by Elara Skye
“Is that what you truly think is best, even if I let her remember you?” Tobias gestured to Amelia. “Look at her. With or without my involvement, look at what’s happened to her. What she’s seen and experienced outside my influence—what your involvement has done to her. I didn’t make her see spirits, nor did I send that other demon to attack her in the Ether. That is simply the life of a human living outside the bounds of the mortal world.”
Alaric stirred beside him on the ground, his face twisting with the rise of uncomfortable memories.
Meanwhile, Finn’s throat constricted angrily, making it difficult to speak, “You say all that like I wanted this. Like I wanted the bond, or to care for her the way I do.” He clenched his fists, voice echoing through the air. “I never wanted any it—not a second of it, in the beginning. You forced it on me, and you have the nerve to say this now, as if I brought it down on her myself?”
Finn’s heart pounded in its cage, while the others merely looked between them, waiting to see how the conversation would end. Seraphina let out a melancholy sigh, still holding Alastair against the wall.
“This is your comeuppance. Amelia is the only innocent in this, and I’m going to make it so this never happened to her,” Tobias answered, more gently this time. “There will be no punishment for her.”
“But there will be one for me?”
“Did you think you were immune to death and judgment?” Tobias narrowed his eyes. “Did you think that we would allow you to blacken your heart and parade around like a god, deciding whose death is acceptable and whose isn’t?”
From the tar…
Finn looked down at Amelia. “There should have been another fucking way.”
“There wasn’t. Believe me. If there was a better way to get a shred of light from the situation, I would’ve spared Amelia the trouble—and myself.”
Silence settled between them. Finn knew that the others were waiting on his response—to see whether he would fight on, or inevitably let it go.
“Then…” Finn paused, struggling to untangle the mess of thoughts that balled in his mind. “The least you can do is let me say goodbye.” He looked at Tobias. “If there’s nothing I can do, at least allow us the kindness of saying goodbye.”
“If you want to do that, that’s your decision. I can only tell you that when Amelia wakes up, her memories will fade quickly,” Tobias answered.
“Then leave,” Finn demanded, looking down at her now, refusing to look away. “All of you.”
Tobias turned to Seraphina, nodding toward Patrick, who was lying by the couches. “Take him.”
“What about this one?” she asked, facing Alastair, who was still against the wall. With a swoop of his hand, Tobias sliced effortlessly through the power that she held him with, setting the demon aflame. Seraphina stumbled back from the impact.
“The demons will hear about Alastair’s death,” Tobias said dismissively. “They won’t be happy about it. You two might face some backlash, so be ready for it. You’ll have to work together.”
Finn knelt to the ground, scooping Amelia into his arms. He paid them no attention and couldn’t care less what they saw in turn—whether they saw the sorrow he revealed when he brushed back Amelia’s hair, or when he lifted her from the ground. His movements were slow and sluggish, legs barely carrying him over to the couches, where he laid her down against the pillows.
“She’ll wake up soon,” Tobias addressed him, but Finn didn’t look back.
“If you can’t do anything to help, then leave,” Finn muttered without looking back. He focused on Amelia instead, watching as the firelight flickered against her profile. She was so lovely, even now. Finn could scarcely imagine the loss of her embrace, the touch of her skin. The mortal antics and personal quirks, and the sound of her voice—all aspects of her were soon to be replaced by the quiet, empty air. “Leave.”
The air shifted, and the others disappeared, taking Raymer with them. The silence that followed was deafening, and time slowed with each second that passed. Each moment they had left together was numbered, and Finn almost dreaded when Amelia’s finger twitch, knowing that the end was here.
“Finn...” she whispered his name, letting it trickle past her lips. Her eyes opened slowly, illuminated by the firelight as she looked around for him. Finn wasn’t sure how long he had been sitting there, but he couldn’t bring himself to do or say much to her, now that they’d come to it. “Finn?” She glanced back and forth. “What happened? Where is everybody?”
“They’re not here anymore,” he muttered. “It’s just us.”
Amelia faced him. With a heavy groan, she ran a hand through her hair. “God, why do I feel…hungover?”
It was a side effect of the Rite, but Finn couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud. The feeling of intoxication was normal, even where angels were involved, on rare occasion. All the words he wanted to say began to ball in the back of his throat, hindered further by his own regret.
Amelia’s eyes shot open with realization. “Oh, my god, Alaric. Is he—?”
“—he’s fine.”
“Oh, thank goodness.” She plopped back against the pillow. “Where is he? I need to apologize to him. And where’s Jesse, too? Why was he here?”
“You apologized already, but I’ll let him know you said it again...Amelia, there’s something I need to tell you, and I don’t have much time to do it.”
She stopped moving for a beat. “Tell me what?”
“That this is the last time you’ll be seeing me for a while,” Finn muttered. “And because of that, I need to tell you before it begins, how sorry I am for everything.”
“What do you mean?” Amelia raised a hand to his cheek. “What are you talking about? I’m not going anywhere, I’m—”
“Yes, you are. And I’m saying this now because I need to, for myself.” He hesitated. “Because you won’t remember any of it after tonight.”
“What?” Amelia snapped. “What do you mean, I won’t remember it?”
“Please, just listen—there’s nothing to be done about it now, and there’s not much time left.” Finn’s voice was tense—pained. “I don’t want to waste the last few minutes I have with you on explanations. Nothing I tell you will matter soon.”
“Last few minutes?” Amelia managed to wiggle up higher, propping against her elbows. “A-Are you leaving me?”
“No—never,” he shifted, cupping her face in his hands. “I will never, ever leave you. This is just goodbye, for now.”
She shook her head. “You won’t leave me, but you want me to say that to you?”
“It’s only goodbye for me, and it’s only for a time. You’ll see me again, you just won’t know who I am—not for a very long time.”
“Finn, why are you saying this?” she whispered, shaking her head. “What happened before I passed out? Why was Jesse here, and who were those other people? Who was Alastair? He appeared last night, and tried to—”
“None of that matters right now. Think about me right now, because nothing outside the two of us matters.” Finn sighed, looking at her. “I’m trying to tell you...that I’m yours, Amelia. I’m your angel, and I always will be.” Tears began forming in her eyes. “It’s a delicate thing that ties us together, but it’s also strong. I’ve loved you until now, and I will continue to, no matter what.”
“You’re…” Her lower lip trembled like she didn’t know what to say. “You’re serious…”
“And I would have told you all this sooner or later.”
“That’s not fair,” she grabbed his wrist, “you’re telling me we have to say goodbye, but you’ll love me until, what, I’m dead and gone? My whole damn life?”
“I’ll love you well beyond that, Amelia.”
She looked at him. “That was a joke, Finn,” she hissed. “I won’t even know you when I die—Rose barely remembered who she was, much less anyone else.”
He took her hand. “Have you ever had a dream where you met someone—so
meone you didn’t know—but you remembered them inexplicably? Knew who they were, and everything about them? It’ll be just like that, because your soul will remember me. And then, we’ll both be free of all this.”
“Free of what?”
“Everything.” Finn covered her hand with his. “And I’m going to try to feel relieved about it. To think that someday, you’ll know me again, and I’ll show you so much more than you could ever witness in this life.”
Amelia was silent for a moment. “You’ll show me...what?” she asked. Finn blinked at her words, seeing the subtle blankness coming over her. “I…Finn? W-What are we doing here?”
Finn watched as Amelia’s awareness of him seep from her expression. His throat, heart, shoulders—everything—tightened under the weight of grief. “It’s alright. I’ll take you home.” His hand ghosted over her neck, withdrawing her consciousness, leaving her eyelids to close slowly. “Sleep, for now.”
“No…” Amelia muttered as she lowered back down to the pillow, pawing at his hand with her cold fingers. “I don’t want to sleep…”
He managed a tiny grin. Somewhere deep down, Finn was glad that this was over, though that didn’t stop the sheen of wetness coating his eyes. “Don’t worry, it’s just for now,” he answered, though he knew she couldn’t fully hear him. “You’ll wake up soon, and I’ll be there.”
“Finn?”
He tilted his head. “Yes, Amelia?”
“Where are you going?”
“Nowhere.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Her eyelids finally settled, and she no longer moved. Nor did Finn speak again, while the midnight wind blew over him.
Time slowed to a stop. He watched as her chest gently rose and fell with every breath, the warmth of her neck and hair still covering his hand. He Finn savored the sight of her for the last time, knowing would take her home, and afterward, be a stranger to her.
If she opened her eyes, he already would be.
Seraphina’s voice appeared behind him, “I’m sorry, Finn.”
His eyes were wet, but only now had the tears begun to fall. Finn heard her approach, heels tapping against the concrete ground.
“I thought you left,” he muttered lowly. “You know, didn’t startle me this time.”
“I wasn’t trying to,” she said, stopping beside him. “She’ll be alright, Finn. You both will. You’re not alone.”
“Aren’t I?”
“No, you’re not.” Seraphina kneeled by the couch, looking between them. Finn waited as she appraised Amelia for a time, having finally found a moment to do so. “You were right, her soul’s so clean.”
“Yes, it is,” he said, still looking at Amelia.
“Do you want me to take her home for you?”
“No.”
“Alright...” Seraphina surveyed his face. “Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you cry before.”
“Glad you’re amused.”
“I’m not. I just didn’t know you loved her this much.”
Finn swallowed thickly. “Blame it on the bond, I suppose.”
“No, this is more than that.” She shook her head, grinning a bit. “You’re just good together.”
At that, Finn looked up. “Thanks.”
She patted his shoulder. “Come on. We should get her home before she catches a cold.”
Finn watched as Seraphina stood. “And then?”
“And then…” She straightened up and shrugged. “Then, I know a good bar we can go to.”
Epilogue
~ Two years later ~
Half the conference room was full by the time Amelia arrived.
It was substantial turnout, considering how large the table was, spanning the length of the giant glass window. All the members were early attendees, sitting in a sparse disbursement throughout the room, each with their respective company members. Amelia, being the sole CEO of her corporation, attended alone. The company was doing well since her induction, and after the grueling process of buying out Raymer, she had no desire to delegate this meeting.
Amelia approached the far end of the table, next to a small group of attendees from Orchard Enterprises. She knew less than a handful of the people that were in here, but these three she knew by name. Chief among them was Finn Regis—the CEO—and his two co-presidents, Alaric Sae and Seraphina Marks, who were sitting to his left.
She’d only spoken to them several times before, but word of mouth inspired caution. Gossip wasn’t kind to their CEO back in the day, before her estrangement. Granted, it tapered off these past few years, but her continued reluctance to work with the man had never really ceased—even if he did make the occasional endorsement that she agreed with.
“Morning,” she grinned at the three of them as she sat down, pulling her laptop from her bag.
“Good morning,” Finn answered first. “How are we feeling today?”
In truth, Amelia had only just arrived, but she already wanted to get this over with. In fact, she wanted nothing more than to go home and take a nap. Of course, instead of that admittance, she offered the man a confident grin and a response to match. “Ready, as always.”
Finn smiled, leaning back and tapping his pen against the table. “Good. That’s good to hear.”
“Oh, by the way, thanks for supporting my climate initiative. It got approved last week.”
“Of course, it did. I read the proposal and wholly agreed with it.”
“You read it yourself?” Amelia arched a brow. “Thanks. Most people wouldn’t bother.”
“You wrote it yourself, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“That’s good enough reason for me. As for others,” he pointedly glanced around the room, “assuming we’re talking about the same bunch—one simply needs to speak their language to get them to listen.”
“I know,” she nodded, “Trust me, I know. I’m funding some research on sustainable technology to make it cost-effective at Hart. If I can do it, hopefully, we can set an example.”
“Ah.” He nodded. “Do you worry about personally funding such specific research? I’ve heard tricky things about it.”
Amelia grinned. “I assume you’re talking about ‘preliminary results’ and confirmation bias…” she said. “I’ll take my funding elsewhere if I start questioning the ethics of the researchers.”
Finn chuckled. “As you said—ready as always.” The man was as charming as ever, and Amelia had to give him that much. It was hard to look him in the face when he smiled. “One among us found their purpose, it seems.”
She ran a hand idly over her laptop. “Yeah, maybe.”
Finn arched a brow. “Do I detect some doubt?”
Doubt about returning to the industry, after so many years of pretending that it stopped existing? Even now, Amelia still questioned that decision. Nothing about the world had changed in the time that she was gone from it.
“I don’t know that this is my ‘purpose’ per se...” Amelia paused, lowering her voice. She was reluctant to finish the thought at all—to hint at any wayward intentions to a professional affiliate. “Maybe I’m too much of a pragmatist to romanticize these things, or I’m just a bit disillusioned. I just want to make good use of what I have.”
“Life’s too long for certainty,” Finn said. “And eternity is even longer. It’s all very intimidating if you zoom out too far—the best we can do is enrich the world and take things day by day.”
She nodded, feeling a bit surprised—this was the first time she’d ever spoken to Finn so personably. He wasn’t half as cold as the ancient rumors made him out to be.
“If it’s not too forward of me to say,” he offered a warm grin, “I think you’re setting a realistic example of what people should do in the reality we live in. And I, for one, admire your rectitude. I aim to work with others who are like you these days.”
Amelia’s grin faltered a bit, her cheeks tinting a bit at the compliment. “Thanks...
”
Finn’s eyes flickered downward for a fraction of a second. Somewhere to her right, the conference doors suddenly opened. The influx of people instantly dispelled the air, drawing Finn’s attention to them at that moment. The last of the attendees filed in as he stood, along with his co-presidents.
Meanwhile, Amelia took a heavy breath to regain herself. And with a pointed glance about the conference room, she clicked into the presentation she’d be leading with. It was time to begin.
Afterword
If you made it this far, thank you so much. As I write this afterword, everything I’ve ever wanted has just happened (bonus that I’ve got a cat on my lap). Ethereal Ties was a tangential idea that came to me while I was on a walk with my mom, approximately six months ago. I never thought these characters would end up making so much noise in my heart. If you enjoyed this book, please don’t forget to leave a review! There’s another project on the horizon, and I hope you’ll stick around to see it. Until then, take care.
