"It's a deal."
She watched as Sasha and Ren limped away from them. Then she turned back to Jess. "Is it over?"
"For now. You've stopped your first apocalypse. You should be proud."
"I'm too tired to be proud."
He laughed. "I know that feeling." He fished his phone out of his pocket and called his Squire.
Abigail stood in silence as she listened to Jess negotiate a ride home for them in something that wouldn't cause him to burst into flames. From what she overheard, Andy wasn't willing to haul them anywhere since he was still mourning the mangling of his Audi.
After a few minutes of asking politely, then threatening his Squire with bodily harm, Jess hung up the phone. "Andy will be here shortly."
Yeah, right ... She could see Andy taking his sweet time getting here and grumbling every inch of the way. They'd be lucky if he didn't let them starve to death before he made it out here.
Jess's gaze went past her to see something behind her that made his jaw go slack.
Her stomach shrank with dread. How bad is it this time? More to the point, how many whatevers were about to attack them?
Not quite ready for another round, she turned to find ...
Her own jaw hit the floor.
Was that Choo Co La Tah? Gone was the old man and in his place was the younger version of him that she'd seen in her visions of the past. Strange that she hadn't noticed before how handsome a man he'd been. He wore his long black hair loose around his shoulders and walked with the swagger of a predator.
This was a warrior in the prime of his youth and that fact was evident in every bulging muscle and most of all in a stance that said he could kill you in a heartbeat.
Jess put himself between them as if to protect her.
Choo Co La Tah smiled. "Stand down, Jess. I'm not here to harm either of you." He held his hands out to his sides to prove his intent. "I do have to say 'thank you' to our Butterfly though."
Abigail frowned. "How so?"
"It appears we didn't miss the deadline as we feared. When they attacked us earlier and you protected me, you shed some of your blood on the cavern floor. Because of that the seals are still intact."
She wasn't sure if she should be grateful or ticked off at him. One day, they'd have to do something about Choo Co La Tah's penchant for withholding important details. "That was the offering I had to make?"
He nodded. "It also restored my youth and health. For that, my dear, I offer a resounding debt of gratitude. I haven't felt this strong in centuries."
Jess stepped aside as she moved forward to eye the ancient Guardian with respect.
"I don't understand," Jess drawled. "Why did you and Old Bear age while neither Snake nor Coyote did?"
Choo Co La Tah lowered his arms. "It takes more energy to not give in to the Dark One they chose to serve. Fighting them and staying true to our duties takes its toll. It's another reason why our posts are finite. There's only so long you can hold them back before the body wears out and leaves you defenseless." He swept his gaze to where Snake lay dead on the ground. Pain flickered deep in his dark eyes. "You were ever a fool, my friend. Ever led astray and for that I am truly sorry. May your soul find the peace your body never could." He looked back at Abigail. "You may lay your fear aside, child. I can hear it even from here. The ancients never held you responsible for the death of Old Bear nor will they for Snake."
His words confused her. "I don't understand. You said-"
"I implied and you inferred. You were only a tool Coyote used for his own purposes. The ancients are able to look past the event to see the true causation and who set it in motion. All of which go back to Coyote and his actions and greed. Just as I was trying to use you and Sundown to lure him to the Valley so that we could trap him. I knew he would follow you. But unfortunately, he's escaped again."
"We can follow once the sun sets," Jess offered.
Choo Co La Tah sighed. "We won't find him. He's clever that way and he will go to ground to lick his wounds and plot his next move."
Abigail felt a tingle of hope inside her at his words as another idea occurred to her. "Isn't the balance restored now that Snake is dead?"
"In theory."
She didn't care for his tone that told her it would never be so easy. "Theory?"
Choo Co La Tah fell silent for a bit as if thinking on how best to answer. "The balance is a very delicate thing. While Coyote and I may contain each other, we are still missing two Guardians. The jars aren't open, but their seals are weakened by the death of their Guardians. The Wind Seer could free herself now and then go after the Grizzly Spirit on her own. If she were to unite with him, they will rain down an apocalyptic hell that would impress even Sasha."
Great. But she wasn't ready to give up. "What of Jess and Ren? They were the original Guardians, right? Can't they step in and replace Old Bear and Snake?"
He shook his head. "Until the Reset, no new Guardians are allowed to be appointed."
Jess scowled. "Ren told me earlier that Coyote's actions had caused that to speed up."
"They have indeed. And we will have to stand strong against him to keep the Dark One from reigning during the next cycle."
"I'm ready," Jess said with conviction.
Choo Co La Tah smiled. "While I appreciate that, the last chapter isn't yours to write."
"What do you mean?"
"This is now between Ren and his brother. Your job was to stop him before he claimed the Butterfly and tainted her bloodline. You've done that and you kept him from claiming Old Bear's magic."
Abigail was even more confused by his words. "Tainted me how?"
"The Butterfly people were the guardians of the soul. They were born of the Light while the Coyote and Crow are the Dark that would cover the soul and turn it evil. While they, like all of us, were drawn to the Butterfly because of her magic and beauty, she was never theirs to have. The Butterfly can be captured, but never claimed. Her love is a gift that only she can bestow on her chosen one." He gestured to the petroglyphs on the wall where a butterfly flew around a white buffalo. "The Buffalo were the strongest warriors ever known. Intuitive. Brazen. They were fearless. Their job was to protect all of the people, especially those charged with our souls. It's why the two of you were forever drawn together-you were destined to join the two bloodlines. But in the first lifetime, Butterfly was too weak to stand with the Buffalo. She had to learn to fight for herself. To stand up and let the world know she was unafraid." He turned to Jess. "Buffalo was arrogant and egocentric. He had to learn to put the Butterfly before himself and to realize that she was the most vital part of him." He paused. "You both have done that. You understand that while you're strong alone, you're so much stronger together. So long as you stand together, no one can tear you down."
Abigail swallowed. "We're still cursed."
"Yes and no. You two have confronted the Coyote over his evil and you no longer have human blood in you. Coyote's curse only applied so long as you were human."
She seriously regretted that decision. If only she could go back ... "What about the demon inside me?"
"You're controlling it and you have Jess to help."
He made it sound so much easier than it was. Even now she could feel it inside her, salivating. It wanted to feed and it was hard to deny that craving. "But when it wants to feed ... What do I do then?"
"You do what all of us should do when evil beckons. You beat it back into submission and rise above it. You are more than strong enough to succeed. I know it."
She wasn't sure she liked that answer.
Choo Co La Tah closed the distance between them and took her hands into his. "The Buffalo people had a saying. There is purpose in all things no matter how random they seem. Mother Fate is ever watching and ever working to aid us." He looked at Jess. "Your mother was the last of her people. She knew the Coyote wanted you and it's why she never told you who you really were. Who her people really were. She hid your true tribe from you and married your father, hoping his lineage would disguise you and give you a fighting chance to fulfill your destiny." He tightened his grip on their hands. "It did and because of your mother's sacrifice, you evolved into what you needed to be. It's why you came so close to marrying your true Butterfly then. Unfortunately, she hadn't metamorphosed enough. Matilda was still too weak to stand by your side." He reached for Abigail's. "Now you are ready."
He put their hands together between his. "In spite of all the enemies who would seek to destroy you, you two have found each other again. As the Tsalagi would say, the future path is the one you choose to follow. The journey what you make of it. You both have come so far in this lifetime and those before. I know that this time you will have the life you've dreamed of." He squeezed their hands, then released them. "Now I must go and rest. The fight between the Dark and Pale One is upon us. We will need all of our strength for the battle to come." With those words spoken, he vanished.
Abigail stood there for several heartbeats, absorbing everything that had happened. She didn't know what the future held and that terrified her. For a woman who'd had her entire life mapped out, it was scary to stand here with no clear cut path to follow. She'd chosen the wrong way so many times that she wasn't sure she trusted her instincts anymore.
But she trusted Jess.
She looked down at their combined hands. Who would have thought? While looking for her enemy, she'd found her best friend. "So where does this leave us?"
Jess froze at a word he hadn't thought about in a long time.
Us. Two united beings.
For the first time in over a century, he wasn't alone.
He stared at how delicate the bones in her fingers were. At how warm her touch made him. It was a sensation, he never wanted to lose again. "I hope it leaves us together."
"Is that what you want?"
"Absolutely." How could she ever doubt it? "Marry me, Abigail, and I swear this time, curse or no curse, I will make it to that damned altar. Even if I drag the devil with me to be there on time."
She offered him a smile. "I will definitely marry you, Sundown Brady. And this time, I will kill anyone who tries to stop you from making it to that altar."
He leaned in and gave her the sweetest kiss of her life. And when he pulled back, her lips were still burning.
"So tell me..." she whispered. "How do we get you free from Artemis's service?"