Epilogue
Being the mate of hounds—or as Orion teasingly called her, mistress—turned out to be amazing. The lovemaking, the cuddling, the way they made her feel special every single day. But more than that, she no longer felt alone.
A good thing she'd found her mates since her cats abandoned her, AKA got reassigned. She might have been miffed, only it turned out they'd been sent to take care of her brother. She found out in the oddest way. She received potted flowers, an incredible lush bouquet, that came with a note.
Dearest Adeline,
I am delighted to see you helped vanquish the blight on my land. Also thank you for taking care of Cole and Fiona, whom you know as Fudge and Smudge. Now that their services are no longer needed, they are being reassigned, but fear not, it is to someone you know. I think your brother could use some feline friends on his upcoming journey given his story isn't yet done.
Enjoy your new life. May it be as fruitful as my land.
Sincerely,
Mother Earth.
Adeline might have been a tad more impressed at the Earth goddess contacting her if she'd not met Hekate first. The goddess had literally transported her to some otherworldly throne room, where she thanked Adeline personally for taking care of her boys. Asked her if she'd like to be included on future tasks, and then gave Adeline an amulet to use to stifle her power instead of the daily tea. She gave one to Thaddeus as well, although he chose to keep drinking the stuff as if fearful it would fail.
Given they'd moved to New York—because it turned out her boys had a gorgeous place overlooking the skyline with a guest suite for her brother—she had to quit her job. The sandwich shop remained open, under new management, as Keeble and his crew took it over from Charon.
As for her grim daddy? It had been three months since the events with Monroe and her secret facility and Adeline thought she'd never see him again until the living room grew suddenly dark.
Charon appeared, his cloak just as undulating and shadowy as before, but his voice was soft when he said without greeting, "I am going to be a grandfather."
"Wait, what?" was her reply. She glanced at her flat belly.
"She will be special. Very special. So be sure to guard her closely."
And then, to her surprise, skeletal fingers, which felt like flesh, stroked her cheek. "Be happy, daughter. I find myself oddly interested in your well-being."
With that, Charon left, and when the boys found her, she had a bemused expression.
"What's up, sweetheart?" Orion flopped beside her on the couch.
"I'm pregnant."
Ambrose tripped and landed on his ass.
She smiled as she added, "It's a girl."
"Yahoo!" Orion yelled, jumping to his feet. "She's gonna be her daddies' princess."
"She'll be too cute given our genetics. We'll have to invest in a property with a tall fence," a somber Ambrose declared.
"Electrified," Orion added.
"With spikes to prevent boys from climbing over."
"Or they could and then I'll bite their ass for trying to mess with our girl," Orion eagerly stated.
Ambrose nodded. "We won't let anyone like you date her."
"Agreed." Orion bobbed his own head. "Nothing but the best for our daughter."
Our.
Adeline looked at her two mates, the three of them forming a triangle that would never break—and always be fun in the bedroom, hence why she crooked her finger and said, "Shall we celebrate?"
She was proud to say she made them both howl. Twice.
Thaddeus clutched the amulet given to him by the Goddess Hekate. It helped quite a bit when it came to not noticing or craving the souls around him. They teased him at every turn. It would be so easy to snatch one. He had never admitted it aloud, but he enjoyed touching people's souls.
His sister might believe him to be good, but he knew better. It didn't help his addiction that souls kept flocking to him after death. The way they filled him with warmth. Made him feel stronger, at least for a moment before he called upon Charon to transfer them to the Styx.
Not his first choice, but he'd sworn to Charon he wouldn't be stealing or keeping stray souls anymore. Every time his father visited to remove those he inadvertently attracted, he offered a stern warning.
"Remember, I let you live on the condition you do no evil."
Which felt kind of broad in scope. Who defined evil? How would he recognize it? Did that mean if he encountered it he should act?
He'd have sworn the plant on the kitchen counter whispered with its rustling leaves, You will soon find out.
Smudge glanced at him with bright green eyes that flared and remained bright as the cat transformed suddenly into a woman with dark and silver-streaked hair.
"What the fuck? I thought you were a cat!" he exclaimed.
"Only because I was undercover. Name is Fiona." She smiled slyly at him. "And you heard the Earth Goddess. Sounds like we're going on an adventure."
What do you say, should we find out what happens to Thaddeus in Earth's Reaper?