Epilogue
I GRADUATED IN May with the rest of my brothers. Then Luke and Hollis’s daughter Eleanor was born, and not long after, Gatlin and Haven’s son, Clayton. I loved being an uncle.
Saxon and I got married in June. We went to the courthouse and had my brothers and Zander as witnesses. We didn’t have a ceremony or a reception. I would plan one for after our son was born. That’s right. We were having a boy.
I spent the summer working on my graduate school applications. If accepted, I wasn”t going to start classes until the following year. All of my English lit professors assured me I had nothing to worry about.
In my free time, I was nesting, even though the baby wasn’t due until December. In the fall, I spent as much time watching Eleanor and Clayton as possible. I’d never spent much time around kids, and now I was going to have one of my own. An enhanced one, who’d eventually have abilities that I didn’t possess.
Saxon took over as heir, with the stipulation that it was temporary, and that he would put me and the baby first. It wasn’t always smooth sailing. Sometimes he was in meetings for hours, trying to build the clan into something functional and healthy. Sometimes he left on a trip, chasing a demon halfway around the world, and of course I fretted the entire time worrying about him. Sometimes he had to engage with the demons, and so far all of them had been hostile. He
But he took Simon with him, and Simon seemed to be doing well with the training. Saxon had also reconnected with many of the Fae in his clan, and they were proving to be a valuable resource for backing him up. Larsen had stayed loyal and was off chasing leads in Scandinavia all summer.
I hated that it was necessary, but at the same time I could see that Saxon took pride in rebuilding the clan. The demons had not made a big move so far, and Saxon thought maybe they were reassessing how smart it was to stage a half-ass invasion with only seventy demons. However, he wasn’t letting his guard down, not for a second. Once I moved into his house, he had me and the house both covered in protective spells. His mother and aunt had been behaving themselves as much as possible. They only showed up unaccounted when Saxon was home, and they only made a few judgmental comments about the nursery I’d set up.
I did rest a little easier now that the vow was in place. It stipulated that none of the clan could try and take our child from me, or even exert undue influence. Simon and Saxon’s mother were the only ones who were bound to it, but they were considered responsible for making sure none of the other Fae tried either. The penalty remained death.
We planned a big Thanksgiving. Hollis insisted on hosting at his and Luke’s penthouse condo. Since my brothers’ apartment was so small, we all cooked at Hollis’s place. Everyone was there: Hollis, Haven, Cason, Ace, Baylor and me. As well as Luke, Gatlin, Saxon and my cousin Zander, and both babies, who were now old enough for a high chair.
Baylor made a face as he placed the sweet potatoes onto the table. “But Luke can’t eat. Won’t he be bored?”
“He’ll have plenty to drink,” Hollis said with a smirk.
“God,” Ace groaned. “I don’t want to know about your kinky sex practices.”
“Then don’t ask.”
“I didn’t ask.”
“You kinda did,” Zander said.
They started wrestling after that, and I ducked out of the kitchen. No one was letting me help, since I was only a few days away from my due date.
Saxon followed me out and rubbed my back. “Feeling okay?”
“Just ready for dinner.”
We sat around a table Luke had made just for this occasion. It seated all ten of us comfortably. We ate and talked until nearly everything was gone. Luke might not be able to eat, but Gatlin more than made up for it with his wolf-shifter portions.
And so did I. I’d never had a big appetite, but man, this baby made me hungry. I ate mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, turkey, ham and bread. I put Clayton next to me and fed him mashed potatoes while Saxon handed Eleanor green beans. Both babies were more advanced than a human would be at six months.
Once we were done eating, Ace groaned. “I’ll never eat again.”
“Good. More for me. I’ll get the pie,” I said. I held my hand up. “No protests. I can carry a pie.”
I could not, in fact, carry a pie. As soon as I got to the counter, sharp pain shot across my back. I was proud to say I didn’t drop the cherry pie. I got it back on the counter and then I hit the floor.
“Saxon,” I said. The pain hit again.
Haven got to me first. “You’re having contractions.”
Right. I was due in one week. Haven’s baby had been born at home, but I had a c-section scheduled for Monday, December 1st. The obstetrician was concerned that the baby was too big to fit through my pelvis. The Fae healers agreed, so we chose an elective c-section.
Saxon knelt beside me. “Can I pick you up?”
“No. Oh hell no.”
“Danny, I have to. The baby is ready, and we need to get to the hospital.” He didn’t ask again, but reached down and scooped me up. I screamed. The pain was blinding now.
“The pies,” I said.
“We’ll save them for you,” Cason said. “I’ll get you a piece as soon as you can have one.”
“Okay,” I said, panting through the agony.
“His heart rate is too high,” Luke said to Saxon. “I can hear it. I’ll drive. Let’s go.”
The baby was in distress? I couldn’t feel him moving, but I couldn’t get the words out.
Haven was crying, and Hollis’s face was white. He had Eleanor clutched to him. Luke didn’t look much better. Hollis had almost died having Eleanor, and all of us had been there to witness it.
Then my vision went blurry. Saxon didn’t give me time for any goodbyes. He got me into the SUV and then everything went black.
***
I woke up to Saxon staring right at my face. Before I could ask, he lifted a bundle and put it next to my face. “Meet Newton.”
I tried to lift my arms, but they were sluggish. Something moved beside me. It was Cason. He stuffed a pillow under my left arm and Saxon placed the bundle into my arms, staying close. “Say hello to our son.”
“Hi Newton,” I said, tipping my head down to rest against his. We’d struggled over baby names at first. I obviously wasn’t going to be using any family names, and Saxon was reluctant to use any of his as well. We didn’t want to choose a Fae name, and bury our child under the weight of Fae expectations, so we just looked through a list of names until we found something we both liked.
“He’s okay?” He looked healthy. His face was round and pink and his little lips were pursed. His eyes fluttered open, and they were the exact same shade as Saxon’s.
“He’s fine,” Saxon said. “You were the one who was in danger. You developed a very sudden, very extreme form of preeclampsia. As soon as we got to the hospital the doctor did a c-section.”
“I feel okay now.”
“Most of the symptoms have resolved, thank God.” He put his hand in my hair, just rubbing through it. He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “Plus I was able to transfer a little of my Fae magic to you through our bond.”
That sounded good to me.
Cason got up from his chair. “I’m going to let you three have some family time. But let me get a picture first. Just be aware that everyone else is outside, raring to come in here.” He checked his watch. “I’d guess that you have about twenty minutes before someone busts in.”
I laughed. “We’ll be glad to see them.”
Cason got his phone camera ready and Saxon helped me sit up a little. I pulled the blanket away from Newton’s face so he’d be visible as well. Saxon sat down beside us and wrapped his arm around me. I knew I was beaming, and Saxon couldn’t take his eyes off of Newton long enough to look at the camera.
My family.A year ago I was terrified of all Alphas. Now I was in love with my Alpha mate, and I had a baby that I adored, and I had my brothers and my cousin just waiting to meet him.