Page 155 of Lost

Then the Goddess turned in a slow circle, her dark eyes taking in the red vampyres where they knelt or lay. All were staring at her as they continued to weep silent, soul-shaking tears.

“Oh, my poor children.”She spoke softly, but her voice carried to every corner of the stadium.“You are not responsible for the atrocities you committed. You were used by someone in my name, as if I approve of pitting my children against one another. I do not! No god or goddess worthy of worship approves of war and violence and killing. No, this sorrow must be mine and not yours to bear.”

Then the Goddess began to weep, and, as tears cascaded down her smooth cheeks, the sky opened and a warm, gentle rain began to fall—just over the stadium. As it soaked us we didn’t get wet. Instead it absorbed through our clothes, through our skin, and poured into our bodies to find our hearts—our souls—and it washed the sadness, grief, and pain completely away.

The red vampyres’ tears changed as well, from despair to joy, as they hugged each other and shouted praises to the Goddess.

I looked at Kevin. He was still crying, but he was smiling down at Aphrodite’s still body as he stroked her hair and held her close one last time. And then I saw him grimace and jerk, as if something had just smacked him across his back. He turned his head and pulled at his shirt and I saw his fresh sapphire tattoo, which looked exactly like the one that stretched from one of my shoulders to the other.

He looked up and met my eyes.

“Really?” he asked incredulously.

“Really.” I nodded.

We both looked to the Goddess, but she was staring up at the night sky.

“Oak! Return,”Nyx commanded.

The tree sprite instantly materialized, bowing low to the Goddess.

“Dear sprite, you have my gratitude for righting the terrible wrong that was done to my red vampyre children.”

“Anything for you, Great Goddess,”Oak said.

“Then I do have one request.”

“Name it, Nyx, Goddess of Night.”

“Let this child’s sacrifice be payment enough to return my three children to their rightful world.”

“So you have spoken, Immortal Earth Mother. So mote it be.”

Nyx came to us.“You must return now, children. There is only so much meddling that can be allowed from one world to the next, and your time here is over.”She paused, catching my gaze.“Zoey Redbird, would you like to say a final goodbye before you return?”

I knew what she was talking about—or ratherwhoshe was talking about. And my answer was easy.

“No, thank you. I know my heart. We said our goodbyes in your grove.” Speaking those words gave me the greatest sense of relief I’d ever felt in my life. I loved Heath. I would always love Heath. But the man who wore his face in this world wasn’tmyHeath. He didn’t share my memories, and he couldn’t share my future. Seeing me now, so briefly, would only cause him confusion and pain. “But does he know I’m here? Does he know this was me?”

“No, Daughter. He saw only a dark-haired, powerful vampyre High Priestess, not his Zo. You chose wisely, as I knew you eventually would.”

“Thank you, Nyx. Thank you so much.”

But I did still have goodbyes to say. Kevin looked up at me and, gently, he lay Aphrodite’s body on the grass. He kissed her forehead, and then he stood and pulled me into a hug.

“I’m gonna miss you,” he said.

“Me too.”

“Are you being nice to the other me over there in your world?”

“Yep. You’re not as dorky as I thought you’d be.”

“Good. Be his friend. Don’t let him be lonely,” Kevin said.

“Never. I’ll never let him be lonely,” I assured him. “I love you, Kev.”

“I love you too, Zo.”