“Much can happen in the time between two heartbeats,” I said, repeating what the King of Summer had told me while we stood in the heart of Winter.
“Or when a heart beats no more,” Tristan said. “Our bond was what kept your soul from going… elsewhere, but–” He cleared his throat, looking over my head. “It could be broken, if that’s what you want.”
I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him, drinking in the taste of him even as I banished that foolish thought from his mind. I could’ve kissed him for another lifetime and still not had my fill, but I lowered down onto the soles of my feet. “Is Marc…”
He shook his head, and even though the wound was old, the pain seemed fresh again. “But the twins, Martin, Roland – they’re here and well. I’ll take you to see them.”
I bit the insides of my cheeks, afraid to ask my next question, but knowing that I had to. “How long can I stay?”
A smile curved his cheeks. “Forever.”
My eyes burned and I shook my head slowly, letting the sweetness of that singular word sink into my heart. “Why didn’t you bring me sooner?”
He tucked a curl of hair behind my ear, then cupped my cheek with his palm. “Would you have wanted to miss it?”
Instinctively, I knew what he meant: my life. All the places I’d gone, things I’d seen, people I’d known and loved. A thousand accomplishments, mine and those of my family and friends. My son, growing from a tiny baby into a man of whom I was immensely proud. My life, which should’ve been our life together. “No,” I whispered. “I wouldn’t have wanted to miss a minute of it. And I’m so sorry you had to.”
“I didn’t.” He kissed my lips. “At least, not entirely. There are some advantages of being able to see all.”
My chest ached as I imagined him watching all those long years. The depth of his love and loyalty to me, to our son, to our friends, that he’d not turned away and forgotten. “I wish they knew. Alex… He’ll take my death hard.” And though he was a man grown, it was hard for me to accept leaving him.
“Sabine suspects,” Tristan said. “She’ll know what to say. To him, and to the rest of them.”
It was as though the last of my burdens had been lifted, and I took a deep breath and savored it, knowing that I’d done all I could for those I loved best. For those I’d left behind. Their lives were theirs to live. As was mine. “Tristan…”
“Yes?” His face betrayed none of the nervousness I knew to be roiling through him.
“You say you saw all?” I cocked one eyebrow, then smiled as I felt his nerves turn to faint embarrassment. “As I recall, some things are better…” I paused, giving him a slow smile, “face to face.”
“I could not agree more,” he replied, embarrassment turning into something far better. Then his arms were around me, his lips on mine, and the feel of them – of him – was infinitely sweeter than memory.
Pulling him down onto grass like velvet, I lost myself in him. In the love that had consumed me for so much of my life. A love that I’d feared would always be colored with the bittersweet tarnish of loss. An echo of a song. But now, against all hope, that love was polished clean and new as it had been in those first days we’d fallen.
My mortal life was over.
But our immortal life had just begun.
Acknowledgments
I’ve faced a unique set of challenges with the writing of each of my novels, but one constant has been carving time out of each day to put words on the page. Never, however, has that been more difficult than the six months I spent plucking Warrior Witch from this sleep-deprived, new mother’s mind. With great certainty, I can say that this novel would be a half-finished mess of words on the page without the support of my family. An enormous amount of thanks must go to my parents, Carol and Steve, for providing endless hours of babysitting, and to my mother-in-law, Pat, for swooping in during those moments when I was falling asleep on my feet. Most especially, I must thank my other half, Spencer, for waking up at 5am everyday so that I didn’t have to, and for ensuring that I ate more than just pizza and granola bars.
Gratitude, as always, must go to my utterly amazing agent, Tamar Rydzinski, who always goes above and beyond the call of duty. A big thanks to intern Rachael for her summarization skills, and to Laura Dail, for always being an enormous support. To my publishing team at Angry Robot: Phil, Marc, Mike, Penny, and Caroline, thank you so much for all the hard work you’ve done to ensure the success of my novels.