Epilogue
Flint
It’d been a year since that night.
The burden of grief had been overwhelming for all of them and changed them each in ways they could not have imagined.
Adam became a different man completely.
He was attentive. Protective. Slow to react and quick to defend.
He’d called his people back from all parts of the world, gathering the Nephilim into a tight, familial unit once again.
Carnival Diabolique was back and stronger than ever because of his unwavering commitment to keeping his family safe at all costs.
Cain and Flint had decided to stay with the circus.
At the end of the day it was the only life she knew. And one she loved fiercely.
She’d learned to control her appearance using her glamour, making herself appear as just another one of the beautiful Nephilim all around them.
Cain had taken over his father’s position as the ringmaster.
But they still fought monsters by night. Yes, they’d thwarted the end of the world, but like Dean had so prophetically said, the bad guys had only been defeated temporarily.
Evil would always exist. The dark would always be around, which meant the light—those fighting on the side of good and decency—would always be around too.
It was the constant yin and yang of life.
Abel and Janet, however, had decided to leave Adam’s circus and join up with their sister one instead.
Janet had said there were too many memories, too many nightmares she needed time to get over, and Abel had been committed to staying with her no matter where she went.
They’d joined up with Bubba’s troupe and were now somewhere deep in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky.
It’d been up to Flint to break the terrible news of Eli’s death to Carlos when she’d seen him.
Cain had offered to do it, but she, Eli, and Carlos had developed a bond unlike the rest of them.
They’d each known one another on a deeper, more complicated level, and she’d felt it only right to be the one to break it gently to him.
Carlos had been devastated, as she’d known he would be.
That night, he’d cut her hair one last time, and the next morning when Flint woke up, she’d known he would be gone.
Vanished to parts unknown to live out a new life without the specter of Eli’s death constantly haunting him.
Life had returned to a form of normalcy.
It wasn’t perfect.
But then nothing ever really was.
But they were carving out something good and she was grateful for every minute of it.
Today, however, found Cain and Flint far from the safety of their carnival.
They’d jumped into Cain’s Mustang and had taken a drive to a small, secluded cottage hidden away from the rest of the world.
Cain glanced over at her as they turned down the hidden road that led to Frank and Katy’s cottage.
“You sure you’re okay?” he asked gently as he shifted gears.
She smiled, her heart full to bursting with love for her berserker. Cain was still that same grumpy guy she’d first met way back in the day at Whispering Bluff High.
Still liked to wear black and keep his hair a little more on the scruffy side.
But his eyes when he looked at her, they always told her one thing—that she was a treasure above all else to him.
She patted his knee. “Yeah, it’s time.”
He nodded. “You gonna let him see you as you really are?”
Glancing down at herself, she studied the cheery yellow sundress she’d dressed in. Her red hair, looking more copper than normal, fell in a heavy braid across one shoulder.
She’d worn slinky little sandals and had even put on some lip gloss. She looked extraordinarily human right now.
Her skin was smooth. No vines showing, no glow of crushed diamonds, no rosebud claws for nails. She was the girl he remembered.
“No.” She shook her head. “I’m not.”
“She’s you, baby. That girl, that’s the real you.” Reaching over, he knuckled her smooth cheek, giving her a simple smile that pierced straight through her chest.
Flint wasn’t sure it was possible to love anything or anyone as much as she loved him. She and Cain had come so far and had done all of it together.
She was glad he was the one coming with her today too.
Nibbling on the corner of her lip, she shrugged. “Cain, you and I could live close to an eternity together, but my dad will only live a mortal life. My true form hurts him. I love him too much to do that to him. Regardless of what I look like on the outside, the fact is, I love him.”
“I know.” He said it softly as the car slowly rolled to a stop at the end of the drive.
The flutter of white curtains caught her eye. They knew she was here.
Taking her hand, Cain gave it a punishing kiss, and deep in her chest she felt the pulse of his soul rub warmly against hers, their bond stronger than ever.
That night, when he’d forced her belowground, Flint knew just how much he truly loved her. It hurt her to think that someday she’d have to bury her father too, have to see all the people she knew and loved when she’d been mortal pass on to another life, but as long as she had Cain by her side, she could do anything.
With a nod of encouragement, he opened his door and got out, then waited for her by the hood of the car. She joined him a second later, and they held hands as they walked up to the door.
And when her father threw it open, and saw her, and tears shimmered in his eyes, and his warm, warm arms wrapped around her, she knew she’d made the right choice.
They talked of nonsense. And laughed about the past. Remembered embarrassing stories and didn’t once bring up Armageddon or the gates of Hell.
Because Frank didn’t need to know about how bad the world could get—that was Flint’s job. To protect him. Protect the ones she loved most and even those she’d never know.
Surprisingly enough, she found she didn’t hate Katy nearly as much as she remembered. Katy had mellowed out, and though Flint wouldn’t talk about what went down the night of the battle, every so often she’d catch Katy looking at her with knowing eyes.
As a member of the Order, Katy knew just how dark the world could get. But she respected Flint’s unstated wishes, and the night went off without a hitch.
When they’d finished eating and cleaning up and the sky was dark and full of stars, Cain and Flint slowly made their way toward the front door.
“I hope you won’t be a stranger, Flinty,” Frank whispered before quickly hugging her tight.
“I promise, Daddy.” She kissed his smooth cheek.
Ironically enough, Flint was thankful for Katy. Her dad looked better than she could have imagined. He was lean and his skin glowed with health. The house was beautifully decorated. All in all, they had a good life. An enviable one.
Katy walked up to her then and held out her arms. “Can I get one of those too?” she asked hesitantly.
The hug was awkward, but it was also healing.
Laughing, they embraced a few times. Cain and Frank had wandered off to a back room somewhere, giving them a few moments of privacy.
“Flint… The last time we were together, I’ve thought about that with a lot of shame,” Katy rushed on to say.
Flint shook her head, shushing Katy, but Katy wouldn’t hear it.
“No, I was wrong. Just because you’re half fae doesn’t make you any less wonderful. I love your father very much, and I want you and I to get along if that’s possible at all.”
“I would like nothing more.”
Katy touched her cheek. “I wasn’t sure how to tell you this. I haven’t even told Frank, but… we’re pregnant.”
Shocked didn’t even begin to describe how she was feeling at the moment. “Wha-what?”
Katy’s eyes watered as she held her fingers in front of her lips, quietly giggling to herself. “I know!�
� She framed her stomach with her hand. “At my age, I couldn’t believe it. But the baby should come sometime in the spring.”
“Oh my gosh, Katy.” Flint jerked her in for another hug. Squeezing tight. “This is so awesome. And I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Miss what?” Frank asked when he and Cain came out of the hall, looking at them both like they’d lost their minds.
Laughing, Flint gestured for Cain’s hand with her own and shrugged. “Oh, nothing. Nothing at all.”
“That’s right. Nothing to worry your cute little head about, Frankie.” Katy tapped his nose with her finger.
Looking dazed and not completely convinced, her father shook his head. “You’re both weird.”
Flint laughed as she walked out the front door after saying their good-byes.
Cain grinned broadly. “Going to have a little brother or sister are we?”
Twirling on him, she slapped his shoulder. “You and your bionic ears. I was hoping to surprise you.”
He snorted. “You know I hate surprises.”
She rolled her eyes, ready to say something appropriately witty back when words suddenly vanished from her tongue.
Because Cain was on one knee, holding tightly to her hand. “Flint DeLuca,” he said gravely.
And she gasped, practically screamed, when he reached into his pocket and pulled out a little black velvet box.
“Will you marry me?” He opened the box and the most gigantic ring she’d ever seen stared back at her.
The diamond had to be at least three carats, if not larger. There were literally no words in her head.
Cain’s face turned down and worry scrawled tight lines around his eyes that now glowed with veins of red. “Flint?”
“Well, don’t keep that boy waiting forever,” Frank growled. “He and I went to a lot of trouble to keep this secret from you.”
Then she laughed, laughed until she cried. “Yes!” She swung her arms around his neck and squeezed tight enough to make Cain gasp for breath.
Sometimes it was easy to forget just how strong she was.
“Yes. Yes. Yes.” She dropped to her knees and peppered his gorgeous face with kisses.
“Princess,” he growled, then captured her lips with his.
Katy and Frank both applauded.
It took Flint several long minutes before she was no longer crying, her tears interspersed with giggles and hiccups. Which was totally as embarrassing as it sounded.
That night they found a hotel room on their way back home and celebrated their engagement in private.
As Cain thrust his hips and worked deep inside her and she clawed at his back with nails that could kill any man she wanted to, Flint knew she’d never been happier than she was then. Here in this strange hotel room, on a small bed, with a berserker male she was deliriously in love with.
And when he kissed her deeply and murmured “I love you,” she tasted eternity in his touch.
“I love you, Cain,” she whispered.
He smiled down at her. “My princess.”
“Always?”
Running a knuckle along the smooth skin of her cheek, he whispered, “Forever, my darkling fae. Forever.”
And that’s exactly what he did.
The End…
I hope you enjoyed the Tempted universe. And because I know that Amazon is contrary and likes to hop you around on your kindle I’ll restate here that the tempted series is actually a spin-off series based on the Night universe written as Selene Charles. If you’d like to know more about my latest releases, make sure to sign up for my newsletter!
As to what came next, I branched off into a world of Southern vampire detectives, shifters, and Death pops in and out of that world, so definitely more Dean. Even more Pandora too. The series is now completed, so make sure you check out Whiskey, Vamps, and Thieves, book 1.
Wanna know more about the characters you love, then come hang out at the Coolest place on the web!
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And final question, what am I working on now? A new UF that twists the legends and fairy tales of Grimm, adds a dash of romance, a large helping of mystery, and a ton of corpses. It’s a detective series with a twist. My lead detective is a siren known only as Elle and her partner is the mad one himself, Hatter. The setting is part of the hundred realms and you’ll visit Wonderland, Neverland, Grimm and so many more places you think you know but actually don’t. The first book, It’s a Charmed Life is already out and I’m working on book 2 now, The Long Goodnight and am hoping for a Halloween release! So keep a look out on FB for future updates!
About Selene Charles
Selene Charles it the pen name for a NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author who loves books that make you think, or feel something. Preferably both. And while she's a total girly girl and loves glitter and rainbows, she's just as happy when she's writing about the dark underbelly of society. Well, if things like zombies, and vampires, and werewolves, and mermaids existed. (Although she has it on good authority that mermaids do in fact exist, because the internet told her so.)
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She's married to the love of her life. She lives in Colorado, loves cooking, and occasionally has been known to crochet. She also really loves talking about herself in the third person.
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If you want to see what new creations she's got up her sleeves check out her FB page . Or contact her personally at [email protected]
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If you’d like to know more about her Urban Fantasies, make sure to sign up for her: Newsletter
The Complete Tempted Series Page 87