But now, I could give her this gift, taking the Colorado trip I knew she’d always wanted to do.
Thanks to Reva’s sacrifice, winter had finally released her icy grip, and spring had emerged with renewed ferocity across the United States. Here in Colorado, wildflowers had exploded across the landscape, the aspen leaves so bright green they nearly hurt to look at.
Sophie would’ve loved it.
Excited to reach the summit, I pushed ahead, forcing myself not to run up the mountain at vampire speed. I wanted to enjoy the view, the sights and sounds of Colorado at night.
“How is everyone holding up?” I called back, pausing at a large boulder to wait for them to catch up.
“Just… give me a moment.” Liam slumped against the boulder when he reached me, one hand pressed to his chest as he tried in vain to catch his breath. “It’s like… breathing through… a cocktail straw.”
“Oh, it’s not that bad,” I teased.
“Easy for you to say, Little Witch. You don’t require oxygen, of which there is precious little at this altitude.” He pulled a water bottle from the pack on his back, then took a swig. “Things were so much easier when I could take avian forms.”
“Do you want to turn back?” I asked.
“And take a nap,” Ash said, patting Liam’s back, “maybe get a little room service, have someone rub your delicate feet and—”
“Not on your life, incubus.”
“That’s the spirit, Spooky.” Asher laughed and elbowed him in the ribs, but when we got moving again, Ash hung back, keeping Liam company the rest of the trek up.
An hour later, we were at the top, just me and the guys.
The summit of Mt. Elbert was Colorado’s highest peak. At over 14,000 feet above sea level, we were standing three miles up into the sky, each of us taking a moment to ourselves to take in the vast beauty glittering before us.
It was breathtaking.
I waited until the moment felt right, and then I removed the pack from my back, retrieving the items I’d brought with me.
A letter from Haley to Sophie, that I now tucked beneath a large rock on the eastern side of the summit.
Several palm-sized stones, each one painted with Sophie’s mandala designs and written with messages of love and the names of each of the witches who’d given their lives in Blackmoon Bay. Addie had helped me paint them, and now I placed them together on the southern side of the summit, whispering a few words for the ones we’d lost.
In some ways, I felt like I should be saying a few words for Reva, too. Losing her had been hard on all of us, and remembering her now sent a fresh bolt of pain through my heart. But Liam had assured us that we hadn’t seen the last of her. That she’d be back in one form or another as soon as she completed her training.
Apparently she’d given the Old One a real piece of her mind, and they were—to quote Liam—“implementing some changes for the betterment of all” in their recruiting and training process. Liam hadn’t been privy to the details, but I smiled now, knowing that Reva had come into her own, trusting that she’d find a way to carve out her path, just as we all had.
Then, it was finally time.
I looked across the summit and gestured for Ronan to join me. The other guys gathered behind us, silent and respectful.
Sophie had been Ronan’s friend as much as she’d been mine, and though we still hadn’t been ready to talk about her, to share the good memories, we were getting there.
And I was so, so grateful he was here with me now, helping me to finally set her free.
“Thank you,” I whispered to him, and he nodded, reaching for the urn that held Sophie’s remains. With each of us taking one side, we tipped the urn and scattered her ashes, watching them spin and dance in the night sky, shimmering like the stars above until they finally winked out and disappeared.
Ronan stepped back with the others to give me some space, and I let out a soft breath, but I didn’t cry for her. This wasn’t a goodbye. Sophie had been with me through all of it, and even if I couldn’t see or hold her again, I knew she’d be with me through all the days and nights to come.
“I thought you should know,” I told her, “we re-formed Bay Coven. We’ve got a lot more members now, including Verona, who makes the trip out every new moon for the meetings.” I laughed, even as the tears fell from my eyes, knowing what Sophie would say. “Yeah,” I replied, as if she’d said it out loud. “I saidwe. I’m a founding member, so you finally got your wish. Crazy, right? My sisters are members, too. Addie and Georgie… You would’ve loved them.”
I closed my eyes, reaching out for her once more, knowing I didn’t need to say the words out loud anymore.
Of course she was there. She’d always be there.
Even now, I could feel her presence, her smile, her light. She lived in my heart. She lived in the ocean at Raven’s Cape, as wild as it had ever been. She lived in the sky. She lived on this mountain. She lived anywhere love and light were found.
