Beyond the Veil (Zodiac Academy, #8.5)

by Caroline Peckham

This book is dedicated to all those who wait for the living to join them beyond The Veil, watching ever on, and to all those they left behind. May you be brave enough to follow the longings of your heart to far-flung places, adventure into the unknown, take leaps of faith and dare to dream bigger than the moon.

Be brave, be hopeful, be you. And give them the show of a lifetime.

“I will tear the heavens apart for this,” Roxanya Vega snarled, the curse of a true queen lashing across the heavens and scoring them with her conviction. “I will shred your world to pieces and rip your hold on destiny from your fucking fists with blood and fire and vengeance for this,” she screamed at the stars, her power making the ground beneath me tremble, magic unlike any I’d ever felt before burning its way between the realms as she forced the stars to take note. “On my life, I curse you. On his life, I curse you. And for our fate, I’ll end you!”

I squeezed Azriel’s arm. “Your son’s love knows no bounds, and I know well that he would die for my daughter. But he is no fool. He would not make such terms with no hope in sight.”

“Father of the flames,” they spoke, but they did not open the fucking door. “We know what it is you seek. But fate lies not in our hands.”

“When one falls to the dark, the other shall be their guiding light,” Merissa murmured with a frown, those words familiar to me.

“When they were born, those words were whispered to me by the stars,” she said.

Hail sighed heavily. “I preferred the blonde one,” he grunted.

😆

“You made up for your poor choices in my eyes as well as in the eyes of my daughter. Besides, I always knew you’d be the one for her. I held you as a baby when I was pregnant, and I saw it.”

“It is time for my end. My death is the gift of Fae, a gift all stars offer in their demise. It is why magic lives in your world, for my magic is your magic.”

“Here, let’s see how strong we are together. Between us, we created the finest Seer in the kingdom, so this should be simple,”

“Save her, bring her back. Don’t let her go,” I demanded of him. His face pinched in terror at the thought of losing his mate, the silver rings in his eyes glowing with their bond. “Protect her like you swore you would!”

“I mean I’m a big deal here. As in beyond The Veil. Because I’m the man who almost lived…”

Take heart, son of fate.

“I love you, Gabriel,” she whispered. “You’re my little star, my guiding light.”

“Had to cut me down at the last moment there, didn’t you, relic?” he smirked.

“I’m coming for you, Darcy,” she swore. “Look for me, because I’m coming.”

Felisia Night, you’re going to go down in star damned history for this.

“Imai,” Azriel said with a frown. “Yes, I’ve heard of them.”

“He can really make this happen, Hail. It’s his destiny.”

“I think heroes are supposed to put the good of all before their own selfishness. But you are selfish when it comes to her, utterly, unerringly selfish. She’s the one and only thing you won’t ever question, the one thing you put above all else. If the world had to end to see her safe, you’d light the fuse that blew it from existence.”

“You and I have fought many fights together,” she said as I met her gaze, my love for her so fierce that the temptation at my back dwindled

Stealer of life. Twister of destiny. Beware the cost. Turn from this path. Stop before you unbalance the scales. His ascension will bear a price.

“Live long, live well, and love fiercely, my brave boy. I will watch over you both in every day that is to come.”

“The Savage King was the oldest thing, And he had a black soul too-oo-oo. But the best thing about him was his wife. And the fact he looked like a poo-oo-oo.”

“Hamish Grus was as big as a walrus, And he kinda looked like one too-oo-oo. But the best thing about him was his fine moustache, And the fact he only had one shoe-oo-oo.”

“Do me next!” Radcliff jumped into Felisia’s path. “The dead Acrux didn’t achieve so much, And his brother was bigger too-oo-oo.” “Actually, don’t do me,” Radcliff grumbled, but Felisia sang on. “But the best thing about him was he wasn’t lame. And the fact he was hotter too-oo-oo.”

“You led the warrior souls well, and though you scorned us with your choice to let your daughter walk through into the realm of the dead, your sacrifice was acknowledged. You may have one ask of us in return for the preservation of The Veil. Speak it now and we shall deliberate upon its viability. You cannot ask for life, nor the death of those who live.”

“Crown the new queens, and weave a new path into existence, mother and father of the flames,” the stars encouraged.