19. Evelyn

19

EVELYN

T he sun is setting over the horizon, painting the sky in a breathtaking array of oranges, pinks, and purples. The light filters through the large windows of our home, casting a warm, golden glow over everything it touches.

I stand in the doorway of the living room, watching with a smile as Malakai chases our little daughter around the room, her tiny horns glinting in the fading light. She giggles and shrieks with delight, her little legs carrying her as fast as they can go, her dark curls bouncing with every step.

Malakai catches her, sweeping her up into his arms and spinning her around, his laughter mingling with hers in a symphony of pure, unbridled joy. My heart swells with love as I watch them, my hand resting on the gentle swell of my belly, where our second child is growing, safe and strong.

It's been five years since that fateful day in the temple, five years since Malakai sacrificed his demonic powers to save my life, five years since we defeated the demon lord and saved the world from destruction. And in those five years, we have built a life together, a love that is stronger and deeper and more beautiful than anything I could have ever imagined.

We were married in a small, intimate ceremony, surrounded by the people we love most in the world. Malakai's wealth, accumulated over centuries of demonic servitude, has allowed us to create the home of our dreams, a sprawling estate nestled in the heart of the countryside, surrounded by rolling hills and lush, green forests.

But it's not the material things that make our life so rich, so full, so utterly perfect. It's the love that we share, the family we have created, the unbreakable bond that ties us together, now and forever.

Our daughter, our little miracle, is the light of our lives. She is a perfect blend of both of us, with Malakai's dark hair and my green eyes, with his strength and my intelligence, with his courage and my compassion. She is a reminder of everything we have been through, everything we have overcome, everything we have fought for and won.

And now, as I watch Malakai play with her, as I feel the life growing inside me, I am filled with a sense of peace, of contentment, of absolute, unshakable happiness. This is what we have always wanted, what we have always dreamed of - a life together, a family, a love that will endure through all the ages of the world.

Malakai looks up, his eyes meeting mine across the room, and the love I see there takes my breath away. He sets our daughter down gently, whispering something in her ear that makes her giggle and nod, before crossing the room to take me in his arms.

"I love you," he murmurs, his forehead resting against mine, his hands cradling my face with infinite tenderness. "I love you more than life itself, Evelyn. You have given me everything I never knew I wanted, everything I never thought I deserved. You have made me the happiest demon in the world."

"Not a demon anymore," I say. Well, not a full demon. Tears fill my eyes as I lean into his touch, my heart so full of love and gratitude that it feels like it might burst.

"I love you too, Malakai," I whisper, my voice choked with emotion. "You are my heart, my soul, my everything. I thank the gods every day for bringing you into my life, for giving us this chance at happiness, at forever."

He kisses me then, a kiss that is soft and sweet and filled with all the love, passion, and tenderness of a lifetime. Our daughter wraps her tiny arms around our legs, hugging us both with all her might, and I feel a sense of completeness, of utter, perfect joy wash over me.

This is what life is meant to be, I realize. This is what love is meant to be. Not a curse, not a weakness, but a strength, a power, a force that can overcome anything, even death itself.

And as the sun sets on another perfect day, as Malakai and I tuck our daughter into bed and watch her drift off to sleep, as we lie in each other's arms and dream of the future that stretches out before us like an endless, shining road… I know that I am the luckiest woman in the world.

For I have found my soulmate, my other half, the missing piece of my heart. I have found a love that will endure through all the ages of the world, a love that will never fade, never die, never be broken.

I have found forever, in the arms of the man I love, in the eyes of our children, in the unbreakable bond that ties us together, now and always.

And as I drift off to sleep, safe and loved and cherished beyond measure, I know that there is nothing in this world or any other that can ever take that away from me.

For we are one, Malakai and I, two souls joined in a dance of love and destiny, two hearts beating as one for all eternity.

THE END