- EPILOGUE #2
We walked up behind them and if I hadn't been watching so close, I would have missed the second Jade seemed to sense my presence.
Her body straightened, drawing Doyle's attention.
But she wasn't looking at him. Her head twisted over her shoulder and found me.
Without even a hint of hesitation, her face broke into a smile that managed to knock down all my insecurities.
She untangled from Doyle as I untangled from Jasper, both men sharing a knowing smile, and we flew at each other.
"Really, Jade," I said, sniffling a little as I laughed, a strange affliction Jade was suffering with as well, "you could have just told me you wanted me and Jasper to meet."
Jade made a choked snort and pulled back slightly. "Like you would have listened Miss I-Don't-Need-No-Man."
"I don't," I insisted, ignoring the brow raise Jasper gave me. "I just really, really like having this one."
"I knew you would!" she gushed and in that moment, we were just the two women back at our apartment, gushing, catching up, talking about boys. "Unakite," she said with a nod.
"I don't know if we are really all that opposite. We're both headstrong and opinionated and too prideful for our own good."
"And yet..." Jade said with a knowing smile.
And yet was right.
--
Cece- 3 Months
In three months, Dany had completely transformed. It hadn't happened overnight. It was slow progress at first, then suddenly it was big strides until one day we all walked into the dining hall to find her already sitting there, practically bouncing with excitement.
She flew at me first, eyes wet, holding me tighter than anyone ever had before. "My girl, all grown up. I wish I could have been there to see it!"
"Dany..." Ang gasped, tears flowing openly down her face, held on her feet only by Jasper's nearby presence and quick reflexes.
My mother didn't release me though, just tucked me under one arm and launched herself at her mother with the other, leading to a big, sappy, emotional, amazing, soul-soaring family hug.
"What? I don't understand," Ang said, swatting at her cheeks when we finally pulled apart.
"Twelve weeks," Dany said, pulling her mother to sit down. "The amulet had a very specific time frame attached to the spell. I would slowly lose my mind over the course of twelve weeks. Then, once removed, it would slowly come back to me over those three months again."
"But why..." Ang started on a sob before taking a breath and calming herself down. "Why couldn't we see the amulet?"
"Another part of the spell. It was only visible to Celestine. That way, it protected her until she was old enough to defend herself. No one could torture her location out of me because I was a head case. That's the right human phrase, right?" she asked, looking over at me and I nodded.
"But... twenty-six years, Dany..." her mother said, closing her eyes tight.
"Small price to pay for a safe child, don't you think?" Dany asked and Ang nodded her agreement. "So, Celestine," she said, turning fully to me. "Look at you. I knew you were going to be pretty. You had the sweetest little baby face. How was your host family?"
"Oh, um," I stumbled, feeling strange. Jasper moved in behind me, putting a hand on my hip, offering me a little calm. "They were good to me. They... did their best. We just... we never clicked I guess..."
"That's normal for changelings," Ang supplied.
"So long as they were good to you. That's all that matters. How did you end up back here? Where is your amulet?"
"The one that made her terrified of bears?" Jasper asked with a grin.
"That would be the one," Dany said with a smile that was so much like my own that I felt the instant connection with her that moment that I did with Jet. Family. Blood.
"Pixies," I supplied, still a little sore about them taking it, especially knowing it was from my mother, to protect me.
"Those little thieves," she said with a head shake. "So this is your fella," she observed, head cocked, taking him in. "He's good looking. You look just like your parents. Empath, right?"
"Yes, ma'am," Jasper agreed and I all but fell off my seat at the word. Ma'am?
"Ma'am?" I choked.
"Ma'am?" Dany said at the same time, face scrunched up. "I know I haven't been conscious of it, but I couldn't have aged that much. Oh, to be a miss again."
"Ma'am because you're the future Seelie queen," Jasper supplied. "And because you're the mother to the woman I love and she's a pain in the ass enough to heed your opinion even after only knowing you for a few minutes. I'm trying to make a good impression."
Dany laughed, nodding at him. "I think an empath is good for her. She's got guards."
"You don't need to tell me," Jasper agreed.
"I'm sitting right here," I objected, feeling a little surly.
"Do you love him?" Dany asked bluntly, making me start, her dark eyes seeming to bore into my soul.
"Yes," I answered, feeling the words down to my marrow.
"Good," she said, clapping once. "Maybe my own love story ended in dungeons with my brains turning to...
what is the word... Jell-O?" she asked and I nodded, smiling because I remembered Cass telling me that she had a bit of a crush on all things human and using that word just confirmed it. "But I'm a sucker for a good romance."
"Remind me to tell you about Jade and Doyle sometime then," I said and she smiled.
"We have so, so much to catch up on," she said, reaching for my hand and squeezing it. "But you'll excuse me and your grandmother here for a few minutes while we go over some Court business."
"Of course," I said, looking to Ang to see an eagerness overtake her. Not only to have her daughter back, I suspected, but to have someone to share the burden of leadership with. That would be my burden one day too. But with my mother back, that was a good long while away.
"Sometimes even I don't realize how weighed down you are until you let that shit drop," Jasper said as we walked into the courtyard. I walked over to the wall and leaned on it, Jasper moving in behind me, arms around my waist, holding me tight.
"I have a mom," I smiled.
"A good one too."
"And I have a grandmother."
"Mhmm."
"And a father who is a dickhead, but at least I know him now."
"I guess."
"And a brother."
"I wish I could say that your desire to know him is normal, but I think it's fucked."
I shrugged that off. "And I have Jade and Doyle and your mom and freaking Baba Yaga..." I trailed off, exhaling hard. I had never realized how alone I had felt in the world until I had a group of people I loved, admired, and would feel less myself if I hadn't met them. "And you."
"I was wondering when you'd get around to me."
"Saved the best for last," I said and he squeezed me tight.
"Hey Jasper," I said and he made a 'mmm' sound against my neck. "I'm a princess," I declared a little giddily.
He chuckled for a long time, his body jumping, making mine do the same. "Yeah you are."
"Are you going to start kissing my ring and getting down on a knee in front of me?" I teased.
"You want me on my knees, honey, I'll get on my knees. But I can think of a lot better things to kiss from that position than your fucking ring."
I smiled at that. Huge. Happy.
God, happy.
I don't think I knew the meaning of that word until that very minute.
"Me either," Jasper agreed.
"That's still annoying," I snorted.
"You'll get used to it."
"Or you could stop mentally eavesdropping," I suggested.
"Yeah, like that's gonna happen," he chuckled.
Yes, happy.
It may have taken an extreme situation, sadness and frustration and pain like I had never experienced before, but in the end, it was worth it. It was so, so worth it.
"I love you," I declared for about the fifth time that morning.
"I know," he said, just to screw with me and I loved him even more for that. "I love you too... princess."
"So about that... kissing thing..." I smiled, turning in his arms.
"Thought you'd never ask," he said, eyes going wicked as he dragged me across the courtyard and up to our room where he showed me just what a devoted servant he was to the Light Court.
And then we lived happily ever after.
Well, sort of.
It's a long story.
And not all of it is ours.
Let's just say shit happened. Things got crazy for a while.
But then, oh yeah, we really did live happily ever after.
xx