The clouds overhead parted, and a shaft of light illuminated the couple. One by one, the flowers underneath them lightened. They turned from black to gray, then from gray to white. This transformation overtook the entire field like a ripple in a pond, spreading outward to shift every last dandelion back to its snow-white color all the way to the horizon.
Michael looked from Gregori and Amara to the couple up on the hill. Sam met his gaze, and Michael understood what the Old Man had done. He’d brought Gregori’s love back to life. He’d broken the angel realm’s strictest rule, and in doing so, in re-creating life and rekindling love, he’d given hatred a quick and sure death. That was what love did.
But he’d also sealed his fate as Samael. He would no longer take the position he’d once held; he would no longer bear the title “Old Man.” He and Angel would remain in the mortal realm as separate beings, right alongside Michael and the others.
Sam nodded at Michael, a small movement that was barely visible across the distance. Michael returned the gesture.
And out in the field of flowers, the dandelions at Gregori and Amara’s feet transformed one final time, shifting from white blooms to fluffy spheres of seed. The change rippled outward just as the first had, and before long, the entire field was filled with puffy wishes, waiting to be made.
A breeze picked up out of nowhere, lifting the seeds from their stems to send them floating gently away.
Epilogue
The “Oldest Man,” who was actually a woman, sighed a long and satisfied sigh. This last job had been a doozie. It had taken two thousand human years to complete, but as far as she was concerned, it had been worth it.
Long ago, by human terms, she’d caught word that Samael, or the “Old Man,” as he’d been called at that time, had been acting up. So she’d done what she always did when someone who worked for her wasn’t living up to their expectations. She took matters into her own, much more ancient, and much more capable hands.
She’d allowed herself to become one of his creations – a woman named Lilith who was actually not too shabby a job for a beginner. Then she’d let things play out as Samael wanted them to, just to see. The rumors had been correct, unfortunately. The Old Man was unfeeling, uncaring, and undisciplined. He’d cast her out for speaking her mind against him, which was bad enough considering anyone in any of the angel realms had every right to speak out against their leaders. She ran a democracy after all, not a tyranny.
But she’d internally and silently shrugged off Sam’s belligerence and gone along with it, allowing him to believe he’d been successful in casting her down. He was sooo much more powerful than she was. Yadayada. She needed time to figure out a way to bring him back down from his high horse, and she sort of needed a vacation anyway. Maybe Earth, which was within Samael’s designated realm, would be the break she craved.
On Earth, however, things became complicated. Jobs always did become complicated. It was never any other way once humans were involved.
She smiled when she thought of them. They were her favorite inhabitants of the non-angel realms, despite their shortcomings. They were so small, and yet they possessed the remarkable, seemingly impossible capability to be so very large.
Well, up in his own world, Sam continued to make a mess of things, sending down “reject” angel after “reject” angel, and Lilith realized she needed to speed things up a bit. It was time for him to learn his lesson.
But as luck would have it, just as she was considering intervening, he went and made his own bed, making promises in his knee jerk reaction to accusations that he was heartless. He created the archesses, forecasted a Culmination to bring an end to this point-proving session, and then ripped himself in two before casting both himself and his other half down as fallen angels just like he’d done to everyone else.
This is where Lilith did intervene.
Samael was on the right track. He was willing to make some changes in order to see whether Michael’s accusations of him were founded. That was a start, and it meant he was redeemable. Good help was hard to find, and where possible, Lilith wanted to preserve her leaders once they’d finally worked themselves up to that rank.
She wanted to help Sam.
So she created the Mansion for the archangels and even sent Max to watch over them. Max was her own personal Guardian angel, the man who had attended her and protected her for thousands of years. To do this however, she had to wipe his memory as well. It was a seemingly small gesture on the face of it, but for her, it was admittedly difficult. She had missed Max all this time.
The Mansion and its Guardian were a blessing to the archangels in the worst of times. Some nights, just having a place to lay your head at the end of the day was enough to keep you going, and Max was always there for them.
The rest was more or less history.
All in all, she was pleased. Sam had learned his lesson. While it was true that he had in the end broken the angel realm’s cardinal rule as a result, she knew good and well from her own experiences that sometimes there was just no other way.
Plus… she’d known he would do it. Deep down, she’d known the good in him was that strong. Hence, he may not realize it now, but down the line, at some point in the future, he would be allowed back in the angel realm. She would keep a window open for him and a light on. But that would be then. Tor now, he was content where he was.
It was Angel that had done it. It almost always took a woman. He and Angel were right together. The goodness she’d absorbed in the mortal realm finally completed Sam, giving him the depth he’d been sorely lacking.
Lilith smiled to herself and opened the refrigerator. She pulled out a perfect, nearly frozen bottle of Welch’s grape soda. She twisted the top off and listen to it hiss pleasantly before taking a long, refreshing drink straight from the bottle. Her smile became a grin. She really did enjoy humans.
Sometimes, life could be sweet.
“One thing I don’t quite understand,” came a voice from the other room, reminding her that Max was waiting on a drink of his own. She pulled out a Jaxian ale, a drink he’d loved long before she’d sent him to watch over the archangels, and she unscrewed the top for him.
Then she returned to the other room to join him.
The house was a copy of the Mansion he’d lived in on Earth. Or, rather, the Mansion on Earth had been a copy of this house. It was the house Max had called home for eons.
“What’s that?” she asked as she handed him the ale and took a seat on the couch across from him.
He stared at the bottle, and memories flooded his handsome features. “I remember this. It’s been ages….”
“Yes, it has,” she said, smiling. “So drink up!” she took another swig of her own soda.
He grinned before taking a long pull off the top of his bottle. Then he choked and coughed, and ale went spewing in every direction.
Lilith tried not to laugh, but failed. Max wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve and shot her a watery-eyed look of reproach. “I forgot what a kick it has.”
“Your tastes have softened over the last two thousand years,” she told him jokingly. “But you’ll get them back.”
He chose to set the bottle down rather than fight with it again. “Why was the Mansion on Earth falling apart? And why was it letting people in? Like Abraxos?”
Lilith shrugged. “It was part of the lie we’d all created for Samael’s plan. And when that plan began to come to its culmination, the story fell apart. Hence, so did the Mansion and all of its defenses.”
“It was a façade,” Max nodded.
“Yep,” said Lilith. “And it crumbled.”
He met her gaze, and his expression turned a little sad. “They don’t remember me, do they?”
She looked down. “I’m afraid as far as they’re concerned, you never existed.”
Max nodded, and sighed. “I understand. It’s best that way. Though they’re going to have to find their own places to live now.”
Li
lith chuckled. “I think that’s the least of their concerns. They’ve got evil to fight. What was it Gabriel said? ‘Earth needs its heroes’?”
“Aye,” Max said, mimicking Gabriel’s thick brogue and grabbing his beer the way the Messenger Angel always did. He lifted it high in toast. “I’ll drink to that.” And he did.
And once again, ale went spewing everywhere.
The End.
Look for Heather Killough-Walden’s other bestselling series, such as the NYT and USA Today bestselling paranormal romance series, The Big Bad Wolf!
The Big Bad Wolf
The Heat
The Strip
The Spell
The Hunt
The Heat
Lily St. Claire is a southern girl, born and raised, and she has a soft spot in her heart for Baton Rouge. But when she returns after being out of town for a few years, she finds that things have changed. Katrina rearranged the city’s face, there are more people, the streets are meaner, and most importantly, the boy she had a crush on her entire childhood is all grown up. In a big, bad way.
Daniel Kane is the youngest police chief Baton Rouge has ever known. Standing well over two meters high, with a hard body, jet black hair that needs a cut, eyes like blue slate, and a quick mind, not much gets past him. But what could hold more sway than a handsome, young, competent chief of police? A handsome, young, competent chief of police who also happens to be a werewolf. And not just any werewolf, but an alpha.
Yet, all that power doesn’t seem to mean a damn thing when it comes to claiming the one thing he wants more than anything on Earth – the girl who, as far as he is concerned, was meant for him: Lily St. Claire. Not only is Lily head-strong, independent, and more than a little capable of slipping through his tightly gripped fingers, it turns out, Daniel’s not the only one who’s ready to claim her as his mate. And as bad luck would have it for Chief Kane, his competition is also an alpha werewolf.
And a notorious cold-blooded killer.
The Heat is the first book in the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Big Bad Wolf series by Heather Killough-Walden. Dig in and see why this series continues to receive world-wide acclaim, capturing the hearts and minds of thousands of paranormal romance fans around the globe. Also look for The Kings series, the bestselling paranormal romance spin-off series to the Big Bad Wolf.
The Strip
Claire St. James has music flowing through her soul. She’s young, poor, and living her dream as a drummer who’s just been offered a major gig in Las Vegas. Things should finally be looking up… but every night, she dreams of two wolves: One with green eyes that see into her soul, and the other with blue that tear right through it. She’s tired, and her band mates begin to worry when she uncharacteristically starts missing beats.
Malcolm Cole is a famous author whose murder mysteries continuously top the charts. But his secret to success is a killer. His murders are so life-like and vivid because they are based on things he sees in real life. A curse placed upon him by a World War II holocaust victim transports him to the sites of brutal murders – after they’ve already happened. And the dreadful curse is not Cole’s only secret. He’s also an ancient, powerful werewolf.
When Cole finds himself in Las Vegas following another gruesome killing, his entire miserable world is suddenly turned on its head. Because in Vegas, he catches sight of Claire St. James, a very special woman who is destined to be mated to an alpha.
From competition with a megalomaniac werewolf who wants Claire for himself to a werewolf council that wants Cole’s head, the cards are stacked against Malcolm in this particular hand. And Claire’s friends call her “Charlie” because of her propensity for rubbing elbows with bad luck: “Sorry, Charlie.” But is this trip to Vegas more bad fortune waiting to happen for these two? Or will the bright lights and endless nights of The Strip finally bring about a change of luck for them both?
The Strip is the second book in the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Big Bad Wolf series by Heather Killough-Walden. Dig in and see why this series continues to receive world-wide acclaim, capturing the hearts and minds of thousands of paranormal romance fans around the globe. Also look for The Kings series, the bestselling paranormal romance spin-off series to the Big Bad Wolf.
Warning: This book contains scenes of graphic violence.
The Spell
Lucas Caige doesn’t care much for the world. It’s a wolf-hating planet filled with black hearts and darker magic. Hardened by the loss of his brother and best friend, he’s learned that lesson all too well. As an alpha in a werewolf society where mates are exceedingly rare and almost impossible to find, he knows there’s no real end to the torment of memories and loneliness that every day brings. So he rides. Day and night, he and his Harley eat up the roads fast and hard in a futile attempt to put distance between himself and the past – and between himself and the world in general.
Dannai, aka “Danny” Chantelle is on the way to becoming herald of her witch coven, the highest and most respected rank amongst the magic users she’s grown to know and love. She has always been talented in the art; magic comes as naturally to her as breathing. She should be happy. But instead, she’s losing weight and can’t sleep. Because when she does, she dreams of two wolves. And having spent time around werewolves, she knows what that means. Dormants dream of wolves – women who are fated to become werewolf mates.
Danny doesn’t want to be a werewolf. To make matters worse, one of the wolves she’s dreaming of is Lucas Caige, the alpha who would like nothing better than to forsake all magic users. And the other big bad wolf in her dreams? Would like nothing better than to eat her.
The Spell is the third book in the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Big Bad Wolf series by Heather Killough-Walden. Dig in and see why this series continues to receive world-wide acclaim, capturing the hearts and minds of thousands of paranormal romance fans around the globe. Also look for The Kings series, the bestselling paranormal romance spin-off series to the Big Bad Wolf.
The Hunt
Her entire life, Katherine Dare has been hunting the man – the monster – who destroyed her life. The world has never known a Hunter like her. She has trained vigilantly since she was a child, since the day she saw a massive black wolf rip her father to shreds. There is nothing she wants more than revenge, and nothing she hates more than the demons who call themselves werewolves. So it’s understandable that when she learns she’s marked to be one of their mates, she’s more than a little unhappy about it.
Byron Caige is a lost man. His brother Lucas thinks he’s dead, killed by a dark mage long ago. But for the last two decades, Byron has been locked away and tortured, imprisoned by one of the coldest creatures to walk the Earth – a vampire. When he finally manages to escape, he does so to find a world of supernatural darkness on his heels, and the woman who’s meant to be his mate with his heart in her sights. Rifle sights, that is.
To make matters worse, he is not the only alpha interested in claiming Katherine. After all, every Dormant dreams of two wolves. Can Byron’s determination and strength defeat Kat’s distrust and win the love of a woman who wants to kill him?
More importantly, is he powerful enough to protect her from an entire army now gunning for them both?
The Hunt is the fourth and final book in the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Big Bad Wolf series by Heather Killough-Walden. Dig in and see why this series continues to receive world-wide acclaim, capturing the hearts and minds of thousands of paranormal romance fans around the globe. Also look for The Kings series, the bestselling paranormal romance spin-off series to the Big Bad Wolf.
Look for the bestselling paranormal romance spinoff to the Big Bad Wolf series – The Kings!
The Kings
The Vampire King
The Phantom King
The Warlock King
The Goblin King
The Seelie King
The Unseelie King
The Shadow King (comin
g soon)
(More The Kings releases to follow; 13 total.)
The Vampire King
It was immediate for Roman. In three thousand years, he’d never lost control of his emotions, or his heart. But the moment he laid eyes on Evelynne Farrow, he knew she was the woman who haunted his dreams. And everything changed.
Everything.
Evie Farrow has always loved a good vampire romance. In fact, she makes a living writing them. While sitting in a coffee shop and working on her next mega-hot book, Evie is approached by a tall, dark, and handsome man who could have been pulled directly from one of her novels.
Unbeknownst to her, Roman D’Angelo is exactly what he appears to be – a vampire, and not just any vampire, but the king of vampires.
Unfortunately, while Roman is both ancient and invulnerable, Evie is flesh and blood. Just as Roman decides that he and Evie have a date with destiny, for reasons of their own, an ancient god and a homicidal vampire take an equally strong interest in her. To make things more complicated, there’s something very special about Evie. Something not quite human.
Can Roman fight off the incredible forces that would have Evie as their own long enough to win her heart, or will destiny betray him, and destroy everything he has ever dreamed of?
“Lalura had told him about her vision. Thirteen kings on a chess board – and thirteen queens….”