Epilogue 5 - Fourteen Months Later #2
They cackle like it’s the funniest thing ever to give their host a heart attack.
Thank god I can’t offer them champagne because they’d likely be intolerable after a few glasses.
They’re the definition of two peas in a pod.
Same twisted humour, same languid romance that takes them wherever ley lines run.
Same deep love that survived death and the separation of centuries.
A romance that almost makes me forgive them their irritating jokes.
I welcome them to the party, regardless.
Steph and Jem arrive next, Liam shouting out “Ma!” with even more excitement than before, hugging his brother like he hasn’t seen him in years. It’s never, ever more than a few days.
The three of them moved into a new place once more money started coming in from Liam working with me at Dead Vengeance.
Jem got set up with a new job, in social work, funnily enough.
He’s also finishing his studies in the same area, which Liam offered to pay for.
He’s using Liam’s identity for tax and employment purposes, because it’s not like Dead Vengeance requires those details.
Pretending to be his brother, Jem has slipped seamlessly back into life.
It hasn’t always been easy, but as time goes by, Steph has started to heal.
Jem slowly stepped into the role of primary carer, wanting to spend as much time as he can with his mum while Liam’s been busy here.
But she hasn’t had one of her major depressive periods since Jem’s return.
Between the two of them, the brothers meet her every need, and, bit by bit, a few truths have come out.
Liam didn’t want to spend his life lying to her, so while she still doesn’t know the full horror of what happened to Jem, she does know I’m a necromancer, and that Liam’s a necromancer, and that we keep a lot of spirit company.
Though it took a while, she’s come around to it, with a soft introduction and a little help from—
“Archer!”
A tray of buns goes flying from my hands, rolling all over the bench. “Helena! Could you please warn me before you just—“
“Helena!”
“Steph!” With that, Helena dissipates, shimmering back into existence across the room to fill Steph’s ears with every sort of gossipy historical romance tale she can muster.
Simon and Fabrinand, of course, are in on the action, not that Steph can see Fab yet.
He’ll eventually learn the skill of revealing himself.
The room is already buzzing with cheer, and everything is so wonderful that sometimes it feels as if Tezcatlipoca is still watching over us, stepping in, interfering in little ways.
Or enormous ways. But I know he’s not, because the next and final knock at the door can only be one person/god of chaos.
Liam and I dash to the door at the same time, pulling it open on the face we both once found so terrifying, but who we now know as a friend. More than a friend. Especially for Liam.
“Boyfriend!” Jem calls from across the room in their usual, lightly nauseating greeting.
“Boyfriend!” Tez shouts back. He scoops him up in a hug, his enormous strength and towering height making Jem look like a rag doll in his arms. But he’s always good to him.
Whenever he’s not in the void doing god stuff, he’s off somewhere with Jem, walking between two worlds, the both of them having the time of their lives.
It’s all completely, unbelievably, wonderfully perfect. All the long and languid afternoon of eating too much, talking for hours, keeping possibly the oddest company on earth, with not a single person in the group batting an eyelid about it.
There’s only one thing that could make it better.
My eyes settle on Liam, absolutely glowing. He’s squashed between our mums, who are talking over the top of him while he’s trying to hold a conversation with my dad, which Tez keeps weighing in on.
I got him his own key cut as a present. I thought I’d make it a special moment, but it doesn’t feel like enough. Not for everything I’m feeling, today and every day. Maybe I should have had it engraved.
But someone shouts, “Presents!” and that’s it. We’re doing this.
The next ten minutes is a sea of wrapping paper. I got him other little bits and pieces too. A book. A watch. Some humorous socks. But none of it feels special enough.
When it’s my turn, Liam hands me an envelope.
I hope it’s just a card. I do. Because I still don’t feel like I have the perfect thing.
But he does.
I pull it open and just stare at the papers within. Itineraries. Spain. “You’ve bought us flights to Spain?”
“I thought you were due a holiday.” It’s the way he says it. It’s the meaning beneath it. It’s the, I see you, I’ve seen it all, and I’ve got you.
My heart absolutely crumples.
I love this man. I love him so much.
I scan the dates again, not believing my eyes. “Two months?”
“Two whole months.” He steps close and drops a kiss on my cheek, his hand tightening on my wrist in a way that says, this is okay.
We get to do this together now. Have a life all of our own.
“We’re going everywhere beautiful and relaxing.
Nothing but sun and sangria. I’ve planned the whole thing. And we’re leaving tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” I whisper.
“Kraa!” Edgar shouts.
Liam laughs. “You’ll be fine. Simon’s promised to take care of you.”
Simon sends me a soft nod, regardless of Edgar’s bitter gurgle.
This situation is somehow oddly terrifying. This room of ghosts and friends, this strange life, this being a necromancer and all the pressure of it and… Liam’s just going to take me out of it. “Two whole months?”
“Is it okay?” There’s a touch of uncertainty in Liam’s eyes, as if this could ever not be okay. It just seemed so… so completely remote a possibility that it never once occurred to me we could really do this.
My gorgeous love. My one and only love. The man who walked into my world full of death and made everything… alive.
“I love you too much.” I kiss him, then kiss him again.
I slip my hand into my pocket, pull out my key and place it into his palm.
But I hold my hand over it before I let him see and tell him, “This is a promise. I got this for you because I want you to come live with me. Permanently. But Liam… it’s because…
I want you to… Please, Liam…” It’s so right.
This could not be more right. “Please will you be my husband?”
Tears spring to his eyes. He’s already so overcome with emotion from this gorgeous day, I know it. God, I hope I haven’t upset him. Maybe he’s—
“I’d love that more than anything. Archer, I love you. Yes. Yes, please. Yes, let’s get married!”
I take him in my arms, here in our home, in front of our gigantic Christmas tree, surrounded by friends and family, and nothing—nothing could be better.
This is it. This is the pinnacle of happiness.
And, luckily for me, I know it will stay like this from now on.
I’ve found Liam. I’ve found love. I’ve found life.
Maybe it is all down to a bit of meddling from an ancient Aztec god.
Or maybe this is just the kind of magic that comes of two necromancers meeting and falling in love.
If it is, that’s even better.
The End