But even as I pondered the possibilities, I realized I was no longer afraid of the future. What would happen, would happen. And I knew now that even if I lost this body again, life didn’t stop after death. I would live on in one way or another.
I never had found out what truly existed beyond death—the “other side”, the place where most people who died were purported to pass on to. I’d been trafficked to The Underworld before I had gotten the chance to discover the answer.
But as River woke in the early hours of the morning, and we began to make slow, passionate love all over again, that was a discovery I knew I could put off for a long, long time.
River
Ben was home. I’d never felt so secure, so confident, so at peace with myself and the world around me, as when I was in his arms.
I’d fallen asleep in exhaustion after our first time, but when I woke again, we continued making love until the sun streaked the sky above us. Only then did I sleep again, and so did Ben.
When I woke the second time, it was one pm according to Ben’s watch—though I doubted that time applied in the dragon realm. Ben was still asleep. Propping my head up on one elbow, I stared at his face. My gorgeous husband. My best friend. My man. My prince.
My heart leapt as his eyes finally opened, allowing me to admire his face in its full glory.
“Good morning, beautiful,” I whispered, beaming down at him.
He smiled back, his eyes glazed over. “You stole my line,” he said huskily, before pulling me to him and engulfing me in a cuddle.
We both sat up in bed and gazed around us. I hadn’t even realized what a mess we had made of the bed throughout the night. The sheet was half off the mattress, and of the dozen or so pillows that had sat on the bed, only two small ones remained.
Ben grinned impishly. “So,” he said, cocking his head. “How was it?”
I bit my lower lip, blood rushing to my cheeks. “How was… um, what exactly?”
He broke out in a chuckle. “Seriously? You’re going to make me spell it out? All right. Let’s put it another way… Did I… uh, tinker with all the right bells?”
My breath hitched just remembering it. “Oh, you did. It’s really no wonder they call you Tinkerbell.”
He narrowed his eyes on me. “You will be moaning that name by the time I’m finished with you.”
Without warning he lurched forward and grabbed me. Straddling my hips, he began tickling me in all the worst places. My stomach wound up in knots from laugher, I cried out, “No, stop! Please! Mercy! Mercy, Tinkerbell!”
Only after I’d gasped the name did he stop, allowing me to sit up and catch my breath.
Then his eyes dropped to my bare abdomen, the smile on his face fading. I knew what he was looking at.
I’d forgotten all about the scar. I still hadn’t told him what had happened to me. I hadn’t told anyone, not even my mother. It was still painful to talk about because I did not know exactly what they had done, what they might have put in me or taken from me… or maybe they’d just looked around. It was the uncertainty of it all that made me anxious. And I didn’t want to worry Ben. But he had seen it now.
“It’s, um…” Still, I hesitated.
The concerned look in Ben’s eyes only intensified. “It’s what, River?” He was dead serious now.
“When I was in the hunters’ headquarters—“
He cursed beneath his breath.
“What?” I asked him.
“Go on,” he said.
“Yeah, well when I was there… they did something to me. But I’m not sure what it was. They took me to an operating room and drugged me.” My voice shook a little as I relived the trauma. “When I woke up I had the scar, but it didn’t hurt. M-Maybe they just examined me.”
Ben’s jaw clenched. “And have you experienced any pain since? Any symptoms at all that could be considered… unusual?”
I shook my head. “No, thank God. I’ve noticed nothing out of the ordinary.”
His fingertips moved to my scar and lingered there for a few seconds. Then, reaching his hands into my hair, he pressed a firm kiss against my forehead.
“If you haven’t experienced any symptoms by now, then I’m guessing they’ve done nothing that will affect you personally, and that’s all that matters to me right now. They might have simply taken a sample from you for experimentation… for one of their future projects. But we should have Corrine examine you when we return to The Shade.” He paused, a flash of anger in his eyes. “And if we ever do come across the group of hunters who did this to you, I swear, they will sorely regret it.”
* * *
We ended up staying in The Hearthlands for three more days after the wedding. The dragons took us for more rides outside, showing us the entire land right up to its tip, the Obran peninsula.
I enjoyed spending more time with Rose and getting to know Nell better was a treat too. We got on like a house on fire, the three of us, and we spent much time chatting and going for walks when I wasn’t relishing the moments I had with my new husband.
It was truly sad when we had to leave, though Theon and Nell promised to visit The Shade some time soon—a promise that Lethe made to me, too.
Our party traveled back to The Shade—including the newly-wed dragons we’d come with. When we returned, to Ben’s and my utter surprise, it was to discover a brand-new penthouse. A gift to us from Derek and Sofia. The witches who had remained behind on the island had built it while we were gone. It was not far from the other treehouses, but it was far enough to give us a sense of privacy. We couldn’t see any other homes from any of the windows and instead were surrounded by trees, with a magnificent panoramic view of the island.
With the wedding over, after Ben and I had settled into our new home together, he took me to see Corrine about my scar. She performed a number of examinations—during most of which she’d made me unconscious—and in the end she couldn’t find any odd insertions, or signs that the hunters had removed anything major from me. She’d said, however, that it was possible they could have extracted an egg or two. If they had, there was nothing we could do about it. I was just relieved they hadn’t damaged me.
Once Corrine let me out of the Sanctuary and Ben and I returned to our penthouse, I felt a burning desire to do something that I probably should’ve done before now, if I had just had the chance.
My father. I had promised him all those months ago that I would try to visit him. Starting this brand-new chapter of my life with Ben felt like the right time. I expressed my desire to Ben and of course he was supportive. I asked him if he would come with me and he said he would. My mother thought it best that I see what state my father was in before my other siblings visited. My sisters, still being young, could be easily upset, and Jamil’s mind was also still fragile in some ways. If my father was okay, we would go to see him together afterward, and then make a much needed visit to my grandfather.
So Ben and I set off together. One of the perks of being married to a fae was that you never needed to rely on any kind of transport. He could fly wherever we needed to much faster than a plane. I knew which prison my father was staying at, and we brought a bunch of maps and navigating equipment.
We met with a few complications along the way—such as getting lost—but eventually we arrived at the Texan jail where my father had been transferred.
Fortunately, the lighting inside was garish, and Ben’s natural aura wasn’t too noticeable. I enquired as to whether my father was here, and I was relieved to learn that he was. Indeed, I managed to make an appointment to see him this very day. Back on Rikers Island, I doubted I would have been able to do this. I wondered if his visiting times had been relaxed due to good behavior.
As we moved into the designated meeting area and my father appeared behind the glass, an overwhelming sense of déjà vu washed over me. I hurried to the window, gazing at him through the barrier. He wore the same orange uniform, and his ragged face—far too old for his age—lit up as he to
ok me in. He was blinking as he stared at me, as if he couldn’t believe I’d really come. Pain and guilt stabbed me.
“River,” he rasped, his hands pressed flat against the glass.
“Dad,” I breathed, my voice choked up.
“Darling, how are you? I thought I might never see you again.”
Tears brimmed in my eyes. “I’m so sorry, Dad,” I gasped. I could barely even bring myself to make an excuse for why I had left it so long. I should’ve found a way.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“I-I’m fine,” I said, forcing a smile. “Never been better, actually. H-How are you?”
“I’m…” He hesitated, wetting his lower lip tentatively, as though weighing his words. “I’m… doing better, I think,” he said. “At least, I think I am. They give me more privileges now. Things that I couldn’t do before. You know, extra time outside the cell.” He paused again as his eyes fell on Ben. “And who is this?” my father asked curiously. “You brought a friend?”
I reached for Ben’s hand, and pulled him closer. “Dad,” I said, finally managing to steady my voice, “meet my husband, Ben.”
My father’s jaw dropped open. “Your… husband?” he gasped. He gaped at me, then narrowed his eyes as if wondering if this was some kind of joke.
“Yes,” I said, smiling more broadly. “We got married, like, a week ago.”
“Oh,” he breathed, gazing at Ben in wonderment. I wondered if he had noticed a strange aura around Ben, or if he was just sizing him up. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said, his hand hitting the glass as he moved instinctively to shake Ben’s hand. He can’t even shake the hand of his new son-in-law.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Giovanni,” Ben said, moving closer to the glass and placing his own hand against it, where my father’s was. Ben couldn’t have known how much that small gesture meant to me.
“H-How did you meet?” my father asked, still looking in a daze.
“Oh… we, uh…” I began to stammer. I really hadn’t been prepared for that question, just as my father really wouldn’t be prepared for the answer.
“In a sauna,” Ben answered for me smoothly.
I grinned at Ben in appreciation. Brilliant.
After that, my father asked some more questions about Ben—what his interests were, what he did for a living, and other such things—which Ben just as deftly answered without actually lying. Then, after my father asked after my mother and siblings, our time with him was drawing to a close.
When the guard called to him, urgency filled my father’s eyes. “I love you, River. My strong, beautiful girl. I need you to know that I’m proud of you. Please, don’t ever forget that… And I-I hope that I can see you again. Sooner, than last time. You know, I really think that if I manage to keep up my behavior, I might be let out earlier.”
I smiled faintly. “I promise I’ll come back sooner. And remember that I love you, too, Dad.” Then the guard took him away.
My father’s last words lingered in my mind, long after the door had closed. They reminded me all too much of the hopes he’d used to instill in us before dashing them to the ground. I’d heard words like those too many times before to take them seriously. Maybe he will, maybe he won’t.
Whatever the case, my happiness did not rest upon what he decided to do with his life anymore. And neither did my mother’s or siblings.
We had found a new life. A home. Happiness.
We had found The Shade.
And I… I had found Ben.
Derek
It took a while for Sofia and me to come down from cloud nine after our son’s wedding. It had been not only a beautiful experience, but also an intensely nostalgic one—more so for me than Sofia, I suspected. Watching my son look upon his new bride as she walked toward him down the aisle… he reminded me so much of myself. The day I had stood at the end of the aisle, gazing at my beautiful bride, the love of my life, approaching me in her trailing white dress, her auburn hair in curls. I knew exactly how Ben had felt in that moment, and I saw the same look in his eyes. I saw the profound love and affection he held for River, and I sensed in that moment that they would be just as happy together as Sofia and I were.
While we were in dragon country, Lucas had also done as he’d promised. He’d found the time to talk to Sofia—while being sensitive enough to have me present also—and he’d given her as heartfelt an apology as a man could. Sofia had nodded, accepting, and assuring him that if he kept up his good behavior, there was no reason he could not fully earn her forgiveness. I sensed from the look in his eyes that he did not take her words lightly and in the coming weeks, we would see him make amends for a number of grievances he had caused us—I guessed beginning after his promised trip with Jeramiah to visit Jeramiah’s mother’s tombstone.
On our return to The Shade, before launching into sorting out accommodation for our new group of female jinn, we got to see Claudia’s baby for the first time. A baby girl. She shared Claudia’s blonde hair as well as her brown eyes, though I was sure that she had Yuri’s nose and would likely have his dimples.
“We’ve named her Claudine,” Claudia said to me.
I stared at her. “Are you serious?”
“Mhm.”
I glanced at Yuri, whose expression was stoic, then back at Claudia. “How can you pick such a similar name to—?”
“Well, she’s my mini-me,” Claudia retorted. “What better name for her?”
I looked at Claudia in disbelief. Then, to my relief, a smile cracked her face. “I’m pulling your leg, Derek. You don’t think I’m still that narcissistic, do you?”
“Her name is Ruby,” Yuri chuckled.
“I like that better,” I said, letting out a breath. I couldn’t deny that for a moment I had actually thought Claudia had reverted to her old self. “A lot better.”
Next, we visited the jinn. After much discussion, they ended up choosing to make their quarters in The Black Heights. Although it meant clearing out a number of our grain storage rooms, the grain could easily be stored elsewhere. I actually couldn’t have picked a better location, since it was far enough from the witches that they wouldn’t step on each other’s toes. Dragons and jinn didn’t have a problem getting on, so there was no issue with them living in close proximity. The jinn preferred to create their own apartments with their magic once we’d cleared the chambers, so we left them to it.
The three fae, Nolan, Chantel and Marcilla also needed accommodation; we ended up offering them two spare beach houses, near where Mona and Kiev used to live. They were thrilled and thanked me countless times. I suspected that, after their stay in The Underworld, they would have been grateful even if I’d sent them to share Brett’s cave.
After attending to a number of other pressing matters that had cropped up during our time away, Sofia and I found ourselves with some time together one evening. As we returned to our apartment, I caught her hand and pulled her into the music room. I seated her on the bench in front of the piano. Sitting next to her, I began to play. Sofia let out a soft sigh and relaxed against me, resting her head against my shoulder.
“I’d almost forgotten how beautifully you play,” Sofia murmured.
“Thank you.” I grinned.
We lapsed into silence, letting the music engulf us.
Ah, peace at last… Both of our twins safe and married. Our island—with the addition of jinn—now a stronger fortress than ever. And now here I was, alone in a room with Sofia and my music.
There were few places I was happier than in front of a piano. It’d been so long since I’d gotten the chance to touch an instrument.
A wave of nostalgia washed over me as I found myself playing one of my favorite tunes. I realized that it was the same tune that I’d played for Sofia the very first time I had taken her into my music room, all those years ago. She had leaned against me then, as she was doing now, breathing gently with her eyes closed as she listened to me play.
“I love you, D
erek Novak,” Sofia whispered.
I stopped playing and cupped her face in my hands. I gazed down into her emerald-green eyes that saw through to my soul, and ran the tip of my nose down the bridge of hers before locking our lips. There was no way I could express how much I loved my wife. My love burned as deep for her as the day I’d made her mine.
“Shall we sleep in our special place tonight?” I suggested with a smile.
She grinned up at me. “Why not?”
As I went to gather our toothbrushes while Sofia packed some towels, I was surprised to hear a knock at the door.
Sofia and I exchanged glances. It was rather late for someone to be disturbing us without good reason…
We both dropped our things and went to the front door. We opened it to see Eli standing there. He had a look of concern on his face.
This had happened too many times in the past year for me to not immediately expect bad news.
“What is it?” I asked.
I was relieved when a small smirk curved his lips. “No need to look at me like I’m the Grim Reaper.”
“Well, that’s kind of what you’ve been,” I muttered. “I can’t think of a single instance when you’ve shown up at our doorstep after hours with good news.”
“Well,” Eli said, coughing, “it’s not exactly cause for a party, but it’s not an emergency either. It’s… something to be aware of. It’s on a local news station which I don’t believe you have here, so you might as well come to mine.”
Sofia and I exchanged curious glances before acquiescing.
As the three of us left our treehouse and began running through the redwoods, I had no idea what Eli was about to show us. Just as I had no idea what the future had in store for us. How could I, when, as immortals, our journey through life appeared more winding than the mind of an oracle?