Cresseda, beautiful and lit from the inside by her own soul, smiled at Lend and held out her hand. "Come, my son. Join with the water and discover your true nature. Be with us always."

He hesitated. This wasn't part of the plan. He was going to stay with me. He had to stay with me.

Lend looked between his mother and me. He smiled sadly at the ground. "I- I'm sorry."

Relief rushed through me. I went to grab his hand, but he took a step away from me. The colored drained out of my face.

"Lend," I said tentatively. "What are you doing?"

He brushed my cheek and the world faded away until all that existed was us.

"Evie, just think. There's a whole other world out there just waiting for us. We wouldn't have to hide. We could be with my mom, and you could get to know your dad. He'll be whole on the other side of the gate so he won't need the carbonation. We could have a life there forever, both of us."

"That faerie is no father of mine," I spat. Tears that were part angry and part devastated rolled down my cheeks. Surely he would understand. Surely he didn't really mean to go. "What about your dad? What about all the people left behind who will need our help?"

"My dad has Raquel now. You said it yourself, they could be happy together. I think between the two of them they can keep everything under control. Haven't you done enough to help them already?" His eyes pleaded with me to come. In that moment, I knew his mind was made up, but so was mine.

"Lend, this is my home. I can't leave, you know I can't." I was crying even harder now, despite my attempts to stay strong. He nodded, pursing his lips together.

"You've brought so much happiness into my life, Evie. I love you more than you could ever know." He kissed me; a bitter kiss that I knew would be our last. He grabbed his mother's hand and walked away from me, from this world.

"I love you too," I screamed, hoping he could hear me above the noise. He didn't look back.

"How are you holding up, little sister?" Vivian called from beside me. I'd forgotten myself for a moment, but her voice pulled me back in I had to stay strong for her, for all the paranormals.

"Just dandy," I replied.

"If that water boy wasn't immortal, I'd kill him," she said, but I knew she wouldn't. She was fighting to be good, fighting for me.

I watched as the groups of paranormals walked through the gates, laughing and singing their praises, joyful to be heading to the home they thought they'd lost forever.

The faeries were last. They floated down more organized than the others, but they seemed to be the happiest to go. They had lost their queens, but they had gained a passage away from where their own race had doomed them all to go. I watched for the faeries I knew, but thankfully did not see Melinthros. I knew he only acted under the orders of his queen, but I still wasn't ready to forgive him after what he'd done to me, to my mother.

When there were only a few lines of faeries left to go through, I began to worry. I had yet to see Reth walk through, and there was no way he would leave me without saying goodbye. Not that I really wanted him to, of course. It would be good to be rid of faeries and their unnatural beauty forever.

The edges of the gate blurred, and it seemed to get smaller and smaller.

"Viv," I called. "How much longer is it going to last?"

"I don't know," she answered. "You're the one with the gate experience."

I'd blacked out the last time I'd opened a gate, but this one was much bigger and I had Vivian's help. I didn't expect it to stay open forever, but I didn't expect it to be this short either.

My eyes searched through the faeries that were left. Where was Reth, my Reth? Had I been too late? I shouldn't have wasted so much time; I should've insisted he went through first. He couldn't be dead, he just couldn't.

"Donnchadh," a voice whispered in my ear. I turned around more quickly than I'd ever moved before.

"Reth!" I gave him a hug despite myself, embarrassed at how relieved I was.

"I know your name, my love, so it's only fair that you know mine." His voice sounded stronger than it had before, but softer than I'd ever heard it. There were no faerie enticements. I hugged him tighter, the tears threatening to reemerge; this time for a different reason.

I opened my eyes and took him in. His soul glowed brighter through his chest than it had since he took the fall for me when the unseelie faerie attacked. I'd seen her go through the gate, and was more than happy that she was gone. But it was different somehow. Not the blinding light of the faerie immortal soul. It was almost like—

"I'm staying here with you, Neamh. I'd rather live a hundred years with you on this world than a million without you on the other."

"But, how?"

"Melinthros," he began, pausing when he saw me cringe. "I know you hate him, but listen. Before he left the Faerie Realms to make you, he was a powerful and revered man. He wanted to make right by you, so he took me aside after you opened the gate and told me that he'd learned something from the Light Queen before she sacrificed herself. A spell so powerful it had never been attempted. A spell that could make a faerie mortal."

"But Reth, you were going to die! I saw your soul myself; there was no way for an immortal to survive it, let alone a mortal."

"He gave up some of himself to help me. My mortal soul is as strong as yours now." I looked down again and he was right. I'd expected my soul to falter with Lend gone, but it was glowing brighter than it ever had before.

"Well it's not like he really gave up anything. As soon as he crossed over, his soul was restored," I said, knowing that there was no way that scum of a faerie could do something so selfless.

"Evie, he could've been destroyed. That's strong magic, even for a faerie. He risked his life for me," he cupped my chin. "For us."

"Really?" I asked, looking at him, really looking at him for the first time. He wore no glamour, and he didn't look quite as much like a faerie as he had, but he was still the most beautiful man I'd ever seen.

"Really," he replied softly, putting his face closer to mine slowly, as if asking if it was alright. I leaned forward, expecting myself to feel surprised that loving Reth had come so easily. I wasn't.

He kissed me, the sweetest kiss I'd ever tasted. I threw my arms around his neck and he pulled me in closer. "I love you," I whispered when we pulled apart.

"I know," he said, "I've just been waiting for you to realize it."