Epilogue

"Areyou sure you're all right?" I ask my sister.

She's lying in her new bed, admiring the view from her open balcony doors, while I sit beside her.

We're in Orcus's palace in the Netherworld Kingdom. It's not at all what I pictured when Reaper and Flame told me about their home. I expected crypts and graveyards. Darkness. Deadly tones.

But we're high up on a mountain overlooking the gothic-like city below.

There are black structures, inky ponds, leafless trees, and smoky ravines. But overhead, three moons shine brightly, illuminating the remarkable view.

So I suppose it does have some deadly tones since everything is primarily obsidian in color, but it's still stunningly beautiful.

At least to me.

I'm not sure how my sister feels, though. She's been quiet since we arrived early this morning. I've spent the day with her, despite Reaper's request for orgasms and cupcakes. I just wanted to make sure she was okay.

She watched quietly as various fae came and went in the room, bringing her new furniture, decorating her wardrobe with clothing, and even installing a few enchanted devices designed to create any food item she might be craving.

I tested the device by making her a strawberry cupcake.

She didn't seem as enthused by it as me.

We repeated the process with a cappuccino—something I enjoyed and she… didn't.

Now, she's just staring wistfully at the view, like she's contemplating flying.

"Sera?" I prompt her.

"Hmm?" she asks, the dreamy quality of her voice reminding me of when we were in Demeter's Gardens.

"I asked if you're all right."

Her lips quirk up. "You've asked that seven times today. Now eight. Or maybe it's technically nine since you had to repeat yourself."

"Maybe I have, but that wasn't an answer."

"No, I suppose it wasn't," she replies, still smiling. "But I'm fine, Lina. Just tired. It's been… a unique two years."

"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask her.

"Not right now, no," she murmurs. "However, I may at some point. If I do, I'll let you know."

I swallow, wishing that there was more I could do.

But if my sister doesn't want to talk about her experience and whatever actually happened in that garden, then that's her choice. And it's a choice I have to respect.

"You really ought to get back to your mates," she goes on. "Reaper is growing antsy."

I frown. "How do you know that?" She's not wrong. I can feel him in my head, patiently waiting for me to finish my conversation with my sister.

Flame and Orcus exude similar thoughts of patience. However, all three fae want to introduce me to my new room, to our future nest. But I wanted to see to my sister's comfort first.

"He's pacing over there," she says, gesturing with her shoulder to a space on the other side of her bed—away from the balcony doors.

"He's… what?" I glance at the empty room around us. "There's no one here but us."

"Technically, that's not true," Reaper replies as he materializes by the nightstand. "It's strange that your sister can see me in the in-between, while you can't."

"The in-between?" I repeat, my brow furrowed. "What…?"

"The space between life and death," my sister whispers. "That's how Reaper told me what to say to Demeter."

"When I realized she could see and hear me, it made our plan a lot easier to execute," my Death Fae says conversationally.

"So you… you can see the in-between?" I ask my sister, unsure if that should impress me or concern me.

She shrugs. "Apparently."

I look at Reaper. "And you go to the in-between?"

"Often," he replies. "In fact, that's how I found the spell Demeter used to yank you into her Omega prison. She cast it over the entire Elite City, which is pretty fucking impressive. That's why she sent you the note to go there—she knew the magic would eventually ensnare you."

Yeah, I more or less figured out the latter part of that when Demeter mentioned the note earlier.

Still, it's strange to me that my sister can see the in-between plane. Is it related to whatever Demeter did to her? I wonder.

Alas, I know now isn't the time to ask.

Something my sister confirms as she says, "As I said, I'm fine. Go be with your mates, Lina. I'll still be here tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that. We can talk then, okay?"

The last time I saw Sera, she was eighteen and somewhat frightened by her first Day of the Choosing as an eligible Offering. I'll never forget the way her shoulders caved in when the Viscount called her name or how my heart broke to watch her stumble up those stage stairs.

But seeing her now, I realize the sister I knew is no longer here. This is Serapina the survivor. The woman who drove a knife into the heart of a Goddess.

A Goddess who may or may not be her mother.

I swallow down that thought, determined to worry about that another day.

For now, I need to give my sister her desired space.

And go properly thank my mates.

Because they've given me everything, including providing this lovely room for my sister.

Not to mention saving me on Monsters Night, gradually introducing me to their lives and desires, and basically rescuing me again from a crazy Goddess.

They're the kind of "monsters" a girl wants to dream about. The ones that are actually heroes in disguise. Angels when one needs them. And feral… in bed.

My heart skips a beat at the prospect provoked by that last bit.

"Okay," I say, standing and clearing my throat. "We'll talk more tomorrow," I promise my sister.

She nods and reaches for my hand to give it a squeeze. "Thank you for finding me, Lina."

"I'm just sorry it took me so long," I admit.

"I'm not," she replies. "You found me. That's what counts." She releases my hand and closes her eyes. "See you tomorrow, sis."

"Tomorrow," I agree.

Reaper leads me into the hallway without a word, his tattoos writhing up and down his arms along the way. Once we've moved about ten paces away, I ask, "Does she seem okay to you?"

He snorts. "No. She seems irritated that you keep repeating that question."

I glare at him. "She's my little sister. I'm allowed to worry."

"She's twenty years old, Alina. All she wants is some space to heal." He cups my cheek, pulling me closer to him. "And strawberry cupcakes are our thing, pet. Pick another dessert to give her in the future."

"Just how long were you watching us?" I ask him, more amused than annoyed.

He shrugs. "A while." He looks a little sheepish now. "I… I feel better when I'm around you. Like I can actually focus and hear myself." He tilts his head a bit, almost as though he's trying to find the right words. "Your presence quiets the dark souls inside me."

"Oh." That… that seems rather sweet. Especially coming from Reaper.

I can feel his vulnerability via our bond, his admitting the words out loud the equivalent of him expressing deep emotions.

He isn't the type for fluffy comments or romantic devotions.

But he is sensitive in his own way.

Just like Flame and Orcus—they all have their own varying degrees of emotional displays.

Flame shows his affection through grooming.

Orcus proves his devotion through protection.

And Reaper demonstrates his admiration through gifts, while also expressing gratitude through truth.

I press my lips to his, suddenly feeling the need to show him my own version of loyalty by initiating contact with my tongue.

It's always him seducing me.

Now it's my turn to seduce him.

He growls in approval, his arms encircling my waist as the world melts away around us. Literally. I can feel his smoky tendrils pulling me into the shadows as he takes us somewhere new. I'm still kissing him when my feet touch the floor, my heart hammering in my rib cage because I want more.

But I'm suddenly distracted by a familiar scent.

My perfect day,I think, surprised to find it here in this new room.

My eyes open and my attention shifts to a massive bed, one that's exceedingly familiar to me.

Because it's the bed from the cabin.

The bed holding my nest.

I gasp and move toward it, shocked to see that almost everything is already in the right place. "How…?"

"Orcus and I have been working on it all day," Flame says softly. "I'm sorry if it's not perfect. We tried to put it back together just like you had it, but…"

"We're not Omegas," Orcus finishes for him. "We need your magical touch, sweet Goddess of ours."

"More than you know," Reaper adds as he pulls his shirt over his head and holds it out for me.

I take it on instinct, my soul instantly knowing exactly where to put it.

This intrinsic need is slowly becoming more normal and less foreign, my mind having chosen to give in to the nesting inclination instead of fighting it.

I'm an Omega,I acknowledge. And these are my fae.

I press my palm to my belly, feeling the life we've created there, and smile. Because I can't imagine a better fate.

Who knew Monsters Night would end like this?I marvel. Offering Nine. Claimed and mated by three gorgeous fae men.

Now that's what one might call a happily-ever-after.

Thank you for Reading Their Lethal Pet!