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After that, Preta recognized the Foster coven for their efforts in standing up to corruption inside the DHA itself and ensuring that we could complete our mission. Next up was the Wildes coven, for their part in all of this. Then Preta even handed out smaller accolades to the covens who’d shown up to save our asses after I’d killed Ty.
“They fought one battle, and they get medals?” Nico snorted.
Jax shushed him with a laugh.
“This is boring,”a voice echoed inside of my mind.“When can we go?”
I nudged the bag under my seat with my heel, since I couldn’t exactly reply to Tempest directly.
Finally, Preta shared the stage with a witch from the OIB he introduced as Kacela Neith.
“She’s our handler,” Hudson whispered to me.
Preta announced, “I speak for the Demon Hunter Agency as a whole when I say we are grateful to stand before you today to renew our commitment as a member of the Organización Internacional de Brujos.”
His flawless pronunciation impressed me. The OIB had formed in Spain after the Inquisition, and it had kept its name through the centuries.
Neith took over, saying, “The OIB has long recognized that vampires are our allies — not our enemies — in protecting this world from the infernal realm. But never has that been more true than now, after four vampires risked their lives to kill the devil controlling Charlotte’s portal.”
She went on for a few minutes, making a political speech, and Hudson leaned forward. We’d heard rumors that the DHA planned to change their stance on vampires today, but we needed to hear it for ourselves.
Preta took back over one more time and announced, “From this day forward, the DHA will accept vampires as agent candidates, no longer distinguishing between their rights and the rights of witches. We have discussed this with Charlotte’s mayor, and she agrees all vampires will have the same rights, privileges, and responsibilities as any witch citizen.”
This was exactly what Hudson had originally come here to accomplish. I hugged him from the side, and his proud smile made me so happy.
“You did it,” I said to him over the sound of applause.
“We did it together.”
After the official ceremony ended, everyone milled around, celebrating and congratulating the medal recipients. I must have talked to a hundred witches and regs before we could make our way toward the back, inching closer to our escape.
With my aura charm on, I could guess what the next group of well-wishers wanted as they approached us. All of them possessed auras that were just a tinge darker than a witch’s normally was. But none of them were so dark as Nico’s. To my surprise, I recognized one vampire as Robert, the demon hunter who used to patrol the wall near the Roost. He’d been there the day I saw my mother’s spirit for the first time.
Tears fell from one vampire’s eyes as she took Jax’s hand in both of hers. “Thank you for everything you did for us.”
As he awkwardly patted her shoulder, I turned to Robert. “I didn’t know you’d been turned.”
He grinned. “I didn’t know you had either, until recently. How is your mother’s spirit?”
“She helped me more than you can imagine. I’d say she’s finally at peace.”
“Good.” He smiled and seemed genuinely pleased for me. “Perhaps you’ll see her at Samhain in a few days, then.”
“Perhaps so.”
“There were others,” Robert gestured around vaguely. “Other vampires, but they left when they were freed… After what we were subjected to…”
I pursed my lips. “We understand. We all have the right to move freely in witch society now, and I don’t blame them for taking it.”
“We hope things will be different now,” Jax said. “A lot different.”
If we could help it, we’d be the last generation of vampires. The OIB had already spread the word to other cities, explaining that killing devils would shrink the portals back to the more easily managed sizes demon hunters had defended for centuries until the Year of Rending.
Twenty years ago, hundreds of those small portals had been torn wide open, all at once. And each gaping threshold had spewed out a unique combination of demons, depending on locale. Unfortunately, biters were one type that was very common throughout the world. Small enough to avoid notice, even one escaped biter would often create dozens of bloodsuckers or vampires before demon hunters could stop it. Now that we knew how to shrink the portals back down, fewer biters could escape unseen, and fewer regs and witches would get turned.
We still had no idea what had triggered the Year of Rending, whether several devils were working in tandem, or perhaps competing, to take over our world. Perhaps we never would. We also had no idea why Ty had said the link between worlds couldn’t be severed.
But at least Charlotte was safe for now. They had walled off the golf course, and it was much easier to patrol its walls, requiring only four or five covens at most. The world was changing again, and for the first time in decades, it was changing for the better.
