“Her safe! She was telling me the password to her safe.”

CHAPTER 18

SIERRA

WARNER ESTATE

I was conflicted as we arrived at the Warner Estate. So much had happened there, yet after we’d made sure it was empty, it was still the safest place for all of us to be at the moment.

Shortly after Helene had passed, the Warner ring that she had been wearing had transferred to me. I tried to remove it, but it wouldn’t budge.

“It won’t come off until you die, or name someone else your heir,” Heath had said, and smiled sadly. “It must have gone to my mother after Harold died.”

I silently noted how he still referred to his dad as “Harold” but now called Helene his mother. My heart ached for him.

“Then why not go to you?”

He shrugged. “Because Harris was the rightful heir before he died, then it legitimately went to Harold. After Harold, Cordelia would have to give it to either any children they had, or to his next living relative, which was my dad.”

We could only assume that Harris was dead (again!) or else it would have reverted to him.

“But still – then why not to you, instead of me?”

He shrugged. “I guess because you were supposed to have been the heir all along, but nobody knew that until now.”

I frowned and he suddenly grinned. “What time were you born?” he asked, like that somehow made sense.

“I don’t know.”

“Any guesses?”

“Sometime in the morning, since I remember mom complaining about not being able to eat until lunch because she was waiting for me to be born, why?”

He laughed, although with a tinge of bitterness. “There you go. I was born in the evening. You’re older than I am.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Didn’t you know? We have the same birthday. Same day, same year. Except you are apparently hours older than I am.”

My mouth dropped. “How do you know that?”

He smirked, but it faded quickly, and he looked ashamed. “I saw your license when we first met.”

“Oh,” I said quietly. No wonder he was ashamed. He should be. I didn’t even want to remember that time.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. God. We’d been through so much. I just wanted to make sure Anna was safe, then go home and hug my little brother.

A strangled laugh caught in throat. My other little brother. Ethan.

Heath raised his eyebrows and silently questioned me, but I shook my head. I wasn’t going there yet. It was still way too soon.

Instead, I stood looking up at the house that apparently now only answered to me, and a slither of unease rippled through my stomach.

“Rye, Tor, everything okay?” I asked, noticing their anxious expressions. Heath and I had asked them all to meet us here to keep them from returning to Ravenswood.

They nodded and let me know their parents were fine. Shaken, but still alive.

Heath, Enzo, and I shared a glance before we focused on the task at hand. Together, we carried Anna through the front door of the mansion, not wanting to go in through the back. The proximity to the graveyard and the dungeon held too many bad memories for us all.

Gently, we laid Anna down on a sofa in the main living area. Her face was pale, her breathing shallow, but she seemed otherwise unharmed. As we stepped back, I could see the worry etched on both Torin’s and Enzo’s faces.

“Let’s give her some space,” Heath suggested, leading us out of the room and into the hall. We huddled together, speaking in hushed tones. “What do you think we should do now?”

I looked around the familiar hallway, the dark wood paneling and ornate fixtures serving as a stark reminder of the twisted legacy that had shaped our lives. My breath felt tight in my lungs as I remembered the battles we’d fought and the enemies we’d faced within these walls.

“First things first,” I said firmly, trying to focus on the present. “We need to make sure Anna is okay. Then, we need to figure out what our next steps are.”

“Agreed,” Enzo said, his dark eyes like flint. “We’ll do whatever it takes to keep all of us safe.”

I knew he meant it – and so did Heath. Despite the darkness that had threatened to consume us all, we had found a way to come together. It was still awkward and new, but we were still standing, and still trying to find a way forward though so much had changed.

“Sierra, about the estate,” Heath began, his voice heavy with emotion. “Since it’s yours now, you can bring your family here to live, and I’ll give you the money to rebuild it however you like.”

“Wait, no,” I protested, shaking my head. “I don’t want to take this place away from you.”

Heath placed his hand on my shoulder. “Sierra, this place is rightfully yours. He said it with a tender smile, but a haunted look crossed his face. “Though honestly, I’d rather burn it to the ground to erase the darkness that’s tainted it. But I want you to have the comfort and security you deserve. You and your family deserve a safe place to live. And you can turn this place into a home, in a way that it never was.”

I shivered, trying to banish all the bad memories that had come from here. Yet, still … there had been some good as well. And Ethan deserved so much more than a run down trailer in a bad neighborhood.

“What if we sell it, and split the money?” I suggested, then braced myself as soon as his face fell.

“We can’t. It’s magically bound to the family.”

Of course it was. I sighed heavily, feeling the weight of it like a chain around my neck, until …

“Then let’s rebuild together,” I said. “With my Reaper powers, I can banish any lingering Dark Ones. The cemetery will only hold quiet remains, no more threats. And you, Enzo, Torin, Riley, and Anna – you are all family to me now.”

I took Riley and Enzo’s strong hands in mine, and gazed at the others. “Even though we handfasted for a year and a day, I’m willing to stay with you for as long as you want me.”

“You’re our mate, Sierra, for as long as you want us,” Riley assured me, his voice thick with emotion. “I’m certain Enzo and Torin feel the same way.”

Enzo nodded, his dark eyes filled with warmth, but the unspoken lay heavily in the middle of us.

Heath … no longer my mate. I speared him with a hard gaze. “And you are still family, no matter what. I’ll stand by you, always. And if that’s what you want, we’ll create a home together that will suit us all.”

A spark of hope surged in his eyes and in my heart. The Warner Estate, once a symbol of darkness and pain, would be transformed into a sanctuary for us all – a place where we could heal, grow, and forge a brighter future together.