Epilogue

Niko

R unning through the woods behind our house, I cannot catch Astra. Spring has brought her to life in a way I couldn't have dreamed. She's lively and fast, not to mention filled with lust.

She jumps from the trees and lands beautifully naked in the path. Her grin is intoxicating. "You can catch me now if you want."

"I would run myself ragged trying. Are you always so quick and elusive in the spring?" I slow my pace and close the gap.

Caressing my chest, she wraps her arms around me. "This is when my forest comes back to life. Don't you feel the vibration of it?" Swinging around, she mounts my back.

A goaty sound bays out of me and my cock comes to full attention. I grip her legs and run through our woods. "I wish I could feel the earth as you do, my love."

The oak where we first made love is on my right and I stop under its canopy of burgeoning leaves.

Touching her feet to the ground, she takes my hand and leads me to the trunk. "Would you really like to?"

My heart speeds up. "If it were possible, I would revel in hearing the trees as you hear them."

She blushes. "The night my father came, and I ran, I knew you had not been killed. I knew it because I felt you as I feel my forest."

"You never told me."

"No. I didn't want you to think you were like the trees or the blades of grass. You were and are so much more. Still, I feel you, and I think that if I opened my senses to you, you could become part of everything. At least you might hear this tree." She runs her fingers along my horn, down my cheek, and rests her hand on my shoulder. "If you want?"

When she touches me, it's magic that has nothing to do with her being a nymph. Wrapping my arms around her, I stare into her crystal eyes. Every nerve is awake and ready for more Astra. Still, we've lived together through eight months, and never has she made such an offer. "Why now?"

Tears spill over her lids. "All these months you have loved me without asking for anything in return. You make no demands. You never again asked for the marriage you came to New York for. I want to share this with you. It is something I have never shared with anyone else."

Emotions swamp me. "Show me."

She stands between me and the tree with her back to my front. Taking my hand, she presses the palm to the rough bark of the oak's trunk. Her small hand covers only half of the back of mine.

A soft hum vibrates inside me as our hands sink into the tree. A rush of calm falls over me despite my instinct to pull away; I trust Astra and remain in the grip of the unknown. "Should I be afraid, sweetheart?"

"Never. Close your eyes and feel."

Opening myself to whatever is to come, I do as I'm told. Rather than the darkness of the backs of my eyelids, I see light and shadows. The rings of the trees are in shades of brown, the beat of life within shines white, and the acceptance of the new connection reflects a calm green. The hum is all the life of the forest mingling like a crowded room buzzing with conversation.

Love for Astra flows through me to her in waves that band around my heart.

Inside my mind, Astra's voice says, "Legends say my beauty is my greatest gift, but this is more."

"To me, this is a reflection of your beauty, Astra. You are lovely inside and out." I draw an unsteady breath as she releases me from the essence of the tree.

Facing me, she stares with emotion glistening in her eyes. "Can you see why I run through these woods each day?"

"I feel blessed that you ever leave those voices to come home to me." I trace the curve of her cheek with my fingers, seeing more of her light than I've ever noticed before.

Her cheeks pinken. "You are even more tempting than the forest. When the weather is warmer, I will share the water's voice with you." She hesitates. "If you wish."

"I do wish it, Astra. I want to know everything about you. Thank you for sharing this." I wrap her in my arms and hold her close. Her floral and earthy scent fills my nostrils. She's like an addiction. The more I'm with her, the more I need her.

"I will never leave you," she whispers against my heart.

The words seep into my soul. "You are the only woman I can ever love, my beautiful nymph. If you ever left, I would wait for you to come back."

"And you're certain I would return to you?" She kisses my throat.

"We have long lives, my love, and I can wait a very long time." Kissing the top of her head, I lift her off the ground.

She wraps her legs around my waist. "You shall never have to wait on me, Niko." Cupping my cheek, she kisses me. Her tongue slides across mine and she moans against my mouth.

Leaning her against the tree, my cock thickens between us.

On a needy sound, she breaks the kiss. "I want to marry you."

Frozen, I stare at her as if she might evaporate in my arms. It's too much to ask that I heard her correctly. This must be a dream, the dream I've had a hundred times, but always woken up from. "You didn't wish to marry."

She shakes her head. "I didn't want to be bullied by my father or a satyr whom I'd never met. I let too much time pass. I was happy and thought changing our status might change how we felt."

"I love you, Astra. Nothing will ever change that." I brush her hair out of her face and study her eyes. They're clear and determined, without a hint of doubt.

"Will you marry me? I can understand if you no longer wish it."

Part of me could laugh at the thought that anything could change my desire for this woman. "I no longer require a formal pledge from you because we are more than that now." I touch her chin to keep her from looking away. "I still very much want to marry you."

She squeezes my neck and laughs. "I would like a small wedding here under this tree. My father will be invited, but not until the day before."

Joy bubbles up from deep in my soul. "Fitting. When would you like to marry?"

Running her hand along the trunk, she studies the limbs of the trees. "When the leaves have lost their sap and are in full face to the sun."

Not sure what that means, I ask, "Is there a calendar date for that?"

Her giggle is pure joy and music. She shrugs. "Next month."

I touch the sticky pale-green leaf that's just trying to open above our heads. "I would wait a monster's lifetime for you, my nymph; a few more weeks won't hurt. Besides, you saying you'll never leave me would have been enough."

She takes my hand and kisses my fingers. "I am yours until the end of time, Niko."

Pressing my lips to hers, my heart is lodged in my throat. Once I catch my breath, I complete the vows, "And I am yours, Astra."

The trees sway in the breeze, reveling in the joy of the moment.

Thank you for reading Astra and Niko's story. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I do. If you'd like to read more about the New York State woods and the monsters that lurk there, you can read all about Cade and Leona in The Manticore's Mate . Then, read Wild for the Wyvern to find out how Drayce gets his happily ever after.