“Let me go, Jaxson,” I struggle against him as he holds me close, and I watch Wyatt push the demon king into the portal. The demon king says something to him, just as he falls into the portal and is too far inside to get out. He did it. I need to put my blood on the portal now and close it, ending this all. I have to die, or it can be opened again. All these thoughts rush through my mind as I continue to struggle in Jaxson’s arms, and then I see the dagger. The demon king slides a dagger straight into Wyatt’s chest and then falls into the portal. The portal cracks and closes when it hits me. Wyatt is my saviour and he fed on me, he has my blood. His death will close the portal.

“NO!” I shout, and Jaxson lets me go as the portal disappears completely, and Wyatt falls to his knees. I run over the broken stone all over the floor and avoid the bits that are still falling as the castle shakes, and I catch him just as he falls back, laying his head on my lap.

“Don’t do this, please, God, no!” I scream, holding my hand over the dagger and pulling it out. I look at the blood-covered dagger, seeing it’s the one Nathaniel made me. The dagger I tried to use on the demon king and he used to hurt Wyatt instead. I drop the dagger in shock. I place my hand on his chest and look over to Jaxson who kneels on the other side of Wyatt.

“DO SOMETHING!” I shout at him with tears running down my face, “Please,” I beg, and he shakes his head as he bows his head.

“Nothing I can do, lass. I would save my brother if I could,” he says, and I shake my head.

“Winter,” Wyatt groans my name, his word mixed with pain as I look down at him.

“You cannot die . . . I love you so much. We have years left together, and children. I want my life with you,” I say, my voice catching as I start crying harder.

“Dad!” I hear Freddy scream behind me, and I turn my head to see him running over with Dabriel and Atti following. They fall to their knees around Wyatt as I gently push a piece of his hair off his forehead with shaky hands.

“Heal him,” I beg Dabriel, and he puts his hands on Wyatt’s chest. Dabriel glows brightly for a few minutes before he takes his hands away and shakes his head.

“No, no, no, no,” I mumble and hold Wyatt as close as I can.

“Thank you for being in my life, for saving Freddy, and for letting me love you. I would die over and over for you, Winter,” he says as black lines crawl up his neck and cover his face. His dark eyes close, and I can’t control the half sob and scream that escapes my lips.

“DEMTRA! ELISSA! MOTHER!” I scream their names again and again into the silent room as pain fills my body, and I close my eyes, resting my head on Wyatt’s cold one. I can feel the emptiness of his loss, and the pain is overwhelming in my chest as waves of pain crash through me. They can’t let it end like this, not like this. I don’t want to live without him, not when he died for me. My mate. My saviour. My love.

“Come to me, help me now. I need you, I need my family to help me now and will never call you again,” I whisper, and that’s when I feel it. A coldness and stillness to the room that makes me look up. The castle has stopped shaking, and the room is still as snow falls through the hole in the ceiling onto us. Jaxson’s wide eyes meet mine as I look around, and he nods behind me. I look behind me to see three, white, ghost-like figures, which gradually come into view as Elissa, Demtra, and my mother. All three of them have the white dresses on from my dreams, and it’s Demtra that moves close to me.

“Do you know another name for a Goddess?” Demtra asks me, her voice is gentle and kind as my heart begins to fill with hope.

“No,” I whisper as the others move away, so Demtra can kneel where Jaxson once was. They all look at her in shock before bowing their heads, even Freddy does as he shifts into a wolf, losing whatever control he had over his emotions.

“Fates,” she says.

“If the fates allow, no one need fall,” Atti whispers the line of the prophecy for all of us to hear and Freddy’s wolf howls into the night. The howl is full of hope, much like what is filling my chest as I watch my family. I don’t take my eyes off Demtra as my mother and Elissa move to her side. They both place a hand on her shoulders.

“The vampires have the mark of a phoenix for a reason, sweet Winter. Phoenix’s are reborn,” Demtra says and places both her hands on Wyatt’s stomach. The black lines slowly disappear before he takes a deep breath, and his dark eyes open, locking onto mine.

“Wyatt . . . Wyatt, oh my God,” I sob out in between tears as he sits up and pulls me into his arms. I look over Wyatt’s shoulder to see all three of them standing close together and watching us.

“It’s our time to rest and your time to rule, this is your fate, Queen Winter,” Elissa says gently before she and Demtra disappear into the snow that fills the room. I lock eyes with my mother, and I know this is the last time I’m going to see her.

“Thank you, and I love you, Mum,” I say in a whisper, but her whole face lights up.

“We are so proud of you, our Winter,” my mother whispers as she disappears too, and my breath catches in my throat. I feel my other mates kneel next to us. None of us move for a long time.

“We won,” Atti finally says into the silence of the snow-filled destroyed room.

Yes, we did.

“Is the castle safe?” I ask as Freddy’s wolf comes and places his head on Wyatt’s lap. Wyatt strokes his head as Freddy whines.

“Yes, your dragon turned up, and the fray created some tornados . . . .”

“Tornadoes and dragons . . . is anyone else alive?”

“Yes, we saved a lot of people, and the demons are dead. Harris is leading some fighters to check the rest, and the angels are now healing everyone. We won,” Dabriel answers for me. I don’t respond as Wyatt gently tilts my face to his, and brushes his lips against mine. I feel nothing but relief and happiness through my bond from all of them.

“It’s over,” I whisper, and everyone hears my words.