Chapter 285


    Jonah POV


    I chased Kyan, but Kaif took off with him, and I knew why. He wanted to end it before he thought much


    about it, so he needed to retrieve the dagger. Kyan knew for Mara to live, Kaif must die, and he saw no


    other way out. His pain crushed me, yet I had wandered from the trail and was now struggling to find


    my way back. I headed back up the hill with no other choice, knowing it led back to the ruins. I didn''t


    want to wander too far and be lost. When I reached the top, I clutched my knees and tried to


    catch my breath. Eziah and Marabe stood arguing with Katya, who paid them no mind as she looked


    at the grimoire she held. Kat''s eyes flicked to me before her voice was suddenly in my head. °


    "Take Mara," she says, and I swallow, trying to figure out what she was doing here and why she wanted


    me to take Mara. Kat then tosses the grimoire into the coffin, and I move toward the ruins. Slightly


    hesitant as I stepped inside the pentagram. The power emanating from the three of them was almost


    suffocating.


    "I can do this, mum. Just listen to me," Eziah pleaded with Kat?


    "T am not doubting that, Eziah, but give me the stones," Kat says, holding her hand out. I walk behind


    Eziah, and Mara and Kat nodded to me. I swallowed, knowing what she was asking, and the moment


    my arms wrapped around Mara''s waist. She screamed and thrashed, twisting in my arms, trying to


    break free.


    "No, no!" Mara screamed. Eziah steps away from Kat shaking his head when her hands mp on the


    sides of Eziah''s face. "Hand me the stones," her voice soft, yet themand behind them was brutal,


    and Eziah resisted, trying to fight off hermand, but he was no match for his mother.


    "Now get out of the ruins," She says just as I pull Mara out. She copses at my feet, dragging me to


    the ground with her as I try to hold her up.


    "It''s okay, sweetie, I''m not going anywhere," Kat tells her, fiddling with the stones and rolling them in


    her palm.


    "You will never know peace. You will be forever cursed,"


    "But none of you will. So that is where you are wrong. I made peace with


    this; I ept it, so neither of you has tO, it isn’t goodbye I will still get to meet my grandchildren, still be


    with you while you grow into who you’re supposed to be" Kat tells her.


    "But you don''t have to do this. We can find another way, once you die you will forever trapped as the


    Moon Goddess," Marabe sobs, and Kat stares down at the stones.


    "This is the only way, you don''t have to like it, but you will ept it. You’ ll let me do this for you. And


    eventually, you''ll understand it," Kat tells her and my grip on Mara grew tighter as she cried, Kat would


    forever be trapped in the Moon Goddess realm once it was her time to pass.


    "A mother''s love has no bounds and is endless, infinite. Your son will show you that. Kaif has lost


    enough, and so has Kyan, I want peace, Marabe. And this is how I find it. This is my sacrifice to bear


    because I won''t allow you to pay the price for my mistakes, and Dominic was my mistake; I didn''t just


    take his life. I ruined Kyan''s by not bringing him back. I almost ruined yours. I won''t make that mistake


    twice, not when I can fix it," Kat says turning to look at Eziah who just stood there looking defeated, his


    shoulders dropped and he hung his head.


    "This is what will give me peace, give Kyan back his father and Dominic back his life. A small price to


    pay. It started with the moon goddess, and now it ends with her," Kat says, and Marabe tries to get to


    her feet. Her mother''s magic slips out and I pull her against me.


    One of Kat’s eyes turned ck, the other gold, ck, and gold tendrils slivered across her arms and


    face as she opened her arms, and I was blinded with light.


    The noise echoed through the sky louder then a crack of lightening, louder than a bomb when she


    smashed the stones against one another. An explosion of power erupted out of her, and the ground


    shook violently. Marabe screamed, and Eziah fell to his knees when the ruins began to crack, the


    ground shaking.


    I blink, shielding my eyes around the light to find the shadows standing around Kat, flickering. All the


    ghosts from the Octavian bloodline stood around her, and she opened her fingers, the stones turneding


    to dust, falling to the ground as they slipped through her fingers only to be swept away by the wind.


    Kat closes her eyes and sighs before turning to the coffin and holding thesides. Marabe crawled


    forward on  her hands and knees, as thest gigantic rock crumpled to the ground and turned to dust. It


    was carried away with the breeze, along with the Octavian''s ghosts, their whispers carried on the


    breeze around us. Finally set free, the curse was broken. I could feel it in every cell my body. Marabe


    gets to her feet just as Kat leans over the coffin peering in. "Thank you," she whispers to Dominic.


    "No, Kat. Thank you," says a deep velvety voice, so clear and so smooth. A voice I hadn''t heard since


    thest time I saw the man alive. Kat flickers, her body shuddering. -


    "The realm is calling me back to clean up, but I suspect you guys can handle the rest," Kat says, facing


    us. She smiles just as the man himself sits up behind her. Kat vanished, and Dominic groaned. We all


    just blinked and stared at the man. He blinks and cracks his neck. °


    "You... Kyan..."" Marabe murmurs, yet I could feel her urge to touch him. Like she couldn''t believe it


    what she was seeing was real. Mara was afraid this was one of her dreams. When she throws herself


    in his arms, hugging him tightly and nearly falling in the coffin with him.


    "You have no idea how long I have waited to hold you, my girl," Dominic says, his arms wrapping


    around her as he hug her. His movements were slow and sluggish, but his mind was sharp as a tack


    and his speech clear as a bell. Marabe steps back, wiping her tears, and Dominic looks around for


    Kyan. ?


    "Where is he?" Dominic asks. He tries to get out of the coffin, yet his legs don''t want to cooperate as he


    tumbles out. I step forward, gripping his arm before he hits the ground. I help set him on the ground.


    Dominic sucks in a breath looking around with a sigh. "Just gotta give me a minute. The body doesn''t


    want to work just yet," Dominic says, and Marabe and I look at Eziah. Eziah stared at Dominic like he


    was seeing a ghost before feeling our eyes watching him. He looks at us, and Mara stares at her


    brother expectantly.


    "What?" he says, looking between us before looking down at Dominic.


    "Nope, no way, man, I am not making out with Kyan''s father," Eziah says, and Mara bats hershes at


    him.


    "Nope, sorry, Daddy Dom, I don''t swing that way," Eziah says, shaking his head.


    "Please? You can''t expect him to walk back like that?" Mara pleads with her twin.


    "I''m good, Mara. I just need a few minutes," Dominic says, his voice stunning me again. However, Mara


    folded her arms across her chest, popped her hip and pursed her lips. Eziah growls and rolls his eyes


    before he sighs giving into his sister.


    "Fine, and don’t even think about slipping in the tongue," Eziah says, grabbing Dominic''s head between


    his


    hands. Eziah scrunched his face up before pecking Dominic’s lips so quickly that I almost missed it. :


    "Ah yuck," he says, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Dominic


    chuckles but gets more color about himself and shakes his head.


    "That wasn''t necessary, but thanks. I think, because you''re a lousy kisser," Dominic says before holding


    his hand out. ?


    “T wasn’t even trying,” Eziah snapped at him. Mara grabs Dominic’s hand and I step forward, gripping


    his elbow and helping him stand on his feet.


    "Now, where is that son of mine?" Dominic says, putting an arm over Mara''s shoulder. We turn around


    to head toward the trail, only to stop when we spot Kyan standing at the edge of the clearing.


    "Dad?" he says, his voice breaking. Tears streamed down his face as he stumbled forward and


    Dominic staggers back as the shadows of his magic suddenly hit him.


    "Kye,"'' Dominic murmurs.


    Kyan POV


    I was halfway back to the manor when I heard the crack, the sound so loud it hurt my ears, and I


    jumped. The wind rushed toward me like a wall from the forest behind me, making me stop when I felt


    my father''s magic erupt in me. His power burst from my fingertips, twisting and escaping through the


    air. I watched his magic float on the breeze back toward the forest, as light engulfed the sky.


    Consuming the night and turning it to light. I watched as my father''s shadows moved toward the ruins,


    slivering across the grass. "Kaif?" I asked because he was so quiet I wondered if he was still with me.


    "She broke the curse," Kaif whispers to me and I could feel shock wash through him.


    "Marabe?" I worried.


    "No, Katya," he murmurs. The shadows move across the ground, disappearing into the forest, and I run


    toward the treeline. The oppressive forest felt light, like the shadows and ghosts of my ancestors were


    no longer shackled by the errors of a past that held them, the torment and anguish no longer


    suffocating.


    The forest almost seemed calm, like a weight had lifted allowing it to breath. Now it was blooming and


    rejuvenating as life returned. The ashes and blood that tainted its soil now bleeding back into the earth,


    the spirits were no longer repressed, instead they are free. I followed my father''s shadows as they slid


    across the forest floor like a serpent, finding their way home. Stepping through the treeline and


    emerging at the burial grounds, the ruins were gone and the stars twinkled above along with the moon.


    I stood stunned, and my heart raced in my chest as I stared ahead.


    My eyes deceived me as I watched the man stand. His magic moved across the ground, wanting to go


    home, and he turned to face me.


    The lump in my throat threatened to choke me as I saw his face, exactly as I remembered him. "Dad?"


    I choked out, taking a step toward him in disbelief. He staggers backa step ash e sucks in a breath as


    the shadows touch him, bleeding his power and life back into him.


    His lips quivered, and his lips parted. " Kye," he stammered. His voice made my heart jolt, and I


    stumbled forward. How I longed for his soothing voice, the voice that would read to me each night as


    he tucked me in bed, the voice that would soothe me when the darkness came for me. My father''s


    voice, a voice I thought I would never hear beyond my dreams, yet prayed I one day would.


    He moved his arm off E''s shoulder and staggered forward, and I choked, my body moving before I


    processed the thought too. My body crashed against the man whose touch I would have given myst


    breath to feel again. His arms strong as they embraced me, the same as I remembered, warm and


    promising to make everything better. If time stood still, I could stand in this moment forever. His arms


    wrapped tightly around me like they did that morning when he loaded me in the car to take me to


    Jonah''s.


    Clutching me like I was his lifeline, only after his death did I realize he was saying goodbye. I had


    stared at him strangely, wondering why he didn''t seem to want to let go. And now I understood why,


    because I couldn''t bear to let him go either now.


    "I missed you; I never stopped missing you, son," he breathed against my neck his fingers in myhair as


    he held tight while my arms clutched his neck not wanting to let go in case I woke from this dream.


    "I love you, I have always loved you, and Iam sorry I left you, but I''m here now, " he whispered, and all


    I could do was nod, praying he would just keep speaking so I could listen to his voice.


    "I''m right here, right here, son" he says soothingly. Hearing a sniffle, I open my eyes to see my mates.


    Both were crying along with Eziah, and I wondered what they sacrificed. What Kat sacrificed for us.


    Dad lets me go, and we turn to face them.


    "Come on, kids, let''s go home," Dad tells them, holding his hand out to Marabe. She takes it, and he


    tugs her closer, kissing her hair and reaching his hand pased her toward Jonah, who steps forward. He


    rest his head on dad’s and I let out a breath seeing dad so epting of Jonah like he always knew it


    woulde to this, and Jonah was just


    another of his children like I was Andrei’s and Sages. °


    "I hear. I''m going to be grandpa," he chuckles tapping Jonah’s face dotingly before he turns to me and


    chucks his arm over my shoulder, he kisses my temple and we make our way back toward the trail


    leading to the manor.


    I nce back over my shoulder at Eziah; he nods to me, wiping a stray tear. "By setting him free, he


    set her free. He is one less skeleton she has to live with," Eziah says, no animosity in his voice and I


    swallow.


    I peer over at Mara tucked under my father''s arm her arm behind his back as he fingertip brushed


    against me, he other hand holding Jonah’s. "Did either of your fathers im Pops yet? I feel too young


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    to be called grandpa, maybe Papa or pappy?" He muses.


    "Oh and names, can I help I like picking names," "As long as it isn''t Daddy Dom," Mara says, shooting


    her brother a look. I look at him and raise an eyebrow. "Dude, don''t look at me like that; I kissed your


    father. I''m his Daddy Dom now," Eziahughs. °


    "And I must say he is a terrible kisser, have you heard of lip palm? I have been dead 18 years, and my


    lips weren''t even that dry," Dad says and Iugh at their banter. How everthing seemed so normal.


    When we emerged into the fields around the manor, my father stopped in his tracks and gazed ahead.


    He peered up at the manor. "Home Sweet Home!" He whispers giving my shoulder a squeeze.


    I looked at the manor for the first time since he left, and I felt it actually was. This ce hadn''t been


    home in so long, but looking at it now, I knew it would be home again. My family wasplete, Kaif


    was free, the curse was lifted, and the one person that made this ce home had finally returned. Yes,


    home, I thought. Let''s go Home.