Page 123 of Till Death Do Us Part

“It was… technically, I killed him,” I whispered. It was a strange thing to realize—part of me knew I should have felt worse, that I’d pulled the trigger, that I’d sent a man to his death. But it had been him or us, and he’d hurt Vera. I would have done it a thousand times over without even thinking about it.

“He fell into the inferno,” Vera said. “Baptized in flame… it’s the only way to kill a demon.”

“Good riddance,” Yulia said. “I’ve never met a man who deserves it more. And I’ve met a great number of men who deserve it. Elaine Whitner… I have to say, I’m impressed.”

I looked down. “I didn’t do that much, in the end. Everyone else—”

“That’s enough.” Yulia stepped closer. “You led your clan to victory against one of the largest and most powerful in Merona.”

“It’s not my clan, it’s just… our family.”

“Call it what you will, but you are, unquestionably, recognized as the leader of a full-fledged clan. And I’m here to talk to you as the representative for Penumbra.”

“A representative,” Jenna said pointedly, “who got shot in the liver and needs extensive quiet time and bed rest.”

Yulia ignored her. “The Whitecliffs would like to broker an alliance. We harbor no ill will towards you, and we’ve worked together to bring down one of our greatest threats in the Blackbirds. You played an instrumental role in stopping the Horizon project that would have been an existential threat to our clan. To that end, Whitecliff extends an offer of alliance and partnership to Penumbra.”

My heart raced, a wild and wondrous feeling sending me reeling. I hadn’t really thought about the after. I wasn’t some kind of mob boss.

But I could be part of a change. To help make things better, to help stop the conflicts.

And I could be part of a family.

“Thank you,” I said. “We owe you an incredible debt of gratitude for your help. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

Vera spoke gruffly. “Your people still tried to kill my wife.”

“You tried to kill your wife,” Yulia said flatly.

“It’s okay,” I laughed, holding Vera closer to me. I felt so safe whenever it was like this—even with both of us injured, it was like nothing could hurt me when I was close to Vera.

And I could be close to her all I liked now.

My wife.

“I think it’s safe to say Penumbra accepts your offer,” I said, looking around the room. “What do we say, everybody?”

“We need all the help we can get at this point,” Caitlyn said, putting her hand forward. “I’m on board.”

Petra put her hand in too. “We’re stronger together.”

“An alliance serves us all well,” Jenna said, adding her hand. “I’m on board.”

“If Elaine agrees, then I agree,” Vera said, putting her hand in. I put my hand in the center with the others, and I gave Yulia a little smile.

“So… you’re in too?”

Yulia blinked slowly, looking at our hands together. “I am… not a part of whatever this is.”

“Ah, quit pretending you’re too cool for us,” Petra said. “You’ve been shot at right alongside us. You’ve petted the cat and eaten Elaine’s cooking. You’re an honorary Penumbra now.”

Yulia let out a deep, existential sigh, and reluctantly, she put her hand in the middle. “This isn’t how I’m accustomed to making agreements.”

I laughed. “It’s never too late to start something new, is it?”

“It’s too early to,” Jenna said. “We should be doing this in the morning, after everyone has been able to rest.”

“It’s an agreement,” I said. “Penumbra isn’t going anywhere.”