Chapter 30
Amara
The cemetery was empty, save for the decrepit groundskeeper sweeping dry leaves from the walkway. The sun was dipping below the horizon, final rays draping lovingly over the gravestones, bathing them in a golden light. I knelt before one of them, a simple, unadorned stone that bore the name of my sister.
Don had done his best to erase her, but now, finally, she had more than a blank stone to mark her resting place. She had a title, a name, and a parting inscription: Beloved sister and best friend.
The earth beneath my knees was solid, grounding me as I gazed at the words, fingers tracing the letters, trying to reach through time and touch the past.
It had been months since the final confrontation with my father. The old mansion was no longer mine to visit, sold off and left to fade into someone else’s history. Don’s gang had been dismantled, the pieces scattered, never to be reassembled. I heard Carlo had gotten into hairdressing. He sent me a fruit basket and a sincere apology for not punching Don in the face when he had the chance.
I had watched it all unravel, the life I had once known crumbling away, leaving me standing in the ashes of what had been.
I thought back to Aliyah, to the sister I had adored and lost too soon. Our childhood had been a patchwork of happiness and tears, of secrets whispered in the dark and games played in sprawling overgrown gardens and cramped dusty corridors. Aliyah had been my rock, my confidante, the one person who had seen me for who I truly was, not for who our father expected me to be. Losing her had felt like losing a part of myself, a wound that time had yet to fully heal. Maybe it never would.
But I wasn’t alone anymore. I had found a new family, one forged not by blood, but by shared battles and hard-won trust. Dylan, Jordan, Sky, and the others – they had become my anchors, helping me to rebuild, piece by piece. I knew I would never be completely free from the shadows of my past. But I also knew that I had a future, one that was brighter than I had ever dared to hope for.
The wind picked up, carrying with it the scent of damp earth and fallen leaves. I took a deep breath, feeling the cool air fill my lungs. I knelt beside my sister’s grave, placing a single white lily at the base of the headstone.
“I miss you,” I whispered, signing the words and closing my palms over my heart. “I wish you could see me now. I think... I think you’d be proud.”
I stayed there for a few moments longer, letting the winds sweep my hair to the side. Then, with a final glance at the gravestone, I rose to my feet. I had a new life waiting for me, and it was time to go home.
When I stepped through the door of the apartment, I was greeted by the unmistakable scent of fresh paint. I frowned, glancing around in confusion. Something was different. And it wasn’t the new rug in the living room.
“Dylan?” I called out, shuffling past the coffee table.
I turned a corner to find my wife-turned-fiancée in the kitchen practically bouncing with excitement. The smile on her face was wider than I had ever seen, and I felt a mix of suspicion and curiosity.
“What have you been up to?” I signed, palms up and wiggling my fingers.
Dylan only grinned wider, jerking her head to suggest I follow her. I raised an eyebrow but didn’t press, letting her take me by the hand and lead me through the apartment with the eagerness of a golden retriever.
We stopped in front of a seldom-used storeroom in the corner of the apartment. Before leading me inside, Dylan halted and whirled around so quickly that I nearly walked into her.
“Wait there!” she gestured, awkwardly shooing me aside as she opened the storeroom door and pulled something from inside. She picked it up and turned, and handed me a large box wrapped in lilac paper, neatly tied up in string.
I looked at the box, then back at Dylan, my eyebrows raised in question. Behind her, Jordan and Sky popped their heads through the door, trying to suppress their excitement but failing miserably. Clearly, they had been in on whatever this was.
Dylan shot them a condemning glare before turning her attention back to me.
“Open it,” she urged, gesturing with fingers that bristled with anticipation.
I knelt down to unwrap the box, keeping one eye on the grinning trio.
“Did you get me a pasta maker?” I asked wryly. Dylan was not one to judge my eating habits considering her own diet, but Sky had been horrified at the amount of spaghetti I consumed on the regular.
When I finally lifted the lid, my breath caught in my throat.
Inside was a stack of sketchbooks, each bound in soft leather, pages a pristine, inviting white. Surrounding them were tubes of paint, jars of handmade pigments, and intricately carved paintbrushes. There were oil pastels wrapped in soft paper, charcoal sticks, everything I could ever need and more. Certainly much better than a pasta maker.
My heart swelled and I looked up at Dylan, a hard lump forming in my throat. My hands moved slowly through the gestures, overcome with emotion. “This is... it’s perfect. Thank you.”
Dylan grinned, clearly pleased with my reaction, but she wasn’t done yet. “There’s more. Come on.”
She helped me to my feet, and Jordan and Sky disappeared behind the door again, conspiratorial smiles on their faces. Dylan placed a hand on the door they just closed and paused, looking at me with an expression that was both nervous and excited.
“Go on,” Dylan said, signing gently. “Open it.”
I hesitated for a moment before turning the handle and pushing the door open. What I saw took my breath away.
The room had been completely transformed. The back wall, which had once been a solid, windowless space to prop up dusty broomsticks, had been knocked down and replaced with floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Beyond the glass, the city skyline stretched out before me, bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun.
Sky and Jordan weren’t the only ones waiting in the transformed store room. I turned wide eyes on the rest of Dylan’s accomplices, Maxine, River, and even Hunter, each of them grinning like they had just pulled off the greatest heist in history.
“How did you…” I turned in slow circles, taking it all in.
The unassuming store room had been turned into a spacious, light-filled studio. Easels and canvases lined one section, a small, slanted desk occupied the corner, and shelves filled with books and art supplies wrapped around the walls. A plush chair made up the final touch, an invitation to sit down and create. It was the kind of space I had pictured for myself since I was a child and sat down to scribble my first doodle. A room entirely my own.
I was speechless. I turned to Dylan who waited in the doorway, tears welling up in my eyes. “You did all of this for me?”
Dylan’s smile softened as she wrapped her arms around my waist. “Of course I did. I wanted you to have a space where you could create whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted.”
I blinked back my tears and leaned in to kiss her, thumping heart overflowing. “I love it. I love you .”
I pulled back briefly. “How the hell did you manage to do all this right under my nose?”
Dylan shrugged, a smirk playing on her lips. “Well, I had a little help. It was actually pretty easy sneaking five vampires in and out of the apartment in the dead of night. You sleep like a log.”
A manicured hand brushed my shoulder and I turned to Maxine who wrinkled her brow, coy lips forming the words with a smile. “And snore like a lawnmower.”
I opened my mouth to protest but Dylan beat me to it, flicking the petite vampire on the nose.
“It wasn’t an insult, it was an astute observation.” Maxine tossed her hair over her shoulder and strode around the small space, surveying the room with a satisfied grin. “But I must say, your brute of a fiancée did a good job with the finishing touches. I didn’t think you had it in you, Dylan.”
“Yeah, who knew you had a knack for this sort of thing?” River added with a smirk, signing the words for my benefit.
Dylan rolled her eyes but didn’t let go of my hips.
“I had a lot of help,” she admitted, casting a glance at her friends. “And I may have broken a few things along the way.”
I laughed, it was easy to picture the chaos that must have ensued during the renovation.
“Well, it was worth it,” I signed, twisting in her arms to smile up at her. “This is incredible.”
Sky walked over to one of the shelves, running her fingers along its edge before signing to me. “We wanted to make sure you had a place where you could just be you, you know? No distractions, no stress. Just... your art.”
Jordan nodded, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall. “Consider it a gift from all of us. And a thank you, for putting up with Dylan the way that you do.”
That comment scored her a withering glare from Dylan and Jordan tipped her head in our direction. “See? With an attitude like that, I don’t know how you do it.”
The two of them kept up their bickering and I let my gaze drift. I felt a lump in my throat as I looked around at the space they had created for me. It was more than just a room; I knew that. It was a housewarming gift, a welcome-to-the-family. I had spent so long feeling trapped in my own life, constricted and confined but now, standing in this bright, beautiful studio, I felt like I could finally see the light ahead.
As if on cue, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and squinted at the screen, heart stalling when I saw a message from my agent: The show is approved. They’re going ahead with it. Congratulations!
I stared at the screen, barely computing the words I had waited so long to read. The show I had been working toward, the dream I had fought so hard for, was finally happening.
“What is it?” Dylan asked, noticing the change in my expression. She peered over my shoulder, quizzically skimming over the message.
I looked up, subtle excitement brewing in my chest. “The show. It’s happening.”
For a moment, there was silence. At least that’s what I thought. But when I looked up, I saw Jordan letting out a whoop of joy, Sky clapping her hands. River smiled and Maxine covered her mouth with a swoon like the whole scene was a soap opera playing out for her benefit. Dylan pulled me into a tight hug.
“That’s amazing!” Sky signed, her face lighting up with genuine happiness.
I was grinning from ear to ear myself, but when I looked at Dylan, I saw a flicker of something else in her eyes – anxiety, maybe even fear. Before I could ask about it, Dylan plastered on a smile, but I had already seen the doubt in her expression.
“What’s wrong?” I asked quietly, pulling her aside.
Dylan shook her head, her eyes dropping to the floor as she signed, “It’s nothing, really. I’m so happy for you Amara.”
But I knew what she was thinking. It had occurred to me too. She was worried that I would leave, now that everything was falling into place. I had told her the plans I had plotted back then, to move away, to start fresh somewhere entirely new. She didn’t want to hold me back if that was something I still wanted.
I cupped Dylan’s face in my hands, forcing her to meet her gaze. “Dylan, I’m not going anywhere. This is our home. You’re my home. I want to build my life with you, right here.”
She shrugged like it was no big deal, but her shoulders relaxed, the tension easing out of her body with a few words of reassurance. She gave me a lopsided grin, lips moving quickly. “Hey, as long as that’s what you want, I’m happy to hang around.”
“I mean it,” I said, sealing my promise with a tender kiss. “Our new life together is just beginning.”
I felt the sincerity in her movements as she kissed me back, the trust she was slowly learning to extend to the world around her. It wasn’t long after that Dylan kicked the others out, demanding some time alone with her new fiancée.
“Technically you’re already married,” Jordan reminded her, red locks swishing as she headed for the door. “I can’t believe I have to attend your wedding twice.”
Dylan rolled her eyes in response. I knew what she was thinking, having been thoroughly filled in on Leyore coven lore by then – If anything, the redhead was just jealous that we beat her to it, twice. Forever-mates though they were, Jordan and Sky were yet to have a wedding. Jordan was the leader of the Leyore vampires after all, and marrying into such a title is a big deal. Apparently, Sky had her heart set on winning over the coven before the two of them officially tied the knot.
“We’re going to do it right this time.” I smiled up at Dylan, holding my hand in the air to inspect the engagement ring. “We’re going to do it on our own terms.”
“Whatever, lovebirds,” the redhead chirped, signing with a playful smirk. “I’m sure you’ve got some celebrating to do, so we’ll be going now. Don’t destroy your shiny new studio in the process.”
They all filled out diligently, and Maxine blew a kiss over to us before shutting the studio door behind her. When they were gone, I turned my eyes to Dylan, just in time for her to capture my lips in another passionate kiss. I melted into her like I did so often before, and let her lay me out right there on the studio floor.
The world fell away until there was only the two of us, moving as one, until I couldn’t tell where I ended and she began. I kissed her until I was breathless, and she responded in kind. No matter how often we collided, the desperation was always the same. I could drown in her, and the smoldering hunger in her eyes told me the feeling was mutual.
Neither of us had come out of our past unscathed, but there was plenty of history left to be made, and we would live it together.