Page 154 of Lost

From the corner of my eye I saw the tall Warrior’s body jerk in surprise, but Kevin and Aphrodite were in a world of their own, and for just a few moments more, no one else was alive except them.

Aphrodite tried to touch Kevin’s face, but she couldn’t. Kevin caught her hand and pressed it against his cheek.

“Silly Kev,” she said. “Don’t you know by now thatyouare my Darius in this world? That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

“I love you, Aphrodite. Always,” Kevin said.

“Me too. You’re my person… who fits together with me perfectly. Kiss me goodbye, Kev.”

Kevin bent and kissed her. Aphrodite breathed one long sigh—and then she breathed no more.

Darius approached us slowly, respectfully. He reached out and touched Aphrodite’s golden hair.

“I did not know her, yet she seems so familiar. And so very spectacular,” he said.

Kevin looked up at him. “Her name was Aphrodite, and sheisspectacular. In any world.”

Darius nodded, bowed respectfully to me, and then rejoined the other Warriors trying to figure out what to do with an army of hysterical vampyres.

I knew they needed help. I knew I should figure out something to do for them, but at that moment I felt so numb—so empty—that all I could do was sit there with my arm around my brother as his cries joined with the red vampyres, lifting into the heavens.

“She did it! Those sprites were amaze—” Stevie Rae was shouting, as she and Rephaim ran us to us.

And then she saw Aphrodite.

“Oh, Goddess. No.” Stevie Rae dropped to the grass beside us with Rephaim staying close to her. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” I said.

“It worked!” I heard Dragon’s voice behind me.

“Aphrodite was incredible!” Anastasia’s voice came from over my shoulder as well.

I turned to see them jogging up to us, smiling victoriously—until they saw Aphrodite.

“Oh, Aphrodite.” Anastasia crouched beside me, gently closing Aphrodite’s eyes. “May your reunion with Nyx be filled with joy.”

“I don’t understand. This sacrifice did not take her life in your world,” said Dragon.

“No, it didn’t.” I wiped my nose with the sleeve of my sweatshirt. “I don’t understand it either.”

“Then let me explain, Daughter.”

Chills cascaded over my skin as the Goddess’ familiar voice filled the air around us. As one, the stadium gasped and then went completely silent as every vampyre, red and blue, fell to their knees and bowed their heads.

Standing just a few feet from us was Nyx. In this incarnation she looked like an exquisite Cherokee maiden. I instantly recognized the tear dress she wore—it was a glistening calico print in all the colors of the rainbow. Glowing ribbons decorated the quarter-length sleeves, and around the skirt, just above the flounce, were shining diamonds creating the design of our people’s seven-pointed star. She wore her hair long and free, and it floated in a dark waterfall around her waist.

“Hello, Nyx.” I bowed my head and fisted my hand over my heart. “Merry meet.”

She drifted to me and lifted my face, kissing each of my cheeks, instantly drying my tears.

“Merry meet, u-we-tsi-a-ge-ya. You did well in coming here, though I know the cost to your heart has been great.”Then she turned her radiant gaze to Kevin, still holding Aphrodite’s body in his arms as his head bowed.

“U-we-tsi, you may lift your head.”

My brother did. His face was ravaged by grief and tears, but he smiled at his Goddess. “Merry meet, Nyx.”

“I want you to know why Aphrodite’s life was sacrificed here today. In this world she was not strong enough to withstand the loss of her humanity. She did not have friends here. She only knew love briefly, with you, Kevin Redbird. Her loneliness broke her.”The Goddess’ gaze included Dragon and Anastasia.“Learn from her loss. You need each other. It matters not the color of the Marks on your face—or whether you are vampyre, fledgling, or human. You need each other to truly live. And you will always be stronger together.”