Page 24

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

My panicked gaze swept the area, searching for Cross as the last of the fog cleared from the portal.

He was wearing the ring. Don’t panic.

But that sunburst had lit up the night so brightly I was still seeing spots. Blinking to clear my sight, I found Cross standing among the vampire remains. Tears of relief sprang to my eyes, and I opened my arms to him, desperate for a hug.

He saw, looked down at himself, then cringed.

“Ah, Sunshine, give me a moment.” He blurred. Water erupted from the waterfall, then he stood in front of me, drenched but completely free of blood.

“That was a wise choice,” Effora said. She was back to being the pretty fae queen. “Shepard, do you need help reaching your back?”

Shepard shot Effora a warning glare and stalked off to the waterfall as I hugged Cross.

“I can’t believe he had a sun charm,” I said.

“You mean one that actually worked, unlike the one you and Vena had?”

Cross chuckled when I poked his ribs.

“I’m glad it didn’t work on you.”

“As am I.”

He glanced at the opening between the rocks that lead to the gate. “I believe our help has arrived.”

“A bit late for that,” Effora said, still watching Shepard like she wanted to maul him again.

Furious that she dared to still lust after him after everything that happened, I slipped from Cross’ arms. Effora never saw my hand coming. It cracked across her face with a resounding snap that carried through the space.

“Get your eyes off my mate before I remove them,” I threatened.

Effora’s serene beauty evaporated, and she looked at me with otherworlder eyes. She flashed her pin-like teeth at me in a hiss.

Cross’ hand whipped out from behind me and smacked across her face from the other side. “We’ve tolerated enough of your unacceptable behavior, Effora. Give Shepard the privacy his mate demands, or deal with the consequences.”

She huffed but turned her back on Shepard as her beauty returned. “Hurry and clean yourself off. Blood is drying on me, and it’s itchy.”

I mentally boot-stomped the guilt I started to feel when I realized she’d been actually waiting for her turn to wash. She could have waited with her eyes closed.

When I glanced at Shepard, he was grinning at me from ear to ear. I shook my head at him.

“Don’t begrudge him,” Cross said. “He needs the ego boost to know that you don’t consider him unclean after the nauseating way he was used. That’s also why he’s taking so long to wash.”

Effora let out a soft hiss.

Cross moved to stand beside me, but not because of her. The pounding of running feet sounded from the gated path a second before people swarmed the area.

DOS agents and wolves arrived with Doc, followed by Vena, Anchor, Hugh, Piper, and Robyn.

“Are you kidding me?” Vena said as she saw the bodies and piles of ash. “Did I miss all the action?”

“Barely,” I said.

“What was that bright light?” she asked.

“Sun charm,” Shepard said as he walked over.

Effora walked into the river without comment…or eye contact.

“It worked that well?” Vena asked in disbelief. “I wonder what went wrong with mine.”

Anchor snorted, trying to choke back his laugh, but her gaze was already fixated on the portal. Like an invisible force was pulling her, Vena shuffled closer until Hugh stepped in front of her.

“It would be better if you didn’t get too close.”

“It would be better if you got out of her way,” I said. “Unless you want her to run you over.”

Hugh looked at me in surprise but stepped aside.

Before Vena reached the portal, Grandma Hunter walked out.

“Vena? Is that really you?” she asked.

Vena’s mouth dropped open. She stared as Grandpa Hunter appeared behind her. Grandma then swayed on her feet. Anchor, who was right beside her, grabbed her arm to steady her.

“Am I seeing things?” she asked. “Is that thing a mirage or something?”

“It’s not,” I said. “I found them in the veil. This whole time, they’ve been guarding the relic Orphia hired them to find.”

She took a hesitant step toward her grandparents. Grandma dropped her pack and opened her arms. Vena ran into them as tears spilled over.

“It looks like you’re still causing trouble,” Grandpa said, joining Grandma in hugging Vena. “How fresh is that broken arm?”

“Really fresh. I can’t believe you’re alive. Tell me everything,” she said as she wiped her eyes. “How do you look exactly the same?”

I turned away from them and watched Hugh direct his agents.

“Verify the ones on the ground are actually dead and start IDing them.” He turned to us. “Where’s Orphia?”

“Over there,” Shepard said, pointing. “Vivian is the ash next to her. He died, along with every other still living vampire in the immediate area, due to that flash you saw before.”

Hugh looked impressed and grateful.

“A job well done.” He looked around the glade. “And it was only the two of you against how many?”

“Three of us,” Cross said. “After Effora betrayed us and attempted to have her way with Shepard, she helped kill a few of the hundred vampires that Orphia brought with her.”

We all glanced at Effora. With a glare at me, she left the waterfall and slunk toward the portal, passing by Vena and her grandparents as they continued to talk quietly under Anchor’s watchful gaze.

Ignoring her, my guys and I turned to face Hugh.

“Those are impressive odds. Is there any chance you’d be willing to teach our new recruits how to fight vampires?” Hugh asked Cross.

“I think that can be arranged,” Cross said.

“Only if you promise hunters won’t accidentally hurt him,” I said. “Hunters hunt for a reason. I don’t want someone with a grudge going after Cross when he’s there to help.”

“I promise to ensure his safety,” Hugh said. “My people can clean up here. It looks like all of you could use a real shower and some rest.”

“We’d appreciate that.”

Effora approached our group, and Shepard pulled me far away from her.

“You should also know that our treaty with the fae has been broken,” Shepard said to Hugh. “We will need to address this in the days to come.”

Anger flitted across Effora’s face before she offered Curran’s ring to Hugh. Hers was already back in her belly button.

She sniffed disdainfully. “When recounting my deeds this day, don’t forget my efforts to right my wrongs.”

“Pretty sure your help doesn’t outweigh all your scheming,” I said.

She shot me a look, going full fae for a second, which reminded me of the scary fairy I saw in the veil.

“What about the portal?” I asked. “How do we close it?”

“Unless you are willing to part with your lovers, I would not suggest it,” Effora said. “The cost of closing the portal is the life of each ring bearer.”

“What will happen if the portal stays open?” Hugh asked.

“Not much. While anyone can enter the veil now, only fae can enter and exit the fae realm without a rune. The veil in between is harmless to humans.”

“Then we’ll let it be for now,” Hugh said. “Go home and get some rest. All of you. I’ll be in touch for your statements.”

Effora left without a backward glance.

I glanced at Vena and her grandparents and saw Anchor taking their bags from them and indicating they should join us. After giving Effora enough time to get through the gate, our group followed.

“See you in a few weeks at school!” Piper called as she dragged a body to a pile.

“See you!” Vena said, waving with her good arm.

As we walked out of the gate, I said, “I want this noted right now that I’ll never, ever set foot onto Sugarloaf Mountain again.” I glanced around at everyone, making sure they knew I was serious. “Never. Ever.”

Cross placed a kiss on my cheek. “You already got the best gift from the mountain anyway. There’s no reason to ever come back.”

“If you say that gift is yourself—” Shepard started.

“I was talking about a family reunion with the Hunters,” Cross said, then winked at me. “Although, I come in second place at the very least.”

I laughed, and it was the best feeling in the world. I carried it with me all the way to the parking lot.

Vena and Anchor stowed her grandparents’ packs in their car, and I gave her a hug.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” I said.

“You better. I want all the details. I seriously can’t believe I missed everything. Stupid pain meds.”

I promised her a lengthy discussion then waved as they headed to the complex on their own. When I turned to Cross, he was standing next to the SUV and held up my missing necklace.

“Found this,” he said. I hurried toward him and let him put it back on me before getting into the backseat with Shepard.

“Can I borrow a phone? I need to call my parents. They have to be worried sick.”

Cross pulled my phone from the center console. I saw they’d turned it on and I had over one hundred missed calls from my parents. Cringing, I called Mom. She answered after the second ring.

“Everly, we were so worried. Vena said you were missing.” She started to cry.

“Mom, I’m okay. Actually, everything is okay now.”

“We saw you on the news. What happened? What’s going on?”

I knew she wasn’t just asking about Shepard and Cross but everything.

“Well, there’s a lot I didn’t tell you, but basically, it’s what you heard on the news. The vampire population was growing, and their leader was trying to do some really bad things. I got sucked into that riptide. The men in the interview with me have been keeping me safe. You, Dad, and Grandma too. That’s why you won the cruise. To keep you all safe. They’re really nice, Mom.”

Her crying quieted after a moment.

“You’re really okay?”

“I am. Tonight was a little scary, but the vampire leader is dead. And I’m safe in the car with Cross and Shepard now.”

“Both of them?”

I felt my face flush.

“Yeah. Both of them.”

She was quiet for a long moment.

“I’d like you to meet them when you get back. They’ve saved me more times than I can count.”

“But aren’t they why you needed saving?”

“No, Mom. The people who were trying to use me to hurt them are why I needed saving. I’ll explain everything when you get home and we have more time.”

“We’ll be home in two days.”

“Okay. Keep sending pictures. Please enjoy the rest of the trip, and don’t worry about me. The danger is behind us now.”

“I’ll try, but I’d like a few pictures from you too.”

“Deal.”

I hung up and looked at Shepard and Cross. Both looked equally nervous.

“Do you think they’ll be able to accept us?” Cross asked.

“I do. Eventually. Like I said, it won’t be that you’re a vampire or that you’re a werewolf that they’ll struggle with. It’ll be that I’m with both of you. It will take time, but they’ll come around.”

When we finally arrived home, it was nearing sunrise. All I wanted was a shower and bed and to cuddle with my two guys. Thankfully, we were all on the same page.

“Go ahead and shower,” Shepard said. “I’ll have pajamas and a glass of water waiting for you.”

Cross went ahead of me and started the shower. He helped me out of my clothes and glanced at my many bruises and cuts.

“They’re fine,” I said. “I’m fine.”

They were both being sweet, and they both wore the same apprehensive expression. It wasn’t until I was showered, dressed in soft pajamas, and snuggle-sandwiched between the two of them that I finally understood why.

I eyed both of them in the dim room. “This is because I said I wouldn’t forgive either of you, isn’t it? Can you blame me? You cared nothing for the world and were going to sacrifice your rings and yourselves just to save me.”

“We couldn’t stand by and do nothing,” Shepard said.

“What about your pack? The rest of the world? You’re the alpha, Shepard.”

“And you’re my mate. I would give up everything for you.”

“Neither of us would change our minds or regret our choices if it means saving you.” Cross slipped his hand into mine, bringing it to his lips for a kiss. “We also would have found a way to fix our mistakes. Be mad at us tomorrow, Everly. For what’s left of tonight, get your sleep.”

“You’re postponing the argument.”

He kissed my hand again, then my cheek. “I’m only saying the hero should rest.”

“Hero?”

“You saved us all, Everly.”

I hardly felt like a hero but smiled anyway because he was right. Without me and that awful dick necklace, the relic would have never been destroyed.

* * *

I woke with a leisurely stretch and accidentally hit Cross in the face. He laughed and caught my hand to kiss it.

“Sorry,” I mumbled.

“It’s all right. I was just lying here wondering how annoyed you would be if I woke you.”

“Not annoyed. More like worried. Did something happen?”

“No. Shepard made you breakfast.”

“Mmm,” I rolled toward Cross and used him like a body pillow. He didn’t mind. He wrapped his arm around me and combed his fingers through my hair.

“Does this mean you aren’t hungry?”

“I’m hungry…I’m just too lazy to get out of bed when you’re so snuggable.”

“He made Belgian waffles. With a berry compote and fresh whipped cream.”

I tilted my head to look up at Cross. “You really want me to get out of bed, don’t you?”

He kissed the tip of my nose. “It’s been ten hours. We’re worried.”

“Really? Ten?”

He nodded, and with a sigh, I untangled myself from the blankets. He watched me scoot out of bed and pad to the bathroom. All my things were neatly set out on the counter, waiting for me. Smiling, I washed up and dressed in loungewear for the day.

Cross had made the bed while I was gone and was lying on the comforter, waiting for me. His gaze raked over my silky light blue loungewear, and he gave me his slow, sexy smile.

“I chose well.”

“You did. They’re comfy, and today is definitely a comfy kind of day.” I paused and gave him a pleading look. “Please tell me we have nothing to do today.”

“Nothing that requires leaving the house. I am expecting a delivery in a bit, though.” He stood smoothly and hugged me to his chest.

“What kind of delivery?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“I’m not really a fan of surprises. I think I’ve had too many of the bad kind in the last few weeks.”

“This is a good one. It’s more for Shepard than you, but I think you’ll enjoy it as well.”

“Then it’s acceptable.”

I walked out of the bedroom with his arm around my waist and saw Shepard setting the table for three.

He smiled at me and came to steal me from Cross for a hug and kissed the top of my head. “We were worried about you.”

“I heard. Did you sleep enough?”

“Plenty. Everything is healed and back to normal. What about you? Cross noticed a bruise on your back last night.”

I glanced at Cross. “What were you doing that you saw my back?”

His sexy smile contradicted the shrug he gave me. “I could say that it was when I helped you out of your clothes last night, but you like it when I touch you in your sleep. Lots of happy sounds.”

Wrinkling my nose at him, I turned to Shepard and glanced at the plates. “I also heard you wanted to feed me.” His eyes flashed gold, and he nodded. Cross held out my chair for me as Shepard went to the kitchen.

“Have either of you heard from Vena today?”

“Yes,” Shepard said. “She called early to tell you everyone is united at home and a big thank you from their whole family is waiting for you.”

“Did she say how Miles is doing?”

“He’s well. Having Grandma and Grandpa Hunter back helped tremendously, as did the time he spent with Princess Indri while researching in the Mountain. He’s accepted what happened and is doing his best to move forward.”

I let out a relieved breath and smiled up at Shepard as he served breakfast.

“So what are our plans for the future? Are you reopening Blur now that Orphia is gone?”

“I was thinking of keeping it closed for a while,” he said. “It’s a good time to renovate and maybe find a new manager. Someone told me I didn’t have the best work-life balance. Since I have a mate now, I need to fix that.”

“But what if your mate is busy with school and running her own bakery? Won’t you be bored?”

“Unlikely,” Cross said. “The alphas are still?—”

Something thumped under the table.

“Shepard, did you just kick Cross?”

“It was a love tap,” Cross said smoothly. “He missed me while he was making you breakfast.”

Shepard snorted.

“Are you going to tell me what the alphas are doing? Or do I need to go around you to find out, mate?”

Shepard winced at my tone. “They’re still unhappy the ring was stolen and questioning if I should step down. I told them to show me a better candidate, and I’d step down without a fight. The males they’re proposing are about on level with MC.”

“So you’ll be dealing with stupidity for a while. And what about you?” I asked Cross. “What are your plans for the future?”

“The same as Shepard’s. To spend every waking second with you. That you’ll allow, at least. To spoil you. Watch you smile. Shower with you. Touch you.”

Shepard kicked him under the table again. “Her back is bruised.”

“I didn’t say this second.”

I grinned, amused by their interactions. They bristled at each other sometimes, but the animosity that they’d once had for each other had vanished. Happy, I took a bite of my waffle and moaned.

“This is so good.”

The doorbell rang, and Cross shot out of his seat with an excited glint in his eyes.

“It’s our delivery. Stay here. Finish eating. It’ll take some time to set up.”

Shepard and I stayed at the table while Cross ran downstairs and returned with two people carrying a thin box that was nearly twice my height. Cross carried a smaller box and winked at me on the way through the room.

Once the bedroom door closed behind them, I looked at Shepard.

“Do you know what he’s doing?”

“No. But he said it’s something to commemorate our lives together.”

Suspicious, since he said it was more for Shepard than me, I glanced at the door repeatedly while we finished our breakfast.

A little while after the delivery guys left with the box, Cross told us to go look.

I was the first one through the door and saw the three throw pillows he’d added to the bed—“His, Hers, and His.” Laughing, I turned to tell him I loved it and caught sight of the new painting on the wall.

It was massive.

So massive.

And strategically lit by “art” lights.

“It’s impressive, isn’t it?” Cross said as Shepard made choked sounds.

The glorious painting of Cross, fully nude in a ‘paint me like a French lady’ pose, was on a canvas that was at least six feet high and twelve feet long. Cross was proportional to the size of the canvas, which meant we would be staring at Cross’ spot-lit mega penis every time we went to sleep at night.

But behind Cross, on his knees to offer a bunch of grapes, was Shepard, just as nude. However, the position and the angle of Cross’ top arm gave Shepard’s equipment a stubby ending rather than the well-endowed length he had.

“Ass,” Shepard breathed.

“We can have one of those on that wall,” Cross said, completely serious and pointing to the empty space above the bed.

“I think one nude painting is enough,” I said, fighting my laughter. “Vena is going to love it.”

“We’re covering it when company is over,” Shepard said.

I shrugged, knowing she’d peek.

Taking in the sight of Cross grinning at Shepard and Shepard’s return scowl, I felt happy and alive.

I never thought falling into a cave would bring so much joy to my life, but I wouldn’t redo any of it if given the chance. Not even the dangerous parts. Because this ending could have only happened as it had with all the horrible, scary, and wonderful parts.