Page 110 of The Tracker's Dawn: Sunderverse

Jake sat up, smiling. “I am. All thanks to you. It’s over. It’s all over, Toni. We did it. You saved us all. Even the city.”

I shook my head, unable to believe what he was saying. Thishadto be a dream. Tears slid down my face. Jake wiped them away, pulled me into his lap, and held me tight.

“Shh, it’s over. It’s truly over.”

He soothed me, gently caressing my back and rocking back and forth.

“I love you,” he said. “I love you, and for the rest of my life I will do my best to repay everything you’ve ever done for me.”

I cried, not caring about any of that. He was all I wanted, and I had him. I had him.

EPILOGUE

Images of Mekare’sdefeat and the cleansing floated in my mind as Jake helped me walk into Eric’s study where everyone waited.

Rosalina and Lucia rushed toward me as I limped in and fussed over me.

“Are you all right?”

“How do you feel?”

“Can I get you anything?”

I shook my head, smiling. “I’m all right, I promise you.”

Jake helped me sit on the sofa, across from Eric and Damien. They both scanned me from head to toe and seemed relieved as they confirmed I was in one piece. Eric leaned back in the armchair and exhaled while Damien peered into the depths of the unlit fireplace.

For a long minute, we sat embedded in thick silence, steeped in a heavy dose of incredulity and relief. It had been a couple of hours since Damien unleashed Velthgrek on Mekare, and the demon devoured her bloodandheart. It had happened so quickly that the witch had no chance to do anything to save herself.

Every few minutes, I had to glance over at Jake to make sure he was really there, safe and sound. He was pacing behind the sofa, mental wheels turning behind his clear eyes.

Suddenly, something occurred to me. “Damien, how did you send Velthgrek back without a pentagram?”

He blinked, startled out of his reverie, and said, “I didn’t.”

“What?!”