Epilogue

Many Years Later

Anthony!”

Even inside the cottage, I can hear Josephine’s exasperation. I can’t help grinning as I work the basil in the mortar and pestle at the kitchen counter. A moment later, my rambunctious seven year old squeals and giggles just outside the kitchen window. Glancing up, my heart radiates with a joy I never considered possible at the sight of Ashe holding our son up high and spinning her around.

He must sense me, looking up as he twirls one last time in our gardens and meets my gaze with a smile of his own. He hitches Anthony on his hip and boops him on the nose as Josephine walks up to the pair with affectionate irritation on her face. Anthony is the perfect blend of us, with Ashe’s sandy brown hair and my eyes. To our surprise, he wasn’t born a vampire, seeming to take after my side of the family. His magic has already caused the entire Nightshade clan much mischief.

With Emily, Lan and Wren’s daughter, as his best friend, it’s become a full time effort for the clan to keep the children in line. Emily had inherited both of her parent’s keen intelligence and Anthony has shown he’s following in his father’s footsteps seeking out adventure.

I look down at my round stomach, patting the bump affectionately. “You’ll be the sensible one, I can tell,” I murmur before scraping out the basil into the glass bowl. “Now, so long as Eloise’s child is also sensible, we’ll only have to worry about those two.”

Ambrose had turned his mate, Eloise, over two years ago now, truly making her the vampire queen. Now, she is due any day with their first child. I’d never seen the king so tense. His hovering has annoyed Eloise so much lately, that she’s threatened to go on a vacation from him.

It’s adorable, honestly, to see the normally so stoic and unflappable Ambrose brought to the state of a shaking kitten from his wife’s pregnancy.

Cold shock and surprise shoots down the bond from Ashe and I nearly drop the dish with the beginnings of pesto as I hurry to the front door. Pushing through, I see Josephine taking Anthony from Ashe and rushing towards me. Following Ashe’s gaze, my breath sticks in my chest.

“Is that...” I trail off and Josephine looks over her shoulder again.

“He certainly thinks so,” she answers. “I’m taking Anthony inside. Be careful, you two.”

I nod absently, walking towards my mate. She closes the door behind her, and when I reach Ashe’s side I can do nothing but reach for his hand. He laces his fingers with mine and squeezes.

We watch the woman strolling casually up towards our cottage on the gravel drive, her hands shoved in her front pockets.

She looks as if she hasn’t changed since the last day we saw her.

She stops just outside my wards, unable to cross them without my permission. She makes a point to look at the stone fence and raises a dark, elegant brow.

“What’s wrong with you two?” Eris asks, her voice dripping with disdain. “I thought you had better manners than warding against old friends.”

I’m moving without thought, pushing through the gate. Then I’m throwing my arms around Eris as I hug her tight, the demon grunting from the impact.

“Fuck. When did you become so sentimental?” Eris grouches but her arms come around me, giving me an awkward pat. “And you let the male knock you up, eh?”

A sound that’s half laugh, half sob comes out of me and I let her go, shaking my head. “Twice, if you can believe it,” I answer, then shove her shoulder. “And I’ve always been sentimental.”

Ashe comes up beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and tugging me into his side. “So, not dead then?”

“Not dead,” Eris confirms. “I’m surprised too. But, ehh, Hell wasn’t done with me yet.”

“Aeternaphiel?” Ashe asks.

She shrugs. “In Hell stripped of all his archangel powers and currently serving as the lapdog to one of the dark princes. The Resplendents up in the heavens have abandoned him, as he deserves.”

I sniffle, cursing the pregnancy hormones for making me so weepy. With a twist of my fingers, my wards part to allow her through. I point with my thumb over my shoulder. “I was just about to make an early dinner. Would you like to join us?”

Eris looks like she’s about to decline but then shrugs. “Why not. I did come all this way after all.”

“Why did you come?” Ashe asks, gesturing for Eris and I to go first back through the gate. He’s wary, as he should be considering Eris is a demon.

She looks over her shoulder at him and winks. “Oh, have I got a story for you.”

Eris hooks her arm through mine and I shake my head at her teasing my mate. It doesn’t matter why Eris is back, even if I suspect she’s made up some excuse just to visit. She knows me and the possession went both ways. I know her better than anyone else in the realms.

“Whatever the reason,” I say as I push open the door. “We’re glad to have you. I missed you, if you can believe it.”

The demon scoffs. “Of course, I can believe it. I’m fucking wonderful.”

Even Ashe laughs at that. I shake my head again and push her towards the hearth, where Josephine sits with Anthony. I head back to the kitchen to finish preparing dinner, smiling broadly as my son starts peppering Eris with questions. To my surprise, she answers patiently... for now.

My world settles, as if a long missing piece has finally returned. The babe in my stomach kicks, as if in agreement. I pat my bump and reach for the olive oil, listening to the sounds of my family, and get on with making dinner.

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