Epilogue
ORYM
Waking up next to my mates and knowing that the danger has passed is a wonderful thing. Being awakened in the middle of the night by screaming because Garnet is having another nightmare? Not so much. With everything we’ve been through, I know it’s going to take some time for everyone to be okay. Hell, James still has nightmares, too, but he refuses to acknowledge them.
It feels like we were so focused on dealing with Amber that our lives got pushed to the wayside. Now that she’s gone, and our new cabin is finished, we get to go back to figuring out who we are. Or who we want to be.
Each of us has started to follow our interests. James starts medical school in two weeks. We’re all proud of him for that decision. Luca is working with Dec now, learning about woodworking. Ryland is of course, leading the territory. I’ve been spending time with Eli, indulging my interest in technology.
As for Garnet, she’s been spending time in our world and the Fae realm, helping their new leader get settled. She’s mastered her powers and is considering starting a school for witches. With Amber gone, there haven’t been any uprisings or problems.
I put the final touches on our new security system, then step back and admire my work. Eli slaps a hand on my shoulder. “Good job! Now let’s see if it works.” He types something on his phone, and I hear footsteps outside. The monitors light up with activity, as Eli’s men ‘attack’ the house.
“FULL LOCKDOWN MODE INITIATED,” the automated voice announces. Steel clanks as the security doors slide over the windows and doors, locking us inside and whoever is trying to harm us out.
“It works!” I get a little excited about my first major project. After all, I installed this one myself without Eli’s supervision. He insisted on being here when I finished, and I know he’ll double check everything. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your help with all of this.”
“You did all the work. It’s not easy to learn about this stuff, especially when you live in the forest and have no real sources to work with.” Eli’s right, I worked really hard to get where I am. But I didn’t do it alone.
“Orym! Let me in before the ice cream melts!”
JAMES
I knew the security system test was today, but Garnet was out of her favorite ice cream. I should have waited until later to run to the city and pick it up. But I had pre-admissions testing to do and figured it would be easier doing it all at once.
Now I’m standing outside, trying to figure out how to get into the house while Orym and Eli have a laugh at me. Okay, they’re probably not laughing at me, but they’re taking forever to let me in.
“FULL LOCKDOWN MODE CANCELED,” an automated voice announces. I bet the neighbors will love that from three cabins down.
The steel doors retract slowly, and I dash inside, tucking the ice cream into the freezer before it melts all over. I grab a blood bag while I’m standing there. “That was close. Thanks.” I turn to see Orym and Eli walking out of the security room off the living room. “So, we’re all set? What if something happens to you? None of us knows how to use the system.”
“We’ll go over the basics after dinner tonight. Each of you will learn how to arm and disarm the system, as well as how to bring it out of lockdown,” Orym says.
“Sounds good. Where is everyone else?” When I left this morning, they were all in various stages of waking and getting ready for their days. Unfortunately, medical school will mean early mornings and late nights for a while. But it will be worth it to have a doctor in the territory.
And with Vik teaching Ryland about running businesses, none of us will actually need to work outside of here. Other than a few wolves supervising the restaurant we bought. But that won’t be a huge deal.
I can’t believe I’ve been a vampire for a year now, and I’ve somehow managed not to lose control and hurt someone unintentionally. I was so terrified that I would, and relieved when I learned about the protection spell for the wolves. It’s nice to know that if I kill someone, it will be because I decided to, not because I couldn’t stop myself.
“Luca is out back with your brother. They’re working on something,” Eli responds. “Ryland had a meeting with Vik at Midnight. I’m not sure where Garnet ran off to.”
Orym and I exchange a glance. Apparently, he didn’t think Eli was paying attention to what’s been going on here. I nod and walk out back to see what Luca is doing.
I find him standing over blueprints with my brother hovering nearby. “What’s all this?” I call to them.
“We’re making a surprise for Red,” Luca responds without looking up.
“Good thing she’s not here with me, then,” I shoot back. Of course, he knew she wasn’t. We can sense her, and we’ll know if she’s in danger, wherever she is.
“I sent her to hang out with Delilah for a while. They were going shopping for decorations.”
GARNET
Having a day out with Delilah has been amazing. With everything being so busy lately, I haven’t seen her much. “What about this one?” she asks, holding up a teal throw blanket. I run my hand over the material.
“Yes! That’s perfect.” I add it to the list and we keep moving. My list is so long already; I can’t imagine any of my guys approving of all this, even if the new cabin is four times the size of the one I destroyed.
Guilt washes over me again at that thought. I destroyed our old home. A year ago today. And yet, no one got mad at me. I’m not sure why that seems strange to me, but it does. And being given carte blanche to decorate the new house is even stranger. I would have expected my guys to be at least a little bit more interested in how the rooms are put together.
“Garnet,” Delilah says, grabbing my arm. I grin at her, realizing that she’s been trying to get my attention while I’m wallowing in my emotions.
“Sorry,” I offer.
“Eli called. He says they’re done with the system set up and testing. So, we can go home whenever you’re ready. We’ll just drop off the list and someone will deliver the items later.” It’s clear that Delilah doesn’t worry about money. I mean, her mates are the wealthiest in the area.
I look at my list again, wondering if I can take a few things off without offending her. We’ve been shopping all morning, and the list of purchases is very long. I’m not sure we can afford all of it.
“I need to go through my list again before I’m ready,” I say quietly.
“No, you don’t. Dec was very clear. His sister-in-law gets what she wants to decorate the new house. No limits, no restrictions. Didn’t you wonder why no one argued with you picking everything out? He very clearly laid down the law to your mates. And he’s insisting that he pays for all of it. Don’t fight him on this. You won’t win,” she warns.
“I had no idea Declan was planning to pay for everything. I can’t let him do that,” I insist.
Delilah shakes her head. “You don’t have a choice. He’s going to do it no matter what. You should at least get what you want out of it. And it’s not going to hurt us. Just because it was his idea, that doesn’t mean I don’t fully support it.”
I throw my arms around her and hug tightly. “Okay, you win. I won’t argue. Let’s finish up and head back. We still have to pick towels. That’s the only thing we haven’t looked at.”
Half an hour later, Delilah and I have settled on the perfect towels and turned in my list to the store manager. Someone will gather the items we’ve selected, and they’ll be delivered in a few hours. And Declan will pay for all of it. I can’t help feeling a little guilty about that too.
Delilah is right, though. It won’t do any good to argue with the vampire who controls a quarter of the city. Hell, this store might even be owned by him. If not, there’s a chance that it belongs to Vik or Kayden. Eli tends to stay away from department stores, preferring his tech to housewares.
On our way back to the new house, Delilah and I talk about my selections and where some things will go. We fall into companionable silence after a few minutes and arrive home quickly.
I’m surprised to see delivery trucks already here and unloading. “How did they move so quickly?”
Delilah just laughs as she climbs out of the SUV. I follow her, still trying to figure out how they managed all of this so fast. I also wonder how upset my guys will be when they see everything I got. At least all the blankets are soft, and the pillows are fluffy. Maybe that will help.
“Did you buy out the entire store?” Ry asks, jogging down the steps to meet us. He scoops me up and kisses me hard, turning in a circle.
I slap his arm when he pulls away. “No, we didn’t buy out the entire store. I left the ugly stuff there.”
He laughs and passes me to Orym. “Hey, you.” I kiss him and hug him tightly. These guys act like they haven’t seen me in days, but it’s only been a few hours.
Not willing to be left out, James drags me out of Orym’s arms and kisses me breathless. A girl could get used to this. When he breaks the kiss, I expect Luca to be there waiting. He’s not, and I have to hide my disappointment.
“He’s working on a surprise for you. Try not to be too upset that he didn’t drop everything and head out here to greet you,” James whispers in my ear.
“A surprise? What is it?” I ask, not even concerned that James seems to have read my mind. There have been some strange developments with our bond and certain abilities lately. I try not to plan surprises for my mates, because I have lost the ability to keep secrets.
“You’ll find out when he’s finished with it. Let’s go inside and you can show us how much of my brother’s money you spent,” James answers, turning me back toward the house. I know he’s teasing, but I feel a pang of guilt at the cost of everything.
We walk up the steps to the covered wrap-around porch. I show them the patio chairs, tables, and couch I selected, along with the additional set of pillows that can be swapped out. “One set for spring and summer, and another for fall and winter. These will keep us cool, and these will be warmer.”
I’m certain that I went overboard, but Delilah pushed me into making sure we had everything we could possibly need.
LUCA
Dec and I finish building the swing and hang it on the back porch, then head back to the gazebo. The swing was a last-minute addition to my plan, but I know that Red has always wanted one. The gazebo is a replacement for the picnic table that didn’t survive the fight with Amber.
Red has been feeling guilty for destroying the house and everything around it, so we all decided that we’d do something special for her to ease her mind. The porch swing will easily hold all five of us, and I was able to get Delilah to order cushions to match what Red got for the front porch.
The gazebo is large enough that we can have most of the territory over and everyone can sit under it. Dec and I built cozy furniture to go under it. We finish setting it up and I head inside to grab everyone for the big reveal.
I know that Red got back a little while ago, and she was disappointed I didn’t greet her. I had to finish this, but I was disappointed too. Now I’m excited to see what she thinks of my surprise.
“Red! Where are you?” I call as I run into the house. She jumps when I yell, and I see that she was closer than I’d expected. “Sorry. I got excited.” I laugh and hold my arms out for her to hug me. Red runs and jumps into my arms, kissing me until I nearly forget why I came inside.
When she breaks the kiss, she asks, “So, what’s this about a surprise?”
I laugh again. “That’s why I came to get you. But I want to show everyone at the same time, okay?”
She rolls her eyes, but waits until I get everyone together and follows me outside. “This is half your surprise,” I say, gesturing to the swing.
“Luca! It’s beautiful! And the cushions match the set out front. How?” She’s amazed and I’m relieved. I’d been worried that she wouldn’t like it.
Delilah nudges me and laughs. “I told you she’d appreciate that.”
“Here’s the rest of it,” I say, grabbing her by the shoulders and turning her to look out into the back yard.
“Oh, Luca!” she says, then runs down the back steps to check out the gazebo. The deep red flowers of the Clematis vines contrast against the white pine we used for the structure. I can’t tell if she loves it or hates it from her reaction.
“Well?” I ask, following her down to stand next to it.
“How did you guys do this in one day? This wasn’t here yesterday. It’s amazing,” she gushes. Relief washes over me. I was so worried that she’d hate it. I’d prepared myself for having to tear the whole thing down.
“Dec helped me. And of course, he has a crew for this kind of thing. But I did most of the carving myself.”
RYLAND
With Luca’s surprise, Red decides we have to eat outside tonight. No one minds, and we all work on dinner together. The kitchen is full and chaotic, with Vik and Kayden showing up just before we’re ready to eat. The ten of us gather under the new gazebo, eating and chatting. Laughter echoes through the forest, and for once, no one is worrying about what’s coming for us next.
Tonight will be our first night in the new house. We’ve been staying at Luca’s cabin because it’s the closest to the new one. I’d hardly call this a cabin, though. Sure, it looks like one, but it’s two stories tall and has a basement.
The first floor has the kitchen, pantry, security room, living room, spare bedroom, and a bathroom. The top floor is our master suite. It’s the largest bedroom/bathroom combination I’ve ever seen, and I can’t wait to make full use of it.
We’ll have family time first, because Red is still concerned about everything. She’s trying to take care of everyone and ensure that Declan knows how much we appreciate all of their help. What she doesn’t know is that he only paid for the furnishings and décor because he insisted on it. The poor girl has no clue what kind of accounts I have access to now that I’m the territory alpha.
Just because Gunnar chose to force the entire territory to live as meagerly as possible, that doesn’t mean we don’t have resources. I wasn’t aware of most of them until Eli stepped in and helped Orym research Gunnar’s computer. And we didn’t bother with that until six months ago, when we were starting to rebuild the cabin.
I wonder how Red will take the news that we have almost as much money as the family that controls the city. I can’t wait to show her the bank statements. Tomorrow morning. Not tonight. Tonight is for family.
I realize that’s what we’ve become. Delilah and her mates, along with the five of us, have become a chosen family. I sit back and watch as they joke around and enjoy what we’ve built here. Life couldn’t get any better than it is right now.
Goddess knows we all sacrificed enough to get here, and we won’t soon forget those who gave their lives in the fight. That’s what makes me even more determined that we’ll make something happy here.
I’ve invited the previous members of the council to meet next week to discuss forming a new council with extra layers of security. I want to prevent what we went through last year from ever happening again. Who knows if our family will grow in the future? But if it does, I want to be sure the territory is protected for generations to come.
We break ground on Red’s magic school next week, and things will be even more hectic. I’m determined to enjoy what I can while I have the opportunity. Our lives are full now.
GARNET
Once Delilah and her mates leave, Ry finally lets me go upstairs and see the master suite. These guys have been so secretive about the whole thing. I don’t know what to expect. What I do know is that our lives are about to get crazy.
Each of us has our own project that will take up a large chunk of time. We’re going to have to work hard to make time for our family. I know we can do it; I just hope everyone is on board.
Luca covers my eyes as James leads me up the stairs to the second level. Ry and Orym rushed ahead of us to ‘get things ready’ and I’m honestly a little nervous what that means. Am I walking into a sex dungeon that has whips and chains on the walls? Since this is the one room I haven’t been allowed inside, it was difficult to pick out decorations.
I suspect that Delilah had seen it, though, because she made suggestions. I guess I’m about to find out. I take a deep breath as they lead me across the threshold.
“Okay, open your eyes,” Ry says, and Luca’s hand falls away. The room is spectacular. The walls are a pale teal and will go perfectly with the throw Delilah suggested. The dressers and bed are hand carved wood, and I can tell that Luca worked with Declan to build them.
“It’s perfect!” I exclaim, turning around and taking in every inch of the room. I walk over to one of the windows and look outside. I can see the back yard and into the forest from here. One of my guys clears his throat, and I turn around.
Standing in front of me are four gorgeous men, completely naked. “That escalated quickly,” I tease, looking my fill. Each of their cocks responds to my attention, even if I’m not touching them yet. Seeing the way they look at me has me soaked.
I want to rip my clothes off and jump on all of them. But I also want our first night in the new house to be memorable. So, I decide to move painstakingly slow, taking one step toward them and stopping. I lick my lips and Ry groans. I can tell that they’re barely holding themselves back. “What’s wrong, boys?” I teas again. Part of me hopes they’ll decide they’ve had enough torture and will take control.
I ease out of my jeans, folding them carefully and placing them on an oversized chair by the window. Luca growls, and I know that I’m testing them too much. I can’t help it; I’m having fun with it. It’s been so long since we’ve felt safe, and I’m going to enjoy it.
I slowly peel the rest of my clothes off and take my time folding them and stacking everything on the chair. Just as I finish, strong arms wrap around me from behind and I fly across the room, landing on the bed. I squeal and giggle.
My four mates stalk toward me, eyes filled with lust. The way they get into position around me convinces me that they planned this out to the most minute detail. James sprawls next to me on his back. Luca grabs my legs, Orym grips under my arms, and they lift me on top of James. Ry stands back and watches, as if he’s orchestrating the whole situation.
It seems like they all enjoy taking turns watching, but tonight I want all four of them. I’ll have to make sure he’s involved if he doesn’t do it himself. Orym hands Luca a small bottle, and the lube is cold as he rubs it on my ass to prepare me for James. I manage to catch a glimpse of Luca stroking James as he spreads lube on my vampire’s cock. They ease me down onto James as Luca positions himself above me. He waits until I’ve taken James all the way before Luca starts to slide into me.
I moan with pleasure at how full I feel as they stretch me. Reaching for Orym with one hand, I motion for Ry to join us with the other. When I have their hard dicks in my hands, I finally feel complete. James and Luca set a punishing pace as they fuck me hard and fast.
I stroke Ry and Orym, slipping one into my mouth, then the other, until they’re panting as hard as I am. Luca and James change pace, one thrusting in as the other pulls almost all the way out, then alternating. They start moving so slowly, I want to beg them for more. But my mouth is busy with two cocks thrusting inside at the same time now. Thrusts increase in speed until I feel like I’m being battered from all sides, in the best way.
With all four of my men inside of me, it doesn’t take long for me to come. I cry out with my release, setting them all off at once. I can’t swallow fast enough and end up with cum dripping down my face. I feel James throb inside my ass as he finds his release. Luca slams into me, filling me at the same time.
I’m sated and happy and could fall asleep right now. Before I have the chance, someone carries me into the master bath, and turns on the shower.
The five of us fit in the oversized shower easily. Ry washes my hair while Orym cleans my body. I let them care for me this way, then I take my time washing every inch of each of them. Once we’re clean and dried off, Luca carries me to the bed and tucks me in. Ry, Orym, James, and Luca crawl into bed with me.
I fall asleep satisfied and hopeful for the future. We’ve learned so much over the past year and a half. I know that we can get through anything as long as we stick together.