by Tijan
“Well, hell yeah. Of course.” Brown gestured outside my bedroom window. We were back at Lucas’s house, the one by the cliff where Lucan captured us in the first place. There weren’t great memories, but each night Lucas helped push those bad ones away as he made new ones with me. And there was land. There was lots and lots of land. I didn’t feel so ‘constricted’ here. The cliff was where the wedding would take place. Emily was the wedding planner and she was utilizing everyone to help. The entire backyard was transformed so it looked like a magical forest. Trees had been relocated and spelled to grow tall. Flowers hung everywhere. Logs made up the seats. It didn’t look like it was next to a cliff at all. And within a few hours, it would be filled with vampires, werewolves, witches, and a few humans (those who were either clueless or brave.) There would be a few slayers as well. A group of them were waiting for us when we returned. They took Kates with them. I knew they were going to help her heal. Her time in captivity had been the worst of all of us. There’d been a few correspondents between the two of us. We were both getting better, and I was excited to see her again. She’d been my childhood nolstage. I wanted to get to know my best friend once again, well not my real best friend. That was Lucas now, but Kates held a special place in my heart. She always would.
Brown said, “This wedding is a dream wedding and hello, Roane in tuxedo.” She fanned herself. “Swoon right there.”
Pippa frowned. “He’s going to be her husband.”
“But he’s gorgeous. I can see. I can appreciate.” Brown nudged Pippa with her shoulder. “Just like I can appreciate the hotness of your brother. Hubba hubba. Come to me Christian Christane.” She leaned over and grabbed Saren’s thumb, but paused and asked, “Does he have to be betrothed to another werewolf? Is that a thing? What about a witch? You think I got a shot? He can be my Alpha any night of the week.”
Pippa’s frown deepened and she turned, giving Brown a curt response. Brown retaliated, another laughing joke. It had been like this over the last few months and I sighed, listening, but I loved it. The teases were flying. The jokes were sent back and forth. Pippa would huff about something, and Brown would follow with one more outrageous suggestion, all the while trying to hide her grin.
This was normal. This had been my life, and I knew it would be again.
The old Davy was rearing up. She wanted to join in, but the slight tease I had was held back. If I joined in with the joking, they would be quieted in shock. Then, they’d want more. They’d start looking for the old Davy every minute, every hour, every time they were around me and she wasn’t there. Not yet. But she was coming. I felt her in me again.
I turned back to the window and gazed down. Roane was there, listening to Emily who was pointing at a post that was covered with flowers. Her hand movements were sharp, and his frown grew, even as I watched.
Emily never wanted to bother me with anything, so she bothered him. I thought it was hilarious.
“Having fun?” I asked him.
He looked up, knowing exactly where I was. He thought back, “Your old roommate still drives me crazy.”
“Remember when she had a crush on you?”
He groaned. “I was using her to get to you. I should’ve known better.”
Resting a hand to the window frame, I leaned closer. I teased back, “Oh, come on. Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re a stud.”
“Don’t start.”
I laughed under my breath. “You’re the last living Hunter. You’re a legend, Lucas.”
“Davina.” He sighed.
I kept going, loving the sweet torment. “I know you’re a legend in my mind. A legend in bed.”
His eyes flashed a warning. “If you keep going, I’ll come up there and show you how legendary you can be, too.”
My hands curled around the frame. “Promise?”
He groaned again, shaking his head. Emily quieted, and stared at him blankly. Her eyes trailed up, following his, and when she saw me, understanding flared over her face. She lifted a hand, giving me an impish grin, and said, “I’ll let you two be alone. Davina, dress.”
I opened the window and hollered down, “Aye, aye, Staff Sergeant.”
I didn’t think, but as soon as the words left my mouth, I cringed. Emily’s eyes widened and she sucked in her breath. That was the old Davy. Sarcastic. Teasing. Still grimacing, I waved back. “I will. Thank you, Emily.”
A sheen of tears showed and her hand waved again. Her smile softened. “I’ll be up in a bit. Your hair looks beautiful.”
She darted around Lucas, hurrying and waving at someone else. Lucas was still there, and my eyes found his again. He asked, “You okay?”
I nodded. “I am.”
“I love you.”
Warmth rushed through me. “I love you, too.”
“You’re going to be my wife in an hour.”
I gave him a half-grin. “You have an hour to run away. You’ve been warned.”
“Never.” His eyes glittered, his love shone brightly there. “Never, Davina of the Roane Bloodline. You are mine forever. You are in my heart. You are in my soul. We are of one now.”
Saren shrieked behind me and both of us grinned at the other.
Roane thought to me, “One day we’ll explain why she’ll age older than us.”
I barked out a laugh. “It’s a hell of a story.”
“Yes,” he answered. “It was, wasn’t it?”
I held his gaze and let out a soft sigh. He was right. It really was.
THE END
www.tijansbooks.com
Wow! I can’t believe I’m writing this part, and for this book. This series was one of my first that I was really proud of. I had written other stories before Davy, but all of them were while I was trying to ‘learn’ how to write. Davy was the first story where I felt ready. I didn’t know what I was ready for. I had no idea what to do after I wrote the story, but I was ready for something. I was so proud of myself. I had gone up another level in writing. Man. Davy was always so near and dear to me. I want to thank all the readers that started with me in my Fictionpress days, followed me to Livejournal, and stuck with me when I began publishing. I know so many of you have been waiting years for this conclusion. I truly hope I did it justice.
Thank you to the Tijanettes! You, ladies, make me smile daily! Thank you to the admins, to my betas, to my editors, proofreaders, to my formatter, to my agent. Thank you to Erica Adams and Ali Oop. I know both of you have really cheered for Davy and it always meant so much to me. Thank you to all my author friends who I might’ve pasted something in their inbox to quick read over for me, or patted me on the back when I needed it. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I don’t know if I can say it enough.