36. Epilogue

Epilogue

Eden's father had beamed all the way through their father-daughter dance. He'd been teleported from the West Coast the day before after they explained to him that she had joined the immortal world. He hadn't batted an eye. His one concern was her happiness, and he'd simply replied, ‘That's good enough for me.'

Eden had never felt more loved than she did today.

The moment she'd left Nero, she'd walked straight into the arms of her bridesmaids. Though she didn't know any of them exceptionally well, they were the most supportive women she'd met in ages—and she knew their relationships would grow with time.

Zia, Key, and Nina had worked together to help her prepare for the ceremony. When she looked in the mirror, she almost hadn't recognized herself. In a month's time, she'd become a healthier, happier version of herself. The cancer had vanished, and her family had grown by hundreds.

It was a life she'd never thought to imagine.

All evening, Nero had introduced her to fascinating immortals. Their bond flared with how proud he was to show off his mate to delegates from the Peace Accords, and the other nations. The Elementals appeared the most human-like, but they wore their unmistakable power like an almost palpable cloak of ability that Eden could've sensed a mile away.

The werewolves welcomed her with open arms, and the vampires were a force onto themselves.

Eden had met Nina's mate, Zeke, and several of Nina's fledglings—her brothers and sisters now, for all intents and purposes. All of them had congratulated her on the transition to immortality and promising years of sibling mischief to come.

Drake and Kane continued to bicker with Aidan all night, each of them trying to claim her as their protégé. Flattered but needing a moment alone with Nero, Eden was grateful for the private moment they were able to take to themselves in the relative quiet of their home.

"I have something to show you."

"You've already given me the world, Nero."

"Then consider this the moon," he snickered.

Nero gently pressed a hand into her lower back. When he opened a door she'd never noticed before, her new sharp senses picked up the musky vanilla scent of old books floating up the staircase he had revealed.

The fully finished basement contained the obligatory big screen television, a huge sectional that appeared to have enough seating capacity for a small nation, and a popcorn machine tucked away in one corner. To the other side of the stairwell, a small studio and slanted tables held the promise of a second drawing space, though this one didn't contain any artwork on the walls.

He opened the door off to their right and the scent of paper and leather blasted out from beyond the threshold.

Eden's breath caught in her throat as he flipped on the lights. Rows upon rows of shelving were set against walls and ran down the length of the gigantic room. Piles of paper, both bound and unbound, were stacked against walls and overflowing in bins.

"Since we turned the basement of the dome into a shelter, all of the archives shifted to my home. I would've showed you it sooner, but it's kind of a mess down here, to be honest."

After sucking in a breath to clear her sudden lightheadedness, she babbled, "This—this is where you keep all of your immortal history documented?"

He nodded. "Some of these are thousands of years old, written by immortals who've long since passed or sought the light. Though every clan has archives, mine are renown for being some of the most complete."

It was a scholar's dream. Eden didn't know where to look first. Her feet started moving without her conscious decision. Bins and totes were filled to the brim with ancient-looking paper, and binders with moth-eaten edges peeked out from every corner.

Scouring the shelves, she saw texts written in a variety of languages, some that she recognized, and some that she didn't. Frowning, she tried to find the end of the room—and couldn't.

"How on earth is this room so large? It's in your basement!"

"Magical Raeth powers, professor," a grinning Nero responded.

"I feel like Belle, being shown the library."

"That makes me the beast," came his laughing reply. "I'm oddly okay with that."

As she strolled down one of the aisles, her fingers delicately running along the spines as she walked. Beside her, Nero gently adjusted tomes that were uneven on the shelf.

"With the Heat and the recent move, the archives have been mostly abandoned," he ruefully explained. "I've always loved taking care of the texts, but it's hard to get a moment away anymore."

Taking her hand, he brushed his thumb across her knuckles. "If you're up for it, Eden, we could use an archivist. Someone who knows the value of our history and would take care of our past."

For Eden, this was heaven. Being able to view scripts and scrolls never before seen by human eyes— well, newly vampire eyes —was an opportunity her inner scholar had never dreamed of. There was no question in her mind.

"Nero—this is beyond what I could've ever dreamed," she whispered. "In what world would I ever say no?"

A strong sense of pride and joy washed through their mating bond, and Nero wrapped her up in his arms. She clutched at him, needing his tangibility as happiness threatened to make her float away. When they retreated, she rested her palms against his cheeks and claimed his mouth.

The kiss, pure and sweet and filled with gratitude, would be something she'd remember to the end of her days.

A thread of excitement wove behind Nero's eyes. "There's another reason why I brought you down here. I have something else for you."

She glared mockingly at him. "Now you're just making me look bad."

Almost nervous, he strode away from her to the table set up near the front of the room. "For our mating day, professor."

Eden slowly unwrapped the gift, carefully taking time to unfold rather than rip. She wanted this moment when he belonged solely to her to last. What she found beneath the wrapping stole her breath.

It was a watercolor painting of her wolf, in perfect shades of rust and toasted marshmallow. Nero had painted a beautiful head study, icily focused on something in the distance. Her eyes blurred as she devoured every line. Instead of the life-like quality of his other works, this one was primal and surreal, capturing the spirit of her beast.

"Nero, this is beautiful."

Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her and settled his chin on her shoulder. " You're beautiful, no matter what form you wear."

She gently set down the frame and spun in his embrace. "This one is different, isn't it?"

"It's how my panther sees you, Eden." The rumbling purr beneath his chest warmed her inside and out. "It was drawn from his perspective, not mine. It's the only one like it. I'd never painted a wolf before."

"You've never had a wolf claim you as hers before, either."

Three hours later, Nero and Eden had returned to their guests and the celebration had slowed down. The members of the Peace Accords and their mates, plus a handful of others, had elected to stay behind to consult on the latest installment of the danger that the Citizens posed.

Nero noticed the presence at the same time she did, turning towards the sound of his clanswoman's steps.

"Key. Everything alright?"

The conversation around them stopped as soon as everyone noticed Key's eyes: they looked like molten light, her iris nearly translucent.

"Sovereign."

The foreseer's voice held a peculiar, almost mechanical note.

Halting just inside the entryway to the lounge, Key slowly took stock of the room. Nothing in her expression changed. She was simply confirming those in attendance rather than reading the atmosphere, as though she'd seen this moment before.

" Key ."

Nero's admonishing comment served to bring her back from the precipice, and her eyes flared amber once more. Then, she spoke the words that would go on to change everything.

"I bear news of an upcoming shift in our war. The choice is yours to make, as it always has been. Should you decide to do nothing and leave here today without a plan, every immortal on the planet will be dead within the decade."