Epilogue

SIMON

When I'd decided to live my remaining eight lives to their fullest, I'd never meant for this to happen. Not that my eight lives meant anything anymore, since apparently when Ogden and I had been bound by the Eternal Magic , our life spans had merged somehow. The idea still seemed fantastical, no matter how many people told me otherwise. And what if they were wrong? Because I was sure I felt the difference when I lost my one life, even if everyone did their best to convince me I was mistaken. They said between worrying about Ogden and being so badly injured, it'd just felt like I'd lost one of my nine.

I wasn't convinced.

But it didn't matter. After a lifetime of preserving my lives, I wasn't about to become a daredevil overnight just to find out if all those people were telling me the truth. So how had I ended up here?

I stared at my beautiful mate. His shifted form was gorgeous. His long, lean body shimmered under the fading sunlight. His small but powerful black wings twitched on his back. The tip of his tail had curled toward me, to nudge me closer to him.

" Come on, Simon love," Ogden coaxed. I loved the way his long, forked tongue moved when he said my name, but I didn't love what he was trying to talk me into.

" I don't know…" I glanced over my shoulder toward the tree line, which was hard to do with the helmet on my head. If I shifted and ran, I could put this off for another night, maybe longer.

" I won't let anything happen to you. You know I won't."

I mean, I did trust him.

He'd been horrified to learn about my jump off his rooftop garden the night of the attack. Since then, he'd woken up sweaty and panting from nightmares about it on several nights. The only thing that calmed him was assuring him I was still alive and at his side. So I knew he'd never put me at risk.

Except …

" What if someone sees?—"

" Simon ," Ogden interrupted me. His vibrant blue eyes stared at me until I met his gaze.

" Yes ?"

" It's a new moon so the sky is dark and we're going to fly toward the mountains, away from all the towns and houses. No one will see us. It is the perfect night to fly. I want to share this with you. Please come with me, kitty cat. "

He wasn't playing fair. He knew I'd give him anything he asked. Just … Why did he have to ask for this?

" Are you sure this contraption is going to work?" I tugged at the collar of the strange bodysuit he'd found for me online. It had fabric sewn between the legs and under my arms. When I spread my arms and legs, I looked like the flying squirrel Clive had tried to emulate all those years ago.

" Of course." Ogden's tone was patient, but sure. " And remember, it is only a third failsafe, nothing more. The first and most important safety measure is that I won't do anything to make you fall, and then we have the harness. It's cinched tight across my belly and isn't going anywhere. The wingsuit is only an extra precaution. You've been practicing your position all week. If you somehow get separated from me, you're going to hold your arms and legs away from your body like a starfish and slow yourself down. But even without your wingsuit, you know I would catch you. This is just to give you a little more peace of mind."

" Right . I know. Okay ." I huffed out a couple of quick breaths and jumped up and down.

" Okay ?"

" Yes ."

" Then , come over and climb aboard."

I scrambled onto my dragon and slid into the harness before I could talk myself out of this. Again . This was the third time this week that Ogden had tried to get me into the air. This was the first time I'd made it as far as getting into the harness. The harness was custom-made for Ogden's body and was essentially a bucket seat that was secured to Ogden with thick straps wrapped around his torso.

" Okay now, buckle up."

With trembling hands, I tugged the safety harness over my shoulders and across my chest. The buckles were the hardest to snap into place—my fingers didn't want to work. When everything finally clicked into place, I was ready to throw up all over him.

" Done ?"

I gulped. " Uh … I …"

" Simon ? Are you strapped into the harness?"

I nodded. Of course, he couldn't see that. " I … yes. I? —"

His wings flapped. His body undulated. I screamed.

Then we were in the air. My fingers shifted to my cat's claws as I clung to the harness. I wanted to grab onto Ogden , but what if I hurt him? I didn't want to hurt him. And I didn't want to distract him.

But I might puke on him.

There was like a ninety percent chance.

I closed my eyes and pretended I was on a wobbly carnival ride. Or a horse. Yeah . That probably made more sense. I was on the back of a horse. Yep . This was me, moseying along like a cowboy. Down a trail. On the ground.

" Do you see it, Simon ? Do you see how beautiful it is up here?"

My imaginary horse evaporated.

" Simon ?"

" Mmhmm ?"

" Do you have your eyes closed? "

" Uh … maybe?"

Ogden laughed. " Open your eyes, baby. Look around. I promise, I've got you."

I forced my eyes open.

" Oh , fuck." I slammed my hand over my mouth.

Ogden laughed harder. " It's okay. I won't tell anyone you swore."

I kicked him softly with my foot. I didn't appreciate him laughing at me. He turned his head until he could see me from the corner of his eye.

" I love you, kitty cat. You're doing great."

I let out a shaky breath and flashed him a tremulous thumbs up. It was false bravado. I knew it. He knew it. I got the impression he was still laughing at me, but at least he wasn't teasing me about it. Then I made myself look beyond Ogden to the darkening sky overhead and the world below.

" Wow …" I murmured.

I'd never imagined the world would look so different from above. Willow Lake , with its twinkling streetlights and tidy little streets, was unexpectedly pretty. But my eyes were drawn to the sun setting in the west. The last remnants of twilight clung to the horizon and shimmered across the lake.

" It reminds me of that night we shared on your rooftop."

A lot happened that night and not all of it had been bad. That was the night the Eternal Magic had blessed us as fated mates, so that part of the night, at least, would always be special. I often pretended, if only in my head, the rest of the night— Ogden's abduction, my leap off the roof, and seeing someone murdered right in front of me—was some other night. That probably wasn't the healthiest way to deal with everything that'd happened, but Ogden was still trying to find a therapist we both trusted, so for now that's how I coped.

" Do you remember how we danced under the starlight?" he asked.

I smiled. " Of course."

Then he hummed the same song we'd danced to that night. I loved hearing him sing and hum. Well , okay, I loved everything about him. I leaned back in the harness. Tension eased away and I let myself marvel at the beauty all around me, but mostly, I looked at my dragon.

I understood now why he'd pushed so hard to get me up here. This was a part of him, and he wanted to share it with me. He wanted to share everything with me, just like I wanted to share everything with him. We were bound through the magic of the summoning and then as mates. We were destined to be together like this. Always .

" Thank you, love," I said, leaning forward to brush my hand along his long neck. " Thank you for sharing this with me. I used to think I was a scaredy cat and nothing more, but now, with you, I am simply yours. Your love. Your mate. Yours . And together we can do anything, even fly."

THE END