Epilogue
Callum
Six Months Later
The string quartet shifts into something soft and lilting, and I watch my sister step into her husband's arms on the dance floor.
Octavian holds her like she's made of glass, though we both know Keira would break his hand if he treated her that way for real.
She's glowing. Not just the pregnancy glow everyone keeps mentioning, though at four months along there's definitely that, but something deeper. Something I haven't seen on her face since we were kids, before our world became what it is now.
"She looks happy."
Zaria's voice pulls my attention. She's standing beside me, watching the newlyweds. Six months, and countless days working with her at Shadowharbor, and I'm not used to seeing her like this. So relaxed and confident again.
The shadows under her eyes have faded. The way she flinches at sudden movements is gone, and she sleeps through the night now. Most nights, curled against my chest like she belongs there.
Because she does.
"She is happy," I say, sliding my arm around Zaria's waist and pulling her closer. "Octavian's good for her."
"Mmm." Zaria leans into me. "I still can't believe she's pregnant. Keira, a mother."
"God help that child."
Zaria laughs, bright and genuine, and the sound hits me somewhere deep in my chest. I've become addicted to making her laugh.
To watching the way her whole face transforms, how her eyes crinkle at the corners, how she sometimes snorts when something catches her off guard.
The woman who couldn't meet my gaze now throws her head back and laughs like the world hasn't tried to break her.
Across the tent, Declan catches my eye and raises his glass in a mock toast. Lyra is tucked under his arm, her dark hair twisted up in something elaborate that probably took hours. She's talking animatedly to Enzo's wife, gesturing with her free hand while Declan looks around.
My mother holds court at a table near the head, surrounded by a group of people, all eager to hear whatever story she's telling. The grief hasn't left her entirely. I don't think it ever will. But she's laughing at something Mrs. Callahan said, and when she catches me looking, she smiles.
The darkness has lifted. Not entirely, not completely, but the suffocating weight that settled over this family when my father died, when the Morrígan Order was hunting us, when every day felt like we were drowning...
That's gone.
Shadowharbor belongs to us now, and Zaria runs it with the kind of ruthless efficiency that would've made her father roll in his grave if he had one.
She's dismantled half his shell companies already, redirected funds to legitimate businesses, fired everyone even tangentially connected to the cult.
The woman who once told me she was worthless now commands boardrooms with the same quiet steel she used to survive.
I'm incredibly proud of her.
The music shifts to something more upbeat, and Zaria drags me onto the dance floor.
We dance for a few songs and then break.
Declan appears and elbows me. "It's time."
I turn to Zaria, cupping her face in my palm. "I'll be right back. I have to take care of something."
She looks at me, then at Declan, then back at me. "Be quick, mister. It's your sister's wedding."
"Of course."
We start walking back toward the house.
"Look at her," Declan says, nodding toward Keira. "Our little sister. A wife. A mother-to-be. Christ, I never thought I'd see the day."
"Neither did I," I say. "You're up next, you know."
He laughs and claps me on the shoulder. "Lyra's making me see two venues next week and already setting dates."
"What a life we lead now, brother, huh?" I ask.
"What a life," Declan says with a smile.
He walks into the house and makes his way to my office. "Everyone should be inside," Declan says.
We approach the door, and Declan pushes it open for me.
Enzo Bonventi sits closest to the window, his silver cufflinks catching the light as he adjusts his jacket.
He looks relaxed as always. Ares Kastaris sits in the chair beside him, one ankle crossed over his knee, taking a sip from a glass.
Octavian sits on the couch opposite them, the groom adjusting his tuxedo jacket and looking like a man who'd rather be back with his bride.
Next to him sits the man we're all here to discuss, Matei Ionescu.
Matei hasn't changed much since I last saw him. Still the same sharp suit, the same calculated expression, the same air of dangerous intelligence. The man who sent Zaria to me like a gift-wrapped weapon. The man who gambled everything to be here in this room.
Looks like he won that bet.
Declan closes the door behind us and takes his position near the bookshelf, arms crossed, as I take a seat at my desk.
The room settles into expectant silence.
"A beautiful ceremony," Enzo says, breaking it first. "Your sister looked radiant."
"Yes, absolutely," Ares agrees. "Calli would not stop talking about it. If I have to hear 'I'm the maid of honor' one more time, I'm going to lose it." He laughs. "She's been talking about it nonstop since the invitation arrived, and using it as leverage with every discussion."
"Thank you," I say. "And thank you all for coming. Now let's get to it so we can all get back out there. Especially the groom." I nod toward Octavian. "Pretty sure my sister will murder all of us if you're gone too long."
Octavian's mouth twitches. "She's already texted."
"Then let's make this quick." I turn to Matei, meeting his dark eyes directly. "When we met in Germany, you made me a promise. You said your family wanted an alliance, not a war. You said you'd deliver my father's killer in exchange for essentially passage through our ports."
Matei nods. "Yes."
"You delivered," I say. The words taste strange on my tongue, gratitude mixed with everything that followed. "Cormac Donoghue is dead. The Morrígan Order is scattered, and the woman you brought helped us dismantle them faster than we could have alone."
He smiles. Everyone in the room knows what Zaria is to me now.
"So," I say, straightening and squaring my shoulders, "I'm here to officially deliver on my promise."
I clear my throat.
"The Killaney family grants the Ionescu family passage into our city's ports. Full access, standard split, the same terms we extend to our existing allies." I gesture toward Ares and Enzo. "Contingent on their agreement, of course."
"The Kastaris family is in agreement," Ares says immediately, looking at Matei. "Enzo vouched for you, now Callum, so I have no problem."
The room shifts to Enzo, who nods. "Bonventi's as well." He turns to Matei. "Congratulations. You've accomplished what your family has been attempting for three generations."
"My father and his brothers made enemies," Matei says. "Like I told Callum, my brothers and I prefer to make allies."
"Smart man," Enzo says and raises his glass. "To new partnerships."
Matei leans forward on the couch, shifting his jacket.
"My family is extremely grateful for this.
And I promise, my three brothers and I will not only make all of you more wealthy, but we will take great pride in making this our most beneficial alliance.
" His gaze sweeps the room, lingering on each face.
"The Ionescus do not forget debts. Or friends. "
"Speaking of which," I say, leaning back in my chair, the leather creaking beneath me, "where do you want to do business? Besides Chicago and here."
"California."
Ares's eyebrow rises. "California?"
"Yes." Matei smiles. "We've heard our neighbors the Bulgarians are trying to secretly make a play in the state. Consolidating operations up and down the coast, pushing out smaller players. We do a lot of business with them, but we prefer to win."
"And you think you can outmaneuver these guys?" Enzo sounds skeptical.
"They don't have secure shipping lines," Matei says.
"Not yet. Their supply chains are vulnerable, stretched thin by expansion.
Our alliance here," he gestures around the room, "will secure that for us.
Your ports on the East Coast, Kastaris's Mediterranean routes, and of course the Bonventi infrastructure.
We can move product faster and safer than they ever could. "
"It's true, transportation across the country is rough," Enzo says. "The feds have been cracking down on interstate shipments. Lost two trucks last month to checkpoints alone."
"Yes," Matei agrees. "That's where your network will come in." He smiles. "For a cut, of course."
Enzo laughs. "I like this alliance more already."
It's settled then," I say, standing. "The Ionescu family has full access to our ports and our blessing to expand westward. Once you're established, we'll revisit terms." I extend my hand. "Now you can go and leave your Romanian mark on California."
Matei stands, buttoning his jacket with one hand, and extends the other across the desk. I shake it. His grip is firm.
"Time to get to work," he says.
He moves around the room, shaking hands with Declan, Enzo, and Ares, exchanging words I don't catch.
He hugs Octavian and says something in Romanian, and they laugh.
Then we all head toward the door to get back to the wedding.
As we make our way outside, Matei falls into step beside me as we cross the lawn.
"So you're really going to ask her to marry you, huh?"
I freeze.
The others keep walking, their voices fading as they head back toward the garden. I glance around, making sure Zaria's not nearby. I see her at a table, talking to Lyra about something as they both laugh.
"Yeah." I look at Matei. "Octavian told you?"
"Yes, by accident." Matei waves a dismissive hand. "But I wanted to ask you. It's crazy, you know. When I sent her to you, I thought for sure you'd kill her, not fall in love."
"You and me both," I say.
He's laughing, but the truth of it twists something in my chest.