“Ah,” Flynn rocked on his heels, “this is where things get a little complicated.” His eyes darted between Thayde and I. “Thayde’s the strongest vampire we’ve ever had. You’re the strongest Link the merpeople have ever had. But you’re married to each other.”
I looked to Thayde.
“We’ll figure it out,” he said reassuringly.
“I’d say with the both of you being able to live forever, you won’t have many problems from here on in.”
“What do you mean?”
He scratched his blond head. “Well, you sort of have the best of both worlds. You don’t have to kill merpeople to survive because you are one. And you won’t die because you’re vampire.”
It took a moment to sink in. “What about our baby?” I cried.
“If you’ve seen her on her wedding day, I suspect she’ll age until she reaches eighteen or twenty-one and then,” he shrugged, completing his sentence. “I don’t see a problem.”
The last of my memories fought their way through – patchy images of the war – and I broke from Thayde’s arms.
“The war? What happened? Herra?” My sacrifice couldn’t have been in vain.
“It was miraculous,” Thayde smiled, his face handsome despite the blood. “She was in the middle of sucking the life from everyone when Naira and Paul broke through the surface of the water with a host of angels! The Genif’s disappeared in their wake and Herra, she was taken.”
“Taken? By who?”
“The Devil,” Flynn stated. “She didn’t stick to her side of the deal. She didn’t gather all the souls she promised. She’s gone for good.”
“Naira wanted me to tell you that you did well. All you had to do was remember that you were never alone and that it didn’t begin or end with you. You remembered who to trust and rely on.” Thayde said proudly. “In the end, you sacrificed yourself for the good of everyone else. That in itself is admirable.”
I didn’t feel admirable. I had just done what I knew needed to be done. To be honest, I hadn’t thought past the end. I hadn’t expected to live.
“My parents. Mom. She died, didn’t she?”
“She did. Naira took her home.”
“The others that died?”
“They lost their lives defending you.” Flynn said. “They would have done it a hundred times.”
I gulped, knowing many had died. “Who?”
“Nearly everyone: David, Dominic, Kenneth, Herra, Raif,”
“Gavran, is he alright?”
“Yes. He’s a bit worse for wear, but he’s alive.”
“Tiesa, Ezen?”
“They’re fine.”
“What about Tammer and Aletheia? Lars?”
Thayde pursed his lips. “Tammer died protecting Aletheia.”
“No!” Grief gripped my heart and I began to sob. “I’ve lost my family.”
All Thayde could do was hold me tight. Flynn dropped to a knee and rubbed his forehead.
“You haven’t lost your family, Morgan. Aletheia and Lars are still alive as are your best friends and your husband. You’re expecting a child. You’ll reign over your people for as long as you wish now – instead of as long as you live. You’ve drastically altered your species history, but I think it will be for the better.”
Live forever? I didn’t know if I wanted that. But to have Thayde and my baby by my side would make it bearable. What about Tiesa and Ezen? I’d have to watch them grow old and pass away.
Flynn watched me try to process my future. He looked sad.
“Morgan, I know it’s a lot to take in. My first hundred years were the worst of my life. But you gave me hope, and that,” he paused, “that was something I thought was impossible. I didn’t think I could live without Anna, but you were right: I was lucky to have experienced her love. I don’t know where I’m going to go from here, but I know I’m here for a reason.”
A rustle in the trees a few feet away drew our attention and a slender, pale woman dressed from head to toe in tan suede walked from behind a palm tree. Flynn leapt to his feet.
“What are you doing here, Regan?” He demanded.
Her dark brown eyes quickly searched the area before she responded. “We don’t have a leader.”
“I should think that would make all of you very happy.” Flynn snarled.
She eyed him. “You speak as if you’re not one of us.”
“I never wanted to be,”
“Aye, but you are. He is gone and we are without a leader.”
“What do you want?”
“You know the strongest of us reigns,” Regan fiddled with an enormous red garnet ring on her finger. She nodded at Thayde. “He is the strongest.”