Renegade (Heven and Hell #4)(88)
Author: Cambria Hebert

I would have said thank you, but she sent me home before I could utter the words. One moment I was in the vast empty InBetween and the next I was standing right beside the fountain in Portland.

“Heven!” Sam called, running around the edge to sweep me into his arms. “There you are. I was starting to worry.” He pulled me back to look at him, staring down at my tearstained face. “What happened?”

“I saw Logan,” I said, new tears brewing. “He’s so happy, Sam.”

“You saw…” His voice trailed away and he crushed me against him once more. “Thank God.”

We stood there a long time, wrapped up in each other’s arms, and for the first time in so long, breathing felt easy.

I pulled back. “Beelzebub?”

He smiled. “He won’t be a problem for us, ever again.” He laced his fingers through mine. “Come on, I’ll buy you a Bubble Tea on the way home.”

We started walking away when I saw Riley standing beside the fountain, watching us.

“Riley?” I said. “Come on.”

Slowly, he shook his head. I glanced at Sam and pulled my hand from his. “Give me a minute.”

I went to stand before Riley, looking up into his very deep, blue eyes. “You’re not coming with us are you?”

“No.”

“Where will you go?”

He shrugged.

I understood we weren’t the only ones that had been through a lot and who had lost. Riley lost too. And for all his jokes and snide comments, I knew Riley felt his losses very deep. He needed to grieve for Ana. He needed to grieve for himself. He needed to figure out who he was going to be now that he wasn’t shadowed by Beelzebub’s curse.

I took his hand in mine. “You’ll always be my family, Riley,” I told him softly. “When you’re ready, come home. We’ll be waiting for you.”

“You might be sorry you said that,” he said, his lips pulling up at the corners.

“Never. I’ll be sorry if you don’t come back.”

“I’ll be back,” he said, “and I’ll probably be hungry.”

I laughed and threw my arms around him, hugging him hard. “I love you, Riley Stone.”

He stilled, his arms hanging stiffly at his sides, but I didn’t care. I continued to hug him until slowly his arms folded around me and he was hugging me back. “Careful,” he whispered. “Sam might get jealous.”

I laughed and pulled back. “Come home, Riley. Sooner rather than later.”

He nodded and then turned and walked away.

I knew I would see him again, because in the end, people always come home.

Even if it was only because they were hungry.

Epilogue

Heven

“I present to you the newest graduates of Windham High School!” the principal announced into her microphone. Everyone around us stood up and cheered, throwing their square caps with tassels into the air.

I was a high school graduate.

High school had been nothing like I imagined it would be, but looking back, I really couldn’t picture it any different.

I looked at all the grinning, laughing faces around me and smiled. Turns out whatever Beelzebub did to the student body and some of its teachers, it went away the minute he lost his power. The doctors and news stations were still exclaiming over the strange virus and the miraculous recovery of everyone in the town.

The werebats disappeared, Sam regained the iron-clad control he had over the hound inside him, and everything pretty much went back to normal—whatever that was.

Alexis ran up to me, her cheeks pink from excitement. “So is it true?” she asked boldly.

“What?” I replied, smiling.

“Did Kimber really run off to Italy with some guy she met there last summer during our trip?”

My stomach tightened at the mention of Kimber, but I forced myself to keep smiling. “You know Kimber. She loves adventure!”

Alexis smiled like she finally had the answer to one of life’s unsolved mysteries. “Thanks!” she said and ran off. “Hey, guys, I told you it was true!” I heard her yell.

The truth was I didn’t know if Kimber got out of hell or if she was still there. What I did know was that Kimber could take care of herself and if she was still down there, it was probably because she wanted to be. Maybe it was a copout. Maybe I should try and find her. Maybe someday I would.

But not today.

Sam idled up to my side, both our caps in his hand. “Did I ever tell you how hot you look in that gown?”

I rolled my eyes. “I look like I’m wearing a garbage bag.”

“Best trash has ever looked,” he quipped.

I smiled.

“Smile, you two!” Gran said, coming in close for yet another picture.

“Gran, how many more pictures are you going to take?” I groaned.

“Humor an old woman,” she implored.

We got our picture taken for the millionth time that day.

“Come on, then. I have last-minute things to do before the party,” she said, tucking the dreaded camera into her purse.

“We’ll be right there!” I called as she walked away.

Sam wrapped his arms around me and planted a solid kiss to my lips.

“So what’s a girl who’s conquered hell and high school all in the same year do next?” he asked.

I tilted my head to the side and smiled. “College.”

He laughed and I pulled him close for another kiss.

The End