Epilogue Forever #2
Together with the tribe, we decided to keep the institute and repurpose it: from a place that took advantage of its prisoners to a place that gave advantages to its willing students.
My crew would live at the mansion Magnum built for us, making it our home base—to the absolute delight of the facilities-ho who lived inside me—while doing all we could to support the institute in becoming a safe haven for supernaturals.
When the dust of battle settled, we discovered dozens of young adults, and even some children, with paranormal abilities locked up in the underground bunker facility.
They were only a small selection of the world’s population of supernaturals, apparently.
Several Aquoia, too, exhibited powers beyond this world, or at the very least, of its common comprehension.
With the resources of the institute, we had the opportunity to help all of them, ourselves too. We’d explore and learn about our abilities while we trained to wield them.
It was important that we understand more about the lushina, or the Sky People as the Aquoia called them, and about their great enemy, the drash.
Perhaps Magnum and his creepy, gray “companions” were all the drash that had infiltrated the earth.
But how could we be certain? By all appearances, Magnum Chase had been just another greedy human mofo who put his own desires above everyone else’s.
Megaelites like Magnum who took advantage at every turn because they could weren’t uncommon enough on Earth.
But were they drash too? Were there more of them secretly plotting to bend humanity—and lushina—to their will?
Hoping it wasn’t so wouldn’t protect anyone. Better to be prepared, just in case.
We were far from alone in our mission. Already, we had a skeleton crew in place that would aid us, and it kept expanding.
Yolanda and Armando would stay on to teach the students to defend themselves.
Jude, aka Reece and my “dad”; Tobias, aka Orson and Griff’s “dad”; and Marisa, aka Alexis and Hunt’s “mom” were the only lie-rents to survive their fight with Magnum’s soldiers.
My not-mom and both of Brady and Layla’s not-parents had been killed.
They’d gone down fighting for us up until the very end, just as they’d promised.
At least they hadn’t gone out defending a lie but their love for us.
Jude, Tobias, and Marisa wanted to help make things right.
For the first time in what felt like eons, I believed them.
They would lead some other exemplary researchers in studying us—only to such extent as any of us felt comfortable, if at all; the choice was up to each individual—so we might begin to catalog the range of supernatural abilities and how it was that some of us “humans” had them and some didn’t.
The institute would also teach academics of all levels to best prepare us for whatever the world might hurl at us.
Marisa was spearheading the hiring, and already we’d drawn the attention of brilliant professors around the globe.
Hunt was practically salivating at the chance to study with them.
It seemed the more astounding the teacher, the more the idea of teaching such extraordinary individuals became absolutely irresistible.
I’d believed what we were building here was totally unique, a vanguard for a whole new world. I mean, I’d heard of no other institute for supernaturals anywhere, ever—outside of fantasy, of course.
Then we received a visit from a very scholarly, talking pygmy owl named Sir Lancelot—so bonkers—and two ancient wizard brothers named Albacus and Mordecai, who turned out not just to be ghosts—because no, that wasn’t nutty enough: talking ghosts I could see and hear—but half ghosts.
The brothers were equally alive and dead … somehow.
Sir Lancelot, Mordecai, and Albacus were responsible for several academies tailored to those with paranormal capabilities all over the world. There were more, they said, but by name they mentioned a Magical Arts Academy, a Magical Creatures Academy, and a Magical Dragons Academy.
Dragons.
I mean, come on.
Dragons!
My first follow-up question was: When do we get to see dragons? Dragons.
Sir Lancelot had trilled cutely, cleared his throat like a person, and assured us we’d set something up soon.
After our experience with the drash, I’d believed my mind incapable of blowing any wider open. My, how wrong I’d been. There were magical academies right under our noses all over the place—say what? How had I ever believed the world was so simple before?
We decided to name our new endeavor Ridgemore’s Institute for Supernaturals.
Our mission was undoubtedly ambitious and far-reaching, and in this world that required moolah—lots and lots of it … good thing I’d torn out the heart of a bajillionaire, eh?
Sheriff Xander turned out to be a true ally.
With the aid of some well-intended forgery and a few crossed and smudged lines, he figured out a way to allocate the entirety of Magnum’s fortune to my crew.
Xander said if anyone deserved that much money, we did, to make up for what that creep did to us.
Once we were in possession of the funds—and it was so much money; I’d never seen so many zeroes at the end of a number—we transferred it into a trust that my crew shared with the Aquoia tribe.
Magnum had desecrated their sacred land—especially their lake, which they believed contained Sky People essence.
He’d violated what was precious to the tribe.
The Aquoia deserved recompense too.
In union, we’d transform all that blood money into something amazing.
An incoming message vibrated my phone and Griffin’s.
Brady: Time’s up. Later!
Griffin rolled his eyes. “He knows we can’t leave her. We’re crew. We’re not going on our first cross-country road trip without her.”
I chuckled. “No, we’d never. He’s totally bluffing. But I can def see why he’s pissed.” I waggled my brows, spoke in an over-the-top French accent. “Like he says, we could be getting … pleasured, too, instead of sitting around.”
I ran my hands around Cleo’s steering wheel. “Though it is one fine place to sit. Man, did Cleo turn out pretty.”
“Nowhere near as pretty as you. No offense, Cleo.” Griffin’s eyes sparkled. “And … no one says we can’t get a lil’ busy while we wait.” He slid along the leather of his seat, leaned forward. “Nowhere I’d rather be than with you, baby. I don’t care where we are.”
He pressed his lips to mine, kissed me gently, a precursor to so much more to come. “Clyde’ll just have to forgive me for leaving him out of our first trip outside. No way do I not wanna be at your side for this.”
I smiled against his lips, loving the taste of him. “That’s nice of you.”
“Cleo needs to feel the long stretch of road under her. She’s brand-new. We’ll go in Clyde next time.”
“Deal,” I murmured, my agreement vibrating between our mouths.
I kissed him.
In moments, his tongue was sliding along mine, my fingers clawing through his hair. His hands were gripping my thighs, guiding the one closest to him to bend onto the seat, opening me up to him.
We were dressed, but it was instinctive now. Our bodies were constantly finding ways to be closer to one another, more deeply connected. Our hands were on each other more than not. Since we’d survived Magnum, we’d slept together every night, entangled together.
My body was already flushed, wanting more of the sensations only he delivered. Already I’d half forgotten we were supposed to be heading out of town on a grand adventure.
Griffin’s hands skimmed under my shirt, roving my skin. They slid upward, dipped under my bra, and caressed the bottom swell of my breasts.
He moaned and withdrew from our kiss just to smack his lips and stare at me. “My fucking dream girl … How’d I ever get so lucky?”
“You fought for me.”
“Fuck yeah I did, baby. I always will. You fought for me too.”
I leaned into his touch. Dropped my forehead to his. Closed my eyes.
“Yeah, my love, I did, and I always will too.”
Bobo barked. I jumped.
“Shit, I forgot he was here,” Griffin said.
Bobo said with a wag of his tail.
I laughed.
Our phones buzzed again.
Layla: F U, Brady
Layla: How dare U even think of leaving without me?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Layla: Almost there. Hold ur fucking horses. Talk Yoli into givin u road head or somethin while u wait. Make the most of it
Layla: Can’t blame a girl for gettin the best sex of her life, now can u?
Laughing softly, I shook my head at the twins’ antics. So much had changed in such a short time. But some things, it seemed, never would.
Griffin settled back against his seat. Clasped our hands together so our newest ink lined up along our inner forearms: family scrawled in a lowercase script, and immediately below it, FOREVER, in all caps, each letter a combination of pointy-sharp blades and thorns, dripping blood.
And below that, from the biggest drop of blood emerge five rays as of the sun, shooting down from the sky—the rays were the Aquoia’s representation of Sky People; the number five symbolized us.
Layla had made each stroke of art. She, Griffin, Hunt, Brady, and I all wore the same tats, forever linking us together—not that we needed ink for that. Turned out, our preternatural healing aligned with our intentions. We didn’t want to erase our ink, so our bodies didn’t.
Brady’s voice said into my mind from Bonnie.
Layla’s voice said.
she trilled giddily into our telepathic channel.
Brady whined.
Trent was the large wolf who’d joined the fight in Magnum’s office. He was one of the few who managed to escape the underground bunker prison on his own, and even without knowing us, he fought alongside us. That automatically made him a-okay in my book.
Much to Layla’s squealing astonishment—“Dreams do come true,” she’d said—wolf shifters are apparently very real, as are other types of shape-shifters, as well as vampires. The world was so much more interesting than I ever guessed.
As soon as Trent got a good whiff of Layla, he’d claimed she was his mate, and he’d hardly left her side since. Layla was all “Trent this” and “Trent that.” Her favorite topic of conversation was his dick, the best on the entire planet, she stated on the regular.
But absolutely not. No way. Griff’s was. I’d gotten plenty acquainted with it in the six or so months since ripping Magnum’s heart out.
In the rearview mirror, I watched Layla’s Mustang approach, taking the final curve around the institute’s private drive to where we waited just before the gate.
Hers was a 1965 Fastback that she’d inexplicably named Judy.
She’d painted her a satin white, but only as the base of her canvas.
Brilliant artist that she was, Layla had hand painted streamlined tattoos all along Judy’s body in sleek, black, winding lines.
The result was so sexy that Brady hadn’t stopped begging her to do the same to Bonnie.
She said she was too busy gettin’ boned at the moment, but maybe someday.
I said into our link.
Layla said.
When she was close enough that I could make her out, and Trent in the passenger seat, I rolled forward.
I said.
he barked with an excited wag of his tail before settling down on the blanket.
I eased Cleo through the open gate. Bonnie, Bolter, and Judy nosed out behind me.
Hunt called as we caravanned along the city road toward the town’s exit.
Brady yelled.
Griffin grinned beautifully.
Just like there were schools for people with paranormal abilities we hadn’t known about, there were also communities for supes peppered around the world.
Trent was a member of the Rocky Mountain Pack, a wolf-shifter pack that spanned the length of the Rocky Mountains.
Trent lived in a community in Colorado, nestled in the mountains.
We were headed there first. He wanted his pack to meet his mate and her family.
After that, who knew where we’d go next? Trent had also lived with the Smoky Mountain Pack for a brief stint. Their territory aligned with the Great Smoky Mountains. We could visit. Meet more of this incredible supernatural community we’d been a part of and not even known it.
For the very first time in our lives, where we went, how, and when was entirely up to us. We had a home base and an important mission to accomplish.
We’d get back to all that soon.
Right now, what we wanted was the open road.
Expanse.
No limits.
Freedom.
The familiar undulating tree line of Ridgemore whipped by, and before long, there it was: the exit sign, the one we hadn’t been able to escape.
I slowed Cleo to a crawl. Griffin linked our fingers together. He raised our joined hands and kissed the back of mine, then held on until I needed to shift gears.
I read the exit sign.
Layla said.
I suggested.
Brady said.
Hunt added.
Griff said.
Then I gunned Cleo. Shifted into third, fourth, then fifth, rocketing out of town.
My friends were on our tail as we zipped by a view that was already new and unfamiliar.
We were leaving behind so many lies—good fucking riddance.
Up ahead was the future—and it was wholly ours.
Here was our new beginning.
All fucking ours.
Hunt sang.
Layla echoed.
Our joint laughter rang into our bond as we zoomed forward into the unknown.
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