Epilogue – Ethan #3
“Easy, Princess.” Danny tugged on him until he landed back in his lap. “I’m sure Rami’s already taken care of it.”
I winced. Rami hadn’t done anything of the sort because I’d forbidden it. If Riley wanted to murder Dave already, he wasn’t going to like how that part of the story ended.
“Are you saying you went through chemo completely alone?” Tears were rolling freely down Matty’s cheeks now. “Oh, Ethan.”
“We would’ve been there,” Lucky said, his eyes also suspiciously wet. “I get why you didn’t tell us, but I want you to know that. Even if it had meant only being back in your life for a few weeks, we would’ve done that.”
“We would’ve dropped everything,” Riley said, voice thick with emotion. “All of us. Without question.”
“I know,” I said. “I know you would have.”
“No,” Dimitri said suddenly, his horror-struck eyes going over my shoulder to Rami. “What we would’ve done was connected you with Rami, who would’ve healed you instantly. Who would’ve known he was your mate immediately.”
“I had that same realisation a long time ago,” Rami said heavily.
“Didn’t you feel a pull to him?” Dagon asked, intrigued. “He was dying—surely you must’ve felt something?”
“The wards,” Sebastian said, sitting up straighter. “That fucker had his house warded. Did he have them around the hospital too?”
“Yes.” Rami nodded against my shoulder. “I could sense Ethan nearby, but only while he travelled between them.”
“That’s why you never said his name,” Ferry said, understanding dawning. “When you asked for our help, you just called him your ‘mate.’ You knew who he was to us.”
Now everyone was glaring at Rami.
“He knew there was a reason I wasn’t in contact,” I said, linking my fingers with Rami’s. “Don’t be angry with him.”
“We’ll decide that,” Sebastian growled.
“I was acting in the best interests of my mate,” Rami said calmly. “And unless any of you want to tell me you wouldn’t do the same, I’m not going to apologise for that.”
A long silence followed Rami’s statement.
Eventually, Riley cleared his throat. “I feel like there’s a big chunk of story we’re missing out on. Why were there wards around Ethan’s house?”
Rami quickly filled them in on Damien. I was content to let him take the lead with this one.
I still had nightmares about what had happened that awful day.
With Nate’s help and the Seraphim’s money, I’d tracked down every family that had been affected that day.
We’d made anonymous donations to their bank accounts, ensuring that funeral costs were covered, and anything else they might need in future.
Money didn’t fix everything, but it sure as shit made life easier.
Rami was right—I wasn’t responsible for Damien’s actions. That knowledge made the guilt a little easier to bear, but it didn’t erase it.
Nothing would.
“Fuck, that’s a lot.” Riley blew out a breath. “I guess that’s all of us who’ve almost died because of some psycho. Or psychos.”
Alarm shot through me. “What?”
“We’ll fill you in after,” Matty said. “Tell us about how you and Rami met first.”
“Yes, we want all the juicy details,” Riley said. “Especially the dirty ones.”
“Rami does seem like he has hidden depths.” Lucky waggled his eyebrows at me.
“On that note,” Rami said, barely suppressing a laugh. “I think it’s safe for us to return to the table.”
All the mates stood, along with Leo and Ferry, leaving the four of us alone again.
“I’ve really missed you all,” I blurted out. “Thank you for listening to me. I know I didn’t deserve your time, but—”
“Oh, shut it, Ethan,” Riley said, leaning over to shove my shoulder gently. “You fucked up, but it’s okay. None of us are perfect, but you know what we are?”
“What?”
“Friends,” Riley said, eyes blazing. “We’re all friends, Ethan.”
“And we’re not letting you ghost us again.” Matty nodded sharply in emphasis. “This is it now.”
“Forever and ever,” Lucky added with a chuckle. “Isn’t it funny that we’ve all ended up mated to supes? We’ve got literally millennia to spend together.”
That thought had my heart soaring. Eternity sounded like a long time, but being surrounded by people who loved you made it worth it.
I looked up to find Rami watching me with a smile. I grinned back, my heart swelling with so much love it almost hurt. Even if the only other one I had was Rami, that alone would make life worth living. Our love could sustain us for millennia.
I wasn’t alone.
Thanks to Rami, I never would be again. And I didn’t just mean because we were mated, but because of everything else that came along with it. Sam and Quill. Darius and Dahlia. The Seraphim and their mates.
He’d even found a way to reconnect me with my old friends.
Thanks to Rami, my life was full. Complete. Happy.
Fate might’ve made it tricky to get here, but they’d rewarded me in the best way possible.
With Rami.
Thank you for reading Enchanted!