epilogue #2
Rina’s eyes sparkled. “Maybe you should pull over so you can punish me properly, vampire.”
“Oh, my sweet, you don’t even know.”
I adjusted my hard-on—trying to ignore the fact that I was a little too turned on just from that. Though I always was hard around my wife, simply from her existing.
“Come on,” I said. “Let’s go see our friends.”
Our friends. Our life.
No matter how much time passed, I couldn’t deny how right it all felt just being here by her side.
RINA
“Reens!” Wendy’s arms tightened around me as we entered Willow’s house—the large Victorian was big enough for the entire coven and everyone’s broods.
I hugged my best friend back. “Hi, babe.”
She wrapped her arm around my waist as we walked into the kitchen. “I missed you. Any way you can convince that mate of yours to spend more time here?”
I looked over at Ezra, who was already talking to Barrett.
His old partner had a ginger haired baby strapped to his chest and his arm around Eryne.
A feeling of warmth settled through me. That was going to be us, soon.
It was surreal to think about, but part of me was a little excited, even though I’d never considered what it would really be like to be a parent before.
Ezra was dressed in a black pinstripe suit, a fake mustache affixed to his face.
He’d let me pick our costumes this year—I’d tried to insist on Twilight, but he’d still said no to letting me cover him in glitter, which was fair, I supposed—and I’d chosen Morticia and Gomez Addams. I was dressed in a tight black dress with lacy bell sleeves.
My breasts—already tender and a size bigger—practically spilled out of the top.
“I miss Pleasant Grove, but the manor is home now, Wendy.” We still spent plenty of time here—and luckily, it was as easy as Ezra tracing us here if we wanted a quick trip to see our friends.
She sighed. “I know. Just thought I’d try again.”
“Never stop trying, Wendy,” Willow said, a dark-haired toddler on her hip, her belly already rounding with hers and Damien’s second child. Their daughter was turning two this winter.
“Did you say hi to Auntie Rina, Opal?” She asked her daughter, handing her an apple slice.
She looked bashful. “Hi, Auntie Rina.” Her r sounded more like a w, but I loved her adorable toddler voice all the same. Her big green eyes blinked at me before she buried her face in Willow’s chest.
“Damien and I just found out she can shift. It’s been a hell of a time.”
My eyes widened. “She can shift?”
“Yeah. Just like Damien. I know he told me he got it from his mother, but I really never imagined this. Especially not finding a tiny black kitten in my house.” Willow laughed.
I ran my hand over my stomach, wondering if the same thing would happen to our future child. Would they have magic and vampire powers, or would he only get abilities from one of us?
Ezra’s eyes narrowed at my action, and I gave him a guilty look. If I wasn’t careful, I was going to expose our secret to everyone—one that I wasn’t sure I was ready to share yet. It was still so early, and I really didn’t want to get attached in case the worse happened.
But I couldn’t think like that.
“Every day is a new adventure, that’s for sure,” Damien said, coming over and wrapping his arms around his wife and their daughter, placing a kiss on top of both their heads.
Willow smiled into his hold. “Mhm. What about you two, Rina?”
Did she know? I froze. “Uh—sorry, what?”
She tilted her head to the side. “Are you thinking about having kids?”
I looked over at Ezra. “A mini version of Ezra would be pretty adorable,” I said sheepishly, not confirming or denying anything. “Who knows?”
Wendy, at my side, gave me a look. I shot her one back that said, later. Gods, I couldn’t keep anything from my best friend—had never been able to.
Even over the last two years of traveling back and forth between Pleasant Grove, we’d remained each other’s closest confidants.
Sometimes I thought back to the people we were before the wards had broken—back when it had just been us.
Now, everything was different, but our friendship was stronger than ever.
“So, are Luna and Zain coming this year, or is it too much juggling three kids?” I still couldn’t believe how fast they’d gotten pregnant for the second time after having twins. Then again, with the way they couldn’t keep their hands off each other, it really wasn’t that surprising.
If it hadn’t been for my birth control, would I have gotten pregnant sooner?
I’d been lax with it lately, and subconsciously, I think I’d decided I was ready for this.
Ready to be a mom. Ready for the next adventure with Ezra.
I’d enjoyed the many adventures we’d had in the last two years—the numerous road trips we’d taken as he’d shown me the country—and the world.
And whenever I missed my small town, he brought me back.
Not home—because home was with him.
Wherever we were.
“I think so,” Willow said, looking over at the clock. “They’re always late. I guess when you are royalty, it doesn’t really matter.”
I held back a snort. Some day, Ezra and I would have our own court to rule over—something I tried not to think about. Our visits to his mother’s palace had been full of tension at first, and I really wasn’t sure his mother liked me, but it seemed like she was coming around.
What would she think when she found out I was carrying her grandchild? Oh, gods, I just realized our child would be the heir to the throne after Ezra.
I could feel him stepping up behind me, his hand resting on my lower back, the warmth spreading through me just from his touch. Like he’d known exactly what I’d been thinking about and was here to rescue me.
“Hi,” I murmured, leaning back against his chest.
“How are you doing?” He asked, concern in his eyes.
“I’m fine,” I whispered. I’d barely had any symptoms yet—only a bit of nausea and tender breasts. Enough that I’d suspected I was pregnant, or that I had a persistent flu.
He pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Just checking. We can always leave early.”
I shook my head. “I want to spend as much time with everyone as possible. We only have so much time here after all.”
“Actually,” he cleared his throat. “What do you say we stay longer this time? Vic can run everything on my end. Alfred’s got the manor under control.”
“But—”
“I know you miss the girls. Your coven misses you, too. So let’s stay.”
“But… we can’t rent a room at Gretchen’s bed-and-breakfast for that long.”
Ezra smirked. “What if I said we didn’t have to?”
I raised an eyebrow. “What are you up to?”
His smile curled up. “Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”
“Ezra,” I groaned. “You know how much I hate surprises.”
His lips dipped to my ear. “No, you love them, Sabrina. Just like you love me.”
“Sometimes,” I grumbled. “Less, right now.”
That was a lie. The love was bursting through me, and he was being so damn thoughtful.
Like he knew that I’d want to be here while I was pregnant, to share the news with my coven, the women who were like sisters to me.
My family. His vampires were our family too—but most of them had visited Pleasant Grove over the last two years anyway.
Part of me wished we could just pick up the manor and drop it directly outside of town.
I loved the old building, all of its secret rooms and passageways that I explored whenever I could.
I loved the giant library where I’d read so many books, the greenhouse where Ezra and I had shared our first kiss—even his garage, where he’d taught me more about old cars than I’d ever cared to know.
But even our magic had its limits.
He pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Have fun, sweetheart.” He tipped his head at Damien. “Demon.”
“Vampire.”
The words held no malice—they were friends now. I loved watching the guys interact, mostly because despite being immortal beings with magic that was hard to comprehend, they were all doting husbands and dads who wanted nothing more than to spend time with their children.
I had no doubt Ezra would be the same way.
Turning back to Willow and Wendy, I couldn’t hide the warmth in my cheeks. Thinking about Ezra as a dad was definitely doing something to me.
“She’s glowing,” Wendy said.
“Definitely,” Willow agreed.
I groaned. “Please don’t tell anyone.”
They zipped their lips. “Your secret is safe with us.”
Wendy squealed. “I can’t believe you’re staying.”
The smile that split my face was involuntary, happiness bubbling through me, as warm as Wendy’s cheery aura. “I know. He drives me crazy, but damn, he’s kinda perfect.”
“Kind of?” Wendy fanned her face.
“Your husband is going to hear that,” I told her, giving her a pointed look.
She shrugged. “Eh. He knows I don’t have eyes for anyone other than him.” Wendy looked across the room, her expression melting into that gooey one I’d caught her making for the first time two winters ago—the winter Ezra and I had spent in Pleasant Grove after he’d proposed to me.
It had been a magical time, and I couldn’t believe how perfect it had been, wrapped up in his arms in the bed-and-breakfast as we celebrated our first Yule together.
But that was a story for another time.
Right now, I just wanted to live in this perfect moment, surrounded by the coven I loved, and the vampire who loved me.