“And you’ll be joining me?” Aiden asked. “With my brothers at Ravenswood?”
Jaci smiled. “Absolutely.”
This seemed to satisfy him, and he finally stepped in front of the portal.
Not wanting to wait another second, she sprinkled the dirt over his head and repeated the same spell she’d used on her father, giving Aiden a gentle nudge.
He disappeared into the light.
Another wave of relief crashed over her, and she looked at Gabriel with tears in her eyes, her throat tight.
“We did it,” she whispered, a smile breaking across her face. “We saved them. We broke the curse and took down Azerius and… Holy hell, Gabriel. We really did it.”
“Youdid it, little moonflower. As I knew you would.”
“I couldn’t have, though. Not without you. You—”
“Oh, please.” Meech laughed and rolled her eyes. “You two are just about the most vomit-inducing thing I’ve ever seen, which is saying a lot, considering I’m one of the best torturers in the realm. But also…Ugh. Okay, fine. I’m here for it. Carry on. Feel free to use tongue this time.”
“And she’s yourfavoriterelative?” Gabriel asked with a grin. “Bloody hell, woman. Perhaps we should stay in the pits a while, see if we can dredge up another one. Second-cousin, perhaps.”
Meech folded her arms over her chest and huffed. “I’m letting you get away with that on account of your super-hotness. But if you keep pushing me, vampire—”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, demon.” He granted Meech one last smile, then grabbed Jaci’s hand, glancing toward the portal. “Jace, we should probably…”
Jaci nodded.
Time to go.
She turned to her cousin, leaning in for another hug.
“Safe travels, Jay-Jay,” Meech said. “Hit me up as soon as you get settled—we’ve still got alotof catching up to do.”
“Does this mean I can summon you again? You’re back on the grid?”
“Hell yeah, I am. And I’ve got some time to make up for too. New tortures to devise, new demon boy-toys to torment. Big plans, girl. Big plans.”
With a final kiss on the cheek for each of them, Meech was off, leaving Jaci and Gabriel alone once more.
“You ready to go home?” she asked him.
“More than I’ve ever been.”
“Then let’s—”
“Jacinda, wait. I need… I need to tell you something. I…” Gabriel trailed off, his eyes filling with longing. Sadness, even. He held her gaze another beat, thumb brushing across her mouth, but before she could ask him what he’d meant to say, he claimed her in a fiery kiss.
When he finally pulled away, his smile was firmly back in place.
“Me too, Prince,” she said with a laugh. “Me too.”
Jaci took his hand, and together, once more, they stepped into the light.
* * *
“They’re back,” Isabelle said. “They’re back!”
Jaci pressed a hand to her chest, steadying her heartbeat as the scene came into focus.
