Chapter 31
EPILOGUE- A FEW MONTHS LATER: DENVER
Things seem to get back to normal shortly after the chaotic events at the mausoleum.
My brain comes to terms with the fact that there’s no one waiting to harm me anymore and that it’s truly over.
And while there are moments when fear overtakes me and panic sets in, I don’t have that itchy feeling anymore.
I know there’s no one left to hurt me, and the only one stalking my steps anymore is the only person I want hunting me from the shadows.
Though Archie hasn’t been on the hunt in a while. Not since before Byron and Lewis died.
He rarely, if ever, leaves my side. I think he’s taking my kidnapping a lot harder than I am.
When I leave for classes in the morning, he drives me, and he always picks me up.
When I do my shows, he’s in the audience, watching from the wings, ready to pounce if anyone so much as looks at me sideways.
I’m getting used to having him around at all times. I thought it would feel suffocating, but it doesn’t.
We officially moved in together three weeks after the attack.
We went back to my apartment since it was safe, but the moment I tried to lie down in my old bed, even with Archie there, I couldn’t handle it.
I wanted to be back in his basement room.
I wanted to open my eyes and see a coffin a few feet away.
I wanted the room to smell like funeral flowers and Archie’s soap.
We will eventually move out of the farmhouse and find a place of our own, but right now, I like being close to his brothers. They’re becoming like family to me, and it doesn’t feel overwhelming or crowded. Even after Jasper decided he wanted to stay.
Tonight feels a little different though.
It’s a show Rene and I had been working on for a while, and having the chance to put it on without worrying that I’ll be strangled to death in the alley is freeing.
I felt like myself again, spinning in my dress and teasing the audience, and I caught Archie’s gaze a few times, watching him smile over the rim of his glass as his eyes never left my form.
I’m myself again, and I never want this to end.
The lights flash overhead, signaling the end of the show, and I give a wave to the crowd as I make my way off the stage. When I get to my vanity table, I take a seat and pull off my shoes, groaning at how good it feels to not be in heels right now.
I start to disrobe, pulling off the dress and my tights and wiping the makeup from my face, and it’s then that I see my phone ping and glance down at the message.
Archie: Come outside to the alley.
I stand up and pull on a robe, covering the lace panties and bralette I’m wearing, and slip my feet into some slides.
I give myself a quick glance in the mirror—I’ve looked better, but I’ve also looked worse, but Archie wants me every single way I come, so I’m okay with streaks of mascara and sweat lines in my foundation.
Walking to the back of the room, I push the door open, stepping out into the cool night air. It’s a little cool from the impending autumn and from the rain, and it feels good to be out in the night and know that I’m safe.
For a moment, I think I might be alone, but a second later, I see him. Archie is a dark figure against a wall, his foot propped up against the brick, his hands fiddling with the hem of his shirt.
My heart rate picks up slightly as I feel all the blood rush south. I know what he wants. He wants me to run. He wants to chase. And god, we haven’t done this in so long.
I know exactly what this means both for him and me.
It’s taking our power back. It’s allowing me to run and be hunted without fear. It’s being the prey and being devoured in the best fucking way possible.
I turn, and between one breath and the next, I run.
My shoes slap the pavement as I move, and I can feel him behind me, moving quicker than I am. He’s going to catch me easily, and I’m going to let him. I don’t know what he has in store for me back here, but I can’t wait to find out.
Hands wrap around my waist, pulling me into a sturdy, strong body. Then lips hit my neck as I’m pressed gently against the wall. My eyes widen as he moves to face me, my hands lifting up to push his hood back, and I bask in the sight of his beautiful face.
My finger traces down his scar, and his lashes flutter.
‘Caught you,’ he mouths.
‘Yes,’ I mouth back. ‘You did.’
He grins, and then suddenly, he drops to his knees, pulling my robe open and my lace panties to the side.
In a single swallow, his mouth engulfs me, sucking me all the way to the back of his throat.
Pleasure rockets through me as my hands move into his hair, and his throat goes lax as I fuck into his mouth.
It doesn’t take long for me to spill, shooting down his throat, feeling him swallow over and over until he’s licking me clean. I feel oversensitive by the time he pulls off, and he kisses up my stomach before closing my robe again and standing to meet my gaze.
He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and smirks, looking very proud of himself.
‘You enjoyed that?’ I ask with shaking hands.
He nods, and our mouths meet for a moment before he pulls away. ‘I couldn’t wait. You looked so pretty in that dress.’
My cheeks flame hot. I love it when he compliments me, when he tells me exactly what he thinks. ‘I can bring it home.’
His eyes grow hooded, and he dips his chin and signs, ‘Yes.’
I can’t help but kiss him again. It’s only then that his head swivels back and I realize someone from the club is trying to get our attention. I glance over Archie’s shoulder and see Rene waving at me, but he doesn’t look concerned.
‘You better hurry up before someone sees,’ he signs big enough that I can read his hands.
Archie wraps around me as I laugh. ‘Don’t worry. If we can get away with murder, we can get away with a little indecent exposure.’
Rene makes a face like he’s not sure if I’m being literal.
That happens a lot these days, but I have no plans to tell him the truth.
This family is my secret, and I will defend it with my life.
Rolling his eyes, Rene waves me off, then disappears inside as I lean back against the brick and meet Archie’s gaze.
“Home?” I ask aloud. The word feels heavy in my throat and so right on my tongue.
‘Yes,’ he signs, then kisses me, and his fingers tap my cheek as he does. ‘Home.’