Epilogue
Flowers. They were in Lula’s red hair, tucked in the vents of the truck, woven in a chain around her wrist. The wild asters we’d created with the god’s spell were still fresh and alive, swinging from the rearview mirror, sending the sweet scent of honeysuckle into the air.
She’d found the flowers alongside the road, pulled off, and picked them, holding them to her nose to smell, and laughing at my scowl as she tucked them into my buttonhole, and behind my ear.
“We’re running from a god,” I reminded her, as the morning sun drenched her in yellow light making her absolutely glow.
“I know. Oregon. I know where we’re going.”
“You don’t seem worried about it.” She stood on tiptoe to tuck a second flower in my hair.
“He’s dead,” she said. “He’s dead, Brogan.” Her smile was bright, but tears gathered like liquid silver in her eyes.
“Love.” I brushed the tears away.
She huffed a laugh. “I’m not sad. I’m not. I’m happy. It’s just…I didn’t know…for decades…I didn’t know if we’d ever find him. If we’d ever…”
“We did,” I said. “Broke time for it, have the scars from it. No regretting that from me. Knowing that monster will never take another breath…can never touch you again…”
My voice choked on the anger and sorrow rising in my throat. I pushed away the old memories of our attack, focusing instead on the living breathing woman standing in front of me.
“Never,” I said. “He’s dead and gone. If that’s the only thing we get out of this mess, of all the gods and monsters and time and sorrow…it’s worth it.”
She pressed her fingertips gently to the corner of my eyes, wicking away the wetness there.
“I love you, Brogan Gauge.”
“I love you, Lula Gauge.”
She lifted on her toes again, her hand warm and soft against my face. When we kissed, her lips were honey and wine.
“We just take the next step, right?” she asked softly.
“All we have to do is drive across New Mexico, through Arizona, into California, and then leave the Route and get to Oregon. Easy.”
“While gods hunt us,” she said.
“Yep,” I agreed. “While gods hunt us…and help us,” I added a little reluctantly.
She smiled, her eyes crinkling. “Trusting the gods—some of them—” she said, “hasn’t been wrong. Cupid gave you back to me.”
“I was never gone from you, not for a moment.”
“I know. But you’re here. I can touch you, hear you breathe, hear you laugh.”
“You like my laugh?”
“I do. I didn’t think we’d have a chance at…this.”
“At what? Running from the gods with a spell book of magic so powerful even the two people who should be able to wield it can’t?”
“No, not that.”
“Having somehow adopted the rabbit in the moon, her angry kitten shadow, and their unending search for cookies?”
The smile grew. “Not that.”
“Making friends with monster hunters who should, by all rights be hunting us, a wizard who is on the run from the most powerful wizards in the world, and catching the attention of more gods than I can name?”
“Not even that.”
“All right. What didn’t you think we’d get a chance at then?”
“Life,” she said. “Love.”
“Ah, now,” I said. “We’ve always had love. It’s the one thing no power—not life, not even death—can take away.”
And oh, how she kissed me again.
But now, here in the truck, driving the morning hours away with Abbi perched on her knees looking out the side window, Lorde sleeping contentedly with her head on my foot, and my arm around Lula, I took a moment.
To close my eyes.
To inhale the scent of flowers, dusty road, and crisp, fresh air.
To savor the sensation of the tires thrumming over the old concrete, Lula’s hand steady on the wheel.
Lula was humming. That was new too. Singing softly to the country song on the radio.
A song sweetly pining for country roads to take someone home.
And while our road was long, couldn’t I almost see the end?
And while our road was dangerous, couldn’t I hold a spark of hope that we would survive?
And while we would face the monsters who wanted us dead, powers that wanted to corrupt us, gods who saw us as nothing more than things to be broken and cast aside, wouldn’t we still fight?
We would run, yes. Run to Ordinary. But Ordinary wasn’t our home. I didn’t know if any road could take us home.
But here—right here—in this moment of sunlight, blue sky, ancient plateaus, and plains, this was home.
Because we were together.
Together still, no matter the horrors and pain.
Together still, wearing wildflowers no one would even notice.
Together still, and always home.
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Thank you for reading!