Epilogue
“Happy Birthday Katriana! Happy Birthday, to you!”
The song erupted into kazoos and clapping while Madame Granite hit the last thundering chords on the piano.
The Cat’s Pause shook with the cheers, or maybe that was just my chair, as it was perched on two legs, and me balanced on top of my angel who was balancing on the chair while juggling kittens.
“Sh,” he said when the cheering went on too long. “Black Heart doesn’t like the noise.”
I beamed at him. “You’re such a good pet papa.”
He smiled like he didn’t mind the rune in his arm that made him able to understand our kittens.
“Katriana,” Sultry said, leaning over to hand me a present, dark eyes seductive as usual. “I got a new text, Egyptian, but with interspersing Armenian! Would you like to look at it with me this week?”
Richard thumped the chair to the floor, all four legs, and wrapped his arm more securely around my waist, losing a kitten in the process.
“My wife and I will be out of town all week. All month. I intend to keep her very busy.” He ran his nose along my neck, and I shivered, all goosebumps and happiness.
I gave her an apologetic smile. “Maybe next time.”
“Never,” Richard growled in my ear. “Your eyeballs are precious.”
I elbowed him. That was too close to admitting I didn’t like translating, and I’d never, in a million years want anyone else to know that I’d suffered in any way during my time with the people I loved so much.
“We have the inauguration coming up, and with all of the events, I’ll be very busy. With events.”
He bit my neck. “Events,” he murmured against my skin.
I elbowed him again. Seriously. It’s like he wanted people to think he was completely fallen and obsessed with carnal desires when the truth was that he spent hours and hours every day taking over the massive machine that was the HOST from his father.
I barely saw him except for a few hours in the evening.
Maybe that’s why he was like this, clingy and possessive, because he didn’t like sharing our few hours with other people.
Also, he hadn’t been getting a lot of sleep.
Had he been eating enough? It didn’t seem like it.
Angels brought him food while he was working, but he needed to do his own baking, so he could express his art.
The only truly excellent part about Richard taking over as Commander was that he wasn’t at risk of decapitations.
His job was to command while his forces took the risks.
Three decapitations was more than enough for one person.
“You guys are way too cute. It’s disgusting,” Mirabel said, although she was also sitting on the lap of her ogre prince, and opened her mouth while he put a sushi roll in it.
He flashed me a smile with those tiny tusks as if to say, ‘Didn’t we marry the best, also craziest family?
’ I smiled back at him and then snuggled into my husband.
“Are you ready for the singing?” I asked her.
She hesitated, squinting at her brother, who tightened his arms around me. “I don’t know how I feel about Rook and Richard doing a duet. Music is dangerous.”
I slipped off his lap and grabbed her hand, pulling her off her husband.
“I’m dying to hear it.” I’d noticed that there seemed to be awkwardness between the two, and had suggested they duet together for my birthday as an opportunity to grow the bonds of family.
It could be an absolute disaster that ended with weapons drawn, but it could also become an amazing family tradition.
Richard Sr, soon to be former Commander of HOST’s, pulled a up a chair. “Good, I’m just in time.”
Mirabel straightened up before she took a seat at his right. “Are you sure you should make Ritchie the commander? He’s a lunatic.”
“I’m open to you accepting that role,” he said, giving her a beatific smile.
She shuddered and made a face of absolute horror that she quickly covered with an angelic beam. “He’s going to be absolutely wonderful. Can’t imagine a more divine candidate!”
He smiled at me and I felt warmed up from his apparent satisfaction with me.
“Five years ago, he was a menace. I couldn’t have trusted him with such a great responsibility, but after two years of your influence, I felt he was ready to take on more serious duties.
You’ve been the best thing that has ever happened to our family.
” He glanced at Rook who looked more amused than insulted at not being included in best family events.
“Barring my excellent son-in-law, naturally. Of course my son-in-law would be even more excellent if he managed to get my Miracle to settle down long enough to have a child or two.”
“Dad!” Mirabel looked outraged.
Libby who had been watching the exchange with the same amusement that the Grand Sorcerer and Gabby had, leaned forward and said, “I suppose we can announce it here as well as anywhere else. We’re having a baby.
” She settled back and Michael, the Scholar, my guardian put a protective arm around her and managed to look terrified for the first time in my life.
I squealed and grabbed her hand, squeezing her fingers too hard until I remembered that she was breakable.
“Congratulations! I’m so happy for you! Can I throw your baby shower?
Did Michael tell you about my idea of the orangery?
Wouldn’t that be neat? And orange is gender neutral!
And we could have pastel creamsicles in little containers of ice.
And Richard could bake for it. He’s so good at mini cakes. And oranges, wouldn’t that be so fun?”
My husband smiled at me, two kittens perched on his shoulders, so angelic, beautiful, mine. “So cute! I know just the pan I’ll have to get for it. I don’t have any orange shaped pans.”
Libby squeezed my hand back, almost as painfully. “Yes. Thank you. An orangery sounds perfect.”
The Commander groaned. “More pans? And you’re encouraging him. Of course you are. You know, there is such a thing as too many pans.”
I gasped in faux outrage. “Such heresy!”
Rook cleared his throat, and everyone went quiet. He adjusted his guitar while Richard plucked his, frowning at an out-of-tune string.
And then they played. It was a guitar duel, no voices, just instruments, and by the end, I had no idea who won, other than Mirabel who had the dreamiest expression on her face as she was carried away on musical bliss.
I watched Richard, fingers a blur, concentrating intently as he played against another master who pushed him to the edge of his ability and beyond. My husband. Somehow this crazy, competent, passionate creature belonged to me. Forever.
Mirabel snatched my fingers, squeezing them tight. When the song ended and the silence hung in the air, her grip became painful. “Thanks, Kat. That was the best idea anyone’s ever had.”
The Commander snorted. “Musically? For my birthday, I want you two girls to do a duet.”
“I thought you’d want us to give you grandbabies.” She wrinkled her nose at him.
He put a large hand on her head, and I could see the calm and peace he was sending into her. “I don’t think you’ll manage that in four months, but I think you could manage a few lines of poetry. Acapella?”
Mirabel frowned then glanced at me. “Have you ever considered taking up an instrument?”
“She plays my heart,” Richard said, sweeping me back onto his lap. I curled up, snuggling Tiger when he jumped from Richard’s shoulder to my chest, snuggling down over my heart.
It was so full, so happy.
I met the Scholar’s eyes, and his smile and nod of approval made it overfull. Was I going to cry? Blood tears? With this dress? Not a chance.
I grabbed a sushi roll and ate half of it before dividing it between the kitties.
“They love you,” Richard whispered in my ear.
“That’s what they’re telling you? Not that they love sushi?”
He kissed my hair. “They love you more than sushi. How could they help it? I love you so much, Katriana. I wake up in the middle of the night panicked because I’m so happy and I never deserved happiness.
It’s terrible to see so much injustice in the world as such an undeserving wretch as me being so happy. ”
I snorted and kissed Tiger’s cute orange striped face. “I suppose you’ll have to work hard to deserve it, then. I’m so happy. But we really do need somewhere else to put your pans. I tried to take a shower this morning and almost died from stepping into one.”
“And your dresses almost suffocated me when a dozen fell on my head when I opened my weapons closet. Not that I mind being suffocated by ball gowns, but cramming them in with weapons can’t be good for them. I think we’ll need to build a house with expandable infinite closets.”
I smiled at him and he smiled back. “I love you.”
He bumped my nose with his. “I love you. Forever. Happy Birthday, Princess.”
The End