Epilogue

Nicki lay collapsed on the chaise beside a crystal blue pool, every muscle in her body screaming in muted agony. Beside her, Stefan lay with a towel draped over his head. A tray between them held fruit juices and a collection of sugary pastries, but neither of them had the energy to stretch that far, not even for food.

"Those people were barbarians," Nicki groaned.

"They were…certainly thorough." Stefan sighed as he pulled the towel down his face, his starkly beautiful features appearing untroubled, as if they hadn't just run the equivalent of a marathon uphill carrying bricks. "They'll have preliminary results soon, I suspect, but I consider the fact that neither one of us collapsed a good thing."

She didn't miss the concern threading through his wry comment. If it were possible to hover from a treadmill across a gym floor, Stefan had hovered. First through the bloodwork, then through the VO2 max stress test, and finally through the window as they'd been taken in separately to be scanned. Nicki had undergone an echocardiogram test, sort of an ultrasound for the heart, and the techs had retained professionally neutral expressions throughout the entire procedure—the same kind of expressions that the diabolical personal trainers had worn as they put them through every muscle, sprint and endurance stress test Nicki had ever heard of, and a few she hadn't.

But Stefan was right. She hadn't passed out or gotten dizzy. She'd taken every challenge up to the point where she felt uncomfortable and then backed off, determined to do only as much as she could without pushing herself to a limit that no one asked of her—a limit no one wanted her to hit. It was strange, not going all out, but it was right too. She had a reason to protect herself.

She smiled at Stefan. "It's been one good thing after another, it seems."

He nodded, but his expression turned more serious at her words. "It has," he said. "And there's something else I really do need to explain to you."

As if on cue, all of Nicki's neuroses leapt to the fore. She and Stefan had retired to separate rooms the night before, but she hadn't been able to stop thinking about his words in front of the royal family. She opened her mouth to tell him it was okay, that he could take it back, that he could—and then he said something that made the words die in her throat.

"You're going to receive the Rite of O?ros, Nicki. Do you know what that means?"

She frowned at him. "The what?" Then her eyes widened. "Oh, right! The queen said that yesterday."

"Do you know what it is?" he asked again.

From the severity of his face, she decided honesty was the best policy here. "Umm…no. Is it bad?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. It's—it's perhaps best stated as an honored position within the borders of O?ros. You're not a citizen, but you'll enjoy the benefits of one."

"Oh." Nicki considered that. "That sounds good."

He eyed her closely, almost expectantly, but she didn't know why. "What?" She prompted. "What am I missing?"

"You'll also receive a yearly stipend," Stefan continued, holding her gaze. "And a home, fully paid for, in your name—that is, if you didn't want to move in with me."

"A…" Unaccountably, Nicki's eyes felt wet. She blinked, hard, to clear them. "Are you insane?" Was he asking her to live with him? Was that even possible?

"I'm not." His smile was infinitely tender. "Whatever you want, whatever you crave, it's yours. I swear it."

"I want to serve O?ros," she blurted, then felt her cheeks flush. "I know that sounds weird. I know I can't be a demigod like you are. But I want to serve. Like really serve. Like, be an ambassador for…for…" she broke off, biting her lip as she tried to form the words that were clanging around in her head, desperate to be spoken. "Wait, I'm sorry. Obviously I couldn't?—"

"You absolutely could," Stefan cut her off. "If you want it, we can make it so. Nicki Clark, liaison to the gods. Well…one or two in particular."

"Oh…" A little sunburst of joy buoyed up within her, like a cork bobbing in the ocean. "I'd really, really like that. Maybe a god who doesn't get much press, you know? Like Hephaestus—or Hades even. He always gets a bad rap."

Stefan nodded sagely. "I happen to know he'd be honored to have you take the job."

"You're serious." Nicki gaped at him a moment longer, then stiffened as Stefan's expression changed, his gaze focusing over her shoulder.

"It's a doctor," he murmured.

As one, they sat up on their chaises, and Nicki did reach for the juice then. If she was about to get bad news, she deserved some sugar in her system.

The doctor who strode up was part of the medical team assigned to Ari, not one of the techs who'd worked on them, and Nicki went cold inside. This wasn't someone who knew her. This was someone who could only see tests and numbers and statistics, who could make decisions without knowing her spirit or soul, who?—

"Nicki Clark?" The man asked crisply. "I'm Doctor Tanor, head cardiologist at the Klinik Im Park in Zurich. I had the opportunity to review your test results, and the queen asked me to speak with you directly as soon as I did." He barreled on without pausing, his gaze steady on her. "You don't have any current signs of cardiomyopathy in your heart muscle."

"I—" Nicki blinked, but she couldn't seem to see correctly, her eyes not focusing. "I don't?"

"You do not. You have a slight arrhythmia that's worrisome and will require some monitoring, and I'd like to have you track your blood pressure more routinely. There are also some diet and exercise recommendations I'd prefer you to follow to ensure you don't tap your system unnecessarily. But the bottom line is—you're healthy. You can do nearly every activity you might want without concern other than, potentially, sky diving. And while I recommend testing your heart again in six months and consistently thereafter, you're otherwise free to carry on." He smiled, at last, his eyes softening. "I can't speak to all your fitness evaluations, but your heart is in a very good place."

The doctor accepted her stammered thanks then took his leave quickly afterward, heading next to Ari, she suspected. Nicki stared after him for a long minute, biting her lip to keep from crying as Stefan reached over and slipped her hand into his.

"It's in a good place," Nicki whispered, and he leaned toward her to brush her lips softly with his. "He said I'm fine—I'm fine. I'm in a good place." She looked up at Stefan and he pressed his fingers against hers, pulling her close.

"You're also here…with me," Stefan said. "For as long as you wish to be. That feels like a good place as well."

"It's the best place I've ever been," Nicki whispered, squeezing his hand tight. She didn't bother trying to keep the tears from falling anymore. "The best place in the world."

Thank you for reading CLAIMED…Nicki and Stefan will have more to contend with in the next installment of The Gatekeepers of the Gods series. In CROWNED, a lost prince returns home, both new and very old secrets are revealed, and true love takes a magical turn… now available for pre-order

I've been rottingin prison my entire life…the life I can remember anyway, which began a year ago in fire and pain. It's as if the gods themselves tossed me aside and forgot me, leaving me to burn.

Then a vision sent from Poseidon himself steps out from the surf and into my world with maddeningly cool hands and gentle words that light up my soul in a whole new way.

With each touch she reawakens arcane knowledge within me, with every whisper she stirs in me the call to fight. Only this battle won't be waged solely to defend my country, but to avenge the gods of Olympus against an ancient, cunning foe.

I'll take on that fight, too. I'll serve, I'll sacrifice, I'll bleed.

I'll do whatever the gods demand to make this precious sea nymph mine.