Epilogue

S asha

Watching Varos with his brothers as he learned more about the Earth realm and how to navigate all the incredible advances, as well as the dangerous nuances of human beings, was an adventure I would never want to lose.

Varos took to the new technology nearly as quickly as a twelve-year-old with their first laptop computer. I was actually shocked at how quickly he learned about pretty much everything that he came into contact with. I had a feeling that itwas because of his eagerness to learn. The poor demon had been a prisoner for so long that he’d barely had a chance to experience life before it was stolen from him.

I held little Adrien in my arms, marveling at how incredibly fast he was growing. I remembered how I had been holding him in much the same way not very long ago when my entire existence changed with the knock on the door.

Now, as I took an inhale of my nephew’s baby scent, I realized that, even though the future for each of us was uncertain at best, I still had a chance at the life I had only dared to dream about alone in the darkness of my room.

There was so much to be done. We still needed to locate Famine, and creating a plan for infiltrating the Underworld was of the highest priority, but soon, once we defeated Lucifer, the rest of our lives could begin. I looked down at Adrien’s sleeping face and knew what the first item on the agenda would be. I was certain my mate would be just as excited as I was practicing.

I kissed the fuzzy head of the baby and gently laid him in his bassinet. After ensuring he was safe and secure, I walked over to where my mate was sitting with his brothers, gathered around a laptop that was never far out of reach.

Without a word, I sat down on Varos’s lap before sliding my arm around the back of his neck. Immediately, his beautiful green eyes were on me, and the intense expression on his face as he discussed the search for their brother turned soft.

“Hey, princess. Are you okay?” He brought his arms around my waist, tugging me tighter into his body. I placed my head on his shoulder and hummed contentedly.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking about the future we will have together if we can defeat Lucifer.” I lifted my head, gazing into the eyes that never seemed cold or full of anger the way they once were when they looked at me. Instead, Varos was only warm and loving when we were together. “I want to have a family with you.”

Varos

It had only been a few weeks since leaving the confines of the cell I existed in for thousands of years. Since then, nearly everything I ever knew or thought I knew has changed drastically.

Being in the Earth realm was a strange experience. Everywhere I looked, everything I touched was something new that I had to learn about. I thought the clothing had been strange when I first saw them in the cave, but stepping out onto the sidewalk outside my brother’s business was literally and figuratively like stepping into a whole new world.

I had to quickly learn to navigate this strange new reality. Everything from the writing implements to the kitchen appliances was a wonder. I felt bad for destroying a few of the items in my brother’s home. I had no idea that the small metal box they called a microwave could produce so much smoke. When the ceiling began emitting an ear-piercing shriek, I panicked and might have caused excessive damage in my anxiousness. Varek promised me that there was no need to feel bad for the mangled mess of the microwave or the hole in the ceiling from my attempt to silence the blaring alarm.

Since then, I have been careful to pay close attention to the instructions that were given to me.

One of my favorite new pastimes was helping my mate with her plants that were so abundant outside of our bedroom. I promised her that once the battle was over, I would build her the largest garden she could possibly hope for.

No one talked about it, but everyone was considering the implications of de-throning Lucifer. With him gone, it was going to be on the four of us to step into our rightful place as rulers of the Underworld. I was uncertain if my mate’s plants would be able to survive the change in realms, but I swore to myself that I would do whatever could be done to make them thrive. I had already been learning all I could on the computer about greenhouses, sure that one could be used to make it safe for Earth plants.

Now, as I held my mate on my lap, I felt my heart speeding at her softly spoken words. I ran a finger over her soft cheek and thought about having a daughter with her hair and vivid yellow eyes. Already, I could feel my heart beginning to ache with want.

“Then, a family we shall have, mate. As many children as you want. And when they grow and find mates of their own, I will give you more, as long as you want. For the rest of eternity.”

Her quiet laugh was tempered by the moisture in her eyes. “That’s a lot of children. I was thinking of one or two to begin with. We’ll see how it goes after that, maybe?”

I kissed the tip of her dainty nose. “Whatever you desire, mate.”

Our quietly spoken conversation was interrupted by the pounding of the front door. I looked up to see my brothers in similar positions, their mates tucked in close to their sides as we all took a short break from the endless plotting we had been doing in between the search for Vanthos.

“Uh oh,” Sasha said as she stood from my lap. “The last time there was an unexpected knock at the door, it was Asmodeus bringing me a letter from your mom.”

She had shown the letter to all of us once we arrived at the mansion, and we were indeed able to identify the seal as our mother’s. At Shasha’s words, we all stood and, with wary glances at each other, moved as one toward the front of the house.

Before we could reach the entry, we heard Charon, who had been in the kitchen preparing lunch at the time, open the door. His surprised greeting has each of us running forward.

“Lilith!”