Earth

by Jaymin Eve

  I was on my feet so fast that my chair flew out behind me, clattering onto its back. My hands gripped the table, knuckles white as I waited to hear what she would say.

  “They want you to know that they are happy. That they will choose to be reborn and move forward. I offered them a single request, since their sacrifice was so great. This was all they asked of me.”

  My hands started to shake. My right palm lifted and, without thought, I pressed it against my lips. I wasn’t sure if I was trying to hold in the cries, or if I needed to cover my face so that everyone wouldn’t see me fall apart. It wasn’t fair.

  “You can’t bring them back?” I had to ask.

  The Mother crossed to me, and all of a sudden she was about seven feet tall and her pink was shadowed in flecks of white. I swallowed as she stared down at me. Was she going to smite me now or something?

  Brace moved from where he was beside me, sidling closer and shifting me back so that he partly stood between us.

  The Mother smiled.

  “So much love. It was a day of mourning for all when your melding bond broke. The gift that is given only once in many centuries.”

  “It won’t happen again,” I said around Brace.

  He was trying his best to use his bulk to block me, but I wasn’t having any of that. I ducked under his arm and managed to snuggle into his side.

  Together, Brace. We face everything together.

  I would not let Brace be hurt. I would throw down with anyone who even tried.

  Have I told you lately how hot it is when you get all warrior on me? He sounded amused.

  The Mother drew our attention again. “I’m sorry, little one. If I could return the dead to you, I would. But there are some things beyond my control, and death is a realm that my sister has dominion over. She does not release souls easily, only for the purpose of natural rebirth.”

  I nodded, my head dropping as those damn tears welled again. There was nothing more to say, and by the time I composed myself and lifted my face again, the Mother was gone.

  Noise filtered across the room. Lucy and Fury were the first ones to jump in.

  “Look at Abby go. You’re all on a first name basis with gods now?” Lucy said.

  From what I remembered, we’d had a fairly in depth conversation last night during the party, catching up on everything that had happened during the final battle. Lucy had probably forgotten I’d told her about the Mother of All. She’d had a lot of crandy too.

  Fury snorted. “Don’t even act surprised, pixie. It’s Super Abby, after all.”

  “Word!” Everyone around the table sounded off, and I couldn’t halt the laughter which rang free.

  Chapter 21

  The sensation of weightlessness is not something you get used to. It feels unnatural, even for someone who was born from the blood of sentient beings that can ‘walk’ across the universe. Brace and I were floating in a space that seemed to be the center between many star systems. This was the beginning. The place where the stones had collided and the Walkers had been born. The ultimate black void. There was no oxygen or heat. It was cold, dark and without a gravitational pull. When we first arrived Brace had to hold me until my body adjusted. It was only his calming voice in my head which kept me from freaking out.

  I didn’t have to breathe to stay alive, but it was uncomfortable – my body was used to the sensation of breathing. It wanted to do it, and there was no air here. I was also kind of freezing to death, except my body continued to rejuvenate itself, so I never actually froze. After a few minutes, I stopped even feeling the iciness.

  How did Lucy and my mother survive this?

  A barrier which crosses over their faces and along their bodies, he said.

  Lucy hadn’t told me much about her mating ceremony. She said it was something you needed to experience for yourself. So far, I would have to say, that beside the freakiness of floating in a black abyss, the absolute sheer beauty of existing amongst the stars like this was something I would remember forever. Like the time Brace had taken me to my winter cabin. It seemed that I could reach out and grasp a piece of magic and hold it in my hand.

  There was no noise. But all of a sudden the Walker witnesses appeared. They were called by the gods and I didn’t recognize any of them. There were five males and two females. They formed a circle around us. A burst of power flared to life, and there was now something else visible in the blackness beside the stars.

  A ring of power.

  Something within Brace and me responded to this. The golden ties of our melding flickered to life before bursting free of our skin and intermingling with the wash of power from the Walker witnesses. For some reason I was feeling excessively patient and didn’t stress about what was about to happen. I just waited and accepted.

  Union of Gods. Mother of All. Blessings above. Ties and bonds of the pair. Mated in the beginning, so shall be in the end.

  The words chanted through the bond, and they weren’t in English – which was the base language for Walkers – instead they were in what sounded like their ancient language. Yet, I somehow understood each word.

  This is a place of magic, Brace murmured. You’ll be more here; you’ll know more.

  Awesome. Maybe I should grab my math homework from the Compound. Algebra might finally start making sense to me.

  Laughter echoed through my bond, and I could feel the bucket-load of joy from my mate. He laughed freely again. Finally out from under the burden of the Seventine – or really my burden and the real fears he had held for me.

  The swirling vortex of energy imploded into us, biting hard and fast, and I felt a jerk right beneath my navel. And then in my chest. And then in my forehead. With each jerk, the bonds between Brace and me tightened. I could feel him not only in my soul, but also in the very essence of my blood. Well that was a nice surprise, no pain after all. The melding was as solid as any ties I’d seen in my tether-reaching experiences. And now, for the first time, washes of the palest shimmery pink and turquoise interwove our golden melding bond. It was so beautiful.

  Mated.

  The final word, and then we were alone again.

  Brace wrapped himself around me, and I knew instinctively that he wouldn’t let me go for a long time.

  Where should we go now, Brace? We can travel anywhere in the worlds.

  His nose rested against mine, and the ties between us hummed. I saw images flash through our bond, and immediately my body warmed.

  The snow cabin.

  The nights we had spent there under the stars. Yes, I wanted that too.

  In a flash I traced us into the outer field, about ten yards from the cabin. For some reason I really wanted to see it as I had the very first time Brace had brought me here.

  It looked exactly the same. This land had snow all year: a winter wonderland. I grabbed Brace’s hand and started to pull him along.

  “Hurry,” I said, almost wanting to shriek with excitement. “I can’t wait to see the inside again.”

  Together we dashed up onto the porch. Brace let me take the lead, falling back even though our hands were still linked. I guess we couldn’t both fit through the door, but still – usually he would have to go first and check for murderers and spiders. It made him feel all manly and important.

  I’m pretty sure the moment I feel manly and important, you or Lucy say something which brings me right back into my place.

  Damn right we did. Couldn’t let our boys’ egos get too large. Then they wouldn’t fit through the door at all.

  As my hand landed on the handle, I sucked in deeply, almost dancing on my toes. With a click, I pushed it open and into the dark room. Stepping inside, I was just sending my energy out to turn on the lanterns when the room was flooded with both noise and light.

  “Surprise!” Shouts rang free for many moments.

  I actually stumbled back. Brace caught me before I ungracefully hit the deck.

  “How … what … I didn’t sense any energy?” I was gasping li
ke a fish out of water as I tried to slow the beat of my heart.

  I hid them from you. Brace sounded pleased with himself.

  My eyes scanned everything, and I wore a smile so broad it almost hurt my face. The cabin was decked out like a Christmas wonderland, something out of my wildest childhood fantasies. And all of my loved ones were there. It even felt as if Quarn and Francesca’s presence brushed past me when I stepped further inside.

  “Sure beats those twigs and ribbons we used that year as tinsel, don’t you think?” Lucy stood next to the largest Christmas tree I’d ever seen.

  It was decorated with tinsel and baubles, all in colors of blue and silver, each adornment beautiful and ornate. Like I’d seen in the old shopping mall catalogues. Lucy and I would stare at them for weeks, wondering what it would be like to experience such beauty.

  As I stepped further into the room, my gaze rested on each of the beaming faces. My half-Walkers were there. Fury was in a Santa hat. Colton in a Santa suit, which he looked just a tad disgruntled about. Petal, Colton’s niece, was trying to pry open one of the presents, while Magenta softly scolded her.

  I lost it then. I seriously dropped down on the ground and bawled like a baby.

  “Where did you find all this?” I wailed, the tears still streaming down my face.

  Brace had slid down behind me, his arms wrapping tightly around me.

  “You don’t celebrate Christmas on First World; that’s an Earth tradition.”

  Josian beamed at me. “We know, baby girl, but you deserved something special, and even though it’s past the 25th of December now, it’s your birthday tomorrow. Lucy decided this would be the perfect gift for you.”

  My best friend knew me so well, and it was also a pretty rocking gift for her. We’d both been so alone. For seventeen years we had had no family. No Christmas. No holidays. Now we had everything.

  I finally got to my feet, and everyone surged forward. The half-Walker bond kicked in, our energy happily mingling with each other. It wasn’t as strong as it used to be, but we still wore the marks of the originals, and we still had our bond. It was more than enough.

  I found myself decorated up like the tree, but in colors of red and green. Lucy fluttered up and threaded tinsel through my curls. There was food and sweets everywhere. Not to mention alamonlette, First World’s version of chocolate.

  Later that day, feeling stuffed and satisfied, I stood beside the roaring fireplace, Brace’s arm around me, Lucy on my other side. The sacred animals were asleep by the fire and the rest of our family played some sort of weird charade game.

  The joy in the room was contagious, even for those who didn’t understand what this holiday represented. Ladre especially was confused as he stood there with his spray bottle of water. But still, he was happy.

  Then, like a smack in the face, everything became so startling clear to me.

  This was the reason we had fought. For moments like this. This is why I had never given up. If I had stopped fighting I would have missed this. And this was the part of the story I loved the most.

  We were finally at the Happily Ever After.

  The End

  Please keep reading for a special little scene just for all of you. This was the best way I could think of to thank you for the love and support of the Walker Saga. You mean the world to me!

  J <3

  Acknowledgements

  Whoa! I almost can’t believe it, but the Walker Saga is finished. This baby has been a part of my life for ten years – and now it’s done. When I started writing First World, I wasn’t sure I’d ever actually make it to Earth. It seemed almost an impossible task for someone who had never written anything before in her life. I was a reader, not a writer. But my Walkers changed all of that for me.

  I have so many people to thank. Firstly the biggest thank you to Travis, Lola Eve and Silvie-lace. You guys are my world and I love you more than words can express. Thank you for understanding that sometimes Mummy is absent, weird, talking to herself, locked in the study, terrible at cleaning and forgetful of meals. The unwavering love you all shower me with is what gets me through every single day.

  To Debbie, my mother and friend. Thank you for being an amazing Gran and always helping me with the girls. And I want to especially thank you for giving me a well-deserved kick in the butt all those years ago. From the moment you read that first draft of First World and informed me that Abby was both annoying and overly chatty, I knew my writing needed some hardcore work. Your words (and look of pain while reading) were enough that I took a long hard look at my book and knew I could do better. So I did. You have never sugarcoated things for me; your love is unwavering, but your words are honest. And I appreciate that more than you can imagine.

  To my dad, you’re the best Poopy (kids’ name not mine) the girls could ask for. Thanks for the unwavering support and bragging about me to everyone. No, I haven’t made a million dollars yet, but I totally love that you believe I can. One day, Dad.

  To my brother, Cody, and sister-in-law, Laura, you two are amazing and I am so grateful for the support and help with my kids and books. I’m going to miss you when you don’t live with us and the kids will miss you even more.

  To the rest of my extended family, thanks for always having my back; thank you for reading my books and acting like I’m the most talented author you know. My sensitive artist soul thanks you for the gushing.

  To my betas, Marice, Andi and Laura, girls – you all rock my world. Thank you for the love and support you have shown my Walkers. Your generosity in helping me and in showering praise and criticisms when needed has been instrumental in shaping this series. A double special thanks to Marice and Laura. You have been with me from the very start. We made this journey together and I love you both.

  Also thank you to my editor, Kathy Stewart. You were the first person to professionally help shape my words. I have learnt so much from you. From the very first edit you helped my writing shine. Your patience and expertise is very much appreciated, not to mention the support and faith in my work.

  And lastly, thank you to every single one of you out there that have taken the time to read my books. Thank you for the messages, emails, GIFS, pics, quotes, drawings, reviews and love. The way you have embraced this series leaves me beyond words – there is nothing I can say to express the way you have made this author feel every day since hitting ‘publish’ on First World. I heart the heck out of every single one of you and am giving you all a big Walker bear hug right now. As Lucy would say: You’re the effing best. Word!

  A little something of the happily ever after <3

  Lucy

  Oh, my god, what smelled so freaking good? I rolled across the massive space, my hands reaching for Colton but coming up empty. He wasn’t in the bed, which was a little strange. But hopefully the source of the food was the reason for his absence. I scooted to the edge and stared down. Of course being mated to a Walker resulted in a bed a hundred miles off the ground, which was a right old pain in my butt each morning. Luckily for me, I was no longer a sucky human. I was a pixie and not of the Tinkerbell variety.

  I sat up straighter and with barely a thought connected to the green line of energy which ran through my body. There was no pain, just a popping sound, and I was again the proud owner of some glittery, fluttery wings. Yep, that’s right. Lucy Laurell, shortest chick in the class, could now fly.

  How do you like that, Compound 23 biatches?

  It took no effort now to flutter off the side and make my way across the huge room I shared with my wolf-Walker mate. Colton liked things to be large and opulent. For someone who spent part of his time scratching fleas and peeing on bushes, he sure enjoyed the finer things in life.

  I can hear you quite clearly, mate.

  The shiver that ran through me was not something new. It pretty much happened the moment I saw, thought about, heard or was in close proximity to the blond deliciousness which was all mine.

  Shouldn’t listen in if you don’
t want to hear bad crap about yourself.

  His deep and husky tones shot straight back at me, sending a burst of heat right down to my toes. That man’s voice should be registered as a weapon. The growl, courtesy of his heritage, which laced each word was like a shot of pure attraction straight to my girlie bits.

  Get your sexy butt out here, pretty girl.

  My wings fluttered faster, and I was suddenly hungry for more than just food. I paused only for a quick bathroom break, brushing my teeth straight after. My wardrobe here was almost as drool-worthy as Abby’s in her Angelisian bedroom. Which of course was totally wasted on my best friend. She didn’t give two craps about fashion. Half the time she wore the same damn pair of jeans. And ratty old boots. All of that height and kick-ass body should have been shared around.

  I scanned the rows of clothes. I had so many to choose from now. Colton loved showering me with colorful garments, but a lot had come from Malisna, my mother the pixie queen. She loved having her daughter back. And I wasn’t complaining. For the first time in my life I understood who I was. Things felt right inside, and I was happy. And after watching Abby and all the girls die in the dark mountain, we were all due a little happiness.

  I dressed in a pair of light-denim, skinny, ripped jeans, which were made of something so magical that, even for a short, curvy pixie, they fit perfectly, teaming it with a black tank that had cut-out patterns on the back and side. It showed a lot of skin, but also gave me space for my wings.

  I flew out of the large room, which held our four-poster ornately clad timber bed. Size was king-king-giant-ass or something. My mate was one big guy, and he needed something to fit him. Of course, he still somehow managed to wrap himself around me in my small section all night. Luckily. I wasn’t sure I could sleep without him now.

  I hurried down the long hall, past the zillions of useless rooms that filled this house, and finally emerged in the huge open-plan, wood-grain and marble kitchen. As I caught sight of broad shoulders wearing a Henley-style long-sleeved tee, heat engulfed me and flashes of glitter puffed around.