32. Epilogue
Reese
Six weeks later
T he moon hung low in the sky, its silvery trail of light shimmering across the bay, making the surface of the water sparkle like a trail of diamonds. Waves lapped at the shore, their rhythmic push and pull a soothing melody between Wolf and me. A breeze stirred my hair, carrying with it the salty tang of the ocean.
I wrapped the blanket tighter across my shoulders and leaned back into Wolf, who sat behind me, his arms around my middle. Sitting on this blanket, tucked between the sea and the stars, felt like something out of a dream. The world was glorious. Just the two of us, with no more fear, no more uncertainty.
“You see?” Wolf held out a bag of blood, lisping because his fangs had descended, not that I’d tell him he did it. I adored this as well, and the last thing I wanted was for him to stop doing it. He spoke with his usual dramatic seriousness. “This, my love, is how a fierce and fearsome vampire sustains himself.” As I peered up at him, he bit down hard on the bag and guzzled, his throat working with each swallow. “Is not coot,” he said around the bag.
I laughed, nudging his side. “Fierce? You’re sipping on donated blood from a bag. It’s pretty much like drinking from a juice box. And it is cute. You’ll never convince me it isn’t.”
His brows furrowed, though his dark eyes sparkled, and he held the bag away, cupping it as if it was a glass of fine vintage wine. “Do not mock me while I dine, mate,” he lisped. “I am a creature of the night. I inspire terror wherever I go.”
I leaned back into his chest and another laugh bubbled from inside me. “Wolf, you're sweet and adorable. No one is terrified of you.”
He huffed, also pretend. “Sweet? Adorable?” As I looked up, the sleek sharpness of his fangs caught the moonlight before he bit down on the bag again and mumbled around it. “I am noble, love. Powerful. I strike fear into the hearts of men. Never call me . . . adorable.”
My heart swelled as I watched him eat. Despite everything we’d gone through, he still found ways to make me laugh.
“I hate to break it to you, but fierce vampires probably shouldn't wear black capes.” I flicked at the edge of his. “Or starched white shirts. Or cute red bow ties.”
Wolf let out a growl and tightened his arm around me. He dropped the empty bag onto the blanket and rested his chin on my shoulder, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. “One day, you will tremble from my fearsomeness.”
More from his touch, but I nodded and shot him a solemn look.
I turned on his lap to face him, our eyes locking in the moonlight, his dark eyes holding a thousand promises. A lifetime of eternity lingered in their depths.
Taking a deep breath, I shifted in his lap, savoring the feel of his warm hands resting on my waist. “I’ve been thinking.”
His smile faded, concern creeping onto his face. “About what in particular?”
Nervous, I ran a hand through my hair and glanced at the water, the moon casting its shimmering light across the waves. “I've made a decision.” The words caught in my throat, but I pushed them out. “I know what I want to do about us.”
Wolf stilled. His eyes locked on mine, searching, and a touch of fear flickered in his. His voice came out guarded. “And what is that?”
It broke my heart to see him doubt, even after all we’d been through. Even after all the times I'd shown him with every kiss, every touch, that he was my world. But love didn’t always make us rational. When you truly cared for someone, fear still clung to the edges, whispering that maybe it was too good to last.
I held my wrist up, my skin gleaming in the moonlight. “I want you to bite me. I want you to make me your true mate, forever.”
His sharp intake of breath was like the sea breeze, cool and filled with surprise. He blinked, and warmth flooded into his eyes, though some concern remained. “Reese.” His hand came up, curling around my arm gently, as if he wasn’t confident this was real. “Are you sure? There's no need to rush into this. You have all the time in the world to think about it. We’re talking about eternity.” His voice turned softer, almost pleading. “Once I do it, there’s no turning back. You won't age. You won’t live the way you do now. Not blood-wise, not sleep-wise, nothing. You may not be able to go out in the sun. Are you certain?”
I pressed my fingertip to his lips. “Don't try to talk me out of it. I love you, Wolf. I don't need more time to decide. This is what I want. You are what I want. I’ve made up my mind.”
“You'll have to give up—”
“Everything I’m giving up is nothing compared to what I gain by being with you forever.”
He swallowed hard, his eyes never leaving mine as if he couldn’t quite believe what I was saying. “Reese . . .”
“I mean it,” I whispered. “I want to be with you in every way possible. No more waiting. No more second-guessing.”
Silence stretched between us, the gentle lull of the waves crashing and ebbing on the shore the only sound. I swore the world waited for him to speak.
“ Are you sure?” His voice had gone hoarse, his hand trembling as he brushed back a strand of hair from my face. The tenderness in his touch cracked something deep inside me.
“I am.”
After another searching gaze, he jerked out a nod and brought my hand up to his lips, pressing a kiss to my palm. He kissed his way up my arm, his soft, reverent touch making my breath catch in my lungs. When he reached the pulse point in my wrist, he hovered there, his eyes flicking up to meet mine, pausing one last time.
I smiled, my heart racing in anticipation. “Now, Wolf.”
His lips brushed my skin, gentle and sweet. Then his fangs sunk delicately into my wrist.
There wasn’t pain, just a rush of sensation so intense and pleasurable it stole all my thoughts. My eyelids fluttered as the world around me seemed to glow. Each sound became clearer, sharper. With every pull of his mouth, the stars above us sparkled brighter, dancing in the deep velvet sky. The sway of the waves hitting the shore erupted in an ancient, beautiful song for my ears alone.
My senses exploded, tuning into every detail, from the texture of the sand beneath my knees, to the rustling of the ocean breeze, to the salty tang in the air. The moon shimmered more intensely, casting its silvery light in a way I’d never seen before.
Something inside me shifted, like my soul had sought out his and finding it, locked into place. Everything I felt for him, from love, passion, and trust, intensified to something I could barely comprehend, something I could barely hold onto.
When Wolf finally lifted his head, his fangs retracting, I blinked up at him, gasping as a new world settled around us.
He smiled, his eyes gleaming in the moonlight, and he brushed his thumb along my cheek.
“From now on,” he said, his voice a caress, “the only blood we’ll need is each other’s. A small bit to keep our bond strong. Our love will sustain us.”
My heart swelled as I gazed into his eyes, the same ones that I’d looked into a thousand times before but now seemed to hold the universe in their depths.
He captured my lips in a kiss filled with love and devotion. I could barely breathe.
This man was my future. My everything.
And nothing would ever take that away.
I hope you enjoyed Wolfie & Reese’s story as much as I did writing it!