Page 131 of His Atonement
If this is what it's going to be like having my soul, I might just look into giving it back.
"As soon as your mate’s soul arrived we knew it had left her too soon. It was not Frankie's time to go, despite what her disease was doing to her."
I frown through my annoyingly endless tears. "But it was progressing, it was obvious that she would…" I shake my head. "It was time."
"Perhaps time for her body, but not her soul. So, your mother and I got to know your mate, felt her love for you so strongly that we spoke to The Maker on her behalf.” Tolan chuckles. "Turns out She was already a few steps ahead of us."
I wince as Ellida pokes and prods the hole in my gut, heals it with her power that hurts far worse than I remember. "What does that mean?"
"It means..." Frankie waits for me to look her in the eye. "The Maker already intended to return my soul if you were able to kill that nasty son of a bitch that has made your life hell."
"So when She said it was returned to where it belonged…"
My mate points to her chest. "Right here, baby. Your sacrifice, the ultimate sacrifice you could make, touched Her so deeply, especially since you're a dickhead demon, that She showed mercy on both of us. Your willingness to perform something so profound because of your love for me made Her want to give us a second chance at forever."
"Bloody hell.” I blink wide eyes. "So this—you—this is a gift from The Maker herself? One She cannot take back?"
"It is not in Her nature.” Tolan smiles. "Her acts are final."
"And you have returned just as you were before?" My eyes roam my darling girl so I can drink her in.
Frankie tilts her head side to side. "Kind of. No more Huntington’s, so that's a plus. Might not be able to have babies though, but we knew that before anyway."
I could give a rat’s ass about young right now.
At some point, sure I may find that disappointing, but right now?
Nope.
All that matters is the fact that my darling mate is here with me, the promise of forever once again within reach.
"A bridge to cross when the time comes,” Ellida says as she digs her fingers into the wound on my thigh.
"But everything else is the same?" I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop. This is too good to be true.
Frankie nods. "Still mated to you. Still madly in love with your grouchy self. Still covered in tattoos. Still gonna be a pain in your ass.” She grins and smooths her thumb over my lower lip. ”Still gonna put all those toys to good use. Everything is the same, baby. The only difference is the absent HD and the definite thousands of years you're stuck with me."
“Perfect," I growl as I bring her to me for another kiss. "Gods, I love you."
Frankie smiles and kisses me just as hard. "I love you too. And you have no idea what it means to me that you were willing to give up your soul and your freedom just so I wouldn't spend eternity in The End.” Then she nips my lip and that smile turns wicked. "It's pretty fucking hot, actually."
"And that, I believe, is our queue to visit Cora.” Tolan laughs. "Nothing like a mate bond in all its glory to make one feel unwanted."
My eyes shift to the male I will always consider my father. "How are you here? Here in the flesh and not some form of dream? Something I thought was only reserved for fae."
"The Maker allowed us to escort your mate home, then allowed me to return her soul to her body.” Ellida stands and lifts a tiny hand to my cheek. "We wanted to see our son one more time and she granted it."
Again with the tears.
This soul thing is bullshit.
"And despite the fact that you are not fae, you are our son, something The Maker recognized the moment we crossed over to The After.” Ellida leans up on her tiptoes and presses a kiss to my forehead. "And thanks to Her endless mercy, we will now be able to dream fast with you as well as Cora."
"She even promised another physical visit after the twins are born.” Tolan grins. "We'll actually get to hold our grandchildren. A most merciful Creator indeed."
"This is… this is all…" I sigh and hold my mate harder. "This is all just too fucking much."
"It is.” Ellida smiles. "But you deserve it. You are not what you have always thought yourself to be, Ueltorrhzan. You are in fact what we knew you were all along."
