Epilogue
BANE
“Ooooh, look at this! Is that a pig?” I ask, leaning down and seeing the snout peering out at me.
“It’s a hog,” Fallow says, his hands in his pockets, his upper body leaning against a tree. “What do you think?”
“I love it! Do they eat people?”
“Yep. Every part. From soup to nuts. Well, according to my friend, Trigger.”
“Sounds like my kind of guy.”
Just as I say that, Georgiy walks up to us, his gaze focused on Fallow and then on me. Beside him is Anthony, the two of them far too casual for my liking. I know Georgiy blamed Anthony for the mess I ended up in and was very angry about it for ages, but I don’t fault Anthony at all.
It was all Henry’s doing, and of course, my dad. I mean, is he really even my dad? When I look at his skeleton, I don’t really see a resemblance between us. Not even our cheekbones are the same.
“What are you doing?” Georgiy asks me, and Fallow pushes off the tree and wanders away. The bonding is over, and while everyone mingles around, eating and drinking, I’m eyeing the gifts.
I fucking love a gift.
“Peeking at my wedding presents. Wanna see this one?”
I reach out and pull him closer so he can hear the squeal of the hog better. Anthony grimaces, but Georgiy doesn’t move.
“Don’t tell me we need to have this creature on our premises,” Anthony murmurs.
“Hey now, don’t make her feel bad. This is Pigasso. You should see what she can do with human remains,” I say.
That makes Anthony straighten up. “That so?”
“Yep, they even eat the bones. Really useful creatures. That’s what Fallow says anyway.”
“Hm. Perhaps we should get her a friend. Where is this Fallow?”
“Over there?”
I point behind me, and Anthony leaves, seemingly to ask my new friend about where to buy another hungry hog. This leaves me entirely alone with Georgiy, who has slipped his hand into mine, his thumb brushing over the back of my hand.
“You have a lot of presents.”
“We do. We. We’re a couple now. It’s official. We’ve bonded.”
“Mates.”
I grin at him. “Yeah, mates.”
He leans me slightly to peer around a few trees, and I see the table set up, people milling around to music and drinks.
“There are so many.”
“Da.”
That makes me squirm as I approach the gifts. I wonder what’s inside each one. I reach out and shake a large box.
“Careful,” Georgiy says softly. “What if you break something?”
“Oh, I don’t think they’re going to break. Anyone who knows me knows not to get me anything fragile.” I shake it again and grin. “I bet it’s a bone dildo. Never had one of those before.”
Georgiy huffs in amusement.
“Can I open one now?”
“You can do whatever you’d like, umnyashka. They’re our presents. If people want to watch, they can.”
I grin and move to the biggest box, peeking at the tag and seeing it’s from Diablo. Without hesitation, I begin to unwrap the newspaper clinging to the sides with both hands. Paper goes flying this way and that, one landing on top of Georgiy’s head until a gift is revealed.
“A saw!” I gasp and then look more closely. “A cordless one! What a gift. I bet he did some research and it can cut through skulls.”
“I bet it can,” Georgiy says, pouring himself a tall glass of medovukha that Mikhail bought him. Drink in hand, he takes a seat on one of the many folding chairs as I set the saw aside and then rip open another package—this one from Angel.
As soon as I see what it is, I squish it to me. It’s a long body pillow—one with a large picture of a decaying body printed on the front. He must have had this custom-made. What a thoughtful gift.
“I hope that doesn’t replace me,” Georgiy says, taking a small sip of his medovukha.
“Oh, never, but this will be nice when you have to travel to meet your Craigslist workers and I’m left to wait for you. It’ll be nice to have something to snuggle up to.”
I glance at the very realistic-looking corpse on the front.
“I bet this is an actual dead person, too.” I press my face into it and inhale, smelling the soft scent of Angel on the fabric before putting it down. I glance around, searching for my friend to thank him, but I spot him dancing slowly to the music with Mikhail. I don’t want to interrupt him.
They look so lost in each other.
So, I turn my gaze to another box and tear it open, seeing a security camera set gifted to me from Lex. For the catacombs, it reads. I can’t wait to put them up down there. Mainly so I can film myself and Georgiy fucking, but also so I can rewatch some of the very bad people getting taken apart.
I especially love when Anthony gets all growly and peels out their tongues. Very sexy. Wouldn’t mind watching that on repeat.
As I work through the gifts, people amble over, commenting on what we’ve received. I’m proud of all of them, of how thoughtful each one is.
Mikhail gifted me a Russian sword, and Georgiy a very expensive scalpel set, one I plan on using downstairs on my other guests.
Agatha gave me a few bottles of poison to be used on our enemies.
I can’t wait to see how they work on actual humans.
Casey gave us an industrial-sized bottle of lube, and Anthony’s gift was probably the nicest of all—a blueprint for a house on his property.
Georgiy and I can make ourselves a home for when we stay here.
I know we’ll be traveling back and forth between Anthony’s and Mikhail’s, but to know we’ll have a nice place to sleep in here, one that will meet Georgiy’s standards, makes my eyes well up.
“What’s wrong? Are you not happy with the gifts?”
“I am. These are so thoughtful. And Ellery promised me an anaconda or a crocodile for the backyard, along with the hog that Fallow got me. I just…this all makes me feel so seen. So loved.”
Georgiy sets his drink down and comes to stand next to me. His hands move to my face, and he holds me steady. Those dark eyes meet mine, and I feel his thumb brush against the apples of my cheeks.
“You are loved. You are seen, umnyashka. I promise you that. Everyone here adores you.”
I sniffle and press into him, letting his arms engulf me. He holds me tightly until I pull away.
“Thank you for being one of the ones who loves me.”
“Of course.”
He brushes away a tear and then pulls out a small box, setting it in my palm.
“And now my gift to you.”
“A gift? From you?”
“Mhm.”
My hands tremble as I pull it open, staring at the piece of jewelry in the box.
“What is it?” I ask as I pull it out. I hold it up to the light and see the polished silver chain of the necklace. Sitting in the middle is a pendant with something floating beautifully inside.
“My cum.”
The way he says it, dark and possessive, makes my cock perk up.
“Is this you branding me in another way? I already have your name on my skin. Now you’re asking me to wear your cum?”
Georgiy nods, and I hold it out to him.
“Put it on me. Mark me. I’m yours anyway.”
I turn slightly and feel the cool metal hit my skin. My fingers reach up and brush the smooth glass against my chest.
I’m his in every way, and what’s even better is, he’s mine. What better life could I have? I’m surrounded by the family of my choosing, people who love me, and the man of my dreams.
I don’t know if I could ever top this.
I don’t know if I’d want to.
I think I’m the happiest I’ll ever be, right here, right now.
“You’re smiling,” Georgiy says, and I nod.
“Of course I am. After everything I’ve been through, I feel like I’ve finally found my home. Here and in you.”
“I’m glad. You deserve it.”
I do. For the first time in my life, I believe that. I deserve this and him.
And more importantly, I deserve the love I’ve received.
“Come, let’s escape for a while. I want you alone.”
“What are you going to do to me?” I ask as he links his fingers with mine and pulls me forward.
“You’ll just have to wait and see. But I promise you, Bane of my life, you’re going to like it very, very much.