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Before he could stop her, Vivian raced to the edge of the cliff. “Down,” he finished as she flung herself off the side.

She arched her body as only a dancer could. Toes pointed, arms spread like a bird set free from its cage. She sailed into the void then straightened her form, diving for the water below.

Heart in his throat, Liam raced over and watched her hit the water. Bubbles erupted, and she surfaced. Her laughter echoed off the steep walls of the temple. With clean strokes, she made her way to shore.

Welp, guess that left him with one option. He popped his neck, backed up several paces, and eyed the distance between him and his Bride.

Where Vivian went, he would follow. He was her anchor, after all, her origin. Besides, what was the point of being retired if you couldn’t toss a bit of adventure into the mix?

Epilogue

Vivian satin Liam’s lap. Her mate was sprawled in one of several cushioned armchairs since the seats for the auditorium were on backorder. Up on the newly constructed stage, four writhing women gyrated to a playful beat. They laughed, stumbling into each other. Vivian couldn’t help but smile in return. “They’re getting better, don’t you think?”

“Sure,” Liam grunted, glancing at their performance with disinterest. Her mate only had eyes for her.

While some of the women found Liam intimidating at first, they soon realized he was someone they wanted on their side, many feeling safer with him around.

The male who’d believed himself incapable of watching over even one female now served as protector for an entire household of women.

An alarm beeped on the cell phone he held in his hand. Liam glanced at the screen, punching a code into the face. Given the magnitude of his responsibility, he’d agreed to a few high-tech additions.

“Is there a problem?” she asked.

“Nothing to worry about. Just a bad sensor in zone four. Krell and Soren are still working the bugs out of the new system.”

Thanks to Alistair’s generous donation, Vivian’s shelter had one of the most secure systems in the world. The fence around Constance’s Hope was mystically charged. The ley lines under the foundation teemed with power after the infusion of energy Alistair had given them. Not even a horde of zombie hellhounds could breach their walls.

She’d taken great pleasure in building the shelter literally on top of her abuser’s ashes. While a large portion of Constance’s Hope was still under construction, they’d finished enough of the east wing to begin accepting guests.

It was impressive, the results a hefty bonus and a handful of threats could produce. With Liam at her back, glaring menacingly at the contractors, they’d made a considerable amount of progress.

“Beverage, sir? Mistress?” Gilbert extended his silver tray to her.

“Thank you, Gilbert.” She accepted the gin and tonic, then passed Liam his Basil Hayden.

Currently, Gilbert was splitting his time between Vivian’s gothic Victorian and Constance’s Hope. He’d been invaluable in helping them hire several new staff members. Thanks to Gilbert, they had a full contingent of employees who were capable of filling the elderly butler’s place when he wasn’t there. Repairs to the fire-damaged Victorian were still underway. Both Gilbert and his dearly departed wife were pleased with the improvements.

Liam’s phone chimed again, only this time, the sound was far more melodic. “Another alarm?” she asked.

“Text,” he said, swiping the screen. Attached to the message was a grinning Alex on a moonlit beach. Next to her was analmostsmiling Jericho. “Greetings from Alexandra Island,” the caption read.

“Charmante. Look how cute Alex is in the bikini I sent her. I bet Jericho is enjoying his Bride’s new wardrobe.” At her teasing, Liam made choking sounds. Laughter bubbled in her chest.

Since Zion had crashed the couple’s snowy getaway, Alex and Jericho decided to relocate to a warmer climate. From the look of things, Alexandra was now the queen, mayor, and head faerie of her very own island.

From what Vivian understood, when Alex woke from her little nap in that frigid cave and discovered Liam and Vivian missing, she’d been a teensy bit furious. Needless to say, the fire demons, along with Zion’s followers, learned a valuable lesson that day.

“Perhaps it’s time we paid them a visit,” Vivian suggested. “That is unless you think we’ve worn out our welcome.”

“You kidding me?” Liam scoffed. “The moment we returned, Alex started hounding me, begging for another dance lesson.” He lowered his voice, asking in a heated rumble, “You got another bikini you can wear, like the one you sent her?”

“Smaller,” she purred.

Liam swallowed with an audible gulp, saying in a rush, “I’ll call Jericho.”

When the song ended, she clapped, calling out, “Well done, ladies. Sophia, that spin was perfection. Let’s do it again, this time from the top.” Seductive dancing was one of the many classes they offered at the shelter. Vivian taught this particular class personally. The dancing she taught wasn’t meant to attract but to empower. Many of their guests suffered from a lack of self-esteem. Abused by mates and lovers who’d made them feel as though they were less. It wasn’t enough to offer them shelter and security. They also needed confidence and skills that would help them to be strong and independent.

Armond breezed onto the stage, locked eyes on Liam, and threw his hands in the air. “There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.” He hustled down the steps, an unstoppable force that wouldn’t be denied.