Epilogue
In the weeks that followed the Cetus and orb incident, things returned to normal. Kind of. Scorpio had changed, and he wasn’t the only one.
It took a few days to notice Rebecca hadn’t returned to the same person she used to be. On the contrary, it took Leo pointing out, “Your woman’s got a sparkle to her now,” for Scorpio to realize that whatever had happened during those missing hours had transformed her. While not a Zodiac Warrior, her genetics, once studied, showed signs of star enhancement. He should have known, seeing as how she no longer worried about hot and cold, she’d become stronger, and, even more astonishing, could use the portals without aid.
Libra, who took an interest in the biology of the Zodiacs, seemed convinced she’d enjoy the same long life span as them as well, which meant Scorpio, who’d always had a fear of commitment, didn’t have to worry about losing her to old age. A good thing, since he didn’t see himself tiring of her anytime soon.
Monroe might have been an asshole, but he’d been right about one thing. They were bonded. A man and a woman from two different worlds who’d found each other in spite of the odds and fallen in love.
It proved more fulfilling than expected, if bruising to his fists. He returned to the suite sucking his knuckles, which arched Rebecca’s brow.
“Who did you hit this time?”
“Pisces.”
“Dare I ask why?”
Because Pisces sang, “Scorpio and Rebecca sitting on the moon, both smiling like big buffoons. First comes love, then comes ? —"
Smack .
Since Scorpio doubted she’d understand why the smirk needed to be wiped from his bro’s face, he chose to reply, “It’s a guy thing.”
At his reply, she shook her head but smiled. “You can’t punch everyone who teases you about finally getting a steady girlfriend.”
“Yeah, I can,” his sulky reply.
“They’re just jealous.”
“How do you figure that?”
“Because you’re getting epic sex every night. Day. Morning.” Her lips curved. “It probably drives them nuts to see how happy you are.”
“I am happy.” More than he’d ever imagined, and he owed it all to his Doc.
He swung her around until she squealed. “Enough or I’ll puke on you.”
He stopped but only so he could kiss her and say the words he’d never thought would pass his lips: “I love you.”
Her amused reply? “I know.”
The weeks since they’d found the orb had left Sage out of sorts. Despite her claiming pregnancy hormones, Aries had a feeling something more churned inside her mysterious brain.
She spent hours in the observatory, watching the stars in a trance, and he’d wager he knew why. The day they’d taken down Cetus and Rebecca disappeared with the orb—which was never recovered—he’d found his wife in the portal room, standing over the blank thirteenth dais. Only it was no longer blank.
“What’s that?” he asked, eyeing the chunk of stone filling a third of it.
Sage had glanced at him, and her eyes glossed over with a faraway look as she murmured, “That which was lost is soon to be found. Chaos and turmoil will precede their arrival. The world shall tremble before their might. That which betrayal sundered shall be made whole, and the whole universe shall tremble as the thirteenth Zodiac returns.”
A thirteenth warrior?
No amount of questioning revealed anything further. Sage would shake her head and say, “Don’t be silly. There are only twelve.”
But he had to wonder. Especially when Sage came to him a month after the Cetus incident and said, “It’s time for the next warrior to leave on a quest.”
And this time, it was Leo’s task to find it.
The world might be fucked.
Seeing Scorpio happy with his new doctor girlfriend and Aires blissful with a pregnant Sage roused all kinds of emotions in Leo. Most of them unpleasant.
He’d been happy once upon a time. Thought he’d been in love. Although that love proved more complicated than expected. Some might even call it toxic, but that didn’t lessen the pain when he lost it and the child born of that union.
A child he couldn’t save.
A guilt he couldn’t shake even years later.
So, when Aries called his hungover ass into his office and said, “Enough is enough. Time for you to get some help,” Leo didn’t argue.
“Any suggestions, boss?”
Aries slid a piece of paper with a name and address on it. “You need to talk to someone and get your head back on straight.”
“Sure.”
Aries blinked. “What, no argument?”
Leo had none. Not anymore. He tired of drowning his sorrow with booze. Wanted to move past the crushing grief and somehow find a way to forgive his sins.
The only comment he made? “You do realize it’s gonna be hard for me to talk about what went down to a human.”
“I’m sure you can find a way. Tell her you were a cop. It’s not uncommon for criminals to go after their families.”
A lie that just might work.
Not that Leo had a choice. The precipice he stood on was literally one of life or death, with him leaning toward the latter. With nothing to lose, he went to the brownstone in New York to meet with the shrink…
And what happens is for the next book. Leo’s will be a journey not just of emotions but one of discovery as he seeks out the next missing artifact. But he’s not the only one on the hunt. Will he find the next relic and peace with his past? Find out in Sins of Leo .