"I don't understand why you have to leave," my mother said, not for the first time. "Who in her right mind turns down Cornell? And after working so hard to get yourself back on track. It seems like such a waste."

I slid my suitcase into the trunk of the car before slamming the hatch, an exasperated sigh exploding unintentionally from my mouth. Squinting against the glare of the late afternoon sun glinting off the shiny metal, I gathered my dwindling supply of patience and turned to face my mother. "I've told you. I need—"

"I know, I know," she said, waving her hand to dismiss what I was about to say. "You need to get away from your father and me."

"That's not it, and you know it," I said. "You're just fishing now."

Her shoulders slumped, the fight going out of her. "What do you expect? I'm your mother."

With a half-strangled cry, she threw her arms around me and pulled me close, crushing me against her petite frame with more strength than I thought possible for a human. She finally released her death grip, though she still held on to my hands. Blinking away the tears in her eyes she said, "At least you won't be alone."

I glanced over my shoulder to where she was looking. "No, I won't be alone. I'll be fine, Mom."

A few feet away, Olivia was saying her own goodbyes to her parents, her brother Henry attached to her back like a monkey and Eleanor clinging to her leg. Marcus stood stoically beside her, their fingers entwined, desolation written all over his face. My heart ached for them, but there was nothing I could do about it. At some point, Marcus and Olivia would have to go their separate ways. Perhaps Olivia leaving now was for the best. As far as our human friends and family were concerned, Olivia and I were bound for the same university.

Best Friends Forever.

Literally.

"Are you sure you don't want us to drive you to the airport?" my mom asked hopefully, pulling my attention away from the scene. "We don't mind."

"I'm sure. John and Ian are flying out today, too. It makes sense for us to go together."

"We could have driven you to school," she said. "Taken a family road trip. It would have been fun."

I laughed. "We don't do road trips, Mom."

She shrugged, searching my face as though trying to memorize it, not realizing it would never change as long as I lived. "It was worth a try," she said. "This is much harder than I expected, you know." Without warning, she crushed me to her chest again, squeezing the breath from my lungs.

"Good grief!" I wheezed. "You're acting like we'll never see each other again. I'll be home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. You're always so busy anyway, you won't even know I'm gone."

"That's not true. The house will be much too quiet without you. You'll mind your curfew?" she said, making us both laugh at how absurd it sounded now.

"I will."

My father approached then, wearing a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, and placed a hand on my mother's shoulder. "She's a big girl, Rachel," he said, his voice sounding huskier than usual. "You've got to let her go."

"I love you," my mother whispered in my ear. "I know I wasn't the perfect mom and I was probably a bit obnoxious and overbearing. I'm sure there were times you thought I was certifiably insane," she added with a self-deprecatory laugh. She pushed me away a little so that we could see each other and briefly touched a hand to my cheek, unconsciously twining a dark curl around her index finger. "But you are, and always will be, my greatest joy."

I swallowed hard several times, unable to speak. "I love you, too," I finally managed.

My mother released me without another word and turned away into my father's arms, and I quickly made my way to Zach before either of us had a chance to properly break down. "Hey you," I said, brushing at the tears in my eyes.

Zach threw his arm around my shoulders. "Hey."

I craned my head to look up at him. "I'm gonna miss you."

He raised his brows. "You will? Well, in that case . . . I might miss you."

"You might?" I said, with mock hurt.

He held his thumb and index finger an inch apart. "Just a little."

I spied Hannah peering through the driver's side window of John's car, talking to him and Ian. "Nah," I said. "You won't have time to miss me." Zach followed the direction of my gaze and a faint blush crept into his cheeks.

"Are you happy?" I asked him. "With her?"

Zach's grip around my shoulders tightened and he took a minute before answering. "Yeah," he said at last, almost apologetically, as though trying not to offend me or undermine what we once had together. "I think I am."

"Then I'm glad," I said, and meant it. Raising my voice slightly, I added, "Just be careful, okay? I don't want you getting hurt."

At my comment, Hannah glanced over her shoulder, her eyes meeting mine, and I knew that Zach would be okay. Hannah and I might never be great friends, and it irritated me that she got a rise out of antagonizing others, but she had never been anything but sweet to Zach. She would probably never admit it, but I knew she liked him more than she was willing to let on. After all, she had declined the offer to come with us, choosing instead to stay in town for the time being.

Zach kissed the top of my head. "Don't forget about me, okay?"

The lump in my throat was back. "Not as long as I live. I promise."

With the requisite goodbyes observed, Olivia and I piled into the back seat of John's car and waved at our loved ones until we could no longer see them. Olivia, who'd made it through the proceedings without shedding a single tear, began blubbering before we were even out of the neighborhood. She pulled a mirror out of her purse, snorting critically at her reflection. "I look hideous," she hiccupped. "I seriously hate goodbyes."

"Should I remind you of all the times you said you couldn't wait to get away from your parents, not to mention the twins?"

She pulled a packet of tissues from her purse and began blotting away the smeared mascara from under her eyes. "Yeah, well. I might have lied a little."

Ian turned in his seat. "Chin up, lass. It's not goodbye forever."

"Not yet," Olivia said, her bottom lip quivering as her eyes swam with fresh tears. "That's going to majorly suck." She thrust the mirror back into her purse and laid her head against my shoulder.

I cleared my throat. "What time's your flight again?"

"Not until this evening," Ian replied.

I leaned forward and touched John's shoulder, my heart sinking a little as I felt him tense under my hand. Would things ever be okay between us? "You're doing the right thing," I said. "This will be good for you. For you both."

John met my eyes in the rear-view mirror and nodded, but he didn't say a word.

It had taken some real persistence on my part, but I finally managed to convince Ian and John to return to Scotland, to revisit the place where life had ended and then begun again. Just like Olivia and I had said goodbye to our families—for now at least—John needed to say goodbye to his, something he'd never had the opportunity to do. And although dredging up old memories would no doubt create difficulty between them, John and Ian needed to mend their relationship once and for all. Bridget had agreed to accompany them on the trip. "To keep them from killing each other," she had said to me.

The four of us remained silent the short drive to the airport, mainly because Olivia was too upset to talk, but mostly because things were still awkward between John and me. For a few short months, we had shared an undeniable connection, but it was a relationship based on feelings contrived from Margaret's compulsion, as well as his. Even though Margaret admitted to playing a part in forcing our relationship, and even though she claimed John had feelings for me regardless, who could say for sure just how deep those feelings went? Not John, and definitely not me. Still, we would remain part of the same family, if nothing more. I was going to need him by my side in the future.

Thomas was waiting for our arrival on the walkway in front of the small airport. Raising a hand in greeting as John parked the car, he jogged across the lot to meet up with us. "This is it?" he asked, his voice tinged with incredulity as John popped the trunk and he peered inside. "I was expecting we would have to make several trips, given the female proclivity for shoes and clothes and whatnot."

"Sexist," I said. "Moving out is going to be a slow process," I added. "My mom isn't taking it so well. I was afraid she'd curl into the fetal position and never recover if I took everything at once."

"Yeah," Olivia said, sniffing loudly. "I think mine was sad to see me go, too . . . but only because she's losing her free babysitter."

Thomas put his arm around her, clucking sympathies in her ear as he handed her an aluminum bottle. "Better have one before the flight," he said. "I'm not sure when you'll get your next meal."

"You forget I'm a Compeller," I said. "I won't let her go hungry."

"Are you sure you can't come with us?" Olivia said as Thomas shouldered her carry-on and lifted her suitcase out of the trunk.

"I will meet up with you as soon as I can," he said, pausing to give her a reassuring smile.

With Conrad Abernathy's sudden "resignation" as police chief and forced removal as Head Watcher of the local vampires, the Queen had given Andrew Larsen and Thomas the responsibility of appointing a new vampires to assume leadership. No telling how long that would take. In the meantime, Thomas and his mother would begin sending ahead their personal belongings and eventually sell their home. They, and June with them, would join us at a later time.

"Where's Josiah?" I said.

"Inside with Bridget," Thomas replied with a grin that at once made me suspicious.

"What?" I said, narrowing my eyes.

He laughed. "You'll see."

Hoisting my bag over my shoulder, I grabbed my suitcase and made my way up the sidewalk and through the automatic sliding doors, searching for Josiah. If not for Bridget standing next to him, as well as the bond we shared, I might not have otherwise recognized him.

My mouth fell open. "What have you done to yourself?"

"Isn't he handsome?" Bridget answered, fluttering her eyelashes. "I might have a new crush."

A fierce blush rose up Josiah's neck and settled in his cheeks. "I have asked you—repeatedly—not to say that," he hissed to the little vampire. "It makes me extremely uncomfortable." Bridget pursed her lips, trying not to smile, but promptly scooted away so we could have some semblance of privacy before the others joined us.

"She unnerves me," he said.

"Yeah, she has that effect," I agreed. "Seriously, though. What have you done?"

Straightening, Josiah squared his broad shoulders. "I needed a change. Olivia helped me."

I raised a brow. "Olivia did this? I guess she's better at keeping secrets than I thought."

Gone was the felt bowler and long leather duster that I'd seen him wear every day for the past year. Instead, he was wearing brushed corduroy jeans and a plaid button-down, the sleeves rolled neatly to his elbows. He had also shaved his beard and cut his hair, combing it back from his forehead so that the thick, auburn waves fell just past his ears. Fascinated by his smooth appearance, I rubbed my hand against his cheek, enjoying the unfamiliar softness.

"I like it," I said, feeling a warm glow radiate from the pit of my stomach.

Josiah's face brightened and he smiled a genuine smile, an expression that transformed the look of his normally stern face. The glow burned a bit brighter. "You should smile more often," I suggested.

"I will," he said. "Now that I have reason to."

With the airport being as small and uncrowded as it was, it didn't take long for us to get checked in. Oliva, Josiah, and I were scheduled to catch a connecting flight before making our way to our final destination . . . as well as our new lives. Under the Queen's careful guidance, I would spend the next year learning how to run a country of vampires. I tried not to think about it too much. Doing so only made me that much more nervous.

To please my parents, and to keep the lying to a minimum, I was actually enrolled in college classes. Olivia and I were roommates, but we wouldn't be living in a dorm on campus like I'd led everyone to believe. In a pinch, compulsion came in handy. Ithaca would be down several vampires, but at least there was no longer any threat from Conrad or Margaret Abernathy, who were currently locked away in solitary confinement in a remote location. None of us had seen them since the day the Queen and her guard took them away, and it would be a long time before they saw the light of day again. It had taken time, but the other treasonous Head Watchers in league with Mr. Abernathy had been rounded up. Things were back to as they should be.

At last, it came time for us to board. John and I hugged under the scrutinizing gaze of Josiah. Under the circumstances, I thought he could hardly deny us that much. Ian approached me then. I wrapped my arms around his waist and he lifted me off my feet, making me laugh, before setting me down again.

"I've never said thank you," I said.

"Oh . . . aye?" he said, clearly taken by surprise.

"Despite everything, I'd say my life turned out okay."

He raised a brow, but couldn't help his smile. "Well, don't be thanking me yet. You've a long life ahead of you. I'm sure you'll find something to blame me for."

Thomas laughed, clapping Ian on the back. "Don't you know you're the official scapegoat of the family?"

Ian rolled his eyes. "Fantastic."

"You'll be well compensated for the job," I said. "You'll take good care of him?" I added, all traces of humor gone.

His eyes cut to John. "Aye. I promise ye that."

"And you'll take care of them both?" I said to Bridget, who'd come to say her goodbyes.

"I will see to it that they behave."

I tugged one of her blonde braids. "I knew I could count on you."

With temporary goodbyes out of the way, Olivia, Josiah, and I passed through security and made our way out the gate, walking the short distance across the tarmac to the small plane that would carry us to the next point. We got settled in our seats, Josiah and I together on one side of the plane and Olivia across the aisle on the other. She stuck her earbuds in place and looked out the window, obviously not wanting to talk to anyone at the moment.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" I whispered to Josiah, holding my hand palm up in invitation.

He glanced at Olivia and then back at me. "Even in the midst of heartache," he said, placing his hand in mine and squeezing my fingers, "when finding your way out of sadness seems unfathomable, you cling to singular threads of hope because that is all you have." He brought my hand to his lips, depositing a small kiss on the back. "And before you realize how it has happened or exactly when, you have an entire rope with which to pull yourself free. Olivia will find her way."

I smiled as the engines whined to life, my attention fixed on our hands clasped tightly together. I didn't know what the future held; it would be difficult, no doubt, but also exciting. Still, we would each find our way, separately and as a new family. For now, however, in this brief moment in time, I had eternity in the palm of my hand.

*****

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