EPILOGUE
ADALYN
I stirred awake as a featherlight kiss brushed the nape of my neck.
The lips were warm and soft, slowly trailing down the length of my spine. As the sheet over my naked body vanished so the lips could move farther south, I grinned into my pillow.
“Morning, dearest wife,” the owner of those luscious lips murmured, placing a kiss inside one of the dimples on my lower back.
“Morning, dearest husband,” I sleepily cooed, then giggled when he swirled his tongue around the dimple. He moved farther down, his kisses turning into tiny nips. As he peppered them over my backside, I started to squirm, eager for more.
“Patience,” he rumbled and gripped my thighs to still my movements. “We have all the time in the world, baby girl. There’s no need to rush.”
I twisted in his grip, exposing my upper half to him so I could bat my lashes and purr, “On the contrary, my prince. Today marks the end of our honeymoon. Duty is calling, but I desperately need a few orgasms first. So chop-chop.”
He skated his eyes over my bare breasts in appreciation before replying, “Who says the honeymoon has to end?”
“Oh, just your entire kingdom who expects to see you sworn in as their new king this evening.”
“ Our kingdom,” he corrected. “And I’m not cutting our honeymoon short just because we’re being crowned king and queen today. As soon as the coronation is over, I’m carrying you up to our bedroom and giving you all the orgasms you desire. But right now, I want to worship your body. Slowly . So turn around and stop squirming.”
More than a little turned on by his speech, I smirked and did as he instructed. “Whatever you say, solem—”
My words ended in a strangled gasp as I felt his fangs sink into my backside. Ecstasy immediately pulsed through me, and I moaned into my pillow. We’d only been married for a week, but I already knew that Everett loved to use his mouth on me. Any chance he could get, he’d find a secluded spot to kiss or bite me.
Despite how possessive he was, he even allowed others to witness his affection for me, openly kissing and touching me in front of family members, the court, and pretty much anyone else who visited the castle.
We’d decided to remain on Sanctum Isle for our honeymoon, knowing that it was important for our future subjects to see us before the coronation. Word had spread of the failed coup attempt, and we’d spent the past few weeks assuring the kingdom that all was well with the royal family.
During the day, we took time to meet with the council and nobles, including the ones that had been under my influence. Everett still struggled to keep his temper in check around them, but whenever he became short with the males I’d once slept with, I used our bond to send him calming thoughts. That and I sat in his lap, which helped ease his possessiveness.
But we didn’t just meet to repair the mental and emotional damage that had been caused. Although we didn’t condone what the rogues had done, there was a need for change. Life as a vampire was markedly easier for the Venturi, and they’d taken their privilege for granted. It was time to help the Feltore, to allow them a louder voice. They’d been excluded for far too long, seen as weaker and lesser, when what they really needed was our protection.
Change would take time, but at least we were taking that first step toward making a difference.
News of King Ambrose’s abdication had come as a shock to most of the kingdom, but when we’d invited pretty much everyone to attend our coronation—no matter their station—it had gone a long way toward smoothing ruffled feathers.
Our wedding, on the other hand, had been a simple affair. Only family had attended, and the perfect day had ended with the king gifting his eldest son and new daughter-in-law a honeymoon cottage, located on a secluded stretch of beach not far from the castle. We’d stayed there every night for the past week, enjoying the alone time, getting to know each other better, and exploring each other in ways that made even me blush.
I’d been bitten more times than I could count in places I didn’t even know could be bitten. Knowing that I could no longer easily break had made Everett ravenous, and he’d spent the past several days showing me how to make love as a vampire.
It was addicting. Freeing. Everything I could crave and more.
Knowing that it wouldn’t have to end, that Everett had every intention of keeping our relationship a priority when he became king, made my heart flutter happily.
I would miss this cottage, though. Miss how quiet and peaceful it was. While we’d been away from the castle, Everett had arranged for his bedroom to be remodeled. He’d wanted the space to feel like ours, so we’d ordered all new furniture together, adding in a mix of both our personalities. There was even a spot in the corner for me to practice my dancing, which I was super excited about .
Pepper had opted to stay at the castle while we honeymooned, not interested in hearing our “loud humping noises,” as she put it. She and Silver had been enjoying each other’s company despite the fact that they were technically prey and predator, and I often saw them playing together in the halls.
Wanting to make the most of our last morning at the cottage, I sank into the mattress and gave myself over to the intimate moment. Everett still had his fangs deep in my flesh, and as he fed on me, he spread my thighs and touched my clit. I moaned into the pillow again, gripping it tightly while bliss curled through my insides. He played with the sensitive nub for a few minutes, effectively turning me into a quivering mess, then lazily slid a finger inside me.
“Everett,” I panted, lifting my head off the pillow as my pleasure intensified.
Don’t you dare orgasm. I’m not done with you yet , he rumbled through our bond, making me laugh.
“I might not . . . be able to help it,” I breathlessly said, all but strangling the pillow as he curled the finger and hit a particularly sensitive spot. “Especially . . . when you do that .”
Oh, that? he chuckled quietly. That was nothing .
Inserting a second finger, he plunged them both deeply inside me, making my walls spasm. As he began to pump them in and out, it became harder not to squirm, to chase after my pleasure. It just felt so good .
Clearly having heard my thoughts, Everett chuckled again and said, Squirm, and I’ll stop .
“Bastard,” I spat, but the word came out as a whimper.
I might not be patient about many things, baby girl, but I know how to prolong an orgasm .
“I know you do, and it’s annoying. ”
You love it. Admit it .
“Nev—AH!” I cried, bucking against his fingers as he used his other hand to rub my clit. The added pleasure made it nearly impossible to hold still, and I began to shake like a leaf from the effort. “Please don’t stop, please don’t stop.”
You’re doing so good, dearest wife , he purred, using praise to further torment me. And I haven’t even given you my venom yet .
My eyes popped open. “Everett, don’t—”
Venom streaked through my veins like lightning, and I completely lost it. Screaming at the top of my lungs, I ripped my pillow in half as an orgasm shot me sky high. Feathers exploded into the air, adding to the epic moment. I was still in the throes of ecstasy when he withdrew his fangs and fingers, only to flip me over and bury his head between my thighs.
As his tongue stroked my center, I nearly lost it again. But my devilishly handsome mate was cruel . He slowed his movements, coaxing me back down until my pleasure was a low hum. He prolonged the torture for several moments, taking his sweet time tasting me. Then sucked me deeply into his mouth. My spine bowed off the bed, my breath coming in desperate pants as he started to nibble on the sensitive flesh.
“Everett, I can’t . . . I can’t . . .”
He bit down, and another orgasm exploded through me. I screamed again, unable to contain the euphoria pulsing from me. I thought he would stop then, but I should have known better. He wrung another orgasm from me. Then another and another, as if his goal was to see how long I could endure the pleasurable assault.
As a mortal, my body would have given out after only a few orgasms. But as an immortal hybrid, my endurance was impressive. After the dozenth orgasm, I stopped keeping count, my only thought on riding out this blissful high for as long as possible.
Everett continued to tirelessly worship my body, filling me up so completely that I could barely stand it. Needing to be close to him in a way I only wanted to experience with my soulmate, I finally breathed, “I need you.”
He immediately knew what I meant and stopped what he was doing to crawl up my body. The second he was positioned between my thighs, I curled my legs around him and thrust my hips up. We both moaned as his hardened length slid inside me, our eyes still open so we could watch each other.
When he began to thrust, I stared into his pale green eyes, marveling for the umpteenth time at how beautiful they were. I reached up to cup his cheek, and he leaned into my hand, his gaze remaining on my face as we made love. Even when we were teetering on the edge of release, his eyes stayed locked on mine. And when we fell over the edge together, those beautiful eyes filled with undeniable love.
A love so deep and consuming that tears blurred my vision.
“What is it?” he said, his breathing still ragged as he came down from the high.
Hesitating for a moment, I replied, “I had a dream. A premonition, actually.”
He blinked in surprise. “A good one, I hope.”
I smiled, but it slightly wobbled. “Yeah. A great one. I saw a brief glimpse into our future, and . . . and we’re going to be okay, Everett. We’re going to thrive as the new king and queen.”
Relief pulsed through our bond. Resting his forehead on mine, he whispered, “Thank God. That’s just what I needed to hear today.”
“That’s not all, though,” I started to say, but was interrupted by a sharp thudding noise .
“Unca Evy!”
“Auntie Ada!”
As the twins continued to excitedly pound on the front door of our cottage with their tiny hybrid fists, we started to laugh.
“Hello?” a male voice called, and we stopped laughing. “The door was unlocked. Are you two decent?”
“Of course they’re not decent, Lochie. They’re on their honeymoon . When Isla and I first got married, we could barely keep our clothes on.”
“You still can’t keep your clothes on,” we heard Loch mutter.
Kade guffawed. “True. When it’s just me and Isla at the lakehouse, we don’t even bother with clothing. You and Kenna should try it sometime. It’s liberating.”
“What? Walk naked around the castle?”
“Why not? I’m totally fine if we start a nudist colony.”
Loch snorted. “Not surprised, but it’s not happening. Neither is that foursome you’ve been pining after.”
Kade roared with laughter, and my eyes widened.
“Don’t ask,” Everett muttered, a faint smirk still on his lips as he lifted off me. At the loss of his warmth—and dick—I stuck my bottom lip out. Chuckling quietly, he bent to whisper against my mouth, “Later.”
Somewhat appeased, I watched him leave the bed and search for his pants, which had somehow landed on a lampshade. Before he could put them on, the door to our bedroom started to rattle. With a yelp, I scrambled to cover myself, flinging a blast of magic at the door to keep it shut.
“Evy! Ada!”
As I quickly wrapped a bedsheet around myself, Everett chuckled again and pulled on his pants so he could let the twins in. They burst inside the moment the door was open, buzzing around their uncle until he swooped down and picked them both up.
“No magic,” he cautioned them, grunting when Zoey placed a hand on his bare chest.
As her hand glowed red, I flicked my fingers, using my own magic to break the connection. Zoey clapped her hands, oblivious to the fact that I’d stopped her from draining the life out of her uncle. Both she and her brother would be forces to be reckoned with someday. They were already a handful, but I still smiled and watched them use their toddler language skills to communicate with Everett.
Catching my stare, he smiled back, and my heart melted.
“Sorry for the intrusion. Nico and Zoey were restless, so we let them play outside and somehow ended up here,” Loch said, poking his head around the door. When he spotted me on the bed, his head vanished.
“Good call, brother,” Everett growled, but he was still smiling.
“Married life definitely suits you, man,” Kade remarked, wise enough to remain in the hallway with Loch. “You’re hardly ever grumpy anymore, even when you sound grumpy. Hopefully you stopped having sex long enough to get a little sleep last night, though. It’s your big day.”
“ Our big day,” Everett corrected, sliding me another smile. “And our sex life is none of your business.”
“You’re no fun. Loch tells me about his.”
“I do not.”
“Well, you should. I could give you a few pointers.”
“I don’t need pointers.”
“You sure about that? You and Kenna have been married for over six years now. Maybe it’s time to spice things up a bit.”
“Things are still plenty spicy between us. ”
“Yeah, but how many times do you have sex? Once a week?”
“Of course not. We— Kade, I know what you’re doing. It’s not going to work.”
“Ah, c’mon, Lochie. It’s me . Share the love with your drothen. How many times, then? Twice? Three times?”
I smothered a laugh as Everett rolled his eyes and shut the door. Kade and Loch continued to bicker in the hallway, a familiar and welcome sound. I’d only been a part of Everett’s family for a month, but I was already in love with their dynamic. They deeply cared for each other and always had each other’s backs. Even when they disagreed, they always managed to come together at the end of the day.
Knowing that they were waiting for me to get dressed, I scooted off the bed and quickly found my clothing. My coronation gown was in our bedroom at the castle, so we planned to get ready there. Kenna and Isla had offered to help me with my makeup and hair, and although I was used to doing it myself, I’d accepted. They’d so readily included me in their sacred friendship circle, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
When I was dressed, we left the cottage as a group, chatting and laughing as we tried to keep the two daredevil toddlers from running off. Eventually, Loch and Everett picked them up and shot toward the castle at vampire speed, to the delight of the twins.
“You look different this morning,” Kade remarked, slinging an arm over my shoulders as we followed at a more sedate pace. “You seem . . . calmer. At peace.”
I shrugged and gave him a little smile. “I just know that everything is going to work out.”
“Oh? Did you have one of your visions?”
My smile widened. “Maybe. ”
He barked a laugh. “Fine. Keep your Oracle secrets. I’ll figure them out soon enough. My wife is a private investigator, after all.”
I returned his laugh but didn’t respond.
After a moment of companionable silence, he said more seriously, “He’s really lucky, you know. You’re exactly what Everett needed. You bring out the best in him.”
I blinked sudden tears from my eyes. “Thanks, Kade. I’m really lucky too. You’ve all been so good to me.”
“We’re happy to have you,” he replied, pulling me in for a quick hug. “But we’d better catch up before Everett thinks I’m questioning you about your sex life.”
I snorted. “I lost count.”
He glanced down at me in confusion.
“I lost count of how many times we had sex this week. If you need some pointers, let me know.”
When I winked at him, his mouth slowly fell open.
“Holy mother of Moses,” he whispered. “You’re going to be the best queen ever.”
Laughing, I took off at vampire speed. “Race you back!”
When we reached the castle a couple minutes later, we found it alive with preparations. Everywhere we looked, maids were bustling about with large bouquets of red roses balanced in their arms. The floral scent mixed with human blood was heady, and I paused to breathe in the delicious concoction.
Quiet laughter rumbled from Everett.
He opened his mouth to comment, but a chipper feminine voice beat him to it. “I know, it smells divine in here. I already had breakfast but might need a snack soon.”
Kade perked up at that. “I’m available.”
Isla rolled her eyes at him. “An on-the-go snack. We girls have a whole day of pampering ahead of us. How about you boys make yourselves useful and send up some drinks for us?”
“I can send them up myself,” Kade replied, then added with a sly smirk, “Clothed or unclothed.”
“Kade,” Kenna chastised, following her best friend into the foyer. “I already caught you naked in the hallways once. I don’t need to see that again.”
Kade snickered. “Your face was so red, little Kenna. It was like you’d never seen a dick before.”
“ Kade ,” Loch said, more forcefully. “My children are in the room.”
“What? Afraid their newest word is going to be dick? ”
“Dip!” Zoey chirped, and several groans filled the air. “Dip, dip, dip!”
When a noise that sounded a lot like muffled laughter came from Everett, Kade whirled to point at him. “Aha! Even Mr. Grump thinks it’s funny.”
Sidling up to her husband, Isla placed a hand on his chest and cooed, “Behave, and I’ll snack on you after the coronation.”
His blue eyes glittered brightly. “All night?”
“All night.”
Grinning like a fiend, he swooped down to kiss her soundly, then lifted his head to mouth at Loch, “ Every. Single. Day.”
With a shake of his head, Loch passed Nico over to Everett and purposefully strode across the room. In a blink, he grabbed Kenna and dipped her over backward. Her soft gasp was quickly smothered by an open-mouthed kiss, one filled with passion and heat. He gripped her tightly, letting one of his hands brazenly roam over her curves.
When a little whimper escaped her, he abruptly broke the kiss to say, “We’ll be right back. ”
Kade whooped as Loch picked up his mate and hurried from the foyer, his destination more than obvious. “How many times?” he called after them.
“Every single day,” Loch called back, and Kade whooped even louder.
After that little delay in our plans, I spent a relaxing morning and afternoon with Isla and Kenna. Pepper and Silver joined us for a little while, begrudgingly allowing us to paint their claws before scampering off again. By the time evening rolled around, I was primped and polished to perfection. But I didn’t mind for once. I wasn’t putting on a fake persona this time. I wasn’t trying to look charming or mysterious or alluring. I wasn’t trying to be anyone but myself.
Tonight, I was simply Adalyn, the vampire witch hybrid who was about to become queen.
As vampires from near and far started to arrive for the coronation, I held my head high, truly confident in who I’d become. I wasn’t a frightened little witch anymore. Wasn’t a servant with a blood debt. Wasn’t a blood whore seeking vengeance. I wasn’t anyone but who I wanted to be, and words couldn’t describe how freeing that felt.
When the coronation began, Everett remained by my side the entire time. We both wore shades of black and burgundy red, the royal family colors. Rubies sparkled at my neck and ears, while little diamonds lined my dress and long train. My hair was neatly twisted into an elaborate bun, held in place by gold combs.
The audience froze at the sight of me and Everett, but for once, I didn’t feel the need to put on a mask and perform. They were seeing the real me. Whether they accepted me or not was up to them. All I could do was be myself, and that’s exactly what I did as Everett laced his fingers through mine and started toward the dais in the throne room.
His father stood in front of the king’s throne, but he didn’t sit on it, because the throne was no longer his. And a second throne was now perched on the dais. A queen’s throne.
My throne.
At the sight, nervous energy filled me, and the next several minutes passed in a blur. Later, I would barely remember the oaths Everett and I spoke, or the blood exchange we shared with Ambrose as he passed off his power to his heir and newest daughter-in-law. Nor would I remember the excited cheering or the moment a crown was placed on my head.
But I would forever remember the moment when we sat on our thrones, when Everett looked over at me and rose to place me on his lap. “You belong here ,” he murmured in my ear, holding me close to the delight of our audience.
I smiled, not minding in the least that he wanted us to share a throne. I wanted to share everything with him, including the premonition I’d had in my dreams last night.
“You’re going to tell me now?” he asked, clearly having picked up on my thoughts.
“Yes. But I think I should show you,” I replied, my smile widening when I felt his confusion. “Bite me, Everett. Bite me, and I’ll do the rest.”
Excitement pulsed through our bond. “Your wish is my command, my queen,” he breathed. Then, not even caring that hundreds of vampires were watching, he buried his fangs in my neck.
As euphoria rushed through me, our connection exploded awake. He knew what I could do, knew that I could control his mind with a mere thought, but he trusted me. He trusted me to use my power for good, to keep him and his family— our family—safe. And that’s exactly what I did. As he swallowed my blood, I closed my eyes and filled his mind with the premonition. Image after image, I showed him what I’d seen. Shared with him what the Universe had chosen to share with me.
When I’d sent him everything I knew, he carefully removed his fangs from my neck and licked the already-healing wounds clean. As his emotions flooded our bond, I turned in his lap to see his expression. Tears glistened in his eyes, and when one fell, I reached up and caught it.
“Three?” he whispered, staring at me in wonder. “Two boys and a . . . a girl? ”
“Well, not all at once, thank the spirits,” I whispered back with a small laugh. “But, yes. They’re our legacy, Everett. Our future . Fate has blessed us tremendously.”
“That she has, baby girl,” he said, gracing me with the most beautiful smile. “That she has.”
Many years would pass before the premonition fully unraveled, before three precious children entered our world. But I looked forward to that time, no matter how long it took. Those years meant happiness. They meant life .
We were going to be okay. More than okay.
My happily ever after hadn’t turned out the way I thought it would. But this version, one that promised everlasting love and an ever-growing family . . .
Was so much better than I could have ever dreamed .
The End