The Prophecy

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  Needing to be inside her more badly than I needed my next breath, I willed my pants off.

  Josie laughed as she fell back onto the bed. “That is a nifty talent, Seth.”

  “That it is.” I climbed over her, stopping to kiss her lower stomach. “You’re jealous of it, aren’t you?”

  “Well, yeah.” Her fingers threaded through my hair. “Who wouldn’t be?”

  Moving up, I placed a kiss on the raised mark between her breasts. “But I like to think I have far better talents then undressing myself with a thought.”

  “You do.” She tugged on my head, guiding my mouth to hers as I settled between her thighs. “But that would make getting ready so much easier.”

  My laugh was lost in her kiss, and then I got lost in her. Everything started off slow. I took my time, because hell if we didn’t have all the time in the world to slow everything down, to enjoy one another without a threat hanging over our heads, and to simply live.

  So, that’s what we did.

  I sipped from her lips, drank from her breathy sighs, and fed from her cries as I worked my way down her, exploring every dip and curve like it was my first time. And in a way, it sort of felt like that.

  It always felt like that.

  I’d never grow tired of those soft sounds she made, or the way her skin tasted. I’d never grow tired of her. Never.

  By the time I slid inside her, we both were grasping at one another, hands greedy on slick skin, our breaths short and urgent.

  Josie cried out my name as I thrust into her, and the sound was like touching a live wire. Those long, beautiful legs wrapped around my hips. I moved over her, arms shaking, hips pumping slow and deep.

  She was having none of that.

  Rolling me onto my back, I laughed and grasped her hips as she took control. She planted her hands on my chest. Head thrown back and back arched as she rode me, I’d never seen anything more beautiful. And when she came, clenching and throbbing all around me, my release powered down my spine.

  I sat up, wrapping my arms around her as tight as I could. Her head dropped to my shoulder as her body trembled all around me. I pulled her down, grinding up and sealing our bodies together. There was not an inch of space between us when I came, shouting her name.

  I fell back, bringing her with me as the aftershocks shook me to my very core. Good gods, I was rattled in the best possible way.

  Clearing my throat, I glanced over at Josie. Breathing just as heavily and fast as me, half her body was strewn across me and her legs were tangled with mine. That was something about her I loved. Somehow she always managed to get her legs all wrapped up in mine. A lazy grin tugged up the corners of my lips. She was the best kind of octopus.

  “Gods.” I dragged my hand up her spine as I turned my chin, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I could do that again and again and again.”

  “Same.” She snuggled down. “That was…”

  “Extraordinary? Heart-stopping? The best sex of your life?” I suggested helpfully.

  She giggled. “All of those.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  “Your ego never fails to amaze me.”

  Dragging my fingers along the center of her back, I chuckled as I let my eyes drift shut. There was a good chance that I might’ve dozed off, because when I opened my eyes again, the sunlight had shifted from the bed to the floor and Josie was smiling at me, her chin propped against her fist, resting on my chest.

  “Have you been watching me sleep?” I asked, retuning my hand to her back, because I knew she liked that.

  “Maybe just a little.”

  Lifting my other hand, I dragged it down my face. “How long was I sleeping?”

  “A couple of hours. Not too long.”

  “Shit. Really?”

  She nodded. “I wasn’t staring at you the whole time.”

  “Well, that’s a relief.” I paused. “Sorry about that.”

  “It’s okay, Seth.” Josie smiled as she pulled back. “You can take naps. We have forever to be awake and annoying each other. Like literally. Forever. And soon, we’ll have a little version of ourselves to also annoy and take naps with.”

  I don’t know why, but it struck me right then that we really did have forever—fuck, we really did. Not the blink and you missed it life. Not a future that ended hopefully when we were both old and gray, our muscles weak and our bones frail. We really did have forever.

  “Yeah.” My voice thickened as I tugged her back down, right where I wanted her. Flesh against flesh. Heart to heart. “Yeah, we do.”

  Josie kissed my chest, and another thing struck me as I lay there. Something fucking wondrous in a way.

  I…I had gotten everything I could ever want in the end.

  Me. The one some called the villain for a long time.

  But it was true. I had the love of my life in my arms. My wife. I would have a child soon. I had a real future, one that I would look forward to every day.

  I laughed before I could stop myself.

  Josie lifted her chin. “What?”

  “I was just thinking.” Smiling, I curved my hand around her arm, holding her tight to me. “I got everything. Every damn thing I never even allowed myself to dream. Crazy.”

  Josie wrinkled her nose in that cute way of hers, and my smile grew. She let out a happy little shriek as I rolled her onto her back. Staring into the eyes of the woman who was truly a gift, I made a promise I’d never break. “I’m going to spend the rest of eternity proving to you just how much I deserve all of this.”

  Tears filled her eyes. “You already do, Seth.”

  Epilogue

  Seth

  “Do you think you’d ever want one of these?” Deacon asked Luke, never taking his eyes off the little, wrapped bundle in his arms.

  Luke looked over to where I stood. His brows lifted in surprise. “I think so, but not for a fairly long time from now. Like a real long time from now.”

  I grinned.

  “I don’t know.” Deacon lowered his face to the bundle resting in the crook of his arm. “I would like to get me one of these.”

  “You make it sound so simple,” Luke replied. “Like you can go to the local grocery store and pick one up.”

  “Nowadays, that could happen,” I commented dryly.

  “Don’t antagonize him.”

  Deacon went back to making those ridiculous cooing noises—noises I’d found myself making more than a time or five hundred. Sometimes I’d do it without even realizing it.

  “I can’t wait for Alex and Aiden to see him,” Luke said, crossing his arms. Deacon hadn’t been able to keep his hands off the newest addition to the Army of Awesome, but Luke was a bit standoffish, staring down at the wrapped bundle like it was some kind of unknown weapon of mass destruction. I couldn’t blame him for that. “This kid is going to be spoiled considering he has, like, four or five godparents.”

  The corners of my lips tipped up. “Yeah.”

  Deacon lifted his gaze as the swaddled bundle started to wiggle around. “I think he wants his daddy.”

  Smiling, I walked over to Deacon and bent, picking up my son. My son. Those two words never failed to rock me to my very core. I cradled his wiggling body to my chest, and he immediately settled. “I think he wants his mommy.”

  “Can’t blame him for that,” Deacon teased as he leaned back against the couch. “How is Josie doing?”

  “She’s doing perfect.”

  And that was true. They’d only gotten to visit with her a little last night. When the whole labor thing started, I had to keep telling myself that Josie was going to be okay. That she had survived so many crazy things that labor was going to be breeze for her. The first real contraction though? I about passed the fuck out seeing how pale she got. Watching her go through the labor and not being able to do anything other than hold her hand hadn’t been easy. It actually scared the shit out of me.

  And I wasn’t the one delivering a baby.

&
nbsp; Josie was my hero.

  Brushing my lips over the dusty blonde head of my son, I closed my eyes and mentally thanked every freaking deity there ever was for bestowing this gift upon me. When I opened my eyes, both men were watching me, their stares soft.

  “I better get him up there to her,” I said, clearing my throat. “Help yourselves to whatever you want.”

  “We plan to,” Deacon replied, and I rolled my eyes.

  I started to turn.

  “Seth?” Luke called out, and I faced him as I gently shifted my son in my arms. “I don’t think I’ve said this yet, but I just want to tell you that we love the name you picked. Apollo… he would approve.”

  In that moment, my son opened his eyes. They weren’t the brilliant shade of blue like his mother’s and grandfather’s. They were the same color as mine. A tawny, amber color.

  My son had my eyes.

  “Yeah,” I said. “It is the perfect name. See you guys in a little bit.”

  Leaving the room, I passed Basil in the hall as I made my way to the stairs. He bowed even though I shot him a look of warning against doing just that.

  At this point I thought he was just doing that shit to get on my nerves.

  “Let’s go see your mom, little man,” I said, climbing the steps. “She’s probably missing you.”

  I got an incoherent baby gurgle in response, which made me grin. The little man was a happy baby so far. Well, until he was hungry. That was a different story.

  As I entered the hallway, I saw Erin coming my way. Things were… better between us, as in she wasn’t trying to kill me, but we weren’t going to be best friends anytime soon.

  “I was just about to start looking for you,” she said, stopping to curl her finger around a baby fist. “I think it’s almost feeding time.”

  “Sounds about right.”

  And that was about the extent of that conversation.

  Like I said, things were getting better between Erin and I, but we were by no means friendly with one another.

  Nodding at Erin, I made my way to the bedroom, opening the door without touching it. I immediately saw Josie.

  She was sitting up, her fingers making quick work on the thick braid. Gods, she was beautiful. Just sitting there, her chin tipped down and her face marked with concentration, she was the most stunning person I’d ever seen.

  Josie looked up and a smile raced across her face as she secured the braid. “Hey you.”

  “Brought you something.”

  “Is it my child?” she asked, wiggling her fingers at me.

  “Maybe.” I sat beside her and carefully handed over our son to her. There was a pressure in my chest as I watched her entire face light up as she smoothed a hand over our son’s head.

  “Is it just me or does he seem to already have more hair?” she asked, glancing over at me.

  Planting my hand in the bed near her hip, I leaned in. “He does have a lot of hair. Seems to be growing faster than him.”

  She laughed. “He’s going to have a little man bun before long.”

  I shook my head, grinning as our son curled his hand around Josie’s finger. “How are you feeling?”

  “Good.” She lifted his hand to her mouth, kissing those tiny fingers. There was a happy, little giggle that came from the crook of her arm. “Perfect, really. You know? I just… everything just feels perfect right now.”

  It really did.

  Leaning over, I kissed her cheek and then stayed there. “Deacon and Luke approve of his name.”

  “I figured they would.” She turned her head toward mine, and kissed me. “I think Alex and Aiden will like it too.”

  “They will.” I kissed her back and then pulled away just enough to see our son staring up at us, his gaze steady and sharp. The kid seemed to know exactly what we were talking about. “I want you to do me a favor, little man,” I said to him. “The first time Aiden holds you, I want you to take the biggest crap—”

  “Seth,” Josie laughed. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence.”

  I chuckled. “Your mom is a life-ruiner.”

  “And your dad is going to be in a lot of trouble if he keeps it up,” she said, widening her eyes when our son let out another gurgle, as if he were responding. “Oh, yes he is.”

  I kissed her cheek again and then I moved my hand close. Our son immediately reached for my fingers. He gripped both of our hands. “Leon,” I said, lifting my gaze to Josie’s. “Leon is the perfect name.”

  Acknowledgements

  I need to thank the readers who started with the Covenant Series all the way back in 2011, who followed Alex and Aiden’s story as it turned into Seth and Josie’s journey. The Titan Series never would’ve happened without you guys. Especially those who used to celebrate Aiden’s birthday with cake, defended Aiden and Seth in book boyfriend battles over the years, and those JLAnders who like to always argue who is better, Seth or Aiden. I hope, by the end of this, we can say they’re equally awesome, and Alex and Josie are two very lucky ladies. This is the end, for now.

  A big thank you my editor and said editor’s editing prowess. Ha! A thank you to my agents, Kevan Lyon and Taryn Fagerness. Thank you to Christine Borgford for her amazing formatting skills, Sara Eirew for her design, and Franggy Yanez for his photography awesomeness. Thank you to Stephanie Brown, even though I think she wanted to hurt me a little by the end of this book. Thank you to Kate Kaynak, Hannah McBride, Jen Fisher, Valerie and Vi and Jessica, Laura Kaye, Sarah J. Maas, KA Tucker, Vilma Gonzalez, Lesa Rodrigues, Stacey Morgan, Jillian Stein and Liz Berry, Andrea Joan, Jay Crownover, Cora Carmack, and many, many more who help me stay sane while writing, and thank you to Drew Leighty, who embodies Seth in a freakishly accurate manner.

  The Titan Series was more than just a book series. It was what kicked off the ApollyCon event, and even though the Titan Series has come to an end, ApollyCon will carry on.

  About Jennifer L. Armentrout

  # 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband, her Jack Russell Loki and their retired police dog, Diesel. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.

  Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor Teen, Entangled Teen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

  For details about current and upcoming titles from

  Jennifer L. Armentrout,

  please visit www.jenniferlarmentrout.com