Epilogue - Deslen
“I’m beginning to think Aniyah did that on purpose.” Conrad collapsed onto the sofa, huffing like a man who just came back from a battlefield.
I didn’t blame him. I’d watched Nova’s little sister Aniyah and her grandfather corner him.
She kept firing off explicit questions with enthusiasm as Syris nodded solemnly, urging him to “speak freely, boy,” while giving him a look that promised judgment if he did and judgment if he didn’t.
Conrad tried to keep his cool and remain unflustered, but the red on his neck was a dead giveaway.
I’d been too nervous to jump in those waters. If anyone could wade through that shark tank with all limbs intact, it was Conrad. He had a way of smiling through awkwardness, so I left him to it.
Zeth snorted and cracked open a Hellscape beer, chugging half before dropping onto the armchair.
“Count your blessings,” he muttered. “You got the fun pair. Meanwhile, I had Ezra breathing down my goddamn neck about how I let all of this happen, then Calix breathing down my neck, chewing me out or contradicting every goddamn thing I said.” He shuddered.
“I can handle Calix’s temper. But Ezra’s death stare?
” His shoulders trembled. “Feels like she’s peeling your soul open with a serrated knife while deciding what parts she wants to keep. ”
He wasn’t wrong. I was much bigger, more physically intimidating than Ezra, but when her eyes met mine, it felt like the room darkened. Like something with claws and smoke, a deadly hunger that pressed in close, sniffing at my thoughts. I hadn’t felt fear like that since I was a cub.
That woman had the same coloring as my mate’s eyes, but the souls that looked back were completely different.
The one thing I could say for sure about Ezra was that her loyalty to her siblings was unmatched.
The way she always kept her eyes on them, her ear turned to whatever they were saying and doing, cataloging it all.
It was both awe inspiring and terrifying.
She was a woman who’d go on a war path, destroying anyone in her way, for those that she loved.
I was just glad my mate was one of them.
Nick wandered in, drying his hands on a towel, jaw tight. “Okay,” he growled, bracing his hands on his hips. “Are they always that… intense?”
“Yes,” Zeth said instantly, taking another swig.
He pointed the mouth of his beer at us. “I told you, Nova’s the most grounded. The rest? Absolute chaos gremlins.”
“Riot seemed nice,” Conrad offered with a shrug.
Zeth barked a laugh. “Sure. Until the air blades come out and she needs a moving target. She doesn’t blink when she cuts someone apart. She enjoys it. They don’t call her the Red Artist because she paints sunsets.”
The Red Artist? I was going to need to read up on her siblings so I didn’t embarrass my mate.
A question itched across my skull, finally pushing its way out. “What about her parents?”
Zeth’s grin widened, softening with old admiration.
“Her parents—all six of them—are cool in their own way.” Then he snorted, lost in some memory, before jabbing a finger at me.
“But don’t ever turn your back on Lex. If he’s feeling froggy, he’ll knock you out just to play a game of ‘find your limbs.’ Says it’s a bonding exercise. ”
He chuckled as he took another long swig. “The only one who can shut him down is Rayla, Nova’s mom. If she snaps her fingers, he falls to his knees and begs for more.”
I couldn’t help the smile tugging at my mouth.
Hearing about her parents reminded me of my old shadow, the pack I’d grown up with.
The men were brutal, fierce males who fought tooth and claw for territory and pride, but they crumbled in adoration of their mate with equal ferocity.
Savage and loyal. Deadly and soft in the ways only family could see. Safe and protected with each other.
Zeth stretched out. “They should be back from their world travels soon.”
Warmth bloomed through my chest. I’d known Nova came from a big family, but I hadn’t realized how tightly they clung to each other.
How close this family really was. It echoed something old inside me, memories of my youth, of my own people before the war tore us apart.
So many voices. So much love, even among the violence and duty to the royals.
It was comforting to know that if fate ever took us from her, she wouldn’t be alone. She’d have a small army of blood and loyalty to hold her together. That thought let something in my chest unclench, my worry softening into the wind.
In Brazil, I’d heard whispers about the Syndicate family, rulers of the supernatural world in America.
They were to be feared and respected, or else you’d meet a painful doom.
Seeing them now… I understood it. Knowing Nova belonged to them only made my pride burn brighter.
Fate had paired me with a perfect mate, a warrior queen.
The door swung open, and all of us turned as if pulled by the same string.
Nova stepped in, hair wild, except for the braid sweeping one side. Her silhouette was as sharp as a blade, but those sunset-pink eyes held the soft vulnerability she showed only to us since that night in that cave.
My heart sang at the sight.
“Wow,” she said, blowing out an exaggerated breath. “Didn’t think it’d take that long to get them to the hangar and say goodbye. It’s not like we won’t talk again in a few days.” She shook her head before looking at us, wincing like she was sorry for what we’d endured.
“Okay, first of all, I’m sorry Calix was such an asshole.
” She rolled her eyes and threw up both hands as she moved toward us, blowing out a frustrated breath.
“I get that he’s my big brother and that gives him some cosmic right to act like an asshole guard dog, but did he have to be such an asshole? ”
Nova dropped onto the couch beside Conrad, exhaustion rolling off her in waves. His hands instinctively slid to her shoulders, kneading into the knots. Her eyes fluttered shut, and a soft, satisfied sound slipped from her lips, one that made my tongue swipe across my own without thinking.
“Aniyah was…” she started, then gave up with a helpless laugh. “I mean—Riot is nice, right?”
“Sure,” Zeth chuckled, giving all of us a look before he passed his beer to her.
She grabbed it greedily and drained it in two long gulps.
“She only spent twenty minutes describing how long it takes to torture someone with a metal rod, then casually switched over to which tools make prettier blood splatter. Totally nice.”
Nova groaned into her hands, laughing at herself. “They’re not that bad. I swear.”
“Ezra scared the hell out of me,” Nick piped up earnestly as he came up behind her.
Every single one of us nodded. Even Nova.
“Yeah. She scares me sometimes, too.” Nova shrugged, then rolled her shoulders back into Conrad’s hands. “But you get used to it. And the fact that you all survived?” She smiled wide. “Means they approve.”
Conrad worked his thumb into a spot under her shoulder blade. Nova arched, a sound caught between relief and pleasure slipping from her.
“And they don’t mind that two of your mates are turned?” he asked quietly. His face was crafted into a calm mask, but his eyes showed just a sliver of hesitation. Of fear.
Her head tipped back, a small smile stretching across her lips.
“The Syndicate does value power and strength, but we already have that.
What's more important to us now is trust and loyalty. That is priceless.” Her expression softened.
She leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.
“As long as you are dedicated to me and the Syndicate, everything will be fine.”
Zeth snorted. “What she means is that you won’t end up in the Syndicate dungeon with her family taking turns showing you every flavor of pain until you’re halfway to madness then dragging you back to life to do it all over again.”
He grinned around the rim of his bottle. “You know, that kind of fine.”
Honestly? That felt perfectly reasonable given what was at stake and who they were.
I turned my attention back to Nova, who was currently biting the inside of her lip, which meant Conrad had hit the spot.
His hands worked the muscles lower on her back, and she melted under his touch.
Her mouth parted, soft and inviting, and heat rolled through me so fast my pulse stumbled. Everything she does makes me want her.
Her eyes snapped open and locked onto mine, hot and knowing. That golden thread between us tugged, and I knew she felt my sentiment through the bond.
I gave her a slow and deliberate smile. If my mate wanted more, I’d give her everything.
*Rising from my spot near the wall, I crossed the room toward her. Her gaze tracked me with the focus of a predator watching something it wanted to devour. When I knelt in front of her, her breath stuttered. My palms slid up her thighs, coaxing rather than claiming.
“So, my mate… my soul…” I murmured against her thigh, feeling her quiver at my fingertips. “Now that your family’s given their blessing, I feel like we should prove our worth.”
Her hips shifted, and her tongue swept across her bottom lip. A silent invitation.
“If that’s what you want,” she breathed.
My hands stilled, grip tightening just enough to stop her squirming. “Oh, no, meu amor. That’s not how this works.”
My jeans grew tight, constraining, but I ignored it. This wasn’t about me. This was about her.
“You see,” I said, leaning closer, my voice dropping to a low rumble, “we’re always going to want you.”
The air shifted as the others moved in, surrounding her with their heated presence.
“Always craving this strong, irresistible body.” Sliding my hands up her thighs and around her waist, I teased the skin there.
“Wanting to keep you here, locked away with us until the days and nights blur together. Knowing nothing but our bodies and pleasure. Nothing but what we can make together.”