Epilogue
Camryn, One Year Later
We’re going to be late if we don’t get going.” I rub my hands along Caelum’s bare chest, my fingertips lazily tracing over his hardened muscles.
He groans and squeezes me tighter, my naked body pressing against his.
I tilt my head to look into his eyes. “It’s our first Christmas slash Winter Solstice celebration together and Aurora is excited to host us at their place.
Don’t you want to see what gift I got for you?
” I pout, looking up at him through my thick lashes.
He grins, his thumb brushing over my lower lip. “You’re the only gift I’ll ever want,” he says as his hand smacks my ass.
I jump and squeal. “That’s such a cliché answer.
” I move to kick off the blankets, needing a shower before we begin our travels south to Riverholm.
Caelum initially suggested a carriage ride to our destination with many stops along the way.
I’m sure he was full of ideas about how we could spend the time locked in a confined space for days on end.
But I pointed out the obvious—his wings. He wasn’t opposed to the idea of holding me in his arms while he flew us south, but he made me promise we could stop as often as I needed, to which I obliged.
Before I can slip from the bed, he grabs my wrist, pulling me on top of him. I straddle his waist, and even though we’ve already had sex twice this morning, his length hardens beneath me.
I raise an eyebrow as I gaze down at him. “Trying to distract me, I see.”
He looks up at me, his gold-flecked eyes locking onto my silver. “It’s you who distracts me, you wicked queen.”
I look down at him and bite my lip. I like him like this. Under me. Relaxed and submissive to my desires. He watches me feast on the sight of his sculpted chest. And when his hands slide to my hips, that’s all it takes for me to shift and lower onto his cock.
I close my eyes, relishing the way he fills and stretches me.
Despite our urgency to arrive in Riverholm on time, we savor the moment, moving at our own pace. And when we both find our release, we lay together in the pleasant silence until reality pulls us back down to earth.
We fly south, Draven and Isolde joining us as we travel to Arc’s palace. How nice it must be to fly. I feel small as Caelum cradles me in his arms while the incubus and Isolde’s dragon form flanks us.
Caelum chuckles. As much as I’d love to chase you in the skies, I love holding you. Besides, flying isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
I scoff. Don’t lie to me. I can feel it.
I’m sorry, Little Dreamer. But don’t feel small. You’re the most powerful of us. And all mine.
I purse my lips, but heat blossoms in my core at his words.
Draven and Isolde disappear upstairs when we arrive at the palace, and I laugh at their shameless displays of affection. They remind me of a couple of horny teens, but I guess that’s what a century of having a frozen heart will do to a gal.
I’ve grown fond of Isolde. She speaks her mind and fiercely protects those she cares about. Draven is quiet, but like a brother to Caelum, and I appreciate his unbothered presence.
Arc paces across the grand hall as Caelum and I convince him he has to come to Riverholm.
Out of everyone, the past year has been hardest on him.
His curse took its toll on him, and when it came to him leaving the Northern Shadows, fear and panic of how he would be received by the rest of the realm kept him confined to the palace for many months.
He tried to push the rest of us away, believing he didn’t deserve kindness or forgiveness for what he’d done. I told him we can’t erase our pasts, but we can use it to help guide us to a better future.
I suggested making renovating the palace a priority and doing so helped pull him out of his depression and start moving forward.
The servant rooms were completely demolished, as Arc no longer wanted staff to serve him.
All evidence of abuse and punishment—chains, whips, and shackles—were destroyed.
The other bedrooms were cleansed of remnants of the past, replaced by soft, warm colors.
Little by little, the palace began to brighten and smell of new beginnings.
With new life breathed into his home, Arc’s spirit got lighter, and he started venturing farther from the palace and the Shadows. He spent a considerable amount of time on the coast, making amends with Vespera.
I doubt he will ever get over what he was forced to do by the terms of his father’s curse, but me and the others will spend the rest of his days reminding him he’s worthy of love and happiness. But he’s been content spending time alone and learning who he is without the bounds of the curse.
“You’re not getting out of this, asshole,” I spout at Arc as he paces in a dark suit.
“I know,” he says, his recently cropped hair brushing against his forehead.
“Yeah, man, everyone is excited to see you and hear about your travels. And the hair, you’re practically a new man,” Caelum says, flashing him his million-dollar smile.
I narrow my eyes on him. You’re clearly overdoing it. Rein it in a bit.
Caelum turns his head to me, his grin still plastered on his face. I think my sunny disposition worked just fine on you.
I cross my arms over my chest. Are you trying to get him to go to the party or sleep with you?
He arches an eyebrow at me. What have you been dreaming of lately, my love?
I start to sneer at him before the image of him and Arc finds a receptive spot in my mind. I can’t deny that it turns me on a bit.
“Whatever conversation you two are having in your minds, please stop,” Arc says.
I glance at him, and his eyes are closed, his fingers rubbing his temples. “So you’re ready to go?” I ask.
He opens his icy blue eyes. “Yes. Let’s get it over with.”
“That’s the spirit,” Caelum beams, slapping Arc on the back.
I send Caelum to hunt down the lovebirds, and the five of us set off from the shadows a short time later.
We make it as far as Eldersmoor before the weather turns icy. It doesn’t bother the rest of them, but Caelum demands to get me out of the elements.
I can’t say I mind being holed up for a night in a quaint inn with my mate, heated by a cozy fireplace and the friction of our bodies.
Draven, Isolde, and Arc continue on, and I spend the rest of our journey with just Caelum. I always welcome alone time with my mate.
We set out for Riverholm the following morning, arriving just in time.
Soren and Aurora’s house—which is more like a fortress—looks over the river, and I watch snowflakes drift down to the water still rippling beneath drifts of snow and ice.
I smile at the memory of their wedding six months earlier.
Summer was creeping its way into Silverveil, but the air still carried a lightness of spring.
Aurora, being who she is, opted for a small ceremony of just close friends. It’s vastly different from the spectacle I want my wedding to be when Caelum and I get around to it.
We gathered around as Soren and Aurora stood barefoot in the river not far from where they’d met as they joined hands and declared their love for each other.
They exchanged vows, promising to love and cherish each other for the rest of their days.
Which means hundreds of years choosing each other every single day.
Aurora wore an ivory lace gown, the hem drifting in the lazy current. Her gold hair was twisted into braids that joined at the crown of her head. She opted not to wear an actual crown, another detail that will definitely be making an appearance at my wedding.
But it was beautiful and perfect. Perfectly Aurora and the humble relationship she and Soren share.
Back in the present, Caelum lands us outside Stonesmoor.
He ensures I’m steady on my feet before he smooths his clothes.
He takes my breath away in a dark pair of pants and shirt opened enough at the collar to flash his spectacular pectoral muscles.
And his bright red wings are a striking contrast to his dark attire.
Beneath my thick heavy cloak, I wear a black gown with a neckline that shows a hint of cleavage. I unfasten the cloak, shrugging it off my shoulders as Caelum’s eyes scan down the line of my body.
Cauldron save me. You in that dress will be the death of me. Caelum clasps his hands over his heart as if he’s been shot with an arrow.
Well, let’s hope you can make it through dinner at least.
“You might just have to kiss me and breathe me back to life,” he says, stalking toward me.
His arms wrap around my back, and I rise on my tiptoes to press my lips against his.
We are still in an embrace when the front door swings open.
I whirl my head and a flash of golden hair streaks toward me.
Caelum releases me and steps aside in time for Aurora to fling her arms around me so tightly I gasp for air.
I giggle and sink into her. It’s been over a month since I’ve seen her. We meet regularly in Eldersmoor with the Silverveil council to discuss political matters that bore me endlessly. And last month’s meeting was the last time I’ve seen Rory.
“You’re here!” Rory squeals.
“We’re here!” I shiver. “Now, can we come inside before I freeze my tits off?”
“Of course, of course!” Rory ushers us into the entryway and I am immediately hit with a wave of blissful heat.
“Caelum,” Rory nods with a playful gaze.
“Rory,” he replies before his lips tug into a grin.
And then my friend’s arms wrap around him, and he bends down to hug her. The two have warmed to each other over the past year, and their friendship makes my heart sing.
When Caelum releases Rory, my eyes drift over my friend.
Her golden curls are loose and fall over her shoulders. Her cheeks are dusted pink and there is a glow about her that has nothing to do with her magic. Her midnight blue dress hugs her curves, and when my eyes fall on the bodice of her gown pulled tight over her stomach, I gasp.
There, beneath the shimmering fabric, is the unmistakable outline of the slightest bump.