Epilogue

EPILOGUE

REN

" G ood night, love," I whispered to my sweet consort as I brushed a kiss over her cheek. "It's time to wake up."

"No. Too early," Celeste groaned as she turned to face me, snuggling into my chest. She sighed contentedly, and I chuckled.

"Everyone is expecting us for breakfast," I tried again, kissing the top of her head.

"We went to bed at noon, Ren," she muttered.

"And whose fault was that?" I teased. When we'd come home from the Christmas Eve party at Liam's house, my wife had practically attacked me. Not that I'd put up a fight.

"It takes two to tango, mister."

"Hmm." I rolled us over so she was on her back underneath me. "You have a point. Maybe we should test that out again. We can be a little late."

Before our lips met, she placed a hand over my mouth and giggled. "Nope. You woke me from my beauty sleep demanding that we be on time for breakfast. You'll just have to wait to experiment with me later."

I raised an eyebrow. "Demanded?"

Celeste giggled again, and a smile spread across my face. Seeing her so happy and knowing she felt my love to her very soul was my second favorite thing. The first being how fucking gorgeous she was when she was screaming my name in the throes of ecstasy.

Groaning, I pushed myself up and forced myself to sit beside her. "Okay, we need to get up before I throw all of our plans out the window and spend the night naked and in bed with you."

"Tempting, but your mother will sneak warm human blood in your cup if you piss her off."

"Good point." I shuddered, and she snickered as she scooted off the bed.

I watched her spectacular ass and hips sway as she sauntered toward the bathroom. Worth it .

We were almost an hour late to Kieran's house, and my mother's accusing glare had me a little worried.

"Wow," Celeste gasped when we walked into the lavish ballroom. There was a giant Christmas tree with a mountain of presents, holly and berries swagged along every wall, sconces glowing, and paper ornaments made by the children hanging from the ceiling.

"Thana goes all out," I murmured. I couldn't take my eyes off my consort. The wonder on her face was enchanting. I knew she'd never celebrated Christmas, and while the holiday was always big, my family had gone overboard to make sure Celeste's first one was magical.

Aura bounced over to give my consort a hug. "I'm so glad you're here!"

Celeste returned the hug and giggled. "I have to admit, I was surprised that you celebrate a Christian holiday."

"Actually, many Christmas traditions were derived from pagan origins," I told her with a grin.

"True," Aura agreed. "But we're also Catholic."

Celeste's mouth opened, and her eyes widened in shock. "No way."

I chuckled and tucked her under my arm. "Not all vampires believe they are soulless creatures from hell."

She cocked her head and contemplated my answer for a minute, then shrugged. "I suppose that makes sense. In a weird way."

Just then, Cian walked up to greet us, changing the direction of our conversation.

"Aura, your…friend is here," he informed his sister.

"Oh! Wait here, Celeste, you have to meet Delwyn!"

Once she'd hurried off, I raised my brow at my scowling cousin. "Problem?"

Cian grunted and folded his arms over his chest, glaring in the same direction his sister had gone.

Before I could pry it out of him, Aura was back, practically dragging a tall, willowy blonde behind her. There was something about her that…I double-blinked when she met my gaze, and I saw her silver eyes…the color almost seemed like it was swirling around. Despite being tugged along, she had an ethereal grace, and I realized the girl was a fae.

Despite her natural allure—similar to a vampire's—I didn't feel even a single spark at the sight of her. No one could come close to the perfection of my consort.

Cian's scowl was aimed at her, and while I understood his reticence to having a fairy in our midst, it felt like quite the overreaction. Especially considering that this girl probably hadn't even been alive when the incident happened.

"What's with Cian?" Celeste whispered.

"She's fae," I murmured back.

"Do they hate vampires, too?"

"Not particularly. But Cian had a bad run-in with a group of fae a couple of hundred years ago. Apparently, he hasn't gotten over it."

Celeste frowned but smoothed her expression into a welcoming one when Aura brought Delwyn to stand in front of her. The fairy tossed a dark glare back at Cian, but then she greeted us with a warm smile.

"Della, this is my cousin Ren and his consort, Celeste. She is a complete badass."

Celeste blushed and rolled her eyes. "Aura is exaggerating, but I'm very happy to meet you, Delwyn."

"Well, I don't know about that," she replied with a tinkling laugh. "She's told me a lot about you, all of which was pretty impressive. And please call me Della."

The bell announcing that our meal was ready rang through the large hall. "Let's go to breakfast, love. You girls can talk more in the dining room."

My mother must have noticed the instant camaraderie between the three girls because she sat Aura and Della directly across from us. Cian was seated on Della's other side, still brooding silently. She shot him a deep frown, then turned away and ignored him.

"Well, isn't this an interesting sight," Abel interrupted as he strolled up to the group and the empty seat beside me. "I feel like this should be the start of a joke." He tapped his lips as he looked around thoughtfully, then a grin split his face. "A vampire, a witch, and a fae walk into Santa's winter wonderland?—"

He was cut off when Aura tossed a piece of bacon at him. "Shut your gob, you half-wit," she scolded through her laughter.

Della giggled and reached for one of the platters of food in front of her, just as Cian extended his hand to grab his goblet of blood.

Their hands bumped, and Della immediately apologized while Cian hissed and went as stiff as a board.

"What the fuck?" he snarled as he twisted at the waist to face Della. She reared back, but she wasn't able to get far because Cian grabbed her arm and forced her to come closer. Then he shoved some of her thick, blond hair over her shoulder, exposing her neck.

He yanked at the high neck of her top, and it ripped slightly, prompting her to shriek, "What are you doing, you lunatic?"

Rather than answer, he tugged the fabric down, and there were several audible gasps when we saw the birthmark just below the base of her throat.

"It can't be," he growled.

"Of course not," I agreed. I was one of the few people who knew that Cian had already met his consort. It was a most unusual circumstance because she'd only been a child. Obviously, his feelings toward her weren't romantic at that point, but he still felt the pull to be near her. She was barely ten years old when he went for a visit, only to find that the family had been killed by a group of nightwalkers. Two of the bitten vamps had been fae.

Aura and Abel were staring, open-mouthed at the couple, clearly as dumbstruck as I was. But they quickly shook out of their stupor when Cian jumped to his feet and stalked off.

"I'll go," Abel muttered to his sister before he popped out of the room.

Della's face was a mask of confusion, and she pivoted to look at Aura. "What…what just happened?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "But…I think…somehow, you're my brother's fated mate."

"His what?" Della shouted. "Destined to be with that…that…jerk!"

Celeste watched the scene with rapt attention, unable to look away from the drama.

Perplexed, she asked, "Isn't it a good thing? That you've found your soulmate?"

Della just shook her head and shoved her chair back. "I'm sorry," she whispered before running from the room.

Aura chased her, yelling over her shoulder, "Everything is fine! Carry on! Merry Christmas!"

I shook my head and laid my arm over Celeste's shoulders. "If you thought our relationship was complicated…"

"Will you explain it to me later?" Celeste sighed.

"Yes. But let's enjoy the holiday for now." I winked at her and smirked. "Just wait until you see what's under the Christmas tree."

Later, when we passed out what seemed like an endless supply of presents, I left mine for later, choosing to keep all my attention on my woman. She laughed hysterically when she unwrapped an antique cauldron, a broom, and a new cloak—complete with a pointy witch's hat.

"You'll look much more the part next Halloween," I quipped with a wink.

After she tore into the rest of her gifts, I opened mine and thanked her with a passionate kiss. "Thank you, baby."

We spent the rest of the night celebrating with our family. To Celeste's utter shock, her parents showed up on Kieran's doorstep. I'd sent them a text to let them know where we'd be, but I hadn't expected them to actually make an appearance.

They declined the invitation to join us but handed Celeste a wrapped package. Then they exchanged awkward hugs before the two departed.

"It's a start," Celeste said, her lips tipped up in a hopeful smile.

I encircled her with my arms and kissed her nose. "Yes, it is, love. Are you ready to go home?"

She nodded, then laid her head on my chest for a few minutes. "Let's go say goodbye."

We arrived back at our house just after six in the morning.

Celeste paused as she walked through the living room, staring at our Christmas tree. "What are those?" she queried, pointing at two more brightly wrapped presents.

"Open them and see," I encouraged her with a wicked smile.

Celeste giggled as she retrieved the presents and brought them to the couch, where I'd taken a seat.

"The smaller one first," I instructed.

Inside was a black ring covered in black diamonds and deep red rubies. At the center was a much larger black diamond, flanked by two more rubies.

Celeste gasped and covered her mouth.

"I know it isn't traditional for vampires to wear rings," I told her softly as I took it out of the box. "But the Bancrofts are a possessive bunch, and we like it when even humans recognize that our consorts have been claimed. Also, I know witches typically wear them, so I had this made for you."

"It's perfect," she breathed, her voice clogged with tears. She threw her arms around me and pressed her lips to mine. The kiss quickly became heated, but I was anxious for her to open her last gift before we took things any further.

"Just one more, love," I murmured as I grabbed the last present and set it on her lap.

She tore off the paper and opened the box, laughing when she saw the contents. "Seems like this is more of a gift for you," she drawled when she held up the scraps of lace and silk.

I chuckled and stood, then swept her into my arms. "Let's say it's for both of us," I suggested as I stalked to the stairs and jogged up to our bedroom.

"I think you're going to have to convince me of that," she teased.

Several hours later, we collapsed on the mattress, and I rolled onto my back before pulling her on top of me. "Convinced?" I asked, grinning smugly at her.

"Uh-huh," she panted.

We were just dozing off a little while later when I heard her in my head.

I know what I want for my birthday.