Epilogue
Cleo
Six months after returning to the valley, I stood in the observation lounge of Maya and Rykar’s Sola, watching Rezor hold a baby.
He didn’t even need arms. The entire infant fit in his two hands, and Maya’s baby was not tiny by baby standards.
The two-month-old blinked up at the huge male, whose eyes were a soft blue as they gazed down on the half Destran, half human child.
It was the most adorable thing I’d ever seen in my entire life.
“He’s so gentle,” Maya said from beside me, her own smile soft as she watched my mate and her daughter. “For someone so large, that is.”
Rezor cradled little Jesi with the careful reverence of someone handling something both precious and slightly terrifying.
The infant was making those random baby sounds that had no meaning but somehow communicated entire paragraphs.
Rezor responded to each one with utter seriousness, nodding along like they were having a profound conversation.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile like that,” Zara observed, leaning against the viewport. “I didn’t think he could look like that.”
“He does when he’s around things that fascinate him,” I said. “He was the same way the first time we visited the Destran Council chambers and he saw the historical archives.”
“Comparing my daughter to a dusty library,” Maya said dryly. “Every mother’s dream.”
“A very important library,” Zara added with a nod. “One with irreplaceable artifacts and—okay, that’s not helping, is it?”
Maya laughed and shook her head. Motherhood suited her. She looked tired—the kind of exhaustion that came with a newborn who didn’t understand that nighttime was for sleeping—but happy. Deeply, contentedly happy in a way I’d never seen before.
“How are you holding up?” I asked. “Really?”
“Exhausted. Terrified. Completely in love.” She watched Rykar move closer to Rezor, the two males now engaged in what appeared to be a serious discussion about the proper way to support an infant’s head.
“I never thought I’d have this. A family.
A daughter. But now that she’s here, I can’t imagine my life any other way. ”
“She’s beautiful,” I said, meaning it. Jesi had her mother’s delicate features and her father’s shifting-tone coloring. She was currently trying to shove her tiny fist inside her mouth, and he looked absolutely transfixed.
“She is,” Maya agreed. “And she’s going to see so much of the galaxy.
We’re planning a trip to Destra when she’s a year old, and we’ll be visiting whenever we can.
I want her to see where her father’s people came from.
The planet they’re rebuilding.” She glanced around at the living walls around us.
“The Sola has calmed down and become so balanced, she can take a little time with us not here. Or we might convince her to travel there, if the residents here approve.”
“Destra,” I repeated, still getting used to the official name for what we’d all been calling “the D’tran planet” for months.
The Destran Council had proposed it, and since both the Destran and D’tran species shared the same letters, both peoples had accepted it enthusiastically.
A name that honored both species, both histories.
“The power grid project should be mostly finished by then. We’ll have power bases over most of the planet. ”
“How’s that going?” Zara asked. “Last I heard, you were dealing with some supply chain issues.”
“Resolved. Mostly.” I grimaced at the memory of the journey to the nearest, and most sketchy, supply station. “Turns out, it’s not easy to set up conduits at scale. We had to completely build it from scratch.”
“Sounds thrilling,” Zara said dreamily, with no irony whatsoever. Huge, impossible projects were the stuff of Zara’s dreams.
“It was, actually.” I grinned at her expression. “There’s something satisfying about revamping old systems and making them work better. Plus, the valley’s engineers are incredible. Good help is eighty percent of the project. Ancient knowledge combined with new technology—it’s fascinating.”
“You’re glowing,” Maya observed. “You know that, right? You get this look when you talk about the work you’re doing. Like you’ve found exactly where you’re supposed to be.”
Had I? Six months ago, I’d been terrified that choosing Rezor meant losing myself. That staying in the valley would feel like being caged. But instead, I’d found something unexpected. Balance.
“It helps that I’m not stuck in one place,” I admitted. “We’ve been traveling a bit. Rezor is more of an explorer than I thought he’d be. He’s like a kid in a candy store every time we visit somewhere new.”
“Really?” Zara’s eyebrows rose. “I didn’t peg him as the adventurous type. He seemed pretty attached to his valley.”
“He is. But he’s also curious about everything.
” I watched him carefully pass the baby to her father, then listen intently to something Torven was explaining.
“Last month, we visited Calisto Prime’s capital city.
He spent three hours in their transportation museum examining ground transport designs.
Three hours, Zara. I had to physically drag him out. ”
“In my defense,” Rezor called—apparently we weren’t being as quiet as I’d thought—“I didn’t know we had dinner reservations.”
“The museum was about to close anyway,” I added. “And the meal was excellent.”
Zara grinned. “So he’s a nerd. I approve. Torven is the same way with ship hull designs.”
“They each serve different purposes,” Torven protested. “Depending on the purpose of the ship and the conditions they’re required to fly in.”
“See?” Zara gestured at him. “Nerds. I’m surrounded by nerds.”
“You’re a nerd,” Maya said, stating the obvious.
“I know,” Zara admitted with a smile. “Though I’ll be happy when the earthquake assessment I’m working on is finished. Four more sites to evaluate, then we can take an actual break instead of just a quick layover to visit the baby.”
“How’s that going?” I asked. “The planet with the earthquake issues?”
“Interesting.” Zara’s expression shifted to something more serious. “The seismic activity is increasing in frequency and intensity. We’re trying to determine if it’s natural tectonic movement or if there’s something else causing it. Some of the readings don’t make sense yet.”
“Be careful,” I said.
“Always am.” She squeezed my arms. “But enough about work. Tell me more about life in the valley. You’re really happy there?”
The question held weight. Six months ago, she’d watched me board that ship looking like I was being torn in half. Now she was trying to figure out if I’d made the right choice.
“I am,” I said simply. “Really happy. It’s a work in progress right now, but it’s home.”
“Home,” Maya echoed. “Not a prison?”
“Definitely not a prison.” I glanced over at Rezor again and caught him looking at me with that expression that still made my heart skip. “I love the work I’m doing on the power grid. Not because I have to do it, but because that’s where I want to be.”
“With him,” Zara said.
“With him,” I agreed. “The valley is changing so fast. Every week brings new visitors, new ideas, new possibilities. We’re building something incredible there.
A bridge between the old world and the new one.
Between D’tran traditions and galactic technology.
It’s challenging and exciting and sometimes completely overwhelming. ”
“But you love it,” Maya said.
“I love it.” I felt the truth of it settle over me. “I can have Rezor and the valley and my friends and my work and my freedom to explore. It’s not either-or. It’s all of it, together.”
“Look at you,” Zara said. “All grown up and emotionally healthy.”
“Shut up,” I said, but I was smiling.
Across the room, Jesi started fussing. Rykar lifted his daughter to his shoulder with practiced ease and rocked her gently.
“She’s hungry,” he said, already heading toward where Maya stood. “Someone needs her mama.”
Maya took Jesi, settling into a chair to feed her. Rezor came over to join me, his marks still glowing softly with residual warmth from holding the baby.
“She’s so small,” he said, his voice filled with wonder. “And soft.”
“They have to be,” I said. “Otherwise birthing them would be a bigger deal than it already is.”
He winced and slipped an arm around my waist, pulling me against his side. “It makes me think about what our children might look like. If we’re compatible.”
We’d been tested last month. The results wouldn’t be back for another few weeks, but the Destran medical team seemed optimistic. Something about genetic markers that suggested cross-compatibility was possible.
“We’ll find out soon,” I said, leaning into him. “But even if we can’t have biological children, there are other options. And we’ll have each other no matter what.”
“True.” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “I just want a future with you. However that looks.”
“Me too.” I turned to look up at him. “Are you ready to go home tomorrow?”
His whole face lit up. “Yes. I miss the valley. Miss our bed. Miss the quiet of our mountains.”
“Miss the endless council meetings?” I teased.
“Well. Not those.” He grimaced. “But I even miss Zelana and her prophecies, which should tell you how much I want to be home.”
I laughed. “Home sounds perfect. I have three system upgrades to finish, and Venith wants my help with the new water filtration design.”
“And I have crops to inspect and trade negotiations to finalize.” He sighed happily. “Boring, normal, wonderful home things.”
“Boring and normal,” I repeated. “Six months ago, those words would have terrified me.”
“And now?”
“Now they sound exactly right.” I stretched up to kiss him.
His marks flared bright, and his smile was radiant. “Yes, they do.”
The following day, we said our goodbyes—promises to visit again soon, reminders about the upcoming trip to Destra, warnings from Zara about working too hard. Maya hugged me tight, Jesi pulled at one of my curls with a shriek of laughter.
“I’m glad you found this,” she whispered. “You deserve to be happy.”
“So do you,” I whispered back. “Thank you. For everything. For being my friend. For coming to rescue me. For helping me figure out what I actually wanted.”
“Anytime.” She pulled back with a smile. “Now go home. Your valley is waiting.”
A few nights later, as our shuttle approached Destra’s atmosphere, I watched the planet come into view.
From space, you could see both the scarred lands where weather towers had stood and the green patches where restoration was taking hold.
The valley was a bright spot in the mountains, lush and alive and beautiful.
Home.
I reached for Rezor’s hand, lacing our fingers together. His marks glowed warm against my skin.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Ready,” I said. “Let’s go home.”
And we did. Together. Exactly as it should be.
I hope you enjoyed Cleo and Rezor’s story! If you’re curious for more about these two, check out this BONUS EPILOGUE by signing up for my newsletter. I usually send them twice a month, and you can unsubscribe at any time!
Get ready for the final book in the Return to Destra series!
Ruins of Destiny is #4 and features Baleck and the woman who captures his heart.
Baleck
I’m staying on Destrani to help the D’tran integrate with the wider galaxy, but that’s not the only reason I can’t leave.
Iris—the human operative with the scarred face and a hundred weapons—fascinates me in ways I don’t fully understand.
As a communications specialist, I pride myself on reading people, but she’s completely unreadable.
Disciplined. Guarded. Beautiful. When we discover a Brakken probe threatening this fragile world, I know we’re in danger.
What I don’t expect is how working with Iris ignites my mating instincts.
She’s mine. I’m certain of it. Now I just need to convince her before our enemies make their move.
Iris
I don’t do relationships. I’ve survived by staying alone, staying sharp, trusting no one.
But Baleck keeps slipping past my defenses with his easy smiles and genuine warmth, making me want things I have no right to want.
When a D’tran conspiracy puts me in the hands of our enemies, I expect to save myself.
Instead, Baleck comes for me, and everything I thought I knew about connection shatters.
He says I’m his fated mate. I think he’s going to break my heart.
But first, we have to survive what’s coming.