A flashback to the library doors at Ravenswood went through my mind, and I knew what I had to do. At least, part of it.

I picked up the quill, took a deep breath, and jabbed the metal tip into my finger. A small drop of blood beaded on the edge.

Now, what to write?

I pressed the blood-ink to the page, and it disappeared within the book, leaving the page as blank as before. I waited several moments but nothing else happened. Feeling a bit desperate, I moved the quill tip to my finger again, but the tiny bit of blood had already dried up. I pressed again, drawing out more, then held my finger over the little inkwell and squeezed out a few more drops into it before capping it shut to keep it from drying out.

I paced a few minutes around the chamber before inspiration hit. Hurrying back to the inkwell, I uncapped it and dipped the quill in again. It took a few tried before I finally managed to write out, I accept.

It stayed on the page! Heart pounding and breath in my throat, I waited to see what would happen.

After a few minutes, it became clear there must be more to it. I had to use a different finger to retrieve another small well of blood. I used that to sign my name.

Sierra Carter.

Once more, the words merely stayed on the page. I huffed in frustration, then reminded myself that it was at least progress. I must be on the right track.

I sat on the cold stone floor and considered what more might be needed. I was desperate for answers. Desperate to help the people I loved. My heart ached as I thought of the ones I felt I’d failed: Leo, Jae, Leslie. Artemis. Even her grouchy brother, Apollo. I hoped they were safe somewhere.

Leo’s bright smile came to mind and I blinked back tears. He was always so excited for every bit of progress I made. I thought of how excited he’d been when I finally got my wand.

My wand….

I jumped up again, and poured a bit more blood into the inkwell then dabbed the quill into it. It scratched across the parchment-like paper as I wrote.

Sierra Carter Warner Murphy Quinn Salvatore.

The words shimmered on the page, seeming to vibrate above them for a moment before settling back down.

I looked around the cavern. “Well, is that it?” When nothing more happened, I shrugged and started to walk back the way I had come.

The earth rumbled and a huge wall blocked my path, causing me to stumble back a few steps, nearly falling on my butt.

“I guess that’s a ‘no’ then,” I grumbled.

I picked up the quill once more and jabbed it into the inkwell, irritation nearly causing me to break the tip. I pulled my hand back quickly, hovering over the book.

Think!

I wracked my brain, trying to remember all of my lessons, searching for clues. I even replayed what I’d learned at Ravenswood, to see if there might be a hint there. What had I learned from Leticia and the others? From Mazarin. As I considered all I had been taught, a drop of blook from the quill tip fell onto the page. I didn’t pay much attention, expecting it to just disappear like my earlier attempts, which it did. After a few moments, though, the red began to bloom under my name, growing larger and larger until it split into lines, then into words. Each one a record of all I had learned in my short time toward becoming a Reaper: The teachings of my mates, the powers I had awakened, the strength I found in love. Page after page filled, the words flowing from within me.

As the last page was completed, the tome slammed shut. A spectral figure appeared before me, glowing brightly. He was powerful – more powerful than all the others I’d met so far, except for Mazarin. He lifted the book, and it became a part of him. He nodded once, then reached out to touch the skull necklace I still wore. When his hand touched it, I knew he was the Reaper who had come directly before me. He smiled, and disappeared, book and all, into the necklace.

Power thrummed through my veins, heady and deep. Light filled the chamber and I was thrust out of it in an instant.

I landed in a field before Mazarin and the few remaining spirits of past reapers. They were all smiling at me with expressions that were a mix of joy, pride, and cautious hope. The caution, I imagined, because they’d been there before. And now, we were the last.

“You have done well,” Mazarin said, moving beside me. “But the path ahead remains perilous.”

I nodded, by now well aware of the risks.

She gestured toward shimmering portal. “Remember: Love can inspire...and destroy. You must be vigilant.” She laid her translucent hand upon my arm. “Come. I will guide you back to the mortal realm.”

My pulse quickened. Soon I would reunite with my mates - but as what? Lover, or Destroyer?

My heart thudded as I took a deep breath. Palms clammy, my fingers trembled slightly as we reached the edge of what separated me from the unknown. Mazarin had brought me this far, revealing bits and pieces of my true identity over what felt like months of rigorous training. Leticia and the others followed silently.

The air was thick with mist, cool against my skin, and the ground seemed to shift underfoot. From the other side of the portal, a scent of upturned earth and rotting leaves wafted through. Fear of the unknown screamed at me to turn back, to run away, but I couldn’t. I’d already proven that I’d been born for this moment.

As I took a deep breath, preparing to leap through the portal back home, my mind raced with thoughts of my mates. Their desire for me. Their love. Their acceptance. It fueled me, but also scared me. How would they react when they learned what I am now?

“Do not fear, Sierra,” Mazarin and the others said as one. “We are always with you.”

A rush of energy shot through me as they all coalesced and entered the necklace as a gust of wind pushed me back to reality, and I found myself standing in the graveyard on the Warner Estate.

CHAPTER 11

SIERRA

My heart hammered as I emerged from the underworld. The sun was weak but with me not having been exposed to the real thing for so long, it blinded me for a moment. A breeze whispered past, carrying with it the faint tang of fear and anticipation. The wind tousled my hair, reminding me I was alive.

My first instinct was to run, to escape this reality and return to the safety of the underworld, but I knew I couldn’t. Not anymore.

I had a purpose now.

I started walking, my feet moving automatically, guiding me down a cobblestone path that led away from the portal. The world around me was vibrant and alive, colors I had only dreamed of in the underworld now explosive and vivid. Birds chirped, their songs sweet and haunting. It was so vibrant as to be overwhelming.

And then it hit me: my power. The Reaper’s power.

My eyes felt hot as I felt the connection to all reapers of the past. They were with me now, their energy pulsing through my veins, urging me forward. I had a duty to protect the living from the dead.

I scanned the landscape before me, searching for my next step.

And then I saw him.

A tall figure standing alone by a tombstone, his back towards me. His broad shoulders tight, his arms folded across his chest.

Heath.

My heart leapt into my throat as I drew closer, the love I felt for him overcoming everything else.

His blond hair glistened, reminding me of honey and gold. I ran towards him, my heart beating faster with each step. “Heath,” I whispered, my voice hoarse from disuse. “It’s you.”

He turned, his beautiful face molded into a mix of shock and joy.

“Sierra,” he breathed, his voice rough.

We ran toward each other, our bodies colliding, and all else disappeared. His strong arms wrapped around me, crushing me against his chest. I buried my face in his neck, inhaling his familiar scent of cedarwood and leather. It was intoxicating.