by F. L. Jordan
Zach quickly texted Amber, Tark, and Levit to let them know he and Natalie were safe and going to rest. He also asked Amber to let Eli know what was happening. The man had been calling the station non-stop trying to find his aunt since her disappearance
Zach turned the device off and walked back into the bedroom. As he laid down beside Natalie, pulling her to him protectively, he buried his face in her damp curls and smiled. Somehow she still smelled like strawberries. He fell asleep thinking about how much his entire world had changed in the course of a week, and how he wouldn’t change it back for anything.
Epilogue
“Commissioner Hail? These just arrived for you,” Natalie looked up from her report to find her secretary standing in the doorway, completely hidden behind a massive bouquet of flowers.
“Oh God,” she laughed and stood, taking the gift and setting it on a nearby cabinet, “I’m going to kill him.”
“They’re beautiful,” the secretary sighed, smiling with feminine awe as she gazed longingly at the flowers before leaving.
Natalie pulled the card from the vase, her own smile widening as she read it, ‘Happy anniversary, my love. Emily is picking up the kids from school, Verde has requested Copper and Slag join their flock for the nightwatch, and we have the house to ourselves for the evening. Dinner is at 7. ~Zach.’
She shook her head and headed back to her desk. It had been eleven years since hell had tried to reign down on earth. Natalie had been unanimously chosen for the commissioner’s position based not only on her stellar career record, but also for her position within the magic community. As her first act within the position, she’d ordered the creation of a new precinct. The sole purpose of the 5th was to enforce the magic laws and work with human law to maintain peace throughout the city. Zach had willingly stepped up to head the new branch of Metropolitan’s police department. The biggest surprise was who ended up becoming his lieutenant.
Steffani busted her ass at the academy, using her connections to find other promising individuals to join the 5th Precinct. Together she and Zach had been able to eliminate a great deal of magic rivalries throughout the city. Zach had also used his position of fame to sway public opinion of witches. The posters and billboards that once encouraged youth with disabilities to achieve their dreams now encouraged equality among humans and witches of all walks of life. Peoples with Disabilities dropped him as their spokesperson due to his lack of a disability, but the mayor had happily offered to cover the costs of the new campaign.
Metropolitan City was now a rather pleasant place to live. Like any city, crime still existed, but now half the population didn’t have to hide. Witches within every profession had begun to freely express their true lifestyles without fear of losing their jobs. Dr. Tory gained new clientele because witches felt safer seeking help from one of their own. The hospitals began to seek out healers to help with patients. Even the street dragons were treated with a new level of respect.
Verde’s flock worked with the police department to keep an eye on the city’s darkest corners. All of them, including Slag and Copper, had a single enchanted Gold scale on their chests that identified them as officers of the law. Harming one of them was considered the same as assaulting a human officer and came with a hefty punishment.
Slag flew into the open office window, Ember in tow. She landed gracefully on Natalie’s shoulders as Ember reported a kidnapping within the 1st Precinct. Of course, he knew exactly where the little boy had been taken. Natalie dispatched him and called Lidia, letting her know that Ember was on his way to guide a rescue team to the child.
Zach went overboard with the flowers again, huh? Slag said as she spotted the enormous bouquet.
He sure did, Natalie smiled and returned to reading her report. Apparently you and Copper have been requested to participate in the Night Watch tonight.
Uh huh, Slag squinted her eyes at the woman. Just like we are every year on your anniversary.
Funny how that works out, isn’t it? Natalie giggled and scratched the dragon’s chin. The beautiful creature had matured into a powerful, well muscled beast, though she had remained small. Slag had been approached by many males over the years, and took interest in none of them. When asked why, she’d admitted that she had no desire to be with any dragon other than Copper, even if that meant she’d never be a mother or truly mated. Natalie had been thankful for the answer for two reasons. Copper would have likely killed any mate she’d chosen, and neither Natalie nor Zach wanted to deal with the trauma that came from separating a mother dragon from her brood.
Real funny, Slag replied sarcastically. Are Jake and Vivica at Emily’s house?
“Mhmm,” Natalie hummed her response, thinking about her nine and ten year old children. They were wild, magically blessed, and absolutely the lights of her life. Neither of them had been granted the gift of dragon’s tongue, but they didn’t seem to mind. They still loved the creatures. In fact, Jake had taken to Ember the second he’d spotted the tiny red fireball, and Ember quite enjoyed being spoiled by the boy. Vivica had followed more in her father’s footsteps and selected a lovely teal dragon from the pet store named Aqua. All four of the family’s scaly creatures enjoyed living with the Hails. The dragons even had a room all their own within the house. Aqua didn’t like leaving the home unguarded, so she acted as their security system during the day while everyone else was gone. Natalie had a suspicion that the quiet loving lizard really just wanted some alone time.
Well, if I’m going to be up all night, I might as well take a nap, Slag leapt into her bed atop a filing cabinet beside Natalie’s desk, landing with a small thud. As the dragon settled in for the afternoon, Natalie’s desk phone rang. She answered it and tried to pay attention to the voice on the other end of the line. She glanced up at the clock on the wall. Only two more hours until she could go home.
Time flew faster than she could have dreamed and suddenly she was thirty minutes late. Natalie gathered her things, woke Slag and left the office. Reminding the dragon to close the window on her way out for the evening as she closed the door.
Natalie dropped her purse inside the door of their home and kicked off her shoes as she hung up her overcoat. She walked through the living room, glancing at the mantle full of memories. Pictures of their wedding, their children’s school portraits, Eli’s engagement photos, Emily’s family Christmas cards, and favorite snapshots from countless vacations. This small section of their home was Natalie’s favorite place. Never in her life had she imagined she’d be granted such happiness.
She stepped into the dining room and found Zach placing two plates on the table. He smiled up at her, his blue eyes gleaming with a wild youthfulness that his forty-four year old face no longer showed. She returned the smile and stepped into his open arms, accepting the kiss she’d been dying to give him since her secretary had brought in the absurd bouquet.
“Happy anniversary, honey,” Zach whispered as he held her tightly, “I love you.”
She pulled back to gaze up at him, lovingly placing her hand on his cheek, “I love you, too.”
The End
Did you love The Lure of a Traitor? Then you should read The King's Secret by F.L. Jordan!
Sixteen year old Prince Owen Aisley has lived under his abusive father's oppressive rule for long enough. He builds up the courage to challenge the King for the chance to go to school and finally learn about his magical abilities. As Owen interacts with the magical world he discovers that he's not what he seems and uncovers secrets about his father and the school's headmaster that could topple society as they know it. Can he right his father's wrongs and bring peace between man and magic? Will the ones he loves get hurt in process?
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