Epilogue #2
Castiel didn’t bother to tell her that most of them already had. Telling his people an exact time to show up never really worked. It was merely a suggestion. They showed up whenever they wanted to, and they left whenever they felt like it.
She gave him a playful slap on the arm. “I heard that. Who is here?”
“Everyone.”
Her eyes went wide with shock. “Everyone? Why didn’t you say something sooner? And why can’t I hear anyone?”
“Because I warded our bedroom for noise after those damn reapers kept shouting to try to get your attention so you would play games with them. And you still haven’t decided what you want to wear.
They are fine entertaining themselves. Introductions have already been made, and people are having a good time. You don’t need to worry.”
Her shoulders slumped. “I’m a terrible hostess.”
“You are not,” he countered.
“What is everyone wearing? Are they dressed up, or is everyone more casual?”
“Do Killian and Seneca ever wear anything casual?”
“That’s a good point.”
He cupped her face in his hands. “Don’t worry about anyone else. Just wear whatever you want.”
She pursed her lips as she studied her closet.
Honestly, he hadn’t given much thought to his own attire.
Dressed in a black dress shirt and black pants, he had gone for comfort over style.
In the end, she decided to match him in a sleeveless black dress with a flared skirt and high neckline, dressing it up with long strands of necklaces made out of tiny colored gems.
Although she was almost completely covered up, she was utterly captivating to him. She radiated an allure that was dangerous, because no other male should be allowed to witness her beauty. It stirred something darkly possessive within him, but he didn’t flinch from it.
The feeling wasn’t pretty or polite. It was a soul-deep protective instinct that flared to life whenever they were around other people. Ava equated it to the scenting issue her brother had experienced when he first bonded with Starla, though not as bad.
Remy still couldn’t be away from his mate too long without completely losing his mind.
Castiel had better control of himself. At least, on the surface.
He was compelled to keep their minds connected at all times, or else he started to worry.
Thankfully, she didn’t mind. She claimed that if he wanted to lurk in the back of her mind while she attended her boring classes, that was more of a burden to him than it was for her.
Remy and Starla had been spending a lot of time at the villa over the past few days.
They teleported over for dinner almost every night and had even claimed one of the spare bedrooms in the villa as their own.
Since Ava and her twin were very close, Castiel was glad that her brother had accepted him so easily.
Castiel enjoyed Remy and Starla’s company.
He also liked Ava’s other friends. He hadn’t gotten a chance to meet her parents or two other brothers yet, but they planned to spend the holidays with them down in New Orleans once the semester ended.
It had been a long time since he’d officially had a family, so the idea of spending time with her entire pack was a little daunting.
While he wished they could remain in their bedroom instead of going down to the terrace, he knew Ava was looking forward to the gathering. And since it was sort of an informal mating celebration, they couldn’t exactly avoid showing up to their own party.
Once she was ready, he took her hand in his and made their way downstairs.
As expected, the party was in full swing by the time they got down to the terrace.
There was no her side or his side when it came to the seating arrangement.
Instead, each of the tables was a mix of ancient supernaturals and students that should have seemed ridiculous, but somehow wasn’t.
Everyone seemed to get along, which was a blessing. The reapers in attendance seemed to have no problems asking questions of the younger supernaturals. There was no judgment or ridicule. It was simply different generations swapping stories and sharing information over food and drinks.
Remy, Starla, Lana, Claudia, and Jessica seemed to be having a great time. So were Remy’s football teammates and a few of their other school friends. Poor Justin looked slightly shellshocked to be seated next to Raiden and Sapphire at their table, though.
The shifter rulers had taken action after they’d learned what Brody Manning and his pack had done.
Although the entire pack wasn’t evil, the majority of the members had no problem kidnapping mates over the years.
Now that the pack was destroyed, the innocent members had been given the choice to return to their original homes or to start somewhere new.
Lucifer had taken care of Brody. Once he had gotten the information he had wanted from the shifter, he had made him pay for what he had tried to do to Ava.
That had been enough to satisfy Castiel’s need for revenge.
Lucifer was much better at torture and mayhem than he was, so he was confident that his end hadn’t been very pleasant.
As for the issue with the magic-syphoning bracelets, that mess was taking longer to untangle.
Craig Blevins, and his cousin who sat on the council, were found guilty of purchasing a specialized siphoning spell on the magical black market and weaving it into the bracelets they forced the shifters to wear.
They’d tried to disguise it as a training tool, but the spell’s intent was clear once Raiden’s people and the council investigators dissected the enchantment.
It wasn’t about limiting shifting.
It was about theft.
The Blevins family had distributed the bracelets to all of the magical academies, counting on the siphoning to be subtle enough that no one would notice until the stolen magic had piled up into something substantial.
Once the scheme was exposed, the fallout was swift.
Every bracelet was confiscated, and the council had to publicly admit that someone had been willing to weaken shifters under the guise of education just to accumulate power.
The Blevins family, and everyone involved on their end, had been sent to the Supernatural Prison.
That left an open space on the council that would need to be filled by someone from the Human Realm.
The only problem remaining was tracking down the person who had sold the spell.
Finding sellers from the magical black market wasn’t easy, but there were ways to do it.
It would take time, but they wouldn’t stop until they found the fucker.
Thankfully, that wasn’t Castiel and Ava’s problem to deal with.
“Is it just me, or is Raiden looking at Justin a little strangely?” she asked through their bond.
“Perhaps he is trying to figure out why he can’t shift.”
“Oh, I wonder if they can help him figure out what the problem is.”
“If anyone can, I’m sure they will help him figure it out.”
“Congratulations on finding your mate, Uncle Castiel,” a deep voice said from behind them.
Castiel turned and smiled. “Thanks. Ava, this is Braxton and Devon Lightbringer.”
Ava groaned. “You’re the uncle of Lucifer’s son? Sometimes I forget how old you really are.”
“I’ll show you who is old,” he growled back, making her laugh.
“Aww, they are telepathically flirting,” Devon cooed. “I can totally tell these things. So, how did you guys like using my app? Any suggestions to make it work better?”
Castiel and Ava glanced at one another before they shook her heads.
“Not really. I think it did exactly what it was supposed to do. I do have a question, though,” Ava said. “Why did you choose us?”
“Because of his stubborn ass,” Braxton said with a nod toward Castiel.
“Once we figured out you guys were mates, there was no point in waiting. It was the perfect way to get you together without just blurting out you two were mates. That was something we were told we couldn’t do because, consequences. ”
“Ah,” was all Castiel said in response.
“So, the app really is a matchmaking tool?” Ava asked.
“Shh, keep it down,” Devon whispered. “We are trying not to spread that around since some people might have an issue with using it, then.”
“Which would have been me,” Ava admitted with a laugh. “I totally would have resisted if given a choice. But then I would have changed my mind once I met Castiel.”
“See? That’s why we have to be sneaky about it,” Devon said to her mate.
Braxton smiled. “Of course, mate. Speaking of sneaky, my dad couldn’t make it tonight. He said something came up that he has to deal with, but he did send you a mating gift.”
“We don’t want it,” Castiel said on a rush.
“He thought you would say that.” Braxton chuckled as he shoved a small box into Ava’s hand. “There. My job as delivery boy is done now. How is the food? I heard that Damien Carver is catering this party.”
“He is,” Castiel said, nodding toward where the demon was seated with Killian and Seneca.
“Excellent. I’m starving,” Braxton said before dragging his mate with him toward the tables of food.
“I don’t know if I should open this,” Ava admitted once they were alone.
“He wouldn’t give you anything that would hurt you.” He paused before adding, “At least, not permanently. Actually, no. Don’t open it. Just give it to me.”
Laughing nervously, she held the box out of his reach. “No. It’s mine now.”
After a brief hesitation, she lifted the lid off the box. They watched as a dark cloud of magic shot out of the box and swirled around her arm, becoming an image of a mythical beast.
“It burns,” she hissed, then she blinked in surprise when it suddenly stopped. “It’s fine now. What is this? Lucifer gave me a tattoo as a gift?”
“No,” Castiel said with a groan. “He gave you a fucking hellhound. They are created from devil fire and dark magic. Once it is fully bonded with you, it will show itself.”
“I don’t even know what to say.” She stared down at the mark, then her lips curved into a wide grin. “This is fucking awesome!”
When she threw her arms around his neck and laughed, he just sighed. The gift was ridiculous. Dangerous. Exactly the kind of chaos Lucifer liked to slip into people’s lives under the guise of generosity. Castiel had been prepared for Ava to be upset.
Instead, she was delighted.
It took him all of two seconds to feel the tension leave his shoulders. Then, he found himself laughing with her, the sound rough and unfamiliar in his own ears. Ava had a way of turning even madness into something bright. She was his joy, his peace, and the miracle he never expected to be given.
Their bond was eternal, infused by magic, and fortified with love.
Their future together would be filled with an endless horizon of shared moments, quiet understandings, and unspoken promises.
Time, once fleeting and fragile, no longer threatened to take anything from them.
Instead, it belonged to them, waiting to be shaped by their choices and their unwavering bond.
There was nothing he wouldn’t do to keep what they had found together. No boundary he wouldn’t cross, no sacrifice too great if it meant preserving what they had. He would even accept a magical hellhound into their lives if it would make her happy.
An app might have helped bring them together, but love would sustain them through the long years. And for that, he would always be grateful.