I gave them all a shaky smile.
“I know in some people’s eyes, it hasn’t been a long time, and after recently finding out that I will live forever, I guess it really hasn’t been long since I’ve known you all. But in our world, that doesn’t matter. Each of you has managed to enter my life and give me new experiences. Each of you stole a piece of my heart before I even knew it could be stolen. And when I learned they were taken, I was already too far gone to take them back. I know twenty is a baby age for a couple of you.”
That got Rhett, Shanton, and Dwight grinning.
“I learned some hard lessons growing up.” I used magic to make the microphone hover so I could use my hands. I pulled out the case. “I learned that forever is never really forever. Things change in a nanosecond. So I want to make it matter, I want to make time count for something, with the hope that it will stretch out toward forever. I’m still learning, still figuring out my life, but one thing I do know is that I want all of you in it. I want my future filled with silly dates, and serious fights, followed by sweet make-up sex. I want to be there to save your butts and I want you at my back when I screw up. I don’t want to let any one of you go. I’m unapologetically greedy like that. I’m not asking for a full commitment. We need more time, but I do want to ask for a someday. For a future.”
I went to Dwight first. None of them were giving anything away, and I shook as I lifted up the cover off the rings for them to see. All the rings were the same, a black onyx band, each one with a protection spell in place. They shuffled around.
“Dwight Lombardi, will you be mine for now, with the hope of a forever?” I asked.
A smile stretched wide across his face, reanimating his expression so he looked more boyish than ever. “Yes, Laila. Now and forever.”
I grinned and grabbed a band. He gave me his hand, and I slid it into place. The band readjusted to fit around his finger.
I moved on to Shanton. “Cyril Shanton, will you be mine for now, with the hope of a forever?”
“The fact that I even get a now is surprising. There is no way I’m going to turn down the hope of a forever too.”
The fear eased out of me as they accepted my proposal. I slipped the ring on his finger and moved down the line.
“Rhett Gayle, will you be mine for now, with the hope of a forever?”
“With the promise that you will be mine for now and forever too? Yes.”
“Venni Reynards, will you be mine for now, with the hope of a forever?”
“Yes, Laila, I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
“Davies Kalman, will you be mine for now, with the hope of a forever?”
“Fuck yeah, you don’t even need to ask.”
I laughed, the tears falling down my face. I couldn’t stop grinning.
“Alijah Orr, will you be mine for now, with the hope of a forever?”
“Yes, Laila. I’ll be honored to have now and forever with you.”
“Elliot Baker, will you be mine for now, with the hope of a forever?”
“Of course, Laila. I’ve been yours for a while now and that won’t change, even after forever.”
I was sobbing when I finished, relieved and in shock that they all said yes. All of them. For now and hopefully forever.
They surrounded me, each of them taking turns to hug and kiss me.
They were mine. They were really mine. Even after all the shit that had happened, they were mine.
Best fucking birthday present ever.
Epilogue
I walked down the aisle with a massive grin. My long lavender dress rustled as it brushed against the plush grass. All seven of my guys were lined up on the stage next to Atasha and Elaria. I had asked the guys for forever and now they were officially giving it to me.
Atasha and Elaria were going to do the binding ceremony so that they lived for as long as I did. I no longer needed to worry about losing Davies and Elliot.
They looked older now, with a few extra laugh lines, but it only made them handsome. Even their frames had filled out more, which I thought would have been impossible for Davies. But of course, tell Davies he couldn’t do something and he always proved you wrong. Always.
All of them were decked out in sharp black tuxedos, and I didn’t know where to look. They were all mine, had been for the past ten years. It hadn’t been easy, not at first. There were moments when I questioned my sanity—and theirs. But once we figured out what worked for us, it smoothed out.
Cyril stood closest to Elaria, smiling big. His energy was intense today as it tugged me closer to him. He didn’t need to work hard in doing it.
I loved Cyril as much as I loved the others, even if he had a later start in our relationship. Cyril was adventure. He let me put myself out there to explore the world, and he let me make mistakes. I loved him so much for that.
Next to Cyril was Dwight. He was possibilities to me. He pushed me to do more, to challenge myself, to explore what I wanted to do. Three years ago, when I told him I wanted to open my own research facility instead of working at Biomystic Security, he was my biggest advocate, despite losing his best labbie.
Rhett’s energy drew me to him as I got closer. Rhett was logic, a voice of reason. He listened when I needed to talk things out, and didn’t have any problems giving me a reality check. As one of the oldest vampires, he had a deep history, some of it dark. And he was right, someday soon, I’d like to see him be a father. He deserved it. Just not quite yet though. We had more than enough time in our future now.
It took a moment to tear my eyes from Rhett’s burning ones to focus on Alijah. My silent protector. He was always there, always taking care of me. He never judged me, and when I needed him, he was always nearby. A shadow always willing to do the hard things in life for me, and I enjoyed being there for him too. Having him rely on me was the best gift he’d ever given me.
Davies stood next to him with a wide grin. I gave him a big goofy smile of my own. Davies was wildness, he was my reminder of what childhood should have been like. The silly man made it his life’s mission to make sure I enjoyed everything I missed out on as a child, like silly movies, games, or holidays. He loved making sure I celebrated every holiday imaginable.
Davies’ counterpart was Venni. The two of them were day and night in personality and in looks. While Davies pushed me to embrace my wild side, Venni was the quiet one. He was my guidance, making sure that while I did something stupid with Davies, we were still able to walk away from it alive. He was the very epitome of control and some days I needed that.
Elliot stood at the end with a pure smile full of happiness. He had the kind of smile that could only come from a human, and I loved it all the more because of that. Elliot had a way of reminding me what being human meant, that it wasn’t all bad. He had a way of going deep, getting to the route of my emotions, and helping me through them. Without him, I was sure I’d have blown more shit up in my life.
They all stood on the stage, staring at me like I was the world. I lifted my dress up enough so I could go up the steps. I felt like a queen as I stood in front of all of them, their heated gazes scorching against my skin.
“Dr. Laila Porter, are you ready to proceed with the mate bonding?” Atasha asked.
Without looking away from my men, I said, “I’m ready to enter into forever with them.”
Author’s Note
The end. Please hold on while I sit here in shock for finishing BMS.
In my first book, Magical Intentions, I had written a thank you as my author note to everyone who was reading it because it meant that they had read the whole book. I want to do that again. Thank you! If you are reading this, it means that you not only finished the book, but you finished the entire series. You followed me to the very end, and I am in awe of that. I’m crying here. Seriously. This is my first published series. My first COMPLETED published series. I learned so much, grew so much as a writer, and while I made plenty of mistakes, I don’t regret anything. This has been a tou
gh journey full of doubt, but you guys made it fun, you guys kept me writing. So thank you. This story is dedicated as much to you as it is to everyone in my life who has emotionally supported me. There is no way to show how much I appreciate you.
I’ll keep writing, I have so many stories to share with you all, and not enough time to write them. But I’m going to keep trucking because I hope you will enjoy all my stories as much as I enjoy writing them.
Thank you so much. Thank you! I love every single one of you.
Okay, sappy part over. Time to brush off the tears and keep going.
From the Author
Biomystic Security
Magical Intentions
Magical Temptations
Magical Attraction
Magical Seclusion
Magical Redemption
Magical Collision
Gifted Anomalies
Fate Foretold
Surviving Souls (Coming Soon)
From the Embers
Emergence
Transformation (Coming Soon)
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Magical Collision Page 22