Epilogue
Julian’s arms slipped around me from behind to stir the sauce on the stove as he buried his face in my neck.
“They’ll be here any second,” I squeaked as he angled his hips to demonstrate his eagerness to be elsewhere.
“Just giving you something to distract you while we eat.” Julian tipped the wooden spoon toward me for a taste.
“Mmmm, you are an amazing cook,” I moaned. The brandy peppercorn sauce meant to smother our steaks was to die for.
“Keep that up, and the company will have to wait,” Julian promised in his velvety bedroom voice. The slow pulse that still beat since we’d shared blood last night increased, and I smiled.
My theory had been substantiated over the past year between his slow transformation to a similar state to my own, and our increased ability to keep the urges under control. Well, the dominating ones anyway, I thought as Julian’s hands started to roam and pictures of our new, sturdy bed popped into my head.
The doorbell sounded.
“I’ll get it!” Em called, rushing through from the back bedroom toward the door. “You guys cut it out.”
Julian tugged at his shirt sleeves, and I smoothed back my hair as familiar voices filled the entryway.
“Aunties!” Em exclaimed, and I knew she was attacking Hazel and Zoe with hugs.
A playful roar had me laughing as Sam scooped Em over his shoulder and ran her through the house to the table, already set up for the celebration dinner. He dropped her in a giggling fit onto a chair as Lydia, Daphne, Binx, and Karma in cat form joined the rest of us. Poppy poked her head through the open window and brayed until Sam offered her an apple.
Zoe joined me to the side as Julian began plating the food.
“It’s been a year,” she said, searching my face for any signs of distress.
I knew what she was referring to, and it wasn’t my anniversary with Julian. It also happened to be a year since our father tried to redeem himself for all he’d done and sacrificed his life. When I watched Elsa sever his head, I hadn’t wanted to admit it, but my first reaction was relief. And though both Zoe and I had admitted our complicated feelings since, they hadn’t dissipated, though perhaps they’d lessened.
Reaching out, I tucked some of her curls back and smiled softly. “I’m getting there. I try to focus on the dad I knew as a child when I remember him. You?”
“Hazel helps,” Zoe said with a smile and a blush. “It’s been a daily struggle to undertand, my anger is valid because of the choices he made.”
“Dinner time!” Julian announced from the dining area.
Everyone took a seat at the large table we’d added after Julian had rehung the chandelier, “so we’ll always remember when we see it.” And after excited chatter, Julian raised a glass, tapping a fork on its side to call everyone’s attention.
“I’d like to propose a toast,” he said, while I took my own seat, plopping a napkin in my lap. “On our one-year anniversary. I still cannot believe it when I open my eyes every day to my beautiful wife and partner. And as if that weren’t enough, we have you all as part of our lives, and the best daughter we could have ever wished for.” He beamed at Em. “To family.”
“To family,” everyone chorused, raising glasses of fine red wine, and in Em’s case, grape juice.
In deference to Sam and his shifter ways, Julian had rushed to set platters of food on the table so we could immediately dig in. But as everyone reached for the meal, Zoe clinked the side of her glass as well.
She rose, holding Hazel’s hand, and my mouth dropped as I noticed the rings sparkling on their respective fingers. Somehow I’d missed it until this moment. Before she could say anything, I rushed around to tackle them both in a huge hug.
“Congratulations,” I yelled.
“Thanks for ruining the announcement,” Zoe grumbled.
“We’re engaged,” Hazel said to the table at large. “These two are amazing poster children for marriage.”
Sam set down his cup and stood then, shocking me. Em giggled as if she were in on a joke.
Clearing his throat, Sam shifted from foot to foot before turning to his right and locking eyes with Lydia, who looked like she’d frozen in place with a serving spoon full of potatoes halfway to her plate.
“Don’t you dare, Wolfman,” she warned.
A phone buzzed, interrupting the tense moment, and Julian pulled a shiny red cell from his pocket. Our eyes met over the table.
“Really?” Zoe complained. “It’s your anniversary party.”
“We took a pledge when we started the new business.” I shrugged apologetically. “What is it, Julian?”
“There’s been a murder on Staton Island,” he said. “Apparently, numerous videos are going viral of what looks like a werewolf ripping apart several tourists.”
My shoulders slumped. SHADE had been replaced by a new governing body with representation of each sect on the board and duly elected officials. But it was still new, and some supes had been testing the waters lately, acting out in public. The new acronym was SCOR Supernatural Committee of Oversight and Regulation.
Which technically wasn’t our problem. But Julian and I had opened a new consulting agency of our own for supernatural creatures that had no where else to turn but were wary of governing bodies because of SHADE’s demise. Carver and Carver inevitably crossed purposes with SCOR on occasion. The red phone was our work phone, which meant someone had hired us to not only get to the bottom of the rogue shifter but do damage control.
“We’ve got the munchkin,” Lydia said, seemingly glad for the interruption.
Em pumped a small fist in celebration.
“Bedtime is nine,” Julian warned as I moved around the table to join him and open a portal to New York.
“We’re still eating the steak,” Sam announced, plopping one on his plate as he sat back down.
“Please do,” Julian answered. “We shall celebrate another time.”
Taking his hand in mine, I spoke through our bond. Consider this foreplay. You and I can continue our private celebration afterward. And with a wink, I pulled him through the portal.