Eternal Dawn (34 page)

‘It’s time for me to go home. Where I always should have been.’

‘What am I gonna do?’ He asked with a little sob. ‘Without you?’

‘Something important,’ I said. And I knew it was true. ‘Don’t be surprised by your greatness, Tony Sasaki. Be surprised that no one expected it.’

I held my best friend to me and told myself never to forget his warmth.

Rhode tapped my shoulder and I pulled away from the strong grip of my best friend. Rhode took my place and embraced Tony. I turned behind me to Cassius.

We grasped each other’s forearms in true Demelucrea fashion.

‘Grazie,’ I said with a little laugh.

‘Prego,’ he replied in turn. My smile fell as I said, ‘Don’t wait too long to use the antidote on yourself. Promise me.’

‘I promise, Renoiera.’

A surge of something like nostalgia overcame me as he said the word. I reached up and touched the pendant he still wore around his neck.

‘Tell the story. My story. Tell it so every vampire everywhere knows.’

‘I will.’

I kissed his cheek.

Thank you
, I said in my mind.
For everything.

All will be done, Lenah.

I kissed his other cheek, thankful that he called me by my name. I backed away from Cassius towards the love of my life; Rhode now stood beside Fire.

Tears streamed down Tony’s face. Why should we fear the pain of goodbye? It is the natural course of life.

I wanted to remember Tony this way – in the sunrise.

No more fear. No more running from the daylight. Now I would walk into it and go home.

For good.

When I got to Rhode, he took my hand again and we turned to face the orange path.

‘He was right, you know,’ Fire said.

‘Who?’ Rhode and I asked in unison.

‘Suleen. About you. About what you could accomplish together. He would be proud.’

Even in his death, Suleen’s spirit touched me.

She motioned to the orange and yellow glittering pathway.

‘It’s time.’

Before Rhode and I stepped on to the pathway, I pulled him towards me. I needed one more kiss in the place he so desperately tried to give me. In a place to which we would never return. Our
mouths met and his strong arms slipped around my back. Tremors flowed through me, up and down my legs. The sunlight shone on both of us, warming our kiss, our bodies, and the ground on which we
stood. When Rhode and I pulled away . . . at the same time, our eyes met. Together – we took a step.

We made it a few paces before I needed one more look behind. My best friend cried an ugly cry. Tony lifted a hand in goodbye. I extended a hand and then held it over my heart as I walked
backwards into the light. I would love him forever.

I couldn’t stop the tears. Why should I? I had worked so hard to finally say goodbye. With a last glance at Fire, Tony and Cassius, I turned back to Rhode.

‘I think I see apple trees,’ he said with a smile. Yes, I too could make out the familiar roundness of the trees of my father’s house. I was almost home.

Behind us, Tony, Cassius and Fire were just orange shadows now. Soon they would flicker and fade, and I would be back with my family and Rhode. As it always should have been.

The smell of apples overtook the air around us. The pathway at my feet turned from the orange of Fire’s light to brown dirt, then manicured soil. The path flickered away and we were met
with a collection of trees and a wooden fence. Rhode looked behind him but was met with Hampstead Heath. Before us, in the distance, beyond the orchard trees, a chimney smoked into the sky.

We hesitated at the end of the orchard row where so long ago Rhode had made me a vampire, where we had started the bloody history that we had now undone.

Good girl
, Vicken would have growled. I smiled at the ground, allowing pride to overwhelm me for the briefest of moments.

‘Do you have any regrets?’ Rhode asked.

‘No,’ I said. ‘I’m ready.’

‘For an adventure?’ he asked.

A light laugh escaped and it flittered away on the untouched medieval air.

‘With you.’

Hand in hand, we stepped out of the orchard lane and walked towards the house in the distance.

‘Lenah!’ My sister’s voice carried over the trees, echoing on the air.

‘Genevieve?’ I called.

My sister turned the corner, her curls bouncing. Her eyes brightened and she jumped up and down, pointing at me. The sight of her brought me to my knees. The ground cooled my skin.

‘Mama! Lenah is back and she has someone with her!’

‘Genevieve,’ I croaked. ‘Genevieve! Come to me!’ I opened my arms.

I swept her to my chest. My father and mother burst out of the house and ran towards Rhode and me. My father, with his beard and great belly, held open his arms. And I knew, as they shook
Rhode’s hand and led us down the row, that I was no longer a night wanderer.
That
life was over. I even searched for the orange path but I didn’t see it.

Rhode squeezed my hand. ‘I love you,’ he said one more time. There was no word for what we had. Anam Cara. Soulmate. Love. It didn’t matter, the label.

Because I was Lenah Beaudonte.

Girl. Lover. Sister. Daughter. Queen, to some . . .

And I was free.

Thank you to Margaret Riley and the whole WME family, who have supported Lenah’s story from the beginning.

To the VCFA community, especially A.M. Jenkins, Franny Billingsley, Hannah Moderow and Kristin Derwich.

To the CCW’s, the classiest and most wonderful collection of women I have ever had the pleasure to know. Thank you for the time we have spent on Lenah’s story and for helping me to
craft this story. I am so grateful for you and for all we have accomplished together.

To my editors over the years in the UK: Claire Creek, Polly Nolan, Emma Young, Ruth Alltimes and Rebecca McNally. Your belief in this story and Lenah’s character has been crucial in my
growth not only as a writer, but as an artist. I’m a better writer having worked with you.

Rebecca Maizel hails from Rhode Island, where she lives and works. She teaches at her alma mater, the prestigious Wheeler School, where they have willingly accepted her back. She
tries not to force her students to read her published novels for young adults. Rebecca has recently achieved an MFA in Writing for Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Books by Rebecca Maizel

Infinite Days

Stolen Night

Eternal Dawn

Praise for
Infinite Days
:

‘
Infinite Days
is a grab-you-by-the-throat, ignore-the-world-around-you, fall-completely-in-love-with kind of book, the kind I haven’t really read since
Twilight
. Yep. I just used the T-word’ AllThingsUrbanFantasy

‘
Infinite Days
builds to an exciting conclusion, and leaves the door wide open for a kick-ass sequel’ WondrousReads

‘There is no other vampire book like it and if you have a love for immortals but are fed up with reading more or less the same story over and over again, then
Infinite Days
is the ideal book to pick up . . . Maizel’s writing is beautiful . . . Her voice is very unique and has an eloquence to it that I wish we could see more of in young
adult fiction’ YABookReads

‘I found myself thinking about this novel long after I’d put it down . . . It plays around but still retains the haunting and tortured tone of all the best vampire
stories’ Amazon

Praise for
Stolen Night
:

‘I can’t wait to see where the author takes Lenah next. With thoughtful notions, intriguing mystery and compelling characters,
Stolen Night
makes the
Vampire Queen Series a must-read’ TheYoungFolks

‘Be prepared to be blown away by
Stolen Night
because it’s not one you want to miss!’ BookPassionForLife

First published 2014 by Macmillan Children’s Books

This electronic edition published 2014 by Macmillan Children’s Books
a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR
Basingstoke and Oxford
Associated companies throughout the world
www.panmacmillan.com

ISBN 978-1-4472-1779-4

Copyright © Rebecca Maizel 2014

Vampire language created by Megan Reilly

The right of Rebecca Maizel to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital,
optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be
liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Typeset by Ellipses Digital Limited, Glasgow

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