Epilogue
Avalon
Two Years Later
She looked down at her phone, following the map’s directions through Lisbon. Her other hand was holding an opaque tumbler, the straw between her lips. Tasting the blood helped her control her thirst—and distracted her from losing control. Marcus and Varos were to either side of her, with Lysander towering behind them.
“I think I see it,” Marcus said, pointing at a small shop not far ahead.
“I think you’re right.”
Her voice spiked with excitement, her eyes focused on the destination ahead. She tried not to let her eyes linger over the crowd. It wasn’t her first encounter with humans by a long shot, but she still didn’t trust herself—not as much as her men did. They’d started with a small town a year after they’d moved to their Alaskan residence. Her first time being faced with humans had been exhausting. Slowly but surely, she’d been able to relax and enjoy being back in society.
“You’re doing so well,” Varos praised, his lips pressing softly against her temple.
She turned and kissed his cheek in return. “Thank you.”
They didn’t spent as much time at the store as she would’ve liked, but it was the experience of being in the oldest bookstore existing that counted. At their insistence, she did buy a single book for her Lisbon collection. They’d given her the idea—to collect books for each property they owned so she’d never be without her own personal library.
They were able to do a little more sight-seeing before she became overwhelmed. They’d found a house not far from the city centre in Areia, minutes from the ocean. Just like they had every day since they’d gotten there, they took a sunset walk to the beach. Her feet sunk into the sand as the water splashed around her ankles. A warm salty breeze washed around her and made her hair swirl.
When she looked over the ocean, a curious and terrifying thought formed in her mind: she could spend as long as she wanted under the water—she didn’t need to breathe. The world was her oyster. A shudder ran down her spine, her new life still seemed so surreal to her even after two years.
She turned and saw that her men were still sitting on the washed-up tree where she’d left them. Her heart leapt, as it always did when she laid eyes on them. As if they had a mind of their own, her legs carried her to them. She loved being around them, her world so much brighter with each man in it. They’d healed her from her past’s trauma, giving her time and space, while never leaving her sight longer than necessary. Standing before them she took Lysander’s and Varos’s hands in hers while leaning down to kiss Marcus’s forehead, who sat between them.
“I love you. All three of you.” Some would have found it strange that it took her so long to say those words out loud, but with eternity ahead of them, time passed a little differently.
Marcus tilted his head up and pecked her lips with his. “We love you too, little dove.”
“And we would like the whole world to know you are ours.”
“And we are yours,” Varos added.
A glimmer caught her eye, and her gaze fell on a golden ring laid in Marcus’s palm. “It’s not really a marriage proposal, since eternity can be quite a lot to promise to someone.”
“Yes,” she said, already reaching for the band .
As Marcus slid the ring onto her finger, both Varos and Lysander revealed two matching rings, adding them to their own fingers. She lifted her hand and let the ring shimmer in the sun’s fading light. It was a simple, golden band that perfectly complimented her.
“It has our names engraved inside of it,” Varos revealed while Marcus held up his slightly thicker ring.
“And your name is in ours.”
Then Lysander surprised her by pulling her into his lap and crushing his mouth to hers. Her fingers tangled into his hair, holding him close. She only broke the kiss when fingers tickled her inner thigh—Marcus.
“You might want to let your beast breathe,” he laughed, his fingers teasing higher.
“I love you,” she repeated, unable to keep the words in any longer. “All three of you.”
“And we love you.”