Indebted Epilogue

by Pepper Winters

  “Where are you taking me?” I asked as we left the driveway and cut into the woods. Together, we followed the path where we’d been for a run, skirting past the graves of my ancestors.

  My heart clenched, recalling the day we’d tended to the awful moor and made it a better resting place. After discussing the graves with my father and brother, we all decided to leave them where they were buried. However, we re-blessed the ground, had new tombstones engraved, and ensured the hilltop only held good manifestations rather than ill will.

  It was fitting that both Weavers and Hawks were buried on the estate and had followed through with legalities for a personal graveyard permit, so we were fully within the law. I didn’t visit often, but had no intention of hiding any of our history from our children when the time came.

  Including Jacqueline.

  I’d begun to tell her about our shared lineage but hadn’t gotten very far.

  We’d met five times over the past two years.

  To begin with it was awkward and confusing to stare at a stranger who’d shared a womb and birthday. But slowly, we turned from polite acquaintances to pleasant friends. We had plans to take Kes to see her next month up in Cornwall.

  She didn’t have children of her own and had only just married her long term partner, Joseph. She was my sister…but it would take time to become family.

  “Somewhere special.” Jethro smiled in the dark. “I thought we’d walk off dinner...that okay?”

  “Of course, more than okay.” My mind raced with how to tell him the news.

  A snuffling sound came from the undergrowth. I froze, peering into the bush, searching for a hedgehog or badger.

  Squirrel came bounding out of the undergrowth, weaving around Jethro’s legs.

  “Bolly, what the hell are you doing out of the kennels?” Jethro scowled. “How the devil did he get out?”

  I grinned, dropping to my haunches to hug the dog. He’d adopted me on my first night at Hawksridge and was still my favourite of the foxhounds. Jethro no longer hunted, but every now and again, we would gallop across the estate with the baying dogs at our heels.

  The dog yipped, coming to lick my hand. “He can come with us.”

  “We’ll take him back to the stables afterward.” Jethro snapped his fingers. The hound heeled obediently.

  Silence fell as Jethro and I moved further into the woods. The moon only illuminated so much, but our eyes adjusted. Following an animal path, we popped out in a little clearing where a few ferns and foxglove bowed in sleep.

  I turned to Jethro to tell him my news, but his mouth landed on mine, hushing everything I wanted to say.

  “Would you play a game with me, Mrs. Hawk?”

  I grinned, his skin silver in the moonlight. “A game? What sort of game?”

  His teeth nipped their way to my ear. “A game to replace bad memories with good.”

  We’d done that with every debt. The octagonal greenhouse had become a favourite place for kinky sex and the lake shed its stigma of the ducking stool and became a prized picnic spot. We’d rechristened Hawksridge Hall with so many happy memories over the past few years.

  My heart raced. “You have me intrigued. Go on.”

  He chuckled. “Remember that first day? When you ran for your life to the boundary? I told you to run. That I would chase you. And when I found you…you gave me the best fucking blow-job of my life.”

  I shivered. “I remember.”

  “I want to chase you again, Nila.”

  My eyes widened at the naughty, delicious thought of what he would do to me when he caught me. “Naked or dressed?”

  His eyes flashed. “Run while you’re dressed. It won’t stop me from claiming what’s mine when I catch you.”

  I panted, backing away from his arms. Already breathless, I had no idea if I’d be able to run very far. Not that I wanted to. But the sheer thrill of running from the man I loved, knowing what he would do when he stopped me, sent my blood racing. “How much head start do I get?”

  “A few minutes.” He bent and grabbed Squirrel by the scruff. “I’ll have my friend here to help me. Just like I did that day.” His lips twisted into a sexy smirk. “I suggest you run fast, Needle. Otherwise, I’ll have you on the ground and my cock between your legs before you’ve gone a few metres.”

  Swiping my hair into a ponytail, I secured it with an elastic. “Okay.” My nipples ached, and I grew shamefully wet. Walking backward, I smiled coyly. “Bet I get farther than you think.”

  “I suggest you stop taunting me and start running…”

  “Let’s see who will win.” Pirouetting, I took off. My ballet flats flew, hurtling me away from Jethro.

  The intoxication of being able to play and laugh bubbled in my blood. The moment he caught me, he’d take me. And once he’d claimed what was rightfully his—what would always be his—I’d tell him my news.

  Leaping over a fallen log, I darted through the undergrowth, not caring I crunched twigs or crashed through large leaves. He would find me. And I wanted him to.

  True to his word, he gave me a few minutes head start before Squirrel’s howl sounded on the night sky, signalling his chase.

  I ducked and parried around trees and roots, doing my best to get far. But instead of fear, I sparked with laughter and love.

  “Are you running? Because I’m chasing.” Jethro’s baritone whipped through bracken.

  I ran faster, my hair tie coming loose and ebony strands cascading down my back as I tore through a small everglade and into dense woodland.

  I hoped I’d get farther. But Squirrel found me first.

  His paws thundered behind me, reminding me he’d ruined my hiding place up the tree that fateful day. Puffing, I ruffled the dog as he ran beside me. His tongue lolling and black eyes bright with excitement. “Even when you were being a traitor, you had my back, didn’t you?”

  Squirrel yipped. I’d never get used to calling him Bolly. That wasn’t his name—not with the bristly tail he had.

  Breathing hard, I entered another small clearing. This one had a few saplings straining for the sky. I went to dash forward, but a hand lassoed around my wrist, yanking me back.

  “Caught you, little Weaver.”

  I shivered, my core clenching with need. “Unhand me, Mr. Hawk. Otherwise, I promise I’ll make your life a living hell.”

  “Never.” He backed me swiftly against a tree, slamming my wrists above my head and biting his way along my collarbone. “I’ve wanted to do this all day.”

  My breath turned into moans as his tongue licked its way down my throat, over my collar, to the dip between my breasts. “Do what?”

  “This.” Spinning me around, he pressed my front against the tree and bent to gather my summery skirt. My skin goosebumped as the sound of his zipper coming undone sent wetness pooling.

  “All day I’ve stared at you. I grew hard for you while you hugged our son. My mouth watered to lick you as you sipped wine at dinner.”

  My throat tightened as Jethro’s hands skated down my body, following my contours, latching onto my hips.

  “You’re so fucking perfect.”

  My back arched in his hold. The hot steel of his erection nudged between my legs. “Open wider, pretty Weaver. I need you, and I need you hard.”

  I jolted with the thickest, quickest desire I’d ever felt. My feet spread as Jethro tugged my skirt up.

  “Jethro…”

  “Let me do this.”

  “I’d let you do anything.”

  “Christ.”

  Lifting one foot, I allowed him to yank down my knickers and stepped out of them, moaning as he wedged me against the tree again, thrusting his hips against my arse.

  I struggled to get my hands free, reaching behind me to stroke his side. “I need…I need to touch you.”

  “No, you need to let me fuck you.”

  “Do it, then. Take me. I’m all yours.”

  “Shit, Nila.” His hands shook as his fingers dug into my s
kin. “I’m going to take you. Right. Fucking. Now.” Grabbing my hips, he slammed inside me.

  “Oh, my God.” My head shot back as Jethro’s large length took possession of everything I was. He wasn’t gentle. He wasn’t kind. He was a man taking what he wanted.

  I had no thought of the gift inside my womb. I had no thoughts at all but him inside me and the feral way we joined.

  I’d never felt such bliss or baser desires. We were two animals fucking in the middle of a forest. All alone aside from the moon and stars.

  Grabbing my wrists again, he held them above my head as his teeth clamped around my throat. He groaned, thrusting hard, impaling every inch inside me.

  “Fuck, I love you.” His voice poured more fuel onto the already blazing lust and my core fisted his length, begging for more, fearing how hard he would take me.

  “Oh, God, it’s so good. You feel…” My eyes snapped closed as he rode me. His pace was furious and brutal, the pleasure sharp and overwhelming. “Don’t stop. Please, don’t stop.”

  His breath slinked down my spine as he pulled away to fuck me harder. “I have no intention of stopping.”

  Angling my chin with demanding fingertips, his mouth landed on mine, sucking, slippery. His kiss stole whatever facets of humanity I had left, and I completely gave in to him. I gave myself to the wild wetness of his tongue. I moaned as he made love to my tongue while fucking my body.

  His free hand waltzed over every curve, greedy and firm, twisting my nipples, grabbing my entire breast in his hold.

  “You love this.”

  I nodded, gasping around our kiss. “So much.”

  “You love it when I take you nasty and rough.”

  “Yes.”

  “You love it when I take you tender and sweet.”

  “Yes.”

  “You love me.”

  “A thousand times, yes.”

  I cried out as his cock hit the top of me, heralding an orgasm to spindle and gather. My knees wobbled and the bark of the tree rasped my cheek. But I wouldn’t change a thing. Not one goddamn thing.

  The rhythmic strokes of his tongue matched the claiming strokes of his cock.

  “Feel me, Nila. Feel my cock deep inside you.”

  My nipples ached as more wetness gushed around his penetration. “I do. I feel every inch.”

  “Feel how fucking hard I am. How much I fucking I love you.”

  I spread my legs wider, arching my back for more. “Kite…”

  “Think how much you love me now, when the last time you ran from me, you hated me.”

  His voice added another layer to my orgasm. I wanted him so much. I wanted to come, but I didn’t want this to stop.

  “Think about how much we’ve overcome to deserve what we have.”

  I loved him losing himself in me. My soul echoed with his need. My body begged for his release. I felt him everywhere—in the air, the tastes, the sounds, the very heart of me. He was more than man; he was heat and power and forever.

  He’d given me a child. He’d saved me from the debts.

  He’d made me more than just human. He’d made me immortal. Immortal in his love. Immortal in his passion.

  “Fuck, Nila. Whatever you’re thinking about. It’s driving me to come.”

  “Then come.”

  “Not yet.”

  His pace turned frantic, our breathing mingling in echoing gasps. His hand landed on my nape, holding me in place as he drove harder, faster. We were locked completely in each other’s spell—a bombardment of rapture.

  “Please,” I begged. “More.”

  “I’ll give you more.” His fingers shot down my front, landing on my clit.

  I moaned as delicious shards of lightning crackled beneath his touch. I was a second away from detonation. A single breath from—

  I came.

  The lightning turned to a supernova, unspooling with the speed of light, exploding through my chest, heart, and soul. My entire body clenched and rippled, cradling me in euphoria.

  “Goddammit.” Jethro’s forehead landed on my nape and he lost himself completely.

  His cock jerked in and out, his stomach hitting my spine with every thrust. His groan cascaded down my back as the first spurt of his release shot inside me.

  I didn’t move as he filled me, found pleasure in me. I trembled with satisfaction even though I still ached from my orgasm.

  The moment his release ended, his hands roamed over my back, massaging kinks, showering me in a perfect blend of gratefulness and submission. He’d taken me dominantly, but he’d given me everything for safekeeping. That was real power. The stuff that came after sex.

  He pulled out, breathing hard. The slick trickle of his cum marked my inner thighs.

  Twisting in his arms, I smiled at the affection and awe in his eyes. We’d captured a miracle and lived in a fairy-tale.

  “Come here.” His voice was hoarse and deep. Curling his arms around me, he embraced me with all the love we shared. The sex had been furious, but this was the epitome of tenderness.

  My breasts pressed against his chest as my arms looped his waist, deleting all space between us.

  We held each other for a long time, regrouping from coming undone so spectacularly.

  Pulling away, Jethro’s eyes latched onto my mouth. “Thank you.” Bowing his head, his lips tickled mine. “Kiss me, Nila.”

  Those two little words had become my absolute favourite.

  I kissed him.

  The dance was hot and wet, an erotic fusion of past and present with a lick of unforgettable futures.

  Once we felt more human and not as raw and exposed, Jethro let me go. Pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, he gently wiped his pleasure from my thighs and ducked to slip on my knickers.

  I held onto his shoulder as he pulled the lace up my hips, hiding my nakedness. Letting my skirt fall back into place, I couldn’t tear my eyes from him as he tucked his still hard cock back into his jeans and buckled up.

  Squirrel bounded from the undergrowth with perfect timing, almost as if he’d given us privacy. He yipped, wagging his tail as Jethro tossed him a stick to chase.

  I smoothed down my clothing. “Now you’ve just ravaged your wife in the middle of the forest, do you want to know why I wanted to go somewhere special?”

  His lips twitched. “Of course, I do—”

  He froze, his forehead furrowed. “Oh, my God. You’re—you’re—”

  I rolled my eyes. “Seriously, did your condition steal my secret? After all this time, you guess right before I tell you?” Stamping my foot with mock anger, I growled, “I can’t surprise you with anything.”

  Jethro didn’t move. “So you are…”

  I beamed. “I am.”

  He charged forward. His hands—the ones that’d been so sexually demanding and rough now held me as if I was spun glass. “Nila…hell, I can’t believe it. What did I ever do to deserve this?”

  Holding his cheeks, I kissed him.

  I kissed him for every day we’d been together and every day we had coming.

  My heart overflowed with joy. “I’m pregnant, Jethro. And this time…it’s a girl.”

  WHAT DO YOU say to a brother who was the cause of so much pain, but also so much happiness? What do you say to a life that gave so much, yet extracted so much in return? What do you say to a dead sibling, a deceased father, a slaughtered mother, a deranged grandmother?

  What do you say to life?

  Sitting in my favourite spot in the Hall, I smiled as Vaughn slapped Jethro on the back, coming in from checking on matters around the estate. They’d become closer as time went on, each learning different worlds and responsibilities, sharing Weaver and Hawk secrets.

  I didn’t have the answers to life’s questions, and I didn’t have the wisdom to use what we’d endured for greater good. All I knew was we’d survived. We’d been given a fresh start, a happy future, an unsullied second chance. And I was sick to fucking death of not grasping it completely.
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  Nila had taught me something. She’d brought Jethro to life and Vaughn had stolen my heart in return.

  For a while, I fought it. I ignored his advances and betrayed my desire for him. I didn’t believe he truly wanted something so broken. However, day by day, week by week, he’d shown me what a fool I was.

  Yes, my legs had been stolen from me. Yes, I hated my loss and some days couldn’t shed my self-pity.

  But now…now, I was stronger, smarter, and more adult than child. Yes, I couldn’t run. Yes, I couldn’t stand or dance or skip. But who cared when I could kiss and love and hug and exist? Exist in a far superior world than most, enjoy far more enjoyable experiences than most, and adore far more deeply than most because I knew what it was like to lose.

  I was lucky.

  So terribly, terribly lucky.

  We all were.

  Life was far too short. History had taught me that. And Vaughn had given me the strength to be brave and embrace it—hardships and all.

  I loved my family—both alive and dead, both evil and kind. I loved my lineage—both revengeful debts and righteous ending. I wasn’t ashamed of my bloodline, but I had full intentions to make my future mean something. I wanted to dabble in charities. I wanted to give back what we’d taken. I wanted to make a difference with my life.

  It was time to embrace every heartbeat because each was numbered, each was accounted for, and each was wasted by being fearful.

  I’m no longer fearful.

  I was sister to a lord. A powerful mistress in her own right. And matriarch to a six-hundred-year-old estate.

  I had the means to make a difference.

  I would never take life for granted.

  And Hawksridge Hall would guard over all of us…just like it had for centuries.

  Five and a half years later…

  “HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO you. Happy birthday to you!”

  Emma clapped her hands, wriggling in her chair to blow out the candles. “Stop singing! Now. I wanna blow now!”

  Clamping hands on her tiny shoulders, I held her squirmy form in place. “So impatient.”