Page 154 of The Star's Sword

“Sammy,” Cayne said, ignoring Os as he moved over to me. I let Sam go to hug his brother, who had not only risked his life but given so much to have him back.

“Sorry about the leg,” Sam said, holding his brother back.

“I’d give the other one if you needed it,” Cayne said gruffly, then held Sam at arm’s length so he could study his face. “You’re here. Your father is defeated.”

Samael looked at me, wonder dawning in his eyes. “He’s gone. They’re gone.”

I nodded, moving forward to hug him again as his arm moved around me.

“There’s a lot to do,” Ara said. She motioned to Mark, who was celebrating with Mor and the others. “I’ll need some of you to help me with bringing this news to the other realms. We’ll need celestial help to rebuild this and the eighth realm.” She shrugged. “Or maybe we’ll get rid of this hierarchy and start over, with everyone in the same city in the sky. Regardless, we’ll have to undo a lot of evil, and that won’t be easy.”

“But we’ve got each other,” Mor said, smiling at Ara.

Os looked at Griffin. “I’m good to stay and help. I have good relations in the lower celestial realms. Griffin is a ninth realm pet, and that should help.”

“They worship the ninth realm celestials, but they don’t know how things were really going,” Mor said. “It will take education, but with time, when things are better for everyone, they’ll realize it’s better this way.”

“Even if it’s not, they don’t deserve to live in luxury while their leaders abuse and torture,” Ara said. “So if they can’t live in a fair world, that’s on them.” She looked at me. “Cleo, thank you. I know how hard it must have been, giving up Samael.”

I looked at him. “If it weren’t for him, I couldn’t have done it. I didn’t want to give him up, but I knew what he wanted. What I promised from the start.” I blinked, wonder dawning in me as I realized the trial was truly over. “A new world.”

“It doesn’t take as much as I thought to start a new world,” Mark said, flying over to us, flapping his wings as he surveyed the wreckage. “In fact, the celestials made us all think it would be war. That any disruption up here would ruin everything. That millions would die.”

“Fear seems to be their main weapon,” Ara said. “Fear and illusions.” She looked at me. “No one rose to challenge them because their power seemed so great. Perhaps even more than any weapon, Cleo’s fearlessness meant everything.”

I shrugged. “Or the explosion from inside me.”

“That too,” Ara said. “But even flying up here taught me that one fearless, small group can sometimes do more than an army who approaches only when confident.”

“It’s not that I didn’t feel fear,” I said. “It’s that I felt love. Love for my friends, which drove me to worry and fight for them. Love for my world, and the children who deserve better. Love for all of you who have helped me along the way. Been by my side.”

“You’re going to turn me to mush,” Ara said, wiping an eye. “But I’ll stay up here and oversee things. I’m stronger than anything below an eighth realm celestial, and they seem to have wiped the eighth realm out.”

“I wonder if Vasara only escaped because she was always with humans and not in the sky realm,” Simon said. “I hadn’t even thought about her being sent to distract us so they could take Samael. Of course those nepotistic bastards would think he was the Morningstar.”

Samael reached for my face then, pulling my attention back to his. Then he kissed me, lips pressing over mine, filling my heart up with the fact that he was whole, and alive, and we’d won.

The vampires hadn’t been able to stop us. Vasara hadn’t been able to stop us. Ninth realm celestials hadn’t been able to stop us. Our love hadn’t been able to stop us.

His tongue moved in, claiming me, and I went limp in his arms, letting him heal and bond with me.

The explosion had taken so much out of me, not to mention losing Samael, and going to the void realm to get him.

As he kissed me, I felt warm and bright, like the darkness was over and light was finally dawning.

“You brought the morning,” he said breathlessly against my lips. “The night is over, Morningstar.”

I giggled and claimed his lips again, as cheering broke out among my friends.

The ninth realm celestials weren’t coming back.

Samael was here and alive.

I had risen, and it hadn’t even been that difficult. It hadn’t taken an army, just a few strong, close friends who refused to stop before seeing a better world.

And who were willing to give everything.

Now all that remained was going home, and living happily ever after in our new world.

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