by Rye Brewer
“What are you doing here?” I demanded, remembering the weapons in my boot but thinking twice when I remembered Elena’s watchful eye on me. She was on the other side of the room, in Sirene’s arms.
I would fight to defend them if I had to, but only then. I would do anything to protect Lena from Genevieve.
It would be a joy, in fact.
Genevieve took a backward step. “We’re here as friends. I don’t want to fight.”
“Friends?” I laughed. “Since when were any of us friends with the likes of you?”
It was almost funny, watching her strain to control herself. Any other time and she would’ve hurled an insult—or worse. Her fists clenched, her cheeks colored. “Jonah told us we could stay. He had a meeting with the League, but we’re welcome to take one of the unused bedrooms until his return.”
“Who is we?” Sirene asked, venturing nearer.
“Anton and me. He is showering at present. We didn’t expect you.”
“Evidently. And for the record, the same goes double.”
“Anissa, believe me when I tell you I’ve changed.” She shrugged, and only then did I take in the sight of her. If anyone had ever told me Genevieve would wear a pair of jeans, I would’ve dropped dead of surprise. Yet there she was, looking downright cozy in a pair of Philippa’s jeans—what would she think about that?—and a sweater. Like a normal person. Not a stitch of couture in sight.
“You appear to have changed,” I admitted.
“It goes deeper than that. I’ve been through a lot, and yes, I’ve even seen the error of my ways. I know how pitiful it must sound after all I’ve put you through.”
I raised a brow. “That’s putting it mildly.”
“And while I doubt it would be worthwhile to offer my friendship, I can tell you in all sincerity that I wish no ill will upon you. I understand you were recently married. My congratulations.”
It was so awkward, I almost wanted to laugh. But she sounded sincere enough, and if Jonah believed her—well, stranger things had happened.
The door opened, and my heart almost forgot to beat when Jonah stepped through.
Our eyes met.
He smiled and opened his arms, beckoning me.
Everything else fell away.
I had finally come home.
Epilogue
Anissa
“That’s what brought them here,” Jonah explained, holding Lena on one hip. He was a natural with her, bouncing her every once in a while when it seemed like she was getting bored with our conversation.
Anton sat on the sofa—actually, he took up most of it. “We need allies,” he explained. “I’ll never be able to tell you how sorry I am for what my brother did to your family with his blood-tainting endeavors. It sickens me. He got what he deserved.”
“I believe you,” I whispered, a little choked up when I remembered what this Dietrich had done to my sister. And to Lena, who seemed to be getting along well enough but who we’d been jumping through hoops for practically since the day she was born. I reached out to tickle her, and she giggled and squirmed against Jonah. She’d found her protector.
Sirene entered with a fresh bottle of blood. “What’s taking Fane so long?” I asked. “He said he had an errand to run, but he wouldn’t say what.”
She and Jonah exchanged a knowing look. “He should be back soon enough,” she promised.
“Terrific,” I groaned. “I love nothing more than when people know things and won’t share them with me.”
“Patience,” Jonah murmured, kissing my cheek before taking the bottle.
I wasn’t having it just then. “Forgive me, but I’ve been exercising patience for a long time now and would like to get what I want when I want it. Is that so much to ask?” I couldn’t be upset with him when he laughed. I was too happy to be with him again.
“I’ll make sure the word spreads that the two of you are under my clan’s protection,” Jonah decided, turning his attention to our guests. “Should you encounter trouble, you can reach out to me, and I’ll do anything I can to help. I would like to extend an olive branch to the shifters at large, as I’ve already set about forming alliances with other groups.”
Anton winced as he and Genevieve shared a look. “I can’t guarantee that will be possible if you offer protection to one who is more than likely being hunted by them at this very minute.”
“Two, counting myself,” she added. “We can lie low for as long as it takes. That much, I’ll guarantee. We’ll stir up no trouble. Frankly, I crave the peace and quiet.”
“You?” Jonah snickered, and I elbowed him.
But she took it in stride. “Yes, me. People are capable of change, Jonah Bourke. I never would have predicted you would marry a Carver clan member, but here we are.” They got their things together and left shortly thereafter, with Genevieve casting a longing look toward Lena. The thought of her raising a baby sent a shiver down my spine no matter how she swore up and down that she had changed.
“I expect Landon will have things well in hand in my absence, should anything come up.” Jonah sat and drew Lena into his lap. “Another positive aspect of him serving as my second. He’s so close to headquarters.”
“You don’t want to relocate?” I asked, sitting next to him. It had been on my mind all day, ever since he’d announced the results of the vote.
There was no way I could possibly be prouder of him, but I couldn’t help wondering how this would affect us. The thought of living all the way out there just to be close in case there was an emergency meeting, or if someone stumbled in looking for help… it didn’t do much for me, though it would mean being closer to Avellane. One bright spot.
I would miss Manhattan. Nothing in the world could match looking out over the balcony and seeing those sparkling lights. Feeling life pulsing in the air.
But Jonah was home to me. Being by his side was all that mattered, no matter where that happened to be.
He pursed his lips, thoughtful as he bounced Lena up and down until she dissolved into giggles. “Careful,” Sirene warned. “You wouldn’t want what she just drank to come back up.” That stopped him in his tracks, and I covered my mouth to hide a giggle.
“I don’t think I want to relocate there,” he decided. “Not that I ever seriously considered it, but I suppose there will be questions. The League will want to know what to expect.”
“You can make your own rules,” Sirene reminded him. “You don’t need to abide by old ways of thinking. Forge a path for yourself—I would wager the League will benefit from it.”
“That’s true,” he murmured, staring out the balcony doors and into the night. “But my duties will still take me away from here more than I’d like.”
I leaned against him. “It’s okay. Whatever you need. We’ve never exactly had a conventional relationship—why would we start now?”
That was when a flash of light caught my eye, and my heart leapt when I realized Fane was on his way back. The new portal started whirling, opening out on the balcony. This time, Lena clapped and babbled at the sight of the glowing light. She was adapting quickly.
I jumped off the couch when Gage stepped through, holding the hand of a blond vampire. I expected to see Fane next.
Instead, out came Raze. It was like watching my past and my present collide.
“What?” I gasped, running to fling the doors open. “What are you doing here?”
He was holding hands with a dark-haired vampire who eyed me warily. I held back from giving him a hug when I got the sense that she was extremely protective.
She was clearly with him. I looked up at him in wonder.
He chuckled, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “Anissa, this is Naomi. We were with Gage and Cari in Italy.”
“With the Starkers,” Naomi added in a dark tone.
“It would be better to talk about this inside,” Fane announced after closing the portal. We gathered in the living room, where the newcomers gave us the short version
of where they’d been—and how things had ended.
“Sara did it.” I sank onto the couch next to Jonah, who slid an arm over my shoulders. “Well, that was her goal. We didn’t know you were there, of course.”
“She couldn’t have come at a better time,” Gage murmured. “We were within moments of being killed.”
“I would’ve taken care of things,” Fane reminded him. “I was prepared to wipe them out on my own until she arrived, and I knew within moments there would be no stopping her. She’s truly something else.”
I looked at Raze, who gazed at me from across the room. Only we knew Sara in the old days, before everything changed. Before Marcus took her and locked her away. He understood. He would always understand.
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” I whispered. It was unfathomable. “But now you’re here, and you don’t have to run anymore.”
“Thanks to you.” Gage nodded to Jonah. “Thank you for that.”
“I wish I could’ve changed things sooner,” he shrugged.
“It just matters that you did it—you could’ve faced opposition, but you took a chance. That means a great deal.”
“To me, too,” Cari added. She seemed sweet, if a little overwhelmed.
I could see us being friends.
Naomi, on the other hand? I couldn’t get a read on her. I’d looked her way once or twice to find her staring at me. There was nothing particularly menacing in her gaze, but I still got a strange feeling. Maybe it was her intensity.
When she wasn’t creeping me out, however, she was practically attached to Raze. It warmed my heart to see someone adoring him so openly. He deserved it, and he seemed to adore her right back. How life had changed.
For all of us.
“Philippa would like to stay in Europe for a while,” Jonah explained when Fane asked after her. “Though she nearly deafened me when I told her about the wedding.”
“Oof,” I winced, laughing. “I guess she wasn’t too happy about it.”
“Just the opposite. She was furious that we went through with it without her.”
“You’re kidding!”
“She’s already planning a blowout bash for when she returns.”
Gage snickered. “If anyone could pull it off, it’s Philippa.”
“Exactly what I said.” They shared a laugh that warmed me. Considering how they’d started off when I met them, it was like night and day. I knew how much it meant to Jonah that they work together as brothers, rather than as the rivals they used to be.
Jonah seemed to be thinking along the same lines. “You know, now that I’ll be busy with the League, the clan will need someone who can manage things here. I would hate to see anything slip between the cracks while I’m settling an argument somewhere else.”
Gage’s eyebrows almost left his forehead, they shot up so high. “Are you seriously asking me to manage clan business?”
“What does it sound like? If you don’t feel up to it—”
“I didn’t say that,” Gage cut him off. “It just strikes me as… strange, now. After all these years. I thought that was what I wanted. It was all I wanted.”
“Are you saying you don’t want it anymore?” I asked, trying to be as gentle as I could.
“No. At least, I don’t think so. It’s the strangest thing. Getting something you wanted for so long…”
“And you can’t remember why you wanted it so badly,” Fane finished with a knowing smile, standing beside Sirene. “Priorities shift. For all of us.” He looked down at his daughter, who wouldn’t need to know what it meant to grow up without her father.
Gage looked to Cari, who squeezed his hand. “We’re free now. You can do whatever you want, and I’m with you.”
Jonah and Gage went off to one corner to discuss things further, while Cari and Naomi admired Lena. Sirene was every inch the proud mother, answering questions and even bragging a little.
Raze joined me. “Did you ever think our lives would turn out this way?” he murmured, watching Naomi playing with the baby. Lena loved playing peek-a-boo.
“Not for a single second. Here we are with the Bourkes.”
“And it doesn’t even matter. Have you noticed that? It doesn’t matter a bit. Naomi isn’t affiliated with any clan. Cari sure isn’t, either.”
“Sirene’s a witch,” I added.
“It’s beyond anything I could’ve imagined, and I’m glad,” he decided. “Life’s so bigger than just this clan and that clan. This rule, that law, this tradition. I never would’ve met Naomi if I didn’t decide to break out.”
“I’m so glad you did.” I leaned a little closer and whispered, “Is it just me, or does she hate me?”
“No, no,” he whispered. “I admit, I talked a lot about you with Gage. You were our common link, you know? She took it the wrong way, is all.”
“Ah. I see. Because I thought she was plotting my death at least once.”
“She knows how important you were to me—are to me,” he was quick to add. “That will never change.”
“I feel the same.” I couldn’t help myself. “How did she look?”
He knew who I meant without asking. “Powerful. Fearsome. Like she was on top of the world. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“She was, if she was destroying them the way she wanted to. I’m glad you got out of there when you did. They didn’t hurt you, did they?”
He gave me one of his patented Raze shrugs, bringing back so many memories. “Nothing that time won’t make up for,” he said with a wink. “No worries.”
“No worries.” I wanted to hug him, but thought twice about it when Naomi looked our way. I settled for patting his arm.
Jonah joined us. “It looks like Gage will take over my duties in the clan, which is a huge load off my shoulders. And he seems happy.” That wasn’t the word for it. He looked like a man who just had everything he ever wanted drop into his lap, and he didn’t have the first idea what to do with it.
“I wanted to thank you,” Jonah added, shaking Raze’s hand. “You protected my brother when he needed you, in Paris. He might not have made it. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I thought it was time to let bygones be bygones.”
I knew there was more to that than he was letting on. He’d resented Jonah when we fell in love. He wanted to put that in the past, and I knew Jonah did, too.
He went to Naomi, wrapping her in a hug, and I did the same with Jonah.
We watched everyone together, and I knew there were others there in spirit. They would never not be with me. Gregor, Allonic—Jonah told me they’d seen each other at headquarters and I was already planning on paying a visit. Felicity. Stark and Branwen. Philippa, Scott.
Sara. Mom.
I couldn’t help but get choked up at the thought of them, especially when I pictured Mom.
“At least I got a little time with her before I lost her again,” I whispered.
Jonah kissed the top of my head, then leaned his cheek against it. “She’s with you. Don’t you feel her? I feel my mother, for sure. She’ll always be here, especially when we’re together and happy and things are finally the way they were meant to be.”
“What about us?” I asked, looking up at him with my arms around his waist.
“What about us?”
“Now that Gage will be handling things here, what about us? I know you said you didn’t want to relocate…”
“I don’t—not to that barren nothingness surrounding headquarters,” he said, frowning. “But I can’t pretend there won’t be times when I’ll have to visit other clans, both here and overseas. I would like you to come with me whenever possible. A home base would be nice. Somewhere to return to, somewhere I can relax with the people I love.”
“Like our children,” I mused, watching his face. I was descended from the bloodline that could bear children. My mother did. I’d known I should be able to. He would know this.
“Sure, of course. Our…” He looke
d away from the group across the room and stared down at me. “Our children?”
“Don’t you want them? I mean, it’s a little late now to change your mind.”
It was cute, actually, watching him come to grips with what I was telling him. “You. You’re. Wait.”
“Come on,” I coaxed. “You’re so close. Almost there.”
A smile broke out over his face. “You’re having a baby?”
I patted his chest. “See? I knew you would figure it out.”
“Really?” he whispered, his eyes glowing. If I could make him even a fraction as happy for the rest of our life together, I would consider myself a success.
“Really.”
“What is it? A boy or a girl?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t know yet! I don’t even look like it yet, do I?”
“That’s true.” He let go of me and ran his hands through his hair. “This is tremendous. This is… everything I ever dreamed of.”
“Me, too,” I whispered, my eyes filling with tears. The only thing that could’ve made it better would be having Mom with me, but he was right. She would always be with me no matter where I went.
He smiled. “And if it’s a girl, I think we should name her Tabitha. That sounds right, doesn’t it?”
I stood on tiptoe to kiss him, tears spilling over. “Perfect,” I assured him. “It sounds just perfect.”
Contents
Vindication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13