Epilogue

Greer

A Few Years Later

S iren may be one of the more prolific species, but I was never overly excited about the prospect of offspring. Children are cute, but I’m completely content appreciating them from afar. Or, at the very least, being able to return them to their parents after cooing over how adorable they are.

Being turned took that worry from me, because the choice was already made. I would never want to force a child into a nocturnal lifestyle, and I enjoy being selfish with my time.

My bloodlust is much more manageable now that a few years have passed since my change, and I’ve been back to Haven several times to visit old friends and their new babies and packs.

Reign returns us to Black Cove via siphoning, and I swear, I grow fonder and fonder of the ability as time goes on. My mimic shoves my back against the wall just outside of Novak’s office. His hand wraps around my throat, and he gives a playful squeeze before shoving his mouth to mine.

“I’ve got to check in over at Rage,” he says as he pulls back from the kiss. “Want to come with me?”

I nod.

“Hell yeah. If Yara is there, I’m begging her to train me for real.” I chuckle, wrapping my hand in his and beginning to drag him toward the building Rage is housed in. “She’s eventually going to crack.”

“Wear her down, darling.” Reign chuckles. “Gods, I love you.”

“Love you too.” I skip my way down the hallway, contemplating what I can tempt her with.

She’s a panther shifter.

They eat human food. I’m going to bake her brownies if asking politely doesn’t work.

The guys have given me lessons over the years, but they’re used to fighting like men. Yara is basically my size, and I’ve seen her take down monsters four times larger than she is.

Also, when the guys try to train me, it always ends with us fucking.

Not that I’m complaining, but I’m determined to become a legitimate badass before I reach one hundred.

Novak growls as Yara tosses me over her shoulder. Who knows how it happens, but my ass hits the mat, and a second later, my shoulder and head bounce against it.

“Dammit,” I grumble, taking the hand she offers.

“It will get easier. You just need to keep practicing. And don’t let those fools teach you.” Yara laughs.

“This fool will be happy to remove your head if you keep being so rough with my beloved,” Novak hisses.

Finally back on my feet, I jab a finger at Novak. “Stop threatening my trainer, or I’ll ban you from watching my sessions.”

Yara snorts. “I need some water. Give your maker a kiss and settle his frayed nerves. You’re doing well.”

It’s a lie, and we both know it, but I’m committed to my goals. I’ve literally got all the time in the world to make them a reality, and I’ll keep working at it until I get it.

She heads off to grab her water bottle, and I use my speed to zip to Novak. He stands just past the blue line of tape Yara put on the floor. It’s his no-pass line, because he’s ridiculously overprotective…in a way that makes me feel incredibly loved and cared for.

He lifts me before I come to a complete stop, and I wrap my legs around his backside. Stepping back a few feet, he takes a seat on one of the benches.

His huge hands brush my hair away from my face. “It’s very hard to watch you be continually knocked down, but I’m very proud of your ability to keep getting back up.”

I beam and loop my arms through his. My fingers dig into his hair at the base of his skull. “I’m going to be just as capable as the rest of you before you know it.”

He smirks, brushing his thumb over my lower lip. “I love you so much, pet.”

Grinning, I push my lips to his for a quick, respectable kiss. “I know. Just wait—one day, I’ll be the one saving one of your lives.”

Novak laughs, and his face brightens. “I believe you’re capable of anything you put your mind to.”

Another Two Years Later

As it turns out, without Cole stalking me, we don’t run into a whole lot of life-or-death situations.

Um, none.

Not one has come up in the last few years, but I did finally pass my self-defense class with Yara.

Then I moved on to hand-to-hand combat with Leon. After that, I did a few classes with one of the boxers in town, but he was human, and I punched too hard, which broke his nose.

I felt terrible, even baked him brownies to apologize, but he refused to see me again. Not that I can really blame him.

I’m satisfied that if the need were to arise, I could protect myself or my guys if they were incapacitated for any reason.

Bartending is what I did for years before my change, and once the bloodlust became manageable, I started working in Chaos. However, the bouncers are really good at their jobs. One of these days, though, I’m definitely going to get there in time to show off my skills.

I just have to be patient .

No matter how many years that pass, every time the boutique in town receives a new seasonal shipment, Reign takes me shopping. It’s our thing, and I look forward to it for weeks when I know it’s coming up. It’s always a surprise visit—as in I don’t know the night he’ll choose to bring me, but I have a feeling tonight is the night.

He leads me out the back entrance of the club, hand in hand. He’s just as cuddly and affectionate as Seiran, and I adore every second of it.

The alley is as stinky as ever, but I ignore it, since it’s a quick trip to get to the main sidewalk. We’re about halfway down when an unfamiliar noise catches my attention.

“Why do you always have to be such a pain in the ass?” a male voice growls.

“Stop, what the hell is wrong with you?” a woman gasps.

The sound of struggling fills the air.

My eyes fly up to Reign’s, and he drops my hand to make a grab for my hips.

Damn, he knows me so well.

My vampiric speed gives me just the edge I need to evade his capture. My shoes slide against the broken concrete, but I come to a stop in front of a massive man. He’s got ahold of the woman’s wrist, and my fangs descend when I see the look of terror on her face.

“Hey, asshole,” I hiss, grabbing his hand and prying it off. Yara taught me that one. He spins, putting his entire focus on me, which would be intimidating, because he’s got to be close to a foot taller than I am, but so is Leon. He trained me well.

I spin, kicking his knee and forcing it backward. The crunch is a little extreme, but I complete my rotation, appraising to see what comes next. He takes a heavy swing at my skull, but my left forearm flies up, blocking the hit, while my right hand comes to rest on the top of his wrist. I pull down and out while bringing my knee up until I connect with his stomach.

Okay, that actually might have been his groin, but I was aiming for his stomach…he’s just very tall.

He lets out a satisfying “oomph,” and bends forward, supporting his middle. Linking my hands behind his meaty head, I tug him down again, bringing up my knee.

He groans and falls to the side. He might not be completely out, but he’s dazed.

I step back and assess the woman. “Are you okay?”

She nods. “Holy shit. Thanks, he was a total creep.”

It’s so damn hard to hold my tongue, but my body vibrates with excited energy.

I did it!

It feels so satisfying that I start to brainstorm other goals. Like, maybe I’ll open a self-defense studio and teach other women how to defend themselves.