Epilogue

Blair

I soar through the air.

My body feels almost weightless as I hit the peak of my jump, arms reaching toward the ceiling, my mind fully lost in the movement.

The studio lights bathe the room in a warm glow, the wood floors smooth underfoot, the faint hum of music filling the space. Every jump, every spin—it’s a quiet reminder of what I almost lost and fought so hard to regain. It isn’t perfect, but I’m finally learning to live with the imperfections.

San Francisco has been a fresh start in every way I could have hoped for. Every day is different here, filled with new faces, people I don’t know and who don’t know me. People who see me for who I am now—not as the girl who ran from her family or was almost destroyed by the past.

After class, I walk through the streets, feeling the buzz of the city alive around me. I slip into Asher’s tattoo studio, its walls covered in sketches, flashes of color and intricate designs. He’s working, completely absorbed, his head bent over his client’s arm. His strong hands are steady, moving with precision.

There’s a calmness in him now that I never thought I’d see, but his fire is still there. I see it in every line he inks onto the canvas of skin.

He looks up and grins, his dark eyes lighting up when he sees me.

“You ready for yours?” he asks, that teasing lilt in his voice.

I blush a little. I’m pretty sure the "normal" response to getting a tattoo isn’t to get all turned on by it. But then, nothing about us has ever been normal.

That’s the day we get matching tattoos—a small, simple snake symbol that only we know the meaning of, inked on our wrists.

“I read online that getting matching tattoos is supposed to be bad luck,” I say. “Like, they mean your relationship won’t last.”

Asher laughs like I’ve just said the funniest thing in the world.

“What is it?” I ask.

“Sugar, think of all the hell we’ve been through over the last decade. You think a couple of tats are what’s going to finally takes us down?”

I giggle too. “Okay, you’ve made a good point there.”

He’s right. After surviving the worst together—the Mortalis Society, the chaos, the competition of life and death—we’re untouchable. We’ve walked that razor’s edge and came out stronger, closer.

And we haven’t exactly given up on thrill-seeking.

There are nights when we’ll race out to the cliffs near the coast, his bike roaring under us, and we’ll sit on the edge, the waves crashing below. Or we’ll take turns on the back of his bike, darting down winding mountain roads with the wind tearing past us, the raw power of the engine humming through us both.

There’s something we’ll always crave about the line between life and death—an understanding that Mortalis, twisted as it was, brought to the surface. Life is too precious to waste and the thrill of skirting the edge gives meaning to it all.

And every time we take those late-night rides, every time I push myself in the studio, and every time he does something breathtaking with his art, we’re remembering that lesson.

I’m definitely the only tatted up ballerina in my class, and some days, my ankle still bothers me. But it’s okay. I finally have my freedom, a life on my own terms. I have the love of the most fearless, intense, and wild man I’ve ever known. He’s the only one who’s ever truly understood me, right down to my core, my hunger for something beyond the ordinary, my need for a thrill.

And he’s here with me for good.

Asher moved to San Francisco so we could be together, renting a small apartment where we’ve started a life that’s simple and ours. He even rented another unit in the same building for his grandma, who’s getting the best treatment that our money could buy. We don’t know exactly what the future holds, but we’re ready to face it together. There’s a serenity in us now, a quiet thrill in just being here, alive, free .

Asher wraps his arms around me, pulling me close. “So,” he murmurs, his lips brushing my ear, “what’s next, little ballerina?”

I smile, leaning into him. “Whatever we want,” I say. “We get to decide.”

And as we walk out of the studio together, hand in hand, I know that wherever we go, whatever comes next, we’re free—and that’s all we’ll ever need.

The End

Thank you so much for reading In Darkness We Dare!