Epilogue
Katarina
The teapot was one of the prettiest Kat had ever seen, especially balanced on a tray with a matching jar of honey and pitcher of cream.
Steam curled up from the spout, and along with it the smell of something minty and fresh.
It would probably be their last pot of the afternoon, but she was craving another cup and had offered to put the tray together herself.
The warmth of the greenhouse’s sunshine was always a pleasure no matter how often she visited, but especially when summer waned and chilly breezes began to blow through Heck.
Kat nudged open the door and stood under the magical light.
In truth, she preferred the moonlight and especially the starshine, but those things didn’t always come with all of the girls in one place.
Ember leaned back in her chair, a book squeezed to her chest as she basked under the magical warmth.
Rosalind had been helping her with some of the more complex sentences, and when she got them, Ember had regaled them all with a short reading of some of the smuttiest words Kat had ever heard.
Rosalind had been delighted and even took a few notes, tucking the parchment away before it could be stolen by wandering fingers.
Brioni’s hands were busy now with Kalypso’s hair.
It had been a hard-fought battle, but Kat’s sister eventually relented and let Bri undo her braid with the promise she would put it back.
What she hadn’t promised was how, though, and Kat certainly wasn’t going to say anything about the matching plaits or the pink blossoms she’d woven in.
Bri was almost finished, and Kat was dying to see the final result.
Attie had stolen Kat’s spot next to Aofe, but she was so cute and easy to forgive that when Kat carried over the tray, she was happy to squeeze in on the edge of the bench.
The atteapir gave her cheek a lick and flopped her head down on her lap.
“Be polite,” Aofe warned, and Kat and Attie both assured her that they would.
“And do you know what else I found out?” Brioni chirped, green eyes darting around the table that was perfectly nestled into the lushest part of the greenhouse.
“No, but you’re definitely going to tell us,” Ember droned, eyes still shut and face tilted up to the sun, but a smile hinted on her lips.
“They’re doing it!”
An assortment of noises sprung up around the table, laughter and gasps and at least one “I knew it.”
“Who?” Kat asked.
“Balran and Reece!” Brioni looked like she was about to explode with the information, so giddy she tugged on Kaly’s hair and made her whole head jerk backward.
“Watch it,” her sister snapped.
“Oops, sorry.” Bri planted a kiss on the top of Kaly’s head much to the other woman’s chagrin then went right back to expounding.
“Anyway, I know because I kind of walked in on them, but like, they should really expect me to be popping into the infirmary on a regular basis by now, right? I got stung by something out in the woods, and I had a welt the size of Rosalind’s clipboard on my butt. ”
Kaly’s eyes narrowed. “How did you get stung on the ass out in the woods?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Brioni teased and added another covert flower to Kaly’s hair.
“I bet this will alter the course of his book,” Rosalind said, taking a sip of tea, dark brows waggling over the cup’s rim.
After his initial waking, which was rather horrible according to all first and second-hand accounts, the human man Reece who they had saved with runes and shapeshifting magic had immediately become enamored with Heck, documenting everything he could between bouts of sickness as he resided in the infirmary.
There was no telling exactly how long he had been magically unconscious nor how many experiments had been run on him, but Balran was diligent in his care—very diligent, it seemed.
“You think we should invite him next time?” When there was no response, Ember opened one eye and peered at the rest of them. “What?”
“You want to invite a man?” Rosalind balked.
“I’m just trying to be nice! Plus the guy’s harmless. I saw him fall into the pond the other day because he was leaning over too far to poke at some weird moss. I mean, I didn’t help him or anything, but I did make sure he didn’t drown before I walked away.”
Aofe snickered. “I think that would be a very nice gesture, Ember. And we have plenty of room if Balran wants to come along too. Maybe Reece would even be interested in my compendium.”
“Oh, that reminds me.” Kat pulled a scroll out of her bag. “I think there are actually two kinds of tormots. I was sketching one yesterday, and another came along with a completely different ring pattern on its tail.”
“Thank you, this is amazing!” Aofe breathed as she admired the scroll.
Kat flushed. “It’s the least I can do for an endless supply of Aofe’s Amazing Headache-Busting Juice.”
The door to the greenhouse opened, and Brioni jumped out of her chair just as she tied off Kaly’s braids. “Boys!”
Demons flooded in, shielding their eyes and squinting for the first few moments until they were attacked by their respective mates. It had been Severath’s turn to host them, and Kat had heard he planned to take them down to the edge of the woods and teach them all how to shoot.
“How did you do?” Kat asked as Azrion strode up to her.
The lavender demon was grinning ear to ear. “Abysmally, darling! Look!” He held up his forearm, and a nasty bruise already covered him from wrist to elbow. “But it was great fun, I must say.”
Kat gasped and delicately took his limb in hand. “Oh, gods, you poor thing.”
“No, no, it’s nothing. I’ve got an enchanted cream back at ours that…actually”—he dropped the grin and rounded out his eyes—“now that you mention it, it certainly does hurt. And I was so very brave about it all day.”
“He really wasn’t,” Ozirax chimed in then let out a long whistle. “Mmm, Spicy, looking good.”
Kaly had only just gotten up to stretch and let her hands fall to her hair, immediately finding the petals with her fingers. “Bri, I am gonna kill you!”
“Run away!” Brioni squealed, jumping onto Ragnar’s back, and the massive gray demon fled from the greenhouse with a quickness that surprised them all.
“Stop it, Kaly. You look so pretty,” Kat teased.
Kaly grunted. “Yeah, I know I do, I just didn’t approve all this. I’m going to be picking pollen out of my hair for a week.”
“Nothing a shower won’t fix,” Oz purred and wrapped his arms around her waist.
Kat scrunched up her nose. “Gross.” She’d come to like Ozirax quite a bit, but she liked teasing her sister about them just a little bit more. “Well, I have to get my brave warrior home and tend to his battle wounds. See you tomorrow at Brew’d Awakening?”
“Every week,” Kaly confirmed, and they all trailed out of the greenhouse, leaving the sun behind until their next gathering.
On the walk through the darkened streets of Heck, Kat looped her arms around Azrion’s and listened to him expound on his thrilling day, the shots he had taken, each of which he missed but in the most dazzling of fashions, of course, and how each of the demon mates of her friends fared.
“It was quite a long day away from you, though,” he cooed when they stepped out of the Zizreni gardens and approached the portico.
Kat sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. She always loved coming home, especially to the porch’s columns covered in red and pink and yellow blossoms. “It was a long day. A nice one, but long.”
He swiped over the rune lock on the door and led them inside. “More overwhelming that usual today?”
“Not really. I’m just tired.”
“Well then,” he said and scooped her into his arms making her squeal, “off to bed with you immediately!”
Kat laughed as he carried her through the house. “Not right away! I still want to try that rune out tonight.”
One of Azrion’s white brows cocked. “Which one?” he asked as if he didn’t know.
She licked her lips. “The one that stops you from coming. I want to put it right here.” She reached down between them and wrapped a hand around him, pleased to find he was already up for the challenge.
His eyes widened and his fangs glinted. “Anything for you, my dearest devious darling.” He readjusted his hold and showered her in kisses. “Starlight of my life,” he mumbled between her lips. “Torturous temptress, keeper of my wretched soul and possessor of my unworthy heart!”
“Az, stop it,” she giggled up against his mouth.
“Oh, all right, all right.” He pressed his forehead to hers and gave her the prettiest smile, and she gave him one right back. “Anything for you, my Kat.”