by Ruby Raine
"Do not say it."
Everyone laughed. Some things would never change. No matter how time passed. Big brothers would always see their little sisters as such. No matter how old they grew, how long they lived, or how strong they were either physically or mentally.
The battle against evil would rage on. Because as long as there was free will, both good and evil would be chosen. It was simply the way of things in this world, human, supernatural, magical, or otherwise.
But with this new day, the forces of good outnumbered the forces of evil.
The future never looked so bright.
Epilogue...
CHRISTMAS EVE, TEN years in the future...
The tree was lit up in a rainbow of color and presents stacked around the base soaked up every bit of space possible.
Life had given the witches a break as of late. Many sorts of battles had come and gone. More adventures shared. Supernatural trouble did not stay dormant on the Isle for long. Of course, they had a magic school now too, which had its own set of troubles now and then when students got rowdy or accidental magical mistakes occurred.
But these days it was all in a day's work.
Michael and Emily scooted their two daughters over to play with their cousins while they caught up with Lucy, Emily's aunt who was visiting from down south.
Charlie and Lizzy had been busy keeping that promise of a large family with twin boys, another son, as well as a daughter.
The young ones were showing off their magical skills and the parents were doting and laughing. There was another child, though, a shy one who didn't want to participate. Melinda encouraged the young boy to join in. He did, and they welcomed him into the group.
He showed the others a trick he'd learned in magic school that day and they clapped and cheered him on. Charlie gave his sister a wink, and she in turn kissed her vampire's cheek, whose eyes had not left the young boy practicing his magic. Melinda's smile widened in the pure joy of it.
They'd adopted the boy only weeks before. He'd been attending the magic school after Rae, Riley, Annie, and Courtney had found him in an orphanage while on the hunt for demons—after the boy had accidentally used magic and almost burned the place down. But they'd saved him, cleaned up the mess, and brought him to the Isle where Melinda and William had taken an instant liking to the boy and he to them. He hadn't been fazed even a little that they were vampires. He'd just thought it was cool.
It was a dream come true for William, being a father. And Melinda had never felt so fulfilled as when they'd taken the boy in and she'd gotten to see William's dream come true at last.
But it was a house filled with non-stop supernatural mayhem!
If they thought battles against bad guys were rough, dealing with young kids and hormones and tantrums—especially when those kids were magical, or shifters, or gifted in some way—it was a daily battle. But one they each rose to the challenge of and enjoyed thoroughly.
As the evening wore on, there was a knock at the door. Charlie hopped over to answer it and smiled wide when it was Mathew and Lucas with some special guests. Rae and Riley were hand in hand, behind them. They were about to start their own family as Rae was pregnant with their first child—they were having a son—and taking a hiatus from demon killing—although, over the years she'd managed to disperse over thirty of them with the help of her team.
She'd also given her magical gift to many others across the globe, and so far, her plan was working to replenish and strengthen the bloodline.
They hadn't barely made it inside when one of the portals that linked Sorcier with the Isle lit up in the backyard, and Annie, Courtney, Jean, and Aunt May slid through. Annie and Courtney had been visiting Sorcier since Rae had announced she was taking a break for a time.
The two vampires had grown close over the years through their work with Rae and they'd recently gotten married. It had taken some time for Courtney to get over her lost coven and Bree, but once she witnessed what William and Melinda had with each other over the years, she'd decided she wanted that too. And Annie had finally found the perfect soul she'd been waiting for all these many long years, in Courtney. They were a beautiful and fearsome match who had no intentions of leaving Rae's team once she was ready to hunt again.
Another knock at the door had Grace and Mack laughing and coming inside to join the party. Grace had come with everyone's favorite baked goods and Mack had come with her live-in partner, Nethaniel Dante. He'd long ago confirmed his suspicions about the supernatural being real, and even though he sometimes used this to his advantage as per increasing media sales, and to boost tourism on the Isle, he'd never crossed any lines to make things harder for the supernatural protectors doing their jobs.
Melinda watched as her newly adopted son found a quiet moment to slip away with a gift in his hand. He snuck into the backyard and called for Finn. The gargoyle slid out of a shadow and snorted a hello to the boy. They playfully butted heads and Finn took the wrapped gift from out of his hands and tossed it around until the gift was free—a giant bone to chew on.
Finn honked in happiness and gratitude.
After Melinda had mated with William, Finn had stopped cozying up to her at night, like he understood she as safe now and no longer needed him there. But they still gave into bouts of belly scratches and playtime, and Finn was always protective when they were on the job. But once Melinda's new son had come to live in the house, Finn had instantly considered it his job to ghost the boy and protect him. He slept in his room at night and more than once, they'd caught their son snuggled up on the floor in Finn's own bed. Melinda thought they'd be good friends for life and it was a great comfort.
Looking at her son and Finn in the yard playing, and gazing inside the mansion with her friends and family gathered together she thought of the many surprises life had sprung at them. How, in some ways, reaching this point was almost miraculous. And yet it was a tiny blip of the long, long lives they had ahead of them.
Ring. Ring.
The revelry stopped. Heads cocked and listened.
Ring. Ring.
It was the Mack line. In the kitchen.
Only, Mack was standing in the living room.
She held up her cell phone and let the laughter fly.
"Oh, boy, you should see the look on your faces."
But it would just be the way of things around these parts. Supernatural trouble didn't give a damn about the holidays. But a minute later they'd all had a good laugh over it until the dang Mack line rang again. Except this time, even Mack was frowning because she wasn't the one calling it.
Charlie stormed over and grabbed it.
"Hello."
"Hiya, Charlie. Deputy Harvey here. Hate to bug you on Christmas Eve, but we might have a problem."
"Story of my life," Charlie said with a chuckle, mimicking Mack. But Mack had gotten herself some good help over the years and was thinking of cutting back her time in the field soon.
Charlie glanced at the rest of his family who rolled their eyes and said at the same time, "Duty calls?"
The amused laughter turned serious as duty once again came into play. And such would it be for the rest of their days. The struggle to balance love, life, and duty as supernatural protectors might change over time, but the battle would wage on, as would they. The lessons learned that one summer and fall ten years ago had forever changed them, preparing them to face this future.
No longer were they just three Howard siblings and a vampire struggling to protect a Power Source from evil, but they'd become a thriving and expanding family that would one day protect not only their own future generations, but all of humanity.
Special Note from the Author
Thank you so much for traveling on this journey with me.
When I first began this series, it was a chance to write about all the things I love in the supernatural world. It became so much more than I ever imagined, but like all things, the story must end. I hope you enjoyed this series.
Get
Wilde & Witchy!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DGSBHTP
"A cold shower is needed after reading this series!" Sassy. Steamy. Magical...
Dani doesn't know she's a powerful witch - her unknown protectors murdered before passing on their knowledge. Now, evil sets their murderous intent on Dani: wanted dead—not alive, before she discovers she's the only witch powerful enough to stop the ultimate evil from rising.