Epilogue

EPILOGUE

DECLAN

It took a while, but the expansion of the shop was finally finished. We had to shut down the shop for a week for them to blow out the wall between the two spaces, but we made it work. And Aziel didn't know it, but I had them do work on the upstairs as well. I wanted to make it easier for him to get around. Most of the walls were gone, aside from the bedrooms and bathrooms. The living room and kitchen was one big space and we would limit the amount of furniture we brought in so he wouldn't trip. Even a few months after the attack, Aziel still struggled sometimes with bumping into things. His depth perception was off and it pissed him off to no end. This would be easier on him.

Manny was practically vibrating beside me, he was so happy. We got some new equipment for bigger clients, and we already had appointments for next week with both paranormals and humans alike.

"Ready to go inside?"

"Yes!" He coughed, rubbing the back of his neck to hide his embarrassment. "I mean, sure. Yeah. Sounds good."

I bit back a laugh, leading the way inside. Manny had a sunshine personality, but he tried to hide it a lot. It didn't have anything to do with me, we got along pretty well after I apologized for being an ass, but apparently he used to live in Hell, and it was a rough area. He had to be tough to not get pushed around. And yeah, it blew my mind that Hell was a real place, but had no religious context to it. It was a town in the Other Realm that was on the rough side. Az and Manny brought me so we could set up a shipping schedule with the guy who had the special paranormal inks. Not one human being tortured in sight.

"Wow…"

I nodded in agreement. The shop wasn't a tiny space just big enough for two chairs anymore. It was roomy, with chairs of different sizes and two private back rooms for those who didn't want an audience. The bathroom was bigger than a broom closet, so anyone of Manny's size could fit easily, and the storage room now had wards on it to protect the ink. Hell, the whole building had wards on it. Az insisted on that part. Only those with good intentions could walk through the door.

Letting out a slow breath, I felt some of the tension I'd been carrying the last few weeks fade away. Money was tight, and now we had a big ass loan we had to make payments on, but now that the shop was finished, we could have more clients, maybe even find another tattoo artist to join us. We had the space for it.

"You're, uh… You're having a party to celebrate it being done, right?"

"We," I corrected. "We're having a party. This isn't just my shop. It's ours. Besides, your cousin is catering."

Manny beamed at me. He was a little awkward sometimes, unsure of where he stood, but that was my fault. Now that we could start working more, we'd be around each other more often and he could see that I was sincere about him being a friend.

Rubbing my hands together, I sucked in a breath. "Alright. Let's get this place party ready. I need to pick up the boys from the park in a few hours."

Az normally did it, but he said he had something to do this afternoon and refused to tell me what he was doing. I'd be dealing with that later.

AZIEL

"We look forward to working with you."

It took time and a lot of help from my friends to find work. Declan wanted me to take my time, find something I would really enjoy, but I couldn't stand being a freeloader. With the rent on two different buildings and the new loan, we were bleeding money, and I refused to sit around and figure things out without something to fall back on.

It was Felix who actually got me the job. All my friends offered to help and brought me to work with them to see which jobs I could handle with the vision loss. I'd been considering working with Hendrix. He said he could always use more security now that his band was so popular, and I had experience in that, but he traveled a lot now, and I didn't like being away from Declan and Dante. Felix's office was a lot quieter than I was used to, but I didn't hate it. It would be nice to sit and do a job without fear of retribution. And his boss was understanding when I knocked shit over on her desk when I went to shake her hand.

Declan didn't know I was here. I was a grouchy asshole on most days, and he had to deal with me during my recovery. I wanted to do something for him. Finding a job, contributing to our lives together, that was something I could accomplish. I wanted to surprise him.

Felix was waiting for me when I stepped out of the office, and his boss rolled her eyes when she noticed him.

"Shouldn't you be working right now?"

"I'm on lunch. How'd it go?"

He looked as eager as a puppy and I had to twist my mouth to hide my smile. Felix came clean not long after he met his mate about what his friends meant to him. I felt the same way. So having me close by was a big deal to him. And it meant a lot to me that he cared that much.

"I start on Monday," I answered, then grunted as he jerked me into a back cracking hug. Felix was like Declan and he didn't treat me like I was fragile. I relented enough to hug him back before stepping away. I still wasn't overly affectionate with anyone but Declan. That was just my personality by now.

"Yes! Awesome. I need to tell Tyler. We should celebrate. Drinks tonight? "

I gave him a flat look. "It's the party tonight."

He grinned. "Shit, that's right. Tyler's getting tatted tonight too. This will be fun. We'll make it a double celebration then. Maybe Mal can make some cake. And we need liquor! I should check–"

I grabbed him by the back of his suit jacket before he could run off. Idiot was going to bug the shit out of Declan and tonight was about him, not me. I'd tell him about the job when the time was right.

"Leave Declan alone. If I find out you told him before I did, I'll hurt you. Got it?"

He glanced over his shoulder, shooting me a sheepish grin. "Yeah, alright. That's probably smart. Gotta tell your mate yourself. You wanna join me and Tyler for lunch? We go to a great place down the street a lot. All you can eat wings."

When I nodded and released him, he took off to find his mate. My new boss shook her head with a smile.

"He's like a big puppy. But he went to bat hard for you to get hired. He didn't need to, I would've hired you anyway, but he really wants you to be here."

Warmth flooded my chest, and I felt myself smile. I rarely smiled before I met Declan. Now, thanks to him and my friends, I was smiling all the time. It felt weird, to be honest.

I spent some time in HR filling out paperwork after having a chaotic lunch with Felix and Tyler. Those two idiots were obnoxious. After I was through, I only had a few hours to get home and get cleaned up before the party. No way was I showing up to the party in a suit. Declan would have a field day.

My phone rang before I could teleport home and I sighed heavily. "Hi, Athena."

"Azzy! Get over here. I need a hand. I ordered a new bookshelf, and the thing came in pieces instead of put together. Who do they think I am? A carpenter?"

"Sure. Let me just go home and change–"

"Nonsense. I'm sure you look fine. If we don't start now, we won't get it done in time for the party and I don't want to drag this out for days. Chop, chop."

Athena never let me get away with arguing with her. I knew better than to try. If I didn't go right away, she'd pester me until I caved. And after everything she did for me, I found it hard to tell her no.

"Alright, Athena. I'll be there in a minute. Let me just text Declan."

"I'll allow it. Hurry up. And don't you roll your eyes at me."

I stopped mid eye roll and bit back a chuckle. "Sorry. Give me a few minutes."

It ended up not taking that long to put the shelf together, but Athena refused to let me go home and change. She brought me some tea and demanded I tell her about my new job, because of course she already knew about that. My knee bounced, and I kept looking at the time, but she kept me glued to that seat until we had to go to the party. I dropped my chin against my chest with a sigh.

"Don't be such a drama queen," she snapped. "You look very handsome. Now let's get going. Dante told me there would be food at this thing. You don't want an old lady to starve, do you?"

Resigned to my fate, and the inevitable teasing, I teleported us just outside Declan's shop. I could see him through the big front window and, like I always did, I took a minute to appreciate him before heading inside. I never thought I'd get that lucky to wind up with a mate. Especially not one as great as Declan. He wasn't sweet and cuddly, like Callum's or Mal's mates. He wasn't obnoxious like Felix's mate. And he wasn't shy like Hendrix's mate. He was his own person. Rough around the edges like me and tough when he needed to be, but also kind and understanding. I trusted him more than I should have on day one, and that trust had only grown in the past few months. There wasn't anyone that was better suited for me than him.

Athena squeezed my arm gently, and when I looked down at her, her smile was soft. "I made you a promise, Azzy. I told you that you would get your happy ending. Do I ever break my promises?"

"No," I answered honestly, leaning to kiss her cheek. "Thank you. For helping me see him."

"You did that all on your own, my dear. All I did was put you in his path. Now, let's go. I'm sure your mate will appreciate you getting dressed up for his party."

"I didn't–"

She ignored me, pulling me inside behind her. She smirked and winked when Declan dragged me back outside, a familiar fire in his eyes. I sure as hell wasn't complaining about it. I made a mental note to buy her something pretty once I could afford it. She deserved it.

Declan shoved me against the wall, his body pressed against mine. I shivered and pulled him closer, groaning when he yanked my mouth to his with a grip on my tie.

"I guess you like my outfit?" I murmured against his lips.

"If there wasn't a room full of people, I'd be dragging you upstairs to show you how much."

I hummed, pulling him closer and grinding our hips together as a wicked grin spread across my face. "Did I ever tell you how demons liked to claim their mates?"