Epilogue

EOGHAN

King John’s vampires gratefully opened up their homes to the surviving fighters that night, allowing them to shower the grit and blood away from their bodies. And even found them clean clothes so they wouldn’t have to drive home in the gore-caked ones they’d been wearing during the fight. Eoghan had never relished a shower so badly, slipping gratefully into sweatpants and a T-shirt as Ari did the same. By the time they’d showered and changed, the chief had hung up with Vance Ross—the big brown bear from Vegas—and gotten the good news that his biker pack had taken care of Bradshaw’s vamps in Tucson, Arizona, only losing two of his own in the process.

Edward Walters and Juan Garcia had also checked in from New Mexico to say that Santa Fe and Albuquerque were also free of the scourge of the Bradshaw vampires. None of Walters shifters had been killed in the process but Juan had lost one young werewolf when he’d been ambushed by four vamps at once. They’d managed to hold him down and drain him while his pack fought to get to him. They eventually had, just not in time. Juan had loaded his body into the semi which had taken them to Albuquerque and driven him back home to be mourned by his family and buried as a hero.

Andy Red Crow’s Denver clan had also been successful in closing down Bradshaw’s operation in Phoenix with Rana Fields’ clan fighting by their side. Phoenix had been the toughest go aside from Flagstaff because next to Bradshaw’s headquarters, they had the most vampires. Red Crow and Fields’ clans lost five shifters in total, four in the initial fighting, and Andy’s brave second-in-command panther who’d died protecting him. The man had been young and newly-married with a baby on the way and of all of the shifters lost to the two clans that day, the hardest loss. Andy had promised to take the family under his protection and keep them safe. Rana secretly told Priest, the young leader would be smart to marry the girl and claim the child as his heir.

Shockingly, Two Trees and Alo’s Tahoe clan had lost no one. Though initially thought to have been dragged away to satisfy some vampire’s hunger, the young cheetah, Clarice, had been found unconscious with a huge goose egg on the back of her head, apparently knocked out as soon as the melee first began. After a large vampire had been toppled right beside her, he’d fallen on top of her, obscuring her smaller body until after the showdown at the palace and the search for her commenced. Everyone had been stunned when she began coming around, complaining that she’d missed all the fun.

Even though Kellen McGillis was an asshole of the highest order, who’d barely escaped with his life, Eoghan was grateful his former lover survived the ordeal in John Townsend’s palace. Severin and Invictus realized after witnessing the battle going on in the streets from their perch in the air, that the real fight was going to be down on the ground and not at the blood plant or anywhere else. That realization and nothing more had saved McGillis’ pathetic life.

Eoghan did feel sorry for him, though.

Kellen’s admission that no one wanted him and that he really did have a heart which could be broken, had come as quite a surprise to Eoghan. He’d cheated death thanks to the dragons, but he would lose his job and ultimately face charges for what he’d done. The journey to justice was only beginning for the man. Eoghan hoped he wouldn’t face a long prison sentence, but knew it was most likely a certainty. What he’d done by spying and sharing secrets would be considered espionage and that alone was a serious charge. He could only hope the Justice Department didn’t decide what he’d done was treasonous.

King John Townsend had taken his throne back and was intent on helping his people get back to good health. The blood plant located so close to his own reservation had delivered several pallets of food for his vampires in order to satisfy their immediate thirsts. But human donors, hearing what had happened out at the reservation, had come back in droves, lining up and signing up to start feeding his people. Replenished, they went about rebuilding their town and disposing of the multitudes of dead which had stained their streets red. The king’s gratitude to Deputy Chief Priest, Eoghan, and Ari was beyond anything he could express, he told them. He promised to be an ever-faithful servant to the I.S.R. now and in the future.

Among the heroes of the day—Severin and Invictus—took the praises heaped upon them by everyone involved in the Flagstaff operation in stride. They took their leave that very night, changing back into their dragon forms to fly through the night in order to make it back to the forests of the great Northern California by dawn when their presence in the skies wouldn’t be seen. Neither he nor Eoghan knew what would happen with the dragons they claimed as enemies, but he knew…somehow, the I.S.R. would know before they would. They left all grateful thanks and accolades behind them, humble as always. Eoghan knew they could fly fast; he just had no idea they could travel at the speed of an airliner.

After their showers, changes of clothes, and an overnight stay at the hotel for one more night in Flagstaff, Priest had booked them on a non-stop flight back to L.A. Where she’d promptly told Eoghan and Ari they were on vacation, other than briefings, until they were needed for another case. Eoghan had never been more grateful for two weeks off in his life.

* * *

“I am so rested, I don’t really know what to do with myself,” Eoghan said, coming out of the bathroom, towel drying his hair three days after they’d returned home. Bear had decided to sleep over at Al and Ted’s house to leave the lovebirds alone to “reacquaint” themselves with each other.

Ari lay in the bed, head propped up on one hand, sheet down around his waist, looking handsome as always, and bed tossed—Eoghan’s favorite iteration of the man he loved. When he smiled and patted the bed Eoghan had vacated only ten minutes before, he tossed the towel on the footboard and made his way over to the bed. He climbed on to crawl over to Ari, who immediately pulled him into his arms.

“I love you, Eoghan Sapphire,” Ari said against his lips.

Eoghan couldn’t help but smile against the pillowy soft lips he loved to kiss. “I love you too, Ari Brown. I can’t believe how lucky I am that the chief made me accept a partner.” He kissed him deeply before pulling away.

Ari was watching him with a question in his dancing, hazel eyes. “She made you accept me?”

“Practically threatened me,” Eoghan said, wiggling closer and grinding his erection against Ari’s.

Ari responded by rolling him to his back and stretching out over him, caging him in with his muscular arms. He grinned down at him. “And you just gave it up? Just like that? It’s not like you to give up without a fight.”

Eoghan smirked, holding onto his hips as Ari slowly thrust against him, reveling in the run up to their lovemaking just like he always did with this man. “I guess you think I’m argumentative.”

“No,” Ari said, “you’re sassy.”

“Sassy,” Eoghan remarked before chuckling. He groaned as Ari leaned down and ran a tongue over his lips stopping the words for more kissing. They made out for several seconds before Ari finally leaned up.

“Yes, sassy. It’s like this.”

“Like what?” Eoghan frowned, lifting an eyebrow as he stared up at him, horny as hell, and just wishing the conversation was over and the fucking was happening.

“Hey, do you have any of that sexy, lace underwear?”

“Now? You have me pinned under you and that’s what you say to me now? I’m naked, leaking, and ready for you to fuck my ass with your big dick and all you want to do is ask me stupid questions like do I have any sexy, lace underwear? Now?”

Ari laughed out loud, sitting back on his heels and straddling Eoghan, eyes dancing, looking utterly pleased with himself. “That.”

“What.”

“Sassy…just like I told you.”

Eoghan snorted and then whined, grinding up into Ari’s backside. “If you don’t fuck me I’m going to throw a fit.”

Ari moved down the bed, still chuckling as he positioned himself between his legs. He glanced up at him under his long eyelashes and smiled. “Now, talk back to me.”

“What?”

Ari grinned widely as he took Eoghan’s raging erection in hand, holding it out for Eoghan to see the leaking tip. “Talk sassy, Eoghan.” He opened his mouth and took the head of Eoghan’s cock into his mouth, sucking it to the back of his throat as Eoghan groaned louder.

“You want me to talk back to you while you suck my dick?” he asked with a laugh.

Ari grinned around his cock, nodding. He pulled off with a pop. “Yeah.”

“Okay, fine,” Eoghan said, pushing his head back onto his dick. “Don’t stop sucking me.”

Ari responded by sucking harder.

“My cock is so much bigger than yours, you know,” Eoghan began.

Ari pulled off, choking with laughter as he crawled up his lover’s body. He immediately lowered his face to Eoghan’s still laughing as he tried and failed to kiss him which just made Eoghan laugh. In seconds they were lying side by side, staring at the ceiling, howling with laughter, both sporting raging erections.

When Eoghan was finally able to catch his breath he rolled over to his side and flung a leg over Ari’s. He reached for him, grinning at him.

“I really do love you, Eoghan,” Ari said.

Eoghan nodded. “And I really do think my cock is bigger than yours.”

They laughed until they were both gasping for air.