Epilogue
Acheron - Thirty Years Later
Forever seemed like the blink of an eye when you spent it with the love of your life. My bond-mate and beloved Queen of Eiriau. And even though thirty years was akin to five minutes in my world, I still wished for time to slow down.
It did not take long for my people to accept Alice as their Queen. There had only been a few disgruntled and suspicious subjects, even after Alice's turning. But their fears had been abated when word of our transcendent lovemaking had spread.
Our joining had made me—made us—faster and stronger. My senses were heightened to new levels, and in turn, it made our Territory, our Kingdom, the most powerful of the seven.
Half the Kings were displeased, and two had tried to form a coup d'état against our Territory, to abysmal results.
After a decade of volatile upheaval and betrayal, where new Kings were crowned, and Alice's coronation finally occurred without challenge, my mate and I were finally able to settle down into twenty years of normalcy.
We even married—a human concept that I had previously found trivial for such a short lifespan.
But as I held hands with my mate, looked deep into her eyes, and promised her love, fidelity, and to cherish her for all eternity, I finally understood what it meant to repeat such reverence to another being.
I now wore a ring on my finger, carved by the metal of my father's crown, and she wore a jewel befitting a Queen.
A deep ruby that shone and sparkled with the same love she showed me.
And around our necks, inside a gold locket—our blood; mixed together, sealed, and blessed by a Witch.
Now, there was one last act of love I craved from my sweet mate. There had been no urgency, not with time firmly on our side.
"Let's make a baby," I murmured against Alice’s hair. We were seated in our library, which had slowly been filled by her human fictional stories.
She was lounging against me, her head resting in my lap as she read some grand tale about a pirate at sea.
Her finger paused on the page, and the air became thick with her excitement.
She sat up and turned to me, a teasing glint in her eyes. "Hmm, I don't know how I feel about being a young mom."
I smirked at her jest, knowing that her greatest wish was to carry and birth my offspring. But with such a tumultuous few years as my Queen, we did not wish to bring a new life into the uncertainty.
"I have already spoken with a Witch to bless our union with offspring."
Her lips tipped up in a knowing grin. "Clarissa told me." She slid her hands through my hair, bringing my body close to hers. "You know you cannot make a move without her Coven informing me."
I rolled my eyes. "Of course. How silly of me."
Another favorable occurrence that had come out of our union was the alliances forged by my wife. Her human curiosity had led her to venture further outside our Territory, eager to meet new beings and discover species that she had thought but a fairy tale.
In turn, they were equally fascinated by this human turned Vampire and had slowly but surely welcomed her friendship, which morphed into trust between our Territories.
Warm thighs cradled my waist as Alice's body moved to sit on top of me. My hands clasped her waist, and my mouth opened under her kiss. Groaning, I stroked her tongue with mine as I felt her heat press against my hard cock.
"Let's start now," she murmured against my lips.
Ten months later, our twin sons were born. They were the joy of our lives, and our Kingdom celebrated their safe arrival.
A year after their birth, Alice fell pregnant with our third child. A beloved daughter who was the apple of my eye and had me wrapped around her little finger.
And somewhere, in the dark and hidden depths where the dregs of the immortal world thrived, a disgraced and villainous former King’s heart started to beat.
The End.