Epilogue Gemma

"This is gonna be awesome!" Jewel's face splits in an ear-to-ear grin as she eyes the towering rollercoaster with a mix of trepidation and exhilaration.

The screams of gleeful riders fill the air as they whoosh by overhead, their hands waving wildly.

"You two go ahead. I'm gonna sit this one out."

Sebastian"s brow furrows. "You feeling okay, hot mama?"

"Oh, I"m great. Totally fine." Except, the whole hurtling through space at breakneck speeds thing is not for me at the moment. "Maybe we can hit up the Ferris wheel later?" I offer instead, thinking a nice, gentle ride where I can keep my lunch down is more my thing.

Jewel giggles and tugs on Sebastian"s hand. "Dad, come on. I wanna sit in the front row."

"We"ll be right back." Sebastian drops a quick kiss on my cheek before allowing our daughter to drag him toward the line.

I settle onto a nearby bench, content to people-watch and enjoy the lively atmosphere as the most important people in my world disappear into the crowd.

I sigh, soaking up the sun. It"s been a whirlwind few years since Jewel"s miraculous recovery. We"ve been globetrotting, hitting up every amusement park on her long list. Who knew there were so many variations of metal death traps?

And speaking of supernatural… I see my little family returning, all smiles and wind-blown hair.

"That was fun." Sebastian plops down on the bench beside me. "You look lost in thought. What's going through your mind?" he asks.

"I was just thinking it's too bad there aren"t any more dragons so Jewel could marry one when she grows up."

Sebastian chuckles, slinging an arm around my shoulders. "There are plenty of other creatures like me who dote on their mates, you know."

I quirk an eyebrow. "Dragon shifters?"

"Not dragons." He shakes his head. "But shifters, yeah. And other sentient, compatible beings."

"Wait, what?" I gape at him. "Like what? Vampires? Werewolves? Freakin" leprechauns?"

"Leprechauns are real?!" Jewel gasps, her eyes wide.

"No, honey, your mom's just being silly." Sebastian shoots me a look that clearly says "ix-nay on the eprechaun-lay."

Oops. Note to self: save mythical creature speculation for when we have privacy.

"What's next?" Sebastian asks. "The tilt-a-whirl?"

"YES!" Jewel pumps her fist in the air. "Let"s do it."

I blanch at the thought of subjecting my queasy stomach to more high-speed shenanigans. Time to break out the big guns.

"You two go ahead," I say breezily. "I"m gonna sit this one out too."

Sebastian frowns. "You sure you"re feeling alright, Gem? You"re looking a little green around the gills."

"Must be the funnel cakes and fried ice cream."

"What funnel cakes and fried ice cream?" he asks, puzzled.

I sigh. I tried. Welp, here goes nothing.

I take Sebastian"s hand, feeling suddenly shy despite the big news I"m about to drop. Or maybe because of it.

"The thing is..." I nibble my lower lip, my heart doing a weird little flutter behind my ribs. "The baby"s not really crazy about plummeting down steep hills at breakneck velocity or being stuck to the side of a giant tin can by centrifugal force."

For a moment, Sebastian just blinks at me, his expression utterly blank. I can practically hear the gears grinding away in his head.

Then, all at once, understanding dawns. His eyes go wide, mouth dropping open in shock.

"Baby... You mean... Are you saying...?"

I nod, a wobbly smile spreading across my face. "Surprise, daddy. Again."

"Holy hell." Sebastian rakes a hand through his hair, still looking totally poleaxed. "I"m gonna be a father. Again!"

He kisses me, hard and fierce, right there in the middle of the crowded fairway. I melt into him, not giving a single damn about the whistles and catcalls from passersby.

When we finally surface for air, Jewel is watching us with a scrunched nose and glimmer of preteen disgust. "Gross. We"re in public."

I laugh, feeling lighter than I have in...well, ever.

"Get used to it, kiddo. Your mom and I are stupid in love." Sebastian winks at her then waggles his eyebrows at me.

The sound of Jewel"s theatrical retching breaks us out of our love bubble.

Sebastian and I share a look, trying and failing to suppress our smiles.

"Better watch it or we"ll start making out again," I warn teasingly.

"That's it." Jewel throws her hands up, marching off toward the cotton candy stand in a huff. "I"m running away to join the circus!"

Jewel's completely cured of her genetic condition. The doctors are stumped, but it's as though she was never sick.

The three of us never talk about the miracle medicine that saved my baby girl"s life. I have to admit, though, her glow-in-the-dark eyes and night vision are a pretty wild side effect. I"m not complaining, mind you. I"ll take a little supernatural weirdness over the alternative any day.

Next series: Mates for Monsters