Epilogue

Epilogue

CALUM

Alabaster skin flakes off in shreds as she scratches her leg repeatedly until I place my hand over hers to stop her. Standing, I adjust the beach umbrella so it covers more of her body, then toss my T-shirt over her legs before sitting back on the lounge chair. The heat radiates off the sand as I snatch her bag and grab the lotion bottle inside. “Give,” I say with a wave of my fingers at her. She rolls her beautiful emerald eyes and plops her calf in my lap as I squirt out a long ribbon of white cream, then proceed to massage her and rub it in. “You know, other wives would be thrilled their husbands did this without even being asked,” I say with my tongue darting to my cheek, trying to contain my smile.

“Other husbands probably wouldn’t lecture their wives every four hours to reapply sunscreen.” Gathering her hair off her nape, she holds it up and stares out at the glistening sea. It’s grown out now. She hasn’t dyed it in the three weeks we’ve been married, and I smirk at her hair as it falls out of her grasp.

“Well…redheads are more likely to get burnt.”

Almost popping out of her string top, her large breasts heave with her sigh. “I wasted all those years coloring it.”

“Aw, V. You didn’t waste it. It’s like an auburn now. And just the way I like it because it’s you.” Finishing up my job, I lean forward to gather her lips as her teeth flash in a broad grin.

“I love you, Cal.” Tossing her arms around my neck, she kisses me ferociously. I’m not sure if she’s got pregnancy hormones yet, or if she’s just a feral animal, but I’m glad that our sex drives match…at least for now. She’ll probably get sick of me sometime, and then I’ll just have to wait until she’s asleep.

“I love you, Mrs. Veracity Jane Von Dovish.” Sitting back, I bring her with me until she straddles my waist on the lounge chair. “Did you enjoy the wedding?”

“You asked me that a hundred times. Yes! It was a dream! You know all I wanted was that cake anyway.” Raking her nails through my brown locks, she gently brushes the sweat from my forehead. The sound of the waves, her warm curves on me…this is paradise.

“I know, but I just wanted you to have everything you wanted.” Not wasting any time after the dramatic dinner at the Freidenbergs, we boarded my jet, and I had them set up a wedding on the beach while we flew to the private island we’re staying on. Once we arrived at the villa, I had V sit down with the concierge and get everything her heart desired, which really turned out to be three things: a bouquet of tulips, no shoes under her short white dress, and Monet’s petit fours for dessert.

It’s been three weeks since we arrived, and I like to pretend we won’t have to go home. But we do. Nick has kept me abreast of the situation on West Side. Several of my lackeys have come under fire or had run-ins with wolves and even gotten heat from some of the bears. If I don’t face things now, there’ll be blood on my hands.

“You’re thinking about the meeting again, aren’t you?” V’s head tilts with care as she meets my eyes. She’s right. I was just about to wonder why Strauss had rejected my pleas for a meeting with him. In fact, he’d downright ignored me, his potential ally.

“I just can’t figure out why… Why snub me?”

Flopping against my chest, V situates herself comfortably, using my body as her pillow. “I don’t know. He could be protecting you. If he wants to stay in power, wouldn’t he want you at war with the East and South?”

Nodding, I consider all the possibilities that have gone through my mind repeatedly. “Maybe he doesn’t want to stay in power…”

“That could be true. But Delta said Halcyon and Lark are still meeting with an owl figure at a new wooded location on his property, correct?”

I inhale before replying, lips pinched. “Yep. He said they’ve been meeting weekly as they previously did with Alpha. Now, it’s a new person. Feminine, still, like all of Herodius. Maybe this one is Amalthea…”

“But that would mean Strauss is still involved with them, correct? And, if that’s true, then maybe because you didn’t sacrifice me, they won’t meet with you?”

Gripping her chin, I lift her face to look at me. “Puppet, I made the absolute right choice. I’m never parting from you. Ever. Even in death, I knew you were with me. I don’t care if I never learn about them as long as I have you. That’s what’s important.”

Tears make her eyes sparkle in the bright sunshine as her spring scent wafts to my nose on the ocean breeze. “Maybe we could disappear. Find someplace like here to escape to.”

Brushing my lips against her hopeful ones, I sit back and give her a small smile. “I would love to.” With my fingers running through her long, auburn hair, I tell her, “But then, I’d be leaving all the children in West Side, hell, all of Gnarled Pine Hollow, to the same fate as you. As Ashley. And then I would be like Franklin Von Dovish all over again. I can’t do that, V. I can’t abandon them.”

When her lips spread wide into a maudlin grin, her cheeks round up so they squeeze out a few droplets from her eyes. “I know. I feel the same way. I just wanted to pretend for a moment… You’re a good man, Cal. And a great husband.”

I shove my erection into her belly with a smirk. “And an excellent lover?”

A laugh rips from her chest, floating away with the roar of the waves in the water. “Yes, definitely an excellent lover.”

Before I can get carried away, she asks, “Can we stay at least one more week before going back? I want to pretend just a little longer.”

“Yes, puppet. Whatever you⁠—”

“Mr. Von Dovish. I’m so sorry to interrupt, but there’s a letter for you and the courier that carried it to the house himself said it was urgent.” The concierge leans over, a tray held in his gloved hand.

The envelope is plain white, with no indication of where it came from. Nodding my thanks, the man heads back to the manor as V sits up and stares at it with me. Folding back the unglued flap, I pull out the white card. It’s blank, but when I flip it over, one word is typewritten on the back.

Slyvious

Veracity’s brow furrows as she reads it with me. “What does that mean?”

“The third faction…”

She tilts her chin down, questioning me. “The third⁠—”

“Faction, yes, V. We are at war… But it’s not with Strauss. Amalthea and the owls of Herodius and this Slyvius. And I think I got my meeting answer.”

“Huh?” Shaking her head slightly, she flips her hair over her shoulder as it twirls in a gust of sea air.

“The reason Strauss won’t meet with me. This is it here,” I say, shaking the card. “I think he’s gone rogue or is working with this organization. They must have things under control, or this is a message to seek them out, more likely, or else why reveal themselves at all…”

V sits up while I purse my bottom lip, holding it between my thumb and forefinger. “You think Strauss is working for a different secret organization than Herodius… I wonder what their aim is.”

“Could be good.” Meeting her spring green eyes, I give a nod. “Could be bad.”

One side of her lips lifts into a smirk. “You want to go home now, don’t you?”

“I want so many things. But peace in the city is one of them… So, yeah. I think we need to head home now. But you’re also in charge here. Do you veto?”

With her warm palms, she rubs my arms, swallowing before speaking. “Can we fuck on the plane?”

Gripping her waist, I tug her into me with a laugh and smile. When I stand, she maintains her wrap around my body as I carry her toward the manor. “Of course, puppet. Always.”