Forever (Fallen 3)

I felt like all we’d been doing was running.

In no time, we came to a dead end. There was nowhere to go, except back.

We all started to turn around, but Gabriel halted us.

“This is the way,” he studied the marble wall. “I know it is.”

He ran his hand over the marble. I didn’t know what it was he was looking for.

He lowered himself to the ground, peering at the stone. “Aha!” He exclaimed. “Kylie, come here. You too, Jonathon, and bring the baby.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“Our way out,” he smiled, pointing at formations in the shape of hands drawn on the marble. “Put your hand here,” he pointed to a medium sized handprint. “Jonathon,” he pointed to another. “And baby Makenna,” he took the baby from Jonathon’s arms. “On the count of three, place your hands there. Okay?”

We nodded.

“But first, you’re going to have to cut yourselves…and Makenna. There has to be a blood sacrifice,” he stared us down.

“Hell no! We’re not cutting Makenna! Are you crazy?!” I glared at him, shaking my head back and forth.

“It’s the only way,” Gabriel said. Before I could utter another word, a knife appeared in his hand and he was slicing the fleshy part of my hand, Jonathon’s, and Makenna’s. “Remember, she’s a dhampir. She’ll heal faster than normal.” He began to count. “One. Two. Three—”

We put our hands against the imprints and Gabriel held Makenna’s hand to hers.

With a mighty puff of air, the wall began to move.

It slid about three feet and when we looked up we could see the twinkling of stars and smell fresh air.

“Told you,” Gabriel smirked, handing me Makenna. He crouched down and leapt up. He grunted as he landed outside. “Who’s next?” He peered down at us.

It took no time for the vampires and shifters to get out, but then we had to help the Coven members. The distance was far too high for them to climb.

I peered down at my daughter, at her sweet innocent face, and wondered why she had to go through this. Why did the prophecy have to be about us? And what would the future hold for her with her power?

I climbed into the car and held Makenna to my chest.

When I met Jonathon, I never imagined that our life would end up like this, that there would be so much death and destruction.

I knew now, that he’d known from the beginning that the prophecy was about us. There was no fighting it, but he’d tried to protect me from it.

But you can’t protect yourself from fate.

You have to embrace it.

I leaned my head against Jonathon’s shoulder.

From now on, I was going to embrace every moment of my forever with him.

Epilogue #1: Lay to Rest

Amelia was devastated when we told her Diana hadn’t made it. Her eyes had widened in horror, her mouth falling open in disbelief.

I was numb…it was the best way for me to cope.

I pushed all thoughts of Diana, Adam, Vivian, and the shifters and Coven members who’d given their lives, to the back of my mind.