Epilogue

“ I can’t believe I let you blindfold me,” Sofia said. “I’m nine months pregnant.” She clutched at Levi’s arm.

“You know I’m not going to let you trip,” he said. “Okay.” Carefully, he untied the blindfold, making sure not to pull her thick hair. “Now you can open your eyes.”

She looked at him first, and he was watching her face, eager to see her reaction.

“It’s done?” she asked.

“It’s done,” he said.

For the last few months, they’d been building a house on Kellan’s property, so they’d be close to the rest of the clan. At first, Sofia had been an integral part of the process. She’d helped draw the plans, she’d met with the contractor, and she’d gone to every store to pick out stone, brick, granite, and anything else needed.

But as the months went by, she’d gotten tired, and all the little decisions to be made about the house drove her insane. She didn’t know if she wanted pendant lights or recessed lighting. She didn’t care if the floor was hand-scraped hardwood or laminate tile. She’d started volunteering at the women’s shelter in town, and that took every bit of her mental and physical energy. Apparently, growing a magical, half-bear/half-dragon shifter was taxing.

When the builder called and asked if she wanted a produce sink, she lost it. Not on the poor builder, but on Levi as soon as he walked in the door. “Levi! We are shifters! I grew up in the woods. I didn’t use indoor plumbing until I was fourteen. I don’t care if the sink is copper or burnished nickel or freaking gold!” She sank onto his sofa. “I can’t make any more decisions.”

He sat next to her and put his hand on her knee. “Hey. You don’t have to make another decision; I’ll take care of it. You’re growing a baby, and the house will be fine if we don’t do another thing to it.” He kissed her cheek. “You’re right. We’re shifters. We can live right out there in that field if we need to.”

“And we have,” she said.

So, they went on for the next month, with him handling the house details, and her working at the women’s shelter during the day and getting ready for the baby at night. Levi kept his word, and he took on all the responsibility. She felt bad at first but realized that whatever the house looked like was actually fine with her. They needed a house, because they lived in the human world, and their child would have to learn to be a part of that world too. But she was just never going to care about what kind of blinds were on the windows.

Or so she thought. But what she did care about was the fact that her mate had stepped in and finished the house alone. And it was gorgeous. Even though she wouldn’t have cared if it was a tin shed, she could admire the rustic chic look and the wide-open spaces.

“Oh my,” she breathed. He held her hand as they walked through the house. She ran her fingers over the chrome refrigerator and the brick fireplace. “It’s amazing. You did a great job.”

“Come this way,” he said. He led her to the last bedroom, which was decorated in deep tans, cream, and white.

She gasped. “It’s a nursery.”

“Right by our room,” he said.

“Oh! It’s a sheep theme!”

He had hired someone to decorate, and they’d found sophisticated tan bedding, with creamy-white sheep, and all kinds of decor to match. It was feminine, and whimsical, which was perfect for a baby girl.

Sofia wiped her eyes. “She’s going to love it.”

“I’m so glad Georgia was born in time for us to bring her to the Annual Dragon Shifter’s Festival,” Sofia said as Levi pulled into the long drive that led to the castle. Georgia was six weeks old, and of course, Kellan had flown them over to Galway, Ireland on a private jet.

“Me too,” he said. He wanted to show her off. He wanted to look over at his mate, and he wanted to glance in the rearview mirror to look at his newborn daughter, but even with superior reflexes, the Irish roads had gotten the better of him.

As they drove up, dozens of shifters were gathered around the castle. There were banners stretched out above a table packed with food, and already several hatchlings were flying over the lake.

He crawled into the backseat and unbuckled Georgia from her car seat. He settled her on his shoulder while Sofia got the diaper bag out of the car.

“What are we celebrating this time?” he asked Nora and she came up to hug him.

“Your beautiful new baby of course.” She grinned at Georgia’s little face. “I was so perturbed with your group of brothers when I heard they gave you two a surprise wedding shower.” She put her hands on her hips. “But you two still haven’t gotten married. So, I had to one-up them and give the two of you a baby shower, with everyone present.” She pointed to a mountain of gifts, all wrapped in pink paper.

He chuckled. “Well, thank you. A little competition is good for the soul.” The shifters had been giving them a hard time, because they’d chosen to have a private mating ceremony, instead of a big one that everyone could attend. And they’d both wanted to wait to get legally married once Georgia was born—having her in the photos really appealed to both of them. The wedding was planned for January 1st of the new year, and they’d invited everyone in the clan, so they were forgiven—mostly.

Someone called Nora’s name, and Levi wrapped his free arm around his mate and started giving her the tour of the grounds. “We better look around now, because we’ll be opening those gifts all night long.”

Before they could get to the castle, every single person came up to them and wanted to meet the baby. Of course, Kellan, Quinn, Liam, and Brennan were there, along with Clara, Juliana, Brynne, and Fallon.

They got to see shifters they hadn’t seen since the battle, like Carolina and Davi, and they met a shifter they’d never gotten to meet before. His name was Garrett, and he was a rockstar in Las Vegas. His human mate, Lily, was very chatty and kissed the baby on the head.

They got to see Jackson again, the firefighter from Oregon, and his mate Helena, the demi-God’s granddaughter. Both of them touched Georgia’s cheeks and said how cute she was.

Next came Eli and Ava, a scientist who’d gained a legendary reputation by fighting an actual alien. Ava said the baby was the cutest she’d seen in a while.

And Katia, a shifter from Peru, and her mate Jace, a racecar driver, were both sleep-deprived from their own toddlers, and warned them not to skip any naps.

Falcon was there too. He was a sea pilot Levi had met when he’d traveled to Peru, and he had his human mate, Daisy, with him as well, who they hadn’t met until that night. Falcon embraced Levi and slapped his back. When Levi heard Daisy’s name, he smiled, thinking of Sofia’s sheep, who often busted through the fence just to come visit them at their new house.

A shifter named Wyatt, a football player for the Dallas Cowboys and his Fae mate, Liz, both came up to shake their hands and admire the baby.

Henrick, a circus magician who was both shifter and vampire, and his mate, Lyra, the vampire who’d turned him, waved at them but didn’t get too close to the baby. Levi trusted Henrick completely, but he appreciated the gesture.

Lucia, a wolf shifter, and Owen, who was a pilot from the same clan that Levi was born into, asked to hold her. When he handed her over, Lucia cradled her close for several minutes before handing her back.

And finally, they got to see Kane, the former mob-boss shifter, who had continued to behave himself long enough to get to attend a party. His mate Ember was also holding their own infant.

Seeing everyone was exciting, but overwhelming, and they ducked into the castle for a break.

After they’d walked through the old castle and taken a few photos, they went back outside where Nora was waiting for them.

“Before we start the baby shower, I have to say something.” Nora put one hand on his cheek and one on Sofia’s. The party we’re having tonight is only partially a shower for this sweet baby. It’s also going to be a celebration of having wrangled a very dangerous pack of wolves that were a threat to everyone here tonight.” She lowered her voice. “I am grateful to both of you for eternity.”

They moved closer, embracing, and Niall joined them. Not far away, Levi could see the four Irish brothers, nodding at Nora’s words.

Sofia put one hand on Georgia’s back. “And we’re forever indebted to all of you,” she said to Nora, Kellan, Quinn, Liam, and Brennan. “Because of you, I found my place in this world, as well as the love of my life, and my baby.”

Levi pulled her even closer. “She’s right. You all have my eternal gratitude.” He kissed the top of Sofia’s head. “And I’m so grateful you’re my mate,” he said.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the sky erupted with colorful fireworks that read, Happy All Hallow’s Eve, from the Worldwide Irish Supernatural Clan; everyone is welcome.