Epilogue #2
My heart grew two sizes every time he did that with my mom. For some reason, he always showed extra tenderness with her, and part of me believed it was because he’d inherited the love his father felt, for the woman who brought him back when he had lost his way.
Bj?rn giving his life for Isis that day had been a true miracle because as it turned out, Isis was two months pregnant at the time.
He’d not only saved her life but his son’s as well.
Turning away from the others, I walked to the balcony, trying to hide the tears prickling my eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered when I felt Isis stand beside me. “It’s not my intention to make you sad, especially not this weekend when you are finally home, and we are celebrating. I just miss him.”
She reached for my cheek, wiping the tear that scaped me, and when I looked at her, I found the same emotion in her eyes.
“I miss him too,” she confessed, but a beautiful smile illuminated her face. “Yet, when I do, I just feel happy because that was exactly what he wanted. For us to remember all the amazing moments with him and keep him always in our hearts.”
“That’s true.”
“I love it when little bear blinks like that,” I almost cried it was so freaking cute. “It reminds me so much of Bj?rn. He would be so proud if he saw him.”
Baby Bj?rn could only blink into the energy veil right now, but he did it often because the Ether was part of him too. It called him just like it had his father.
“You know…” A tender look captured Isis’s expression. “The baby blinked the other day for almost an hour. And when he came back, I asked him why he’d been away for so long. He told me he was playing with Daddy.”
My eyes widened. “He did?”
She nodded, eyes shining. “I think they can see each other in the Ether.”
Since Bj?rn left us, I’d learned that Ethereal Faeries didn’t really die. If their essence remained pure during their life, then their energy just returned to the Ether, as Bj?rn’s had done.
In a way, he still lived within its power.
“Move it. We have to go!” Alyce yelled at us from inside, already bathed and changed.
“Dear Goddess,” Isis huffed playfully, and we both rushed into back the apartment.
“When I entered my bedroom, I found André talking to Eugen, his assistant. He helped him run the new South American Clan, but I wasn’t sure about his title yet.
Once André accepted the honor from Dariah, we all decided to move to Brazil. I really wanted to see the place where he was born and raised. Also, living right across from the ocean I’d always wanted to see sounded like a dream come true.
Surprisingly, the locals were far more open to the idea of supernaturals than we anticipated. That changed André’s strategy completely, and it allowed us to assimilate easily into their society.
In the year and a half that we had been here, everyone in Rio already knew who we truly were. We also had two blood donation centers open and running for humans to get Vampiri blood to heal, and to donate to us.
Many local supernaturals had come out of hiding too, creating a beautifully mixed city.
As it turns out, there were a lot of Wolf Shifters here, so Hannes got right to work. He welcomed them into the ReinheitWolfe pack, trained them, and endowed them with knighthood—all of them taking their Vows of Knighthood with pride and hope.
Now, Hannes was about to officially found his Knight Force in Rio to protect the humans.
And Dante… Well, Dante was just being his unapologetically cocky self. More now that he was technically a God.
Oh, Shit. Vanessa!
Using my Vampiress speed, I flashed to the bathroom to shower, before Alyce turned into her Beast, and dragged me out of here by the hair with my bathing suit, sand, and all.
A multitude of drums beat loudly and joyously all around us, igniting the air with festive energy as they announced the arrival of Carnaval!
Exciting applause, loud singing, and laughter mixed with it as the crowds danced and cheered from all sides of the Sambadrome. The multicolored madness of the lights, rhinestones, feathers, and exceptionally created floats filled my soul with the type of euphoria that couldn’t be bought.
Laughter left Alyce and me as we looked at our feet, shaking our hips like crazy, and trying our best to keep up with the drums. Dancing Samba wasn’t for the faint of heart, and though we’d spent the last few months learning with Vanessa, it was still so hard.
When we first started, I thought my Vampiress speed and Wolf Shifter agility would help me learn this in no time… I was wrong.
It made me have a true appreciation for the Passistas, the Samba dancing queens, and understand why they were so revered in their culture.
Almost tripping over each other, Alyce and I stopped, holding on to the pub-style table in the Camarote from where we were watching the parade.
It was essentially a VIP strip of private balconies along the middle of the Sambadrome, nestled between the lower and top seating areas.
Since our family was so large, it was the best option for us.
Also, Dante didn’t like being in the crowd. Party pooper.
He narrowed his eyes at me from the sofa, where he was enjoying his bourbon as he watched me.
“Can you keep a secret?” Alyce asked in my ear, after pulling me away from her brother and André who were talking near the table.
“Um, duh.”
She chuckled, pulling something out of her dress pocket and showing it to me.
My eyes widened when she opened the tiny turquoise box, revealing a titanium ring with a huge pink diamond in the shape of a heart.
“Do you think she’ll like it?” she whispered, quickly hiding it in her pocket again.
“Are you serious? She’s going to scream so loudly we’ll be deaf for a week.”
Alyce bit her lip, love and excitement inundating her eyes. “I’m asking her tonight. After the party.”
“Oh! Your mom is finally going to get off my back and plan your royal wedding instead!” I squealed.
Laughter burst out of her so hard that she had to hold on to me.
“What are you girls talking about?” Hannes asked from the other end, suspicious.
“Nothing.” I glared at him. “Mind your own business, will you?”
“When is your show again?” Alyce asked, so they wouldn’t suspect a thing.
“Next week. My first runway show.” I low-key squealed. “The designer asked me to create looks for his models inspired by the 1960s. I’m excited. I so killed that assignment.”
“That’s so cool! I already have tickets to go support you. I just didn’t remember the date, I swear.”
Never in my wildest dreams did I think that one day I would come out of that mountain in Colorado, and I would get to just be me… Now, I had both my parents back, three extra sexy mates, and an incredible family of supernaturals that made me feel blessed.
In the past two years I’d gotten my Cosmetology license, become a professional makeup artist, had a successful YouTube channel with over ten million followers, and I was the lead makeup artist on my first fashion show.
“Here she comes!!” Isis urged, standing next to my Mom and Dad.
We all rushed to the edge of the balcony, and I took my place next to my dad, who was carrying a bouncing Baby Bj?rn in his arms—dancing to the exhilarating music too.
André hugged me from behind while Hannes and Dante stood at either side of us, and we watched the biggest, most beautiful float roll down the street.
Vanessa’s Samba School float.
Dressed in gorgeous white and silver feathers one hundred of her students led the float on the street, dancing to the crowd while the band played right behind them.
I recognized the song immediately—it was the one their father used to sing to their mom, and André sang for me as we fell in love. Once a slow ballad, had now turned into a jubilant Samba.
Past the band, the beautiful float advanced slowly, extending three levels into the sky. About twenty Passistas occupied the first and second levels, nestled between giant flowers in a multitude of colors and dancing lights that projected toward the sky.
Hidden cannons shot flower confetti onto the crowd every so often, and the people rejoiced as the flowers showered them, making them an intimate part of the experience.
Still, the third level was the most beautiful.
Vanessa stood high on a silver pedestal that rose just for her. Made of stunning white, silver, and pink feathers, and adorned with thousands of rhinestones, that made her sparkle in the night as she danced.
Her body moved in perfect rhythm to the song.
Her arms and shoulders graciously rolled, lifting and lowering as she turned.
A diamond crown sat on her head, filled with long white, pink, and silver feathers that seemed to reach the sky, and a voluptuous tail of the same feathers extended from her lower back.
Her outfit was far more luxurious than that of her students below, and it made her look like a magical bird.
She suddenly stopped with the drums, seeming surprised, shook her shoulders, and lifted her tail, throwing it back playfully before resuming her Samba. People cheered with her gesture, and she twirled for them, waving at the crowd.
Behind her, a large, fan-shaped wall stood tall, showcasing an image that made my eyes water. It was the picture she’d shown me of her, André, and their parents at their last Carnaval together. Her mother was dressed in a glorious Passista outfit… the same one Vanessa now wore.
“Go, Vanessa!” I yelled at the top of my lungs when she neared our balcony, waving at her desperately and hoping she could see us.
“Whoo-hoo!” Dante hollered.
“Vanessa!”
“Over here!” My mom and Isis yelled, too.
I looked up behind me to see André wiping a tear from his cheek, the most dazzling smile I’d ever seen stretching his lips. Letting go of me, he clapped fiercely for her, emotion clear on his face.
“So proud, Vanessa!!” he yelled, another tear of happiness falling. “So proud!!”
Her gaze snapped towards us instantly, and she waved at us excitedly. When her gaze met her brother’s, tears escaped her too, but she wiped them quickly, blowing him thousands of kisses.
“Shake that booty!” Hannes yelled and she turned, shaking her tail feathers for him.
We all laughed.
“Say, hi Aunty Vanessa.” Dad pointed to her for little bear’s sake.
He beamed when his eyes found her, waving at her too. “Hi, Aunty Nessa!”
She made a heart with her hands for him and blew him a kiss just as cheers roared frantically all around us. The crowd recognized her mother in the picture wall behind her since she’d been a famous Passista in her time.
Shaking her shoulders and lifting her tail like she had before, Vanessa twirled and waved at the crowd before resuming her Samba. Filled with such joy, we all waved at her again, screaming as her float rolled past us to continue down the Sambadrome.
André wrapped his arms around me again, the smile of happiness etched on his face while Dante and Hannes patted his back and shoulder, congratulating him for his sister’s debut at Rio de Janeiro’s Carnaval.
Lifting both hands to my face, I had to wipe fresh tears, but they were born from untainted happiness like I never thought I could feel. Destined or not, all our lives had crashed into each other, creating a journey that healed us all.
I couldn’t wait to see what waited for us in the future.
The End