Epilogue

EPILOGUE

TAVISH

A fter my parents died, I thought I'd never find happiness again. Now, each day that I woke with Lira by my side—as my queen, fated mate, and wife—I felt happier and more fulfilled than I could have dreamed.

The past five years had seen tenuous peace, but Ardanos finally seemed to be heading in the direction it was always meant to go… except for right now, with him here.

I sat at the end of the table in the dining room, admiring Lira. She stood in front of the huge windows overlooking Cuil Dorcha, one hand on her stomach, which was full with our child. Isla stood next to her, wearing one of her rare smiles, Nightbane on her other side. Nearby, Eiric leaned back against Pyralis's broad chest, his hands on her shoulders, while I glowered at him.

Even Nightbane's lime-green eyes glowed, emphasizing his own distrust of the dragon. It was the second of two things the beast and I had ever agreed on—the first being our love for Lira.

Finnian entered the room and took a seat to my right, across from Caelan.

"You do realize that he never wanted Lira, right?" Finnian took a sip of his drink.

"Doesn't matter. He said he did." I wasn't sure I would ever like the dragon king. His only salvation was that the new dragon queen was Lira's sister and best friend. That was the sole reason I tolerated him. That and because he made sure to always keep Eiric between the two of them and never got close to my mate. "That's something I doubt I'll ever get over."

"Good thing for Caelan that doesn't apply to all the other dragons," Finnian goaded. "Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to have his fated mate live here."

Another future dragon-fae hybrid baby in the making. However, Caelan's fated mate was an ideal citizen. In her dragon form, she'd helped the rebuilding of Cuil Dorcha go that much faster. At first, it had been in repayment for Lira healing so many of the dragons once she came to from unconsciousness, offering her secret gift of healing to everyone, but then her helping turned into something more between her and Caelan.

"Don't pretend like you yourself aren't madly in love." Caelan rolled his eyes just as Sorcha and Emberlyn entered.

Sorcha flew to the seat beside Finnian and arched a brow. "He better be."

Caelan's mate Emberlyn strolled around the table to her spot beside him, her radiant pink hair glowing as the two of them stared into each other's eyes.

The only person who hadn't had it easy since the war ended was Isla. Struan had died handling the dragon for me, leaving her without a father. A role that Lorne quickly stepped in to fill. When everything settled, Lira had asked Isla to be her main handmaiden, allowing the girl to make her own money and have one of the most prestigious jobs in the kingdom.

The moon rose high, and Eiric leaned in to give her a hug. They'd been here for four hours—not that I was counting every excruciating minute of Pyralis's company.

We all said our goodbyes, and after far too long, I managed to get Lira alone in the royal chambers.

She'd painted the walls green, and combined with the wooden floors, it reminded me of the time we'd spent together in the woods when we were younger. Memories of those happy times helped me get past the fact that my parents had died here since the two of us had moved into the chambers of the Unseelie king and queen.

"Thank you for being tolerant of them." Lira removed her blue gown, a color I favored because it matched her eyes. She stood naked in front of our bed. She'd always been gorgeous but was even more so now that she was carrying our child.

"I don't need to tolerate her. He's the problem." My legs brought me to her without permission, and I cupped her face. "It's not Eiric's fault that Fate cursed her with him."

Lira laughed, the sound making my heart race. That was my favorite sound in the realm.

"Well, we'll be with them all day tomorrow." She placed her arms around my neck, pressing her breasts against my chest.

Blighted abyss. I should've taken my tunic off, but even with the material between us, the jolt that hummed between us coursed to life. My dick twitched, ready for what came next.

"Did you hear what I just said?" She grinned, playing with the hair at the nape of my neck. "I was talking about Eiric and Pyralis's wedding tomorrow at Caisteal Solais."

Though she did live with him, Pyralis had delayed marrying Eiric, wanting to prove to us that he was a true ally. He'd wanted to make things right, which I might have admired if he hadn't tried to claim my mate in the past. In fact, a few weeks after the war, I had married Lira, claiming her in all ways.

"Can we not talk about them tonight?" I placed my hand between her thighs, knowing her weakness.

Her legs automatically opened for me, causing all brain cells to leave my head and go straight to my cock.

Her lashes fluttered, and I kissed her lips, linking, Sprite, I love the way you respond to me. You're so perfect for me in every way.

Her tongue slipped into my mouth, and I hoisted her into my arms and carried her to our bed. Nightbane huffed and ran into the bathroom, having long ago learned what to do when it came to this.

Within minutes, we were naked and exploring each other's bodies with our hands and mouths, free of threats, enemies, and anything that could distract us from doing this for the rest of our lives.

Even with Pyralis as part of the family package, I would never want any other life than this.

The life Lira and I had found with each other.

Ready to meet your next morally grey villain who gets the girl? Then one click here to read a story of a woman taken from Earth to a fantasy realm where she's forced to compete in a brutal competition to be the next Fae queen to a man that she can't stand, yet something tugs at them to be together—even if it ruins him and costs him his crown. One click here to read Bonded to the Fallen Shadow King.

Also, if you enjoy morally grey alpha males fated to a strong female wolf shifter, scroll down to read chapter one or one-click here to read Betrayed Mate, book 1 in The Rejected Fate Trilogy.