly and you won’t be there to hold them.”

I just held him tight, glad that our worst fears hadn’t come true.

“When I saw you enter the morning portal, I couldn’t believe it,” Samael said. “I suppose selfishly I was glad we could say goodbye, but I also didn’t know how to save you. If Simon hadn’t come—”

“Thank the gods he’s always one step ahead,” I said. “Did you see his true form?”

“I’ve seen it before,” Sam said. “I think it’s awesome.”

“Did I get there in time?” I asked quietly, thinking about the celestials circling him in the sky. “They didn’t do anything to you before I got there?”

Sam blinked, then laughed. “Tried to steal my virtue or something?”

I nodded.

He shook his head. “They were trying to drain my energy out to kill me, so no. And you were there in time, obviously.” His arms closed even tighter around me, like iron bands. Like if he let go at all, I’d go flying away from him. “When I saw you there, it was so surreal. Both of us, in the ninth realm. I was half-dead but so glad to see you.” He sighed. “That moment in the void when you told me it was over, that they were gone, it felt like the first time I’ve been at peace in this world since I was born.”

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