Epilogue
Peach
Three Months Later
“Are we heading to the fight now?” I ask Salem, smoothing down my black dress.
When Axe asked him if he wanted to take over running the underground circuit, Salem agreed.
Everyone is too scared of him to try anything, and we move the fights from kingdom to kingdom.
I’m there with him if things ever get too unruly, but so far they haven’t. No one wants to get on his bad side.
He likes having me with him, though, and I like being there with him. I also like that I don’t hide my magic anymore, and if I need to use it, I will.
I’m as protective of my mate as he is of me.
“Yeah, but first we need to drop in and see Silver and Sage,” he murmurs, pulling me back against him with his hands around my waist.
“You don’t feel like…” I trail off, trying to find the right words.
“Like what?”
“Like you’re missing out on anything, right? Since they share a mate, and you don’t. You don’t feel left out?” I ask, my brow furrowing.
Sage and Silver met their mate, a beautiful, dark-haired, blue-eyed shifter named Kathryn, when they were visiting me in my bakery. She’s a petite little thing, with enough fire to keep them on their toes.
Salem kisses the side of my neck and laughs in a low, dangerous rumble.
“Little one, I’d kill anyone who touched you.
I don’t care who their mate is as long as they don’t touch you.
The fates must have known that. Some of us share better than others.
So no, I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything.
I have everything I could ever want in my hands right now. ”
I melt back into him. “I love you.”
“I’m fucking obsessed with you.”
“I know,” I say out loud, and he smirks.
We find his brothers sitting on their couch in their home, Kathryn in between them. “We have some news,” Silver announces, nuzzling her neck. “Our mate is pregnant.”
“Congratulations.” I beam, and turn to Salem, who is staring at Kathryn’s stomach with an unreadable look in his eyes.
Now they are going to have a child together, and again, he’s the odd one out. He then crouches in front of her, takes her hand, and places a kiss on her knuckles. “Congratulations. And thank you for making my brothers so happy.”
It’s the first time I’ve seen him touch another woman other than Saylor and me, and the way Sage and Silver’s green eyes soften, I think they know that it’s kind of a big deal.
Salem is letting another person into his inner circle.
“Tell them, sweetheart.”
“I don’t want to steal her thunder.”
“You’re not. There’s no competition here. We are family.”
He stands back up and turns to me, arching his brow. I clear my throat. “We actually have some news too. I’m also pregnant.”
It’s no surprise I got knocked up. I wasn’t on the herbs, being a virgin, and Salem decided to stop taking them the second he found me.
The brothers all share a look and a smug grin.
Salem adds, “We’re having triplets.”
“How far along are you?” Kathryn asks, coming over and giving me a warm hug.
Sage and Silver stand to congratulate Salem.
“Four weeks.”
“How do you know it’s triplets?” she asks, smiling at me. She puts her hands on her stomach. “Looks like we’ll be having babies close together. I’m about five weeks.”
“Well…” I smirk, thinking back to what happened. “Queen Astrid dropped into the bakery, and when she was leaving, she casually told me to enjoy life while I can because in two weeks, I was going to be pregnant. And then when I saw Laurel, she admitted that I was going to have triplets.”
“Girls or boys?” Sage asks, amusement dancing in his eyes.
Salem rubs the back of his neck. “Girls.”
Silver looks like he’s trying to stop himself from laughing, but he fails. “Three daughters. You’re in deep shit, Salem.”
“I know,” he admits, smiling down at me. “They’re going to be as beautiful as you, and I’m going to have to lock them up.”
I roll my eyes. He already wants me chained to his bed so nothing can happen to me while I’m carrying them.
“Just remember, I can make you do what I want,” I tease, and he shakes his head.
Maybe he won’t be the odd one out after all. The brothers can still raise all their kids together and share a bond like the one they have.
We stay for a little while longer before zipping to Chaos. Salem is organizing the fight lineup, while I take a seat and chat with Pandora. The Witch Queen came into my bakery one day to clear the air, saying she had dropped by our house because she wanted to meet the woman who had tamed Salem.
“Where’s Soren?” I ask her, staring down at her pregnant bump. She’s due in three months, and the fae warrior usually refuses to leave her side.
“He’s over there with Rave.” She nods toward the entrance. “Apparently, Sinda and Rave’s three brothers want to fight tonight. Everyone is going to be here, especially now that we know nothing can go wrong with you here.”
I wanted to hide my magic, but the gossip about me spread like wildfire. Instead of becoming a target, though, everyone seems to be terrified of both Salem and me together.
Wait until they find out I got some of his invisibility magic.
From the corner of my eye, I notice a pretty blonde approaching him. Apparently, not everyone is scared of him.
Sometimes a woman’s vagina wins out over their brain.
Or maybe they like the thrill of him.
I admit he looks sexy as sin. His tunic clings to his ripped torso, and those strong, muscular thighs I love so much are braced apart as he looks down at a piece of paper in his big hands.
I don’t let her even touch him. When she’s a few steps away from him, I use my magic. “Walk away, and don’t approach him.” My voice sounds deceptively casual, and even though I want to claw her eyes out, I don’t have to.
She does as she’s told, like a good-fucking-girl.
Salem turns to me and raises his eyebrow. “That was fucking hot. You know how hard I get when you get jealous.”
Yeah, maybe the evil bastard is rubbing off on me.
But I’ll be the one rubbing off on him later.
His sadistic laugh lets me know I didn’t shield my thoughts through the bond.
His mouth curves into a grin.
And I fall in love all over again.