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Jonas dropped his head and howled in anguish.
Central was safe.
Jonas and I were alive.
But Nuri was no more.
Epilogue
Two days later, I once again stood in front of the dais in the Hall of the Lords. Though much of the bomb damage had been cleared, the gracefully arched windows were still boarded up, and there were many seats empty—evidence of the destruction Dream had wrought.
Both Karlinda and Julius stood on the dais in full formal regalia, but this was not a trial, and I was not alone.
Jonas stood beside me.
Cat and Bear hovered either side of us.
While no one in this room would be aware of their presence, they’d played a major part in bringing down Sal, Cohen, and Dream, and they deserved to be here at this ceremony.
“This city owes the two of you a debt that can never truly be repaid,” Julius was saying, “You’ve saved this city not only from a heinous plan to use our children as guinea pigs to gift both the wraiths and vampires light immunity, but also from an attack the likes of which has not been seen in over a hundred years.”
He paused as a smattering of polite applause ran around the room. A smile touched my lips. We may have saved them, but Rhea forbid they show too much emotion in this place of rule and tradition.
Applauding is generally frowned upon. Jonas glanced my way, his green eyes glinting brightly in the warm light filling the room. So it’s as overt as you’ll ever get here.
“Jonas Galloway,” Julius continued, “in appreciation for your actions, your status as outcast has been struck from the records. You are—and will forever be—a full citizen of Central City, with all rights as a retired general restored.”
Jonas bowed. “Thank you.”
Julius’s gaze switched to me. “Catherine Lysandra, your deep involvement in rescuing the missing children, in exposing those who would have brought this city to its knees—even at the possible cost of your own freedom and life—and in calling forth those who have long been vilified by this city to protect the very same city, has created a debt I doubt we can ever fully repay. So I ask you to name your price, and we shall endeavor to match it.”
I glanced uncertainly at Jonas. Is he serious?
Very, he replied. So what is the one the thing you have always wanted, Tiger?
“Home,” I said out loud.
A place for me and for my ghosts—somewhere where we no longer had to fear discovery. A place where we would always be safe.
A hint of a smile touched Julius’s lips. “I think we’ll need a bit more information than that.”
My heart raced and my fists were clenched. Hope and excitement surged, but I also feared to unleash them too fully. Feared that the one thing I really wanted was the one thing they would not risk.
I licked my lips and said, “If you are truly serious, then what I desire is the old HDP museum and the grounds around it.”
Julius’s eyebrows rose. “But that is outside Central’s walls, and considered unstable ground besides.”
“I'm aware of that, my lord.”
“It is also, by your own statement, haunted by the ghosts of the déchet who died there,” Karlinda said, a touch of horror in her voice. “I could think of nothing more... unsettling.”
“Those ghosts will not harm me,” I replied evenly. “But they will visit hell on any vampire who dares step foot in that place.”
Julius shared a glance at Karlinda, who simply nodded.
“Are you sure we cannot offer you something more befitting your station?” he said. “An apartment in the mid-districts, perhaps?”
I shook my head. “The museum and the surrounding land is payment enough, and all I desire.”
