by Alex Dafney
She leans toward me, her lips brushing mine gently. “I’ve already claimed you.” She pulls back, brushing the tip of my nose with her own. “I love you too, Ashley.” She shifts back in the bed, resting her head on my chest as I pull her against me, letting out a content sigh. As long as I have her in my arms, I can face anything.
Epilogue
The day I denounced my Demon heritage comes to mind as I sit in my car, stuck in traffic. I drum my fingers on the steering wheel absentmindedly as that night in the alleyway plays through my mind. Eridanus pinned against the wall by two Demons. Me stabbing my mother, the Mistress, and Ian killing Bastian. Cercinus in turn stabbing me.
I drop my hand from the wheel, placing it against my side where the jagged scar has faded, but the memory never will. My phone begins to ring on the passenger seat. I reach for it, noticing my bosses’ number on the screen. Hitting the green button to answer the call I lift it to my ear. “Hey, James. Are you stuck in this awful traffic as well?” He gives a light chuckle over the line.
“Always, but that’s not why I called.” He gives a little sigh over the line, causing my heart to falter. It’s been two years since my strange disappearance, but I’m still waiting to be canned for it. If it weren’t for Orion covering for me while I was gone, I wouldn’t still have this job at all. Although it took months for anyone in the office to come near me after my strange, mystery diagnosis that almost took my life.
“I’m planning to do some rearranging within the department.” I tilt my head back against the seat, letting my eyes close as I wait for him to continue. Being fired could not come at a worse time. “I know the fantasy department isn’t really your thing. You do a wonderful job, but I want to give you first choice of departments.”
I tilt my head forward, opening my eyes as my brows draw together in confusion. “You’re not firing me?” He laughs loudly over the line. “Firing you? What in the hell are you talking about, son? You’re the best Senior Editor I have! You know Momma didn’t raise no fool!” I chuckle lightly at his familiar saying. “Numbers are down across the board, except for your department. I want to mix everyone up a bit. I feel like the Editors are burned out in their specific genres.”
I nod in agreement, having heard that from most of my colleagues. “I have heard that.” He makes an mhmm noise. “So, first thing Monday morning I’m calling a meeting. You won’t be there, obviously, but I wanted to give you first pick.” I sit quietly for a few seconds. When I was given this job two years ago, the last genre I wanted was fantasy, but now? Knowing what I know now, living through what I have, I can’t see working on anything else.
“If it’s alright, James, I’d like to continue with where I’m currently at. I feel like this is my niche.” He agrees instantly, going on to talk about where he should place the rest of my colleagues. I pull my phone from my ear as I hear a beeping, alerting me to an incoming call. I quickly pull the phone back to my ear, my eyes widening. “James, I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’ve got to take this other call. I’ll call you in a few days.”
I hang the phone up, before he finishes, quickly switching to the other line. “Are you alright?” Eri sighs heavily over the line. “I’m fine. Just wondering when you’ll be home.” I let out a relieved sigh, just as traffic begins to move. “Sorry, babe. Been stuck in traffic, but it’s starting to move now.”
“No rush. I’m about to put dinner in the oven. I’ll see you when you get here. I love you.” We hang up as I smile, traffic lightening, and allowing me to get to speed. I pull the car into the garage of our suburban house less than ten minutes later. We moved in less than a month ago, but damn if it isn’t home already. I make my way through the door that leads into the side of the kitchen as the garage door closes.
I’m surprised when I don’t find Eri in the kitchen. I toss my briefcase onto the counter, making my way down the hallway toward our bedroom. I gently push the door open, still not finding her. “Eri.” I call lightly. “In here!” A smile crests my lips as she calls from the bathroom that adjoins our room. I step in, finding her standing in front of the mirror, her hands placed on her hips as she turns side to side slowly.
Stepping behind her I wrap my arms around her, placing a kiss to her cheek before looking at her in the mirror. “There’s my Dream Girl.” She gives an exaggerated eye roll as she sighs heavily. “Only if you’re into whales, or cows, or anything else that’s fat as hell.” I drop both of my hands to her protruding belly, rubbing lightly. “You’re not fat, just overly pregnant.” She sighs again, dropping her head back to rest against me as she stares up at the ceiling. “I’m so done being pregnant.”
I drop my hands from her, placing them on her shoulders and turning her to me. “Almost time. Your due date was two days ago, surely we’ll be meeting our son or daughter soon.” She rolls her eyes again, letting out a huff. “I’m going to be pregnant forever. Just get used to it.” As the timer begins to alarm from the kitchen she shifts out of my grip, waddling toward the door as I watch her with a bright smile.
She stops in the doorway, placing a hand on her hip and giving me a pointed look. “Stop watching me waddle. I can still kick your ass.” Shaking my head, I laugh lightly. “I’m going to change clothes.” She rolls her eyes, yet again, before moving out of the bathroom. I’ve come to find her signature look of pregnancy to be an eye roll.
I quickly strip out of my slacks and button up shirt, tossing them to the hamper that sits in the corner of the room. Striding out of the room I catch a glimpse of the mark on my hip in the mirror, pausing and facing it head on. Dropping my hand, I run my thumb along the three perfect, white, dots. Denouncing my Demon heritage changed a lot of things. My mark turned to that of a Seeker, as did my senses.
I can now sense when a Demon is around, and my eyes glow a bright blue. Although, after my denouncing and Eri resigning from the Division, we don’t come into contact with many Demons. Ian still comes around though. After me killing the Mistress, and my denouncing, he was the next in line to take over the Demons, being the head of my Court.
And I have to say, he was the man for the job. There is a strict policy against changing mortals now. Most of the Demons returned to the mortal world, living amongst everyday people, with average jobs, and average lives. Some decided to stay at the Fortress, and there is always a rouge who wants to come here and cause trouble, but we handle it fairly quickly.
The charges against Eridanus for deserting the Division to help me were also dropped. Since Circinus, her Father, stabbed me after denouncing, I was technically a Seeker. The only rule in the Division is not to harm a fellow Seeker. He struck a deal with us to keep our mouths shut for her freedom, which we gladly accepted.
I step out of the bathroom, sliding a pair of workout shorts on and grabbing a T-shirt. Just as I pull the shirt up to slide it over my head, I hear Eri yelp from across the house. Within the blink of an eye I stand behind her in the kitchen, watching as she holds her finger under the faucet of the sink. I start for her, gripping her wrist as she jolts, clutching her other hand to her chest. “Dammit, Ashley! What have I told you about that fast moving shit!”
I shake my head as I inspect her hand, finding a small burn to her pointer finger. I grab a towel from the counter, patting her finger dry as I reach around her to the medicine cabinet, pulling the small blue vial from inside. “You’ve told me not to use my superpower speed and sneak up on you.” I roll my eyes playfully as she smacks me in the side with her free hand. I pull the cork from the bottle with my teeth, pouring a small drop on her finger and watching the burn instantly fade.
I smile down at her as she watches her finger, her eyes moving up to mine. She gives me a bright smile as she presses up on her bare tip toes, her lips meeting mine. “I love you. Even if you sneak up on me.” I give her a bright smile of my own as I bend down, pressing my lips to hers. “And I love you.” I pull back, noticing the startled look on her face, watching as her head drops downward, mine following. “Fuc
k times eight thousand nine hundred and fifty-two.”
I nod in agreement as I watch the small trickle of fluid trail down her legs, onto the floor. She lifts her head, her eyes meeting mine. I can see the fear and uncertainty in her eyes. I pull her to me, placing a kiss to the top of her head. “Show time, Dream Girl.”
After what feels like a lifetime, I lie in our bed next to Eri who cradles our little boy in her arms, smiling down at him. The Enchantresses had rented the house next to ours in await to assist with our child being born, and I’m glad they did. Once things started happening, I completely lost my shit. I fainted in the bedroom and Orion had to drag my ass out to the living room.
I drop a hand to my ribs that are sore, knowing that he probably banged me into a few walls on the way out of the room for the hell of it. Although, I deserved it. Eri was a fucking champ and I passed out like a little girl who saw a scary snake. Ori and I have a good relationship now, but he’s not going to pass up an opportunity to inflict a bit of pain on me.
I lift our newborn sons’ tiny hand in mine, flipping his hand over to expose his wrist and seeing three perfect white circles. I let out a relieved sigh as I run my finger along his wrist, looking over to Eri. “No darkness.” She lifts her head slightly, turning to look over to me with a small smile. “I told you we didn’t have to worry.” I press forward, pressing a soft kiss on her cheek as she stares down at our son in her arms.
Ever since finding out she was pregnant, I’ve been worried about the possibility of our child being born with the Demon heritage. Even though she said she wasn’t worried, I could see it in her eyes. I close my eyes, shaking my head lightly. There’s no reason to worry about it now. He’s here, healthy, and has the mark of a Seeker.
“What are we going to name him?” Over the past nine months we’ve tossed numerous names around but have yet to settle on one. I look over to Eri as she turns her head toward me, a bright smile on her lips. “What do you think about Allan Sagitta Warren?” Just when I think I couldn’t possibly love this woman more, she wants to name our son after my Father and her brother who both passed away.
My lips make their way to hers, placing a gentle kiss before resting my forehead against hers. “I think that’s a perfect name. You’re perfect.” She tilts her head to the side slightly, looking up to me. “You’re pretty perfect yourself, Ash.” She raises one eyebrow at me, a smirk pulling onto her lips. “Although I am going to kick your ass for fainting on me.” I chuckle as I shift my eyes down to our son. “Don’t worry. I think Ori kicked me a few times while I was out.”
She makes a hmm noise as she runs her fingers over our sons light colored hair. “Give me a few days and I’ll owe you both an ass kicking.” I roll my eyes, even though I know she’s more than capable of kicking both of our asses at the same time.
We settle into a comfortable silence, both of us gazing at our sleeping child. “Thank you.” I glance over to her as she whispers quietly, giving her a questioning look. A small smile tugs at the corner of her lip as she looks up to me. “Thank you for coming back to me. And for him.” I smile back at her, thankful for the exact same things. I give her a small shrug. “I had no choice. You claimed me.”
About the Author
Alex is an independent author who was raised and still resides in small town Alabama. Writing a novel was always a dream, and now a reality with the release of The Girl He Left Behind, Home, A Friendly Encounter, and Once Upon A Summer. When not writing, Alex will be found reading, cooking, or spending time on the lake with family and friends.
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Other Books by Alex Dafney
Once Upon A Summer
A Friendly Encounter
Home
Safe Travels – Book One of the Shifting Through Time Duet
The Girl He Left Behind