Epilogue

Zagan

“FUCK YEAH! WHAT AN AWESOME show,” Xander cheered, slapping hands and patting the backs of everyone.

I chugged a bottle of water and hid away my demon features. “I love the responses to the new songs. That excitement never gets old.”

I looked up at the clock to see that it read 7:30. Me and the rest of Sinners Do It Better stood around the backstage changing room after finishing our first comeback concert. The hiatus had been a short one but necessary. With Iyla by my side and the pressure off, I’d written—and loved—ten new songs, the most popular of which was “Sparrow,” the song I’d written for Iyla.

“Y’all ready to head out?” I asked.

The guys nodded and began changing. I turned to the full-body mirror, and with a wave of my hand, the sweat from the concert vanished as if I’d showered it off. My leather pants and button-up shirt were replaced by my black-tailored suit. I slicked my hair back and spritzed on some cologne before checking my appearance one final time.

“Whatcha think?” Perseus asked when I turned around to evaluate the guys. “Concert ready?”

Perseus had pulled his golden curls into a bun at the base of his neck and traded in his leather for a suit. Xander now wore a dark purple suit that reminded me too much of Babette’s eyes, but I let it slide since it was a special day. Even Dante, who’d initially grumbled about tonight’s afterparty, wore a faint smile that nearly looked as dashing as his suit. Coldin’s brown hair had been left as tousled as always, but he’d at least put on a black button-up and dress pants.

I smiled at my friend’s efforts.

I wasn’t sure when I’d started thinking of the guys as friends, but I did. It was one of the many things Iyla had helped me see—demons could feel, and having friends was good.

“Looks great,” I complimented. “Let’s go.”

I stepped forward in the same instant that I conjured shadows. When I stepped through them, I came out in the bathroom stall at the theater where Iyla was performing with a philharmonic orchestra. She was still in school for her music degree, but after a recommendation from one of her professors, she’d gotten invited to play piano with the Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra. She’d been practicing non-stop for the job, and now the time to really shine as a pianist was here. But it was like I told her—this was just the beginning of her career.

Not only was this the beginning for her career, but we were also in the beginning of our public relationship. It was still new to the public eye, and while our fans had been annoyed by the announcement of my dating at first, Iyla and I were now an official couple that the masses cheered on. Fans threatened us multiple times not to break up, demanding we last forever.

That wasn’t going to be an issue, of course.

The guys appeared in the stalls neighboring mine, and once we were all here, we left the bathroom and waited in the front hall as patrons shuffled in. I watched the humans file into the theater until finally, the guests I’d been waiting on arrived.

“Zagan!”

I turned just as Gemma leaped into my arms, and the momentum of her rushing hug had me spinning her around as we laughed. I set her on her feet just as Nahla, Noya, Iseul, Addie, and Eden caught up with the lively eleven year old. The little girl had already moved on to greeting the rest of Sinners Do It Better, who hung out next to me, no doubt crowd watching for potential partners to take home later.

“I really need to get in shape,” Nahla heaved, trying to catch her breath.

Noya chuckled and patted her sister on the back. “Don’t take it personally. That’s just Gemma being Gemma.”

That was an understatement. Not only was Gemma no longer sick in the slightest, but she had enough energy and life to power a city. She was doing so well that she’d been released from Bloomings and lived with her mom again.

But while Gemma had healed, the relationship between Iyla and Mrs. Winters had not. But that was fine with Iyla. She’d made peace with it.

“We better get in there and find our seats,” I announced since everyone had arrived.

Gemma took my hand, and we walked up the stairs to the private viewing gallery that I’d secured for all of us. The excitement amongst everyone was nearly palpable while we waited for the show to begin, and when it did, everything else stopped existing for me.

All that remained was my girl, seated at the piano, playing with the poise and grace of a fucking goddess. She wore a sparkling sleeveless black gown, and she’d purposely worn one with a slit on the right leg so that the fabric fell apart to expose her new tattoo.

When she’d declared she wanted to get her first tattoo, I wasn’t sure what she had in mind. I’d been speechless when she emerged with a nearly identical tattoo of the drawing I’d done on her thigh all those months ago—a cage nestled in roses and vines. Only instead of a sparrow tucked inside to stare out the open door, the cage sat empty, the sparrow inked flying away.

This was her first concert, her first real leap at the dream she’d always pretended not to have. It was her big flight of freedom, so she wanted her tattoo on display—even if the only ones who understood the significance of it were the two of us.

Pride, admiration, and love held me captive throughout her entire performance, and when the show concluded with the crowd jumping to their feet in a standing ovation, she stood to bow with the rest of the company.

She raised her head, and like magnets, her eyes found mine in the balcony. She beamed at me, and I smiled right back. I’d never known that love could exist, much less for someone like me, but I was damn lucky and thankful to have been proven wrong by her.

My bond.

My sparrow.