65. Finally
Chapter 65
Finally
Rancho Bautista del Murciélago—One year later
C erissa parked in the garage and raced up the porch steps, unlocking the heavy wooden door to her home. She stepped inside, and the front door suddenly closed behind her before she could shut it. Her heart pounded, and she spun around to find her husband smiling at her. The big sneak.
“How was work?” he asked.
She snuggled into his open arms. “I don’t know if we’re making any progress. But I hope someday soon we make a breakthrough, so I when I’m old enough, I can have your child.” Then she moved back to admire how his lean, muscular body filled out his choice of clothing. “What are you doing dressed up?”
He wore a black suit, white shirt, and a red power tie.
“Homeowners association board meeting. We have more applicants to review.”
After the initial revelation that the Lux existed, the Assembly had acted quickly to approve the plan to lift the dome. Afterward, the Lux held multiple gatherings on the Hill, large and small, for Agathe to convince the residents to preserve the Lux’s secret existence. Ever since then, most of the vampires and their mates had stayed true to their word and told no one outside Sierra Escondida. Cerissa had been so proud of the community—of their faith in her and the Lux.
But all it took was a few frightened ones, and there had been a few.
Xavier was probably the source of the first rumors. The Lux had no excuse to keep him confined to Sierra Escondida, and the Hill residents didn’t want his brand of crazy living among them. Having no other moral choice, the Lux let him return to his home in San Francisco.
On top of that, a handful of Hill vampires had felt forced into agreeing to silence or facing never being allowed to leave the dome, and even without proof, those few started a whisper campaign throughout the treaty communities.
Agathe and the Assembly had weighed the possibility of the truth leaking out versus the almost certain animosity they’d face if they kept the dome in place and took a calculated risk to free the Hill.
Tig’s reasoning turned out partially correct. Word of the Lux hadn’t spread among mortals—most dismissed the rumor as another conspiracy theory, just as she had predicted. So far, no religious war, no apocalypse, and no annihilation-level events.
But among vampires? Vampires immediately believed the rumors, but no one had come close to guessing the response. The stories about the Lux, along with tales of a pending fix to cataclysmic weather patterns, a fix that would change how they all lived, were enough to persuade them to cooperate. While they’d dismissed Olivia’s vision of an angel as delusional, the repeated stories about the Lux from the grapevine proved persuasive and convinced the unaffiliated vampires to hoof their way to apply for membership, especially when an unsubstantiated rumor began that all treaty communities were in locations that would be domed and fed. Even the most die-hard resisters tendered applications for acceptance.
With the Lux’s encouragement, the Hill approved an increase in the number of vampires who could live there. Agathe promised to supply sufficient donor and clone blood to keep the Hill alive if they did, but a housing shortage impeded opening the gates to the unaffiliated. After the treaty moratorium on the creation of new vampires went into effect in the 1970s, all housing development stopped. The street Winston—the deceased mayor—had lived on now sat barren, the dirt lots empty, although town planners originally intended to develop more homes to expand their numbers.
But now, the council passed initiatives to fund a housing boom, and plans were in effect to construct fifteen residences in that area alone.
Other Hill vampires, recognizing that whatever the Lux had in mind would severely limit access to building supplies soon, took advantage of their knowledge and applied for full ground-up enlargements and modernizations of their existing homes. They built structures they hoped would last a few hundred years while the world recovered.
Yes, having insider information felt unfair, but vampires weren’t the ones to create the problem. During the transition time, Agathe amped up messaging worldwide about the need to mitigate global warming. Some governments took advantage of the increased concern to do something—even if big corporations responsible for heat pollution balked at the regulations—but it was already too little, too late.
Instead, Cerissa focused on what she could do—help expand the scope of the domes and find other ways for Lux to reproduce.
In the meantime, the whole Hill looked like a boomtown, with delivery trucks driving back and forth on Robles Road, hauling in construction materials and crews of skilled mortals.
Marcus and Nicholas were overwhelmed with land use applications and building permits to review. For a while, Cerissa worried Marcus would hold a grudge against her and Ari for not revealing their true natures sooner. During prep for Karen’s hearing, she’d implied there were things he couldn’t know because a lawyer couldn’t put up testimony if he suspected the witness would lie. He’d rolled his eyes but quit asking them to identify Karen’s maker prior to the hearing. But now, he seemed to understand why they’d kept secrets from him. If he’d known, the conflict of loyalties would have been hard for him to juggle.
Even Gaea accepted the truth, although Cerissa suspected there’d been some harsh words behind closed doors. But Ari and Gaea were still seeing each other, and Cerissa crossed her fingers that the two might stay together for the long term. Of course, at some point Ari would have to pick a mortal or mortals to have children with, unless Cerissa made a breakthrough and Gaea wanted children. He had another few decades before he was old enough to reproduce, so it was too soon to raise the question.
With all the construction happening on the Hill, vampire mates took over supervising the uninitiated at their job sites to prevent straying and snooping. Many vampires took the sudden influx of mortals as a sign it was time to go on vacation and find somewhere quieter and safer to spend the duration until the building activity died down.
Probably the most surprising result of all—the homeowners association offered Inanna a home on the Hill. The longest- living vampire had spent three months at the Enclave, learning everything she could about the Lux and her own origin, including what happened to her maker. At first she despised the Lux for summarily executing the first vampire ever created, but after many conversations, she accepted the truth. The Lux weren’t a threat to her kind, despite what she’d believed for millennia.
She’d also read the climate catastrophe reports, and agreed she’d have to settle somewhere. The Hill was as good a place as any, and Agathe offered to provide transport to allow Inanna to visit her children once the future domes were in place.
With all the different parts that had to come together in advance of deploying the domes, Cerissa had too much work to take a vacation. Though as a gift to celebrate their first wedding anniversary, Henry had promised to take her skiing as soon as the first big snows hit Utah. She’d wanted to see Park City and ski the nearby canyons as well. But no off-trail skiing. They’d learned their lesson about that already.
She kissed Henry in greeting. “Do you want me to go with you to the HOA meeting? I don’t mind.”
“Would you? The meetings have been rather testy lately.”
Yeah, deciding who could live on the Hill was proving difficult. The board wanted the unaffiliated who joined to be a good fit for the lifestyle—in other words, no live feeding on anyone but their mate. Unfortunately, some residents were slow to accept the sudden influx of strangers. It made for fiery debates during public comment.
“Do I have time to grab dinner?” Cerissa asked, shucking her jacket.
“You have time, but hurry.”
“Then I’ll change first. These clothes smell like the lab.”
Forty minutes later, they arrived at town hall. She took her seat in the audience while Henry went to the dais to take the center chair. Gaea, Abigale, Marcus, and Méi joined him.
He tapped the gavel. “This meeting of the Sierra Escondida Homeowners Association is called to order.”
Cerissa relaxed as he ran through the normal order of business. The board approved the minutes and the financial report, then moved on to hearing items.
“We have five applications for residency,” Henry announced.
Sierra Escondida—Around the same time
T ig parked her car in front of Shayna and Mikhail’s house. The two had gotten married and moved in together a few months after the Lux came out of the closet.
“Are you sure we don’t need to attend the HOA meeting?” Jayden asked, sounding nervous.
She smiled and squeezed his arm. “Henry has them under control. He doesn’t need us.”
They strolled holding hands along the center walkway leading to the porch, up the two steps, and Tig knocked on the door.
Mikhail answered. “Come in, come in. Shayna’s ready for you.”
The living room smelled fragrant with cooked herbs and a slight hint of vanilla. Even though food didn’t appeal to Tig, the scents were familiar from gatherings with Jayden’s parents and gave the place a homey feel. “I hope we aren’t interrupting Shayna’s dinner.”
“Not at all.” Mikhail led the way in. “She planned on eating afterward. I think the roast chicken is still cooking in the oven.”
So that was what smelled so good. On the dining room table, Shayna had placed two wood-framed jewelry display cases with glass lids. Inside, rows of diamond engagement rings sat between blue velvet separators, along with a collection of loose stones. The last of Yacov’s rings and diamonds that she’d inherited from the diamond cutter.
Tig was here to pick out her wedding ring. The murder of Petar Petrov, and then the Lux reveal, had interrupted their original plans. Now, a year later, with things settling down, Jayden had reminded her it was time.
Tig greeted Shayna with a hug. Unusual for her, but she was feeling sentimental. “Are you sure this is okay with you?”
Shayna smiled at them. “I’m fine with it. Yacov left these to support me. He just didn’t know how prescient he was.”
“What kind of ring did you have in mind?” Mikhail asked.
“Uh, something low profile.” Tig held out her hand, fingers splayed. “I have to wear gloves at a crime scene, and I don’t want the stone tearing the glove.”
She also had concerns about buying a blood diamond. From everything she read, it was impossible to track the true source of a diamond. But while still alive, Yacov claimed to only cut ethically sourced diamonds, to do the most due diligence he could, and that would have to do if she wanted a traditional diamond ring—something she wasn’t sure about.
Shayna reached into the case and pulled out three rings, laying them on her own palm so Tig could view them. “What would you think of one ring instead of an engagement ring and nesting band? The single rings have a lower profile.” She picked up one. “This ring has five diamonds, all the same size. Or you could go with ten smaller diamonds set in two rows. If you want something a little different, this one has a row of dark blue sapphires inset in the center circle, with a row of inset diamonds on each side. Some people call them anniversary rings or eternity rings, and I’ve never figured out why. Any of them would fit your criteria, and they all have the same value.”
Jayden had insisted on paying for her ring himself, which Tig thought absolutely ridiculous, but he’d made it clear she wasn’t to argue or to shop by cost alone. She caved only because she knew he’d be happier if she went along with him.
Something about the row of sapphires spoke to her. She took it from Shayna’s palm.
Jayden smiled at her. “Try it on.”
“There’s a jeweler in Mordida who can resize it, if need be,” Shayna said. “Don’t be shy.”
Tig slipped the band on her ring finger. The damn thing fit perfectly. When she went to take it off, it got sort of stuck on her knuckle. “I think the ring decided for us.” She twisted the band and finally slid it off. “There.” She handed the ring to Jayden. “What do you think?”
“It looks beautiful on you. If you’re happy with it—”
“Very.”
“Then we have a deal.” He reached into his back pocket. “I brought my checkbook. We’ll need a receipt for insurance purposes.”
Shayna clasped her hands together, beaming at him. “Happy to write one out.”
“Wait,” Tig said. “What about Jayden’s ring?”
“There is a matching man’s ring to the one he’s holding.” Shayna opened the other case and found the ring. “Try it on.”
Jayden slipped the ring on his finger, and it almost fell off when he moved his hand to examine it. “You’re sure a jeweler can size a ring like this?”
“Positive. And if you’re not happy with it after they do, I’ll exchange it for another one. I want you both to be satisfied.”
Tig loved it. The ring looked perfect on Jayden’s finger—a reminder to everyone on the Hill that he belonged to her. “We’ll take it. And I’ll pay for Jayden’s.”
Shayna offered them a double ring box. “Congratulations.”
Once they had the receipts in hand and the ring box in Jayden’s pocket, Tig said her goodbyes and they left. When the door closed behind them, Jayden paused on the quaint front porch. “Tig—”
She turned to face him, a grin quirking her lips. “Yes?”
“What do you say to doing this right now?”
“Doing what right now?”
“Getting married.”
“Oh.” She blinked in slight surprise, but she had no doubt about the answer. “I’d love to.”
They’d completed the required ritual and announced their engagement to the community a year ago—the night after the Lux revealed themselves. No one said much to them about their decision. The drama over aliens, or angels, or shapeshifters, or whatever the hell the Lux were, had kept the residents distracted.
She liked it that way. She wanted little attention paid to her personal life. But once things had settled again and Jayden had nudged her, she’d felt eager to be married—to be tied together like that.
Tig glanced at her watch. “We have time to drive to Las Vegas before sunrise.”
Jayden’s eyes flashed, a cross between heated passion and slight shyness. “I have something different planned. I hope you don’t mind.”
Ari suddenly appeared, and Tig almost jumped out of her tactical boots.
“Ready to do this?” he asked.
Tig swiveled her neck, moving her focus back to Jayden. “What’s he doing here?”
“I kind of had him on standby.” Jayden wrapped his fingers around hers. “I have the dress and shoes you picked out, and a packed bag for each of us in the trunk. I thought Ari could speed up our mode of transportation.”
He’d planned every detail, then. Tig felt her smile widen—Jayden the romantic was making his move, and it meant she just needed to go along with the ride. No stress, no fuss.
He really was perfect for her.
Ari twirled his hand in the universal hurry-up motion. “So? Ready?”
“One sec,” Jayden said to him, then locked gazes with Tig. “My parents want to be at our wedding. So I arranged it with them. They have a small gathering of family and a preacher waiting for us at their house. Ari will take us and our luggage there. A rental car is on standby, and we can go anywhere you want for our honeymoon. If you, uh, like the idea.”
Yes . She was ready for her happily-ever-after, for however long she could have it. Jayden had decided not to take the vampire option—whether through her or the Lux. Even with the blood provided by the Lux, the community couldn’t expand their numbers to take everyone, and in his soul, he knew which choice was right for him. Hard as it would be on her later, she could accept that.
She’d lived long enough to recognize that even the best happily-ever-afters ended in death. Enough vampires had been killed during her lifetime to wake her to the fact she might even die before Jayden. So she’d hold tight to him, and take in every second of their life together until death parted them, whenever that may be.
Tig snorted, both surprised and unsurprised to find tears wetting her eyes. Jayden was the only one who ever made her feel so soft, so human. “Of course I love the idea. It’s your idea. And I love you.” She kissed him deeply. “Let’s do this.”