by Sadie Moss
A loud whoop caught my attention, and I laughed as Fen dove under a wave, popping up after it passed and shaking his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes. Jae waded through the shallow water nearby, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his pants rolled up to his knees. He looked casual and elegant, like a prince of the ocean out for a stroll in his domain. Next to us, Akio stood staring out over the water, lost in his own thoughts. His hand gripped mine though, our fingers laced tightly together.
The stunning beauty of the entire scene overwhelmed me, and I didn’t want to blink, didn’t want to miss even a half-second of it.
“Thank you for bringing me here.” I snuggled back against Corin’s body, the warmth of his embrace a delicious contrast to the chilly sea air.
“I’ve wanted to forever, Lana. Sorry we didn’t see any jellyfish though.” He chuckled.
“This is enough. This is more than enough.”
He sighed contentedly, resting his hands on the small bump of my growing belly and sending a little thrill through me. That development was new enough I still felt a zing of pride and nerves every time I thought about it.
I’d never pictured myself as a mother, and I was a little terrified I’d be awful at it. But then again, I’d never pictured myself falling madly in love with four men either, and that had been the best thing that ever happened to me.
My four all liked to joke that it’d be easy enough when the baby came to guess which of them was the father based on what kind of powers it had. Fen’s favorite comment was, “If it comes out howling, it’s mine.”
But the truth was, we might not ever know for sure.
Jae had been right about the two pulses of magic released the night I destroyed Rain’s machine. They had awakened something.
Over the past year, numerous magical children had been born to nonmagical parents. Some people who’d spent their whole lives without magic suddenly began developing powers, and even those with magic started manifesting strange new abilities.
The world was changing. There were still plenty of people who didn’t have any magic, but the lines were blurring—whether through marriage and birth or through the power that seemed to seep into people from the very air, the difference between magic and nonmagic became less and less distinct every day. The terms “Blighted,” “Gifted,” and “Touched” had fallen out of use too, remnants of an old system we were working hard to destroy.
Noble had adamantly resisted putting people to death in the aftermath of the fight against Rain, despite calls from some of the Blighted to do so. Gifted citizens who had helped Rain or done violence to the Blighted were given a trial, and punishments were handed down to fit their crimes—but there were no mass public executions. The world had seen enough of that for a long while.
And after the revelation of what Rain had done, many prominent magic users stepped forward to condemn the mistreatment of the Blighted and admit their complicity in not stopping it sooner. Too little, too late, I thought, but Noble accepted their penance gracefully, reminding them that they were complicit and it was now their duty to make it right.
There were still some magic users who would always insist on calling themselves Gifted. Those who would posture and claim superiority over anyone with no magic. But they were a dying breed, screaming pitifully as they faded away.
Noble was well suited to leadership, and maybe part of the reason for that was because he didn’t cling to it. He’d led the new government long enough to let things stabilize, but our first public election in years would be held soon.
I snorted softly, remembering several of our most recent conversations. Despite months of subtle and not-so-subtle hints from him, I had adamantly refused to run for office.
I’d come to accept what Akio told me that day—I was a leader, whether I wanted to be or not. But I had no interest in running a government. I’d rather get my hands dirty with work, helping tear down the wall that separated the Outskirts from the Capital or repairing the neglected areas of the city as an influx of people arrived from the now-disbanded Blighted encampments. In other cities as well, walls were being torn down and city-centers expanded as more people arrived.
The last year hadn’t been easy. There was so much to do.
Some days it seemed like an impossible task.
And some days it felt like the country balanced on a knife’s edge, on the precipice of slipping over into chaos and violence again.
But we wouldn’t let it.
Noble was right. We had fought hard to get where we were. And like good farmers, we would plant the seeds, tend our crops, and keep the predators at bay so we—and the generations to come—could reap the harvest of peace.
Corin gave me a little squeeze, and I jumped. I’d gotten lost in my thoughts when I meant to be soaking up the scene around me.
“Look at you two.” He laughed, swiveling his head between Akio and me. “If you both stared any harder, you’d probably set the ocean on fire.”
Akio rolled his eyes, the red glow of the sun highlighting his sharp features. “We’re both highly intelligent people. We have a lot to think about.”
That just made Corin laugh harder, and I elbowed him in the ribs.
He pressed a kiss to my hair and released me, still chuckling under his breath.
I stepped toward Akio, pulling my hand from his so I could wrap my arms around his waist.
Worry twisted my gut for a moment as I pressed my head to his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat.
I could guess what he’d been thinking about.
A few weeks ago, we’d gone to see Asprix again. The old reader really was obsessed with us, and not just because Corin still brought him a tincture for his back. He’d done a reading on all five of us, and then shocked the hell out of me by informing us that the bond between us had made Akio mortal.
I’d spent days agonizing over the revelation and despising the bond all over again. Akio had finally found me up in the study on the third floor and demanded to know what my problem was. I’d been certain he would hate me for taking his immortality, but instead, he kissed me until I saw stars then hauled me off the couch and fucked me on the desk.
As we lay in each other’s arms afterward, he’d murmured softly in my ear, “I would choose a mortal life with you over eternity any day.”
Of course, the next day he’d found a single gray hair on his head and completely lost his shit. I’d promised him it was just a fluke, and that I would love him even more when we were old and gray. And besides, Asprix also mentioned it was likely all five of us would live a long, long time—a remnant of Akio’s demon immortality passed on to all of us.
Tilting my head, I gazed into the incubus’s impossibly beautiful eyes. “Good thoughts, I hope.”
He looked down at me, his full lips curving into a sinful grin. “Kitten, when they’re of you, they’re always bad.”
I slapped his hard stomach playfully, even as a flush of warmth filled my body at his smooth, teasing tone. The nails of my other hand dug into his back for a moment, just to remind him who he was playing with. The low growl that rumbled in his chest assured me he did.
“Wet wolf, comin’ through!”
Fen sloshed out of the water and sprinted up the shore toward us, plucking me from Akio’s embrace and spinning me around, water flying from us like a sprinkler. The entire front of my body was wet when he finally released me, and I was breathless with laughter.
“Well done, Fen.” Jae smiled as he approached, humor glinting in his eyes. “I’m sure Lana was hoping to find a way to get soaking wet without going in the ocean.”
“Well, if she’s looking for a way to get soaking wet, I can definitely help her with that.” Fen waggled his eyebrows at me, adding two wet handprints to my waist as he pulled me in for a kiss that made my knees soften.
I’d long since given up feeling awkward about what we all shared. To the rest of the world, I was still The Crow, an almost mythical, larger-than-life figure who’d helpe
d bring down a genocidal maniac and uncover the greatest lie in our collective history. The bond between me and my four was just one more part of the legend surrounding us, and I was happy to leave it at that.
Besides, it really wasn’t anybody’s business but ours.
Fen pecked me on the lips again before darting up the beach to fetch his clothes. Sand was already collecting on his legs, and I grimaced. Retta was not going to be happy if he tracked that through the house. She’d probably tell Darcy to stop making his favorite bread for a week.
They’d both insisted on staying on, and I hadn’t had the slightest inclination to stop them. With the money I’d inherited from Beatrice, I paid them enough that they wouldn’t have to work at all after a few years. But even then, I hoped they’d stay with us. The house wouldn’t be the same without them and their families in it.
Jae ran a finger down my wet shirt, tracing a path between my breasts to my belly. His eyes heated, but he pursed his lips in concern. “We should get back. I don’t want you in wet clothes for too long.”
“Okay. Just one more minute.”
I turned back toward the water as Jae pulled a transport spell out of his pocket. I lifted my nose into the air and inhaled deeply, trying to absorb the tangy breeze so I could carry it back home with me.
“We can come back, kitten,” Akio murmured softly. “Tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day if we want. We have the rest of our lives.”
I glanced up at him, the pleasant shiver at the realization enhanced by the fact that it was Akio who’d pointed it out to me.
He was right. Our long lives stretched out ahead of us like the ocean, full of endless possibilities and unknown adventures.
Our story wasn’t over.
It was just beginning.
THANK YOU FOR READING!
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Also by Sadie Moss
Magic Awakened
Kissed by Shadows (prequel novella)
Bound by Magic
Game of Lies
Consort of Rebels
The Vampires’ Fae
Saved by Blood
Seduced by Blood
Ruined by Blood
The Last Shifter
Wolf Hunted
Wolf Called
Wolf Claimed
Wolf Freed
About the Author
Sadie Moss is obsessed with books, craft beer, and the supernatural. She has often been accused of living in a world of her own imagination, so she decided to put those worlds into books.
When Sadie isn't working on her next novel, she loves spending time with her adorable puppy, binge-watching comedies on Hulu, and hanging out with her family.
She loves to hear from her readers, so feel free to say hello at [email protected].
And if you want to keep up with her latest news and happenings, you can join her Facebook group, or follow her on Twitter, Goodreads, and Amazon.