by Chant, Zoe
Epilogue
Mal looked out over the building site and had to smile.
“It’s amazing what magic portals and unlimited funds can do in a few years,” Scarlet observed, suddenly at his side.
“Having the ability to instantly landscape doesn’t hurt anything,” Mal added.
The resort was already rebuilt to its former shining glory and it was hard to tell that any trees or gardens had ever been damaged. It was, if anything, more beautiful, more luxurious, and more alive. There were new pools, a grander event hall, and the hotel had been built to effortless modern standards. Chef’s kitchen had gone from good to gleaming. Solar panels shimmered from every roof, marking the resort’s near independence from fuel. A broad dish near the top of the island promised better connectivity... and mostly delivered it.
When the last of the big work on the resort had been completed and the finishing touches were nearly done, the construction efforts had moved up the island. The resort was on the south tip, facing west for the best sunsets. Along the cliffs that went north on the east coast, where the Den had stood, there were new luxury and family cottages for month-long getaways, complete with kitchens.
They were standing further north yet, tucked away from the resort, looking out onto a bustling construction site. The center of the little village was already complete; the elders’ housing, the medical center, and the school had all been priorities for the new residents, and little houses were growing around them organically, some of them still covered in blue tarps as roof work was being completed.
“Come and see the new playground,” Scarlet invited. There was an unexpected sparkle to her eyes, and a mischievous quirk to her mouth. Mal was instantly suspicious.
But Scarlet only took his hand, and strolled innocently with him down the road into the village.
They passed a small sports field, and a simple community pool, Graham’s second greenhouse, and the lot where Neal was running an excavator to make space for the footings for a combination restaurant and movie theater.
A tiny general store was open for business and Mal nodded to the woman sweeping in front of it.
The playground was already being broken in. Several children in a wide range of ages were playing across the metal framework of a dragon with a slide for a tail and monkey bars across its chest cavity. Swings hung from the spread wings and an older boy was gently pushing three younger children in turn.
Mal hadn’t even realized that there were that many children on the island yet, but the little community had been slowly expanding as the infrastructure was finished and the resort was already nearly up to full capacity.
“The school will be opening up this fall,” Scarlet said, with a nod to the long, low building that flanked one edge of playground. “Travis’ sister has experience running an isolated, rural K-12 and I think the staff of teachers that she helped select will be a good fit here.”
“I imagine this will at least be a nice change from the wilds of Alaska,” Mal observed.
“It’s certainly warmer,” Scarlet chuckled.
One of the children on the monkey bars gave a sudden shriek and fell... only to shift midair into a black-winged panther and glide easily down onto the sand below amid the shreds of his clothing.
“Lydia’s going to have words about the clothes. I think that’s the third outfit this week,” Scarlet said with a tolerant smile.
The children he’d been playing with scrambled down to help collect the pieces of his shirt and shorts.
“Your mom is going to be mad,” a little dark-skinned girl said firmly, holding up the shorts, split along the seams.
The winged panther turned back into a little dark-haired boy. He took the shorts gravely, and attempted to put them back on. The older boy who had been pushing the swings supplied a series of safely pins from a pocket and helped him reassemble them into something that would keep him covered.
From around the corner of the community hall, there was a sudden clatter of hooves and a tiny gazelle came bolting out into the playground, pursued by a white-haired woman who was nearly as fleet on two bare feet as the foal was on four.
“You have to eat lunch before we play!” Gizelle chided, her voice full of laughter.
The little antelope darted through the metal columns of the playground dragon and drew up short against a broad, shovel-shaped pair of antlers as a giant stag suddenly appeared through the brush beyond.
The sharp stop proved too much for the gazelle in the loose sand and it tumbled over itself to bounce up as a toddler girl with a head full of dark curls. “Papa!” she burbled in glee. She grasped the antlers in two tiny hands and was lifted high into the air at the crown of the huge Irish elk that had blocked her path.
Gizelle came to a chortling stop at Conall’s feet. “Clothes, Jana! We’re supposed to be people right now. In clothes!”
“No clothes,” Jana protested. “No clothes!”
But she let Gizelle scoop her up from Conall’s rack and wrapped chubby arms around her neck.
“Miss Scarlet!” The dark-skinned girl had spotted Scarlet standing with Mal at the edge of the playground. “Miss Scarlet! Did you see the dragon? Mr. Neal made us a dragon!”
“I saw it, Amy!” Scarlet said warmly. “He made a wonderful dragon.”
The other children gathered around them eagerly. “Will you do it, Miss Scarlet? Will you?”
“I wanna flower!” one of the youngest demanded.
Scarlet grinned and the hedge they were standing next to burst into bloom. She and Mal walked away to the sound of squeals and delight as the children began to gather them.
“It’s almost finished,” Mal observed. “Have you thought about what you want to do with Beehag’s compound while we’ve still got all the construction equipment and workmen? Knock what’s left to the ground? Build a monument?”
Scarlet’s eyes crinkled into her smile. “I wanted to see what you thought about building a school there.”
Mal’s eyes flickered to the school in the center of the village but he immediately realized that she had something very different in mind. “What kind of school?” he asked.
“A boarding high school for shifters,” Scarlet said, watching his face. “Perhaps with an emphasis on biology and pre-law; the arboretum is an amazing resource, and both you and Amber have mentioned being interested in teaching. Being a shifter in public school isn’t always easy, and it would be nice if we could give kids a safe place to be themselves and learn with others who are like them while they are navigating all the problems of growing up.”
An unexpected surge of interest swelled in Mal. He’d never considered teaching seriously, but now that it was on the table, he couldn’t get the idea out of his head. “I know some professors,” he said thoughtfully. “Would we do just secondary? Or post-secondary? I’d need to find some good education advisors, research the standards, find out what the legalities are in Costa Rica.”
“Would you teach magic?”
Mal drew to a stop. “I... I don’t know.” Once, he’d thought he would have to, to train a new fighter to battle the wyrm hundreds of years in the future. But he didn’t need to do that now.
“We’d probably have to level what’s there now and build something completely new,” Scarlet said, squeezing his arm. “There’s a lot of time to think about it.”
“It wouldn’t have to be limited to shifters,” Mal observed. “We could welcome other magical creatures, like mermaids... and dryads.”
Scarlet’s delighted smile grew smoky with secrets. “I have something to show you,” she said mysteriously.
Mal stopped thinking about the school. “I love your surprises,” he said honestly. The only secrets they kept from each other now were purely for the joy of it.
“Portal to my tree?” Scarlet invited, and she vanished playfully.
Mal traced a doorway in the air and murmured the words as he gestured, then stepped through to Scarlet’s familiar clearing.
; Scarlet wasn’t by her tree. Mal looked around curiously to find her at the far edge of the clearing, kneeling in the flowers.
He could feel her pride and eagerness through their mate-bond, shimmering bright with anticipation, and her smile as she lifted her head to watch him approach was nearly as brilliant.
She stood at the last moment and took his hand.
Wordlessly, overflowing with excitement, she led him to where three saplings with feathery, fern-like leaves were growing in a little clear space together. They were knee-high and swaying in the slight breezy.
Mal had to glance back at Scarlet’s scarred tree. It had the same distinctive leaves as the little sprouts.
“Are these...?”
“I don’t know if they will be dryads,” Scarlet confessed. “But I have never had saplings before, and they feel... more aware than other trees. Different. I don’t know!”
She was looking at him with what might have been anxiousness in someone lesser and Mal realized that he was still staring in shock. He gave a great whoop of laughter and pulled Scarlet into his arms so he could twirl her around until he was dizzy and laughing. A soft bed of moss met them as he pulled her over, laughing and kissing and rolling with her.
When he could catch his breath, he took her hand and kissed the simple gold ring he’d put there. “This may be the best surprise yet,” he said.
“I never knew you wanted children,” Scarlet said, caressing his cheek with her other hand.
“I never did either,” Mal confessed. “And to be honest, I wasn’t sure how that would work. But it seems like a marvelous idea.”
Scarlet pulled his mouth to hers. “I have other marvelous ideas,” she said suggestively. “Did I ever warn you about that lusty nature of dryads?”
“What about the children?” Mal asked teasingly.
“They’re still asleep...”
Implications of the future suddenly occurred to Mal and he sat up. “I am going to have three girls like you,” he groaned. “If they have your lusty nature, I’m going to have to steal Graham’s machete to scare off boys and beat back interested trees.”
Scarlet laughed and sat up. “Or we could raise them to understand who they are, have sensible boundaries, and deal with their own boys. Maybe one of them will be a boy.”
Mal paused. “Are there boy dryads?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea,” Scarlet confessed.
“What does all of this mean?” Mal felt pleased and proud and more than a little panicked.
“I haven’t the faintest idea,” Scarlet repeated, a slow smile blossoming on her face.
“I’m going to have to do some research,” Mal said. “Start a college trust. Pick names!”
Scarlet wrapped her arms around his neck. “We have time,” she said sweetly, kissing his ear.
It was still a strange feeling, not having a destination for his life. Mal still hadn’t gotten used to the idea that there was nothing looming in his future that had to be done, a destiny that he had to be ready for, a task of such weight and importance that it overshadowed anything else that he did.
He got to choose now, how to spend his time—and who to be with—without constantly thinking about how it impacted his final objective.
He put a wondering hand to Scarlet’s face and she closed her eyes and leaned into it.
Mal knew what to do with this time and he pulled Scarlet close to kiss her deeply.
Across the island, trees burst into bloom.
What’s Next?
It’s bittersweet indeed to bring the Shifting Sands Resort tale to end. I am so grateful to all my readers for their enthusiasm and investment, and I am so happy that I was able to share this journey with all of you. I love these characters, and it’s terribly hard to say goodbye.
I do plan to return to Shifting Sands, eventually. I’ve got some other big projects to work on first, but this Christmas, keep an eye out for a Christmas story of Magnolia and Chef, which will be free at my website! (If you aren’t on my mailing list or a member of my VIP group on Facebook, consider signing up or joining to get updates.) I also plan to put out one or two collections of short stories in 2020 – Liam will be getting his happy ever after and I have a number of other tales I would like to write up, including Bastian’s arrival at the resort, and Tex’s first day. I have already written the (very sad) story of Gizelle’s parents, and a few other short treats to include.
After that... I’m not sure. Shifting Sands Academy? Cozy mysteries being solved by Liam’s elders in the new Shifting Sands Bay? Do you want to find out what happens to the children of the staff? Are there any stories you’d like to read that I should be sure to include in the collections? You can email me any time at [email protected] and let me know.
Don’t forget to leave reviews if you enjoyed the series! I read every one, and they mean the world to me.
Thank you again for reading my books! Readers like you keep me writing!
~Zoe
PS: The covers of the Shifting Sands Resort series were designed by Ellen Million. Visit her webpage for coloring pages of several of my characters, including Gizelle and Hugh from the Fire and Rescue series!
More Paranormal Romance by Zoe Chant
Dancing Bearfoot. (Green Valley Shifters # 1). A single dad from the city + his daughter's BBW teacher + a surprise snow storm = a steamy story that will melt your heart.
Bodyguard Bear. (Protection, Inc. # 1). A BBW witness to a murder + the sexy bear shifter bodyguard sworn to protect her with his life + firefights and fiery passion = one hot thrill ride!
Bearista. (Bodyguard Shifters # 1). A tough bear shifter bodyguard undercover in a coffee shop + a curvy barista with an adorable 5-year-old + a deadly shifter assassin = a scorching thrill ride of a romance!
Firefighter Dragon. (Fire & Rescue Shifters # 1). A curvy archaeologist with the find of a lifetime + a firefighter dragon shifter battling his instincts + a priceless artifact coveted by a ruthless rival = one blazing hot romance!
Royal Guard Lion (Shifter Kingdom #1). A curvy American shocked to learn that she's a lost princess + a warrior lion shifter sworn to protect her + a hidden shifter kingdom in desperate need of a leader = a sizzling romance fit for a queen!
Find many more at Zoe's Amazon page!
Zoe Chant on Audio
Dancing Bearfoot – Audiobook - A single dad from the city + his daughter's BBW teacher + a surprise snow storm = a steamy story that will melt your heart.
Kodiak Moment – Audiobook - A workaholic wildlife photographer + a loner bear shifter + Alaskan wilderness = one warming and sensual story.
Hero Bear - Audiobook - A wounded Marine who lost his bear + a BBW physical therapist with a secret + a small town full of gossips = a hot and healing romance!
Zoe Chant, writing under other names
Rails; A Novel of Torn World by Elva Birch. License Master Bai knows better than to dream about his Head of Files, Ressa. A gritty and glamorous steampunk-flavored novel of murder, sex, unrequited love, drugs, prostitution, blackmail, and betrayal.
Laura’s Wolf (Werewolf Marines # 1), by Lia Silver. Werewolf Marine Roy Farrell, scarred in body and mind, thinks he has no future. Curvy con artist Laura Kaplan, running from danger and her own guilt, is desperate to escape her past. Together, they have all that they need to heal. A full-length novel.
Mated to the Meerkat, by Lia Silver. Jasmine Jones, a curvy tabloid reporter, meets her match in notorious paparazzi and secret meerkat Chance Marcotte. A romantic comedy novelette.
Handcuffed to the Bear (Shifter Agents # 1), by Lauren Esker. A bear-shifter ex-mercenary and a curvy lynx shifter searching for her best friend's killer are handcuffed together and hunted in the wilderness. Can they learn to rely on each other before their pasts, and their pursuers, catch up with them? A full-length novel.
Keeping Her Pride (Ladies of the Pack # 1), by Lauren Esker. Down-and-out lioness shifter Debi Fallon never meant to fall in love with a human. Sexy arc
hitect and single dad Fletcher Briggs has his hands full with his adorable 4-year-old... who turns into a tiny, deadly snake. Can two ambitious people overcome their pride and prejudice enough to realize the only thing missing from their lives is each other?
Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, by Lauren Esker. Curvy farm girl Julie Capshaw was warned away from the wolf shifters next door, but Damon Wolfe is the motorcycle-riding, smoking hot alpha of her dreams. Can the big bad wolf and his sheep shifter find their own happy ending? A full-length novel.