Page 29

I’m awake to watch the blackout shades rise to let the last rays of dusk filter through the windows of Costin’s sanctuary penthouse.

There is an almost gold to the light for the briefest of seconds before it turns dark.

I stand watching the colors shift, remembering when sunshine was something I took for granted.

Now it’s a reminder of what I’ve lost and what I’ve gained.

“You’re up early,” Costin murmurs, his arms encircling my waist from behind as he finds me in the living room.

He presses a kiss to my shoulder, and I lean into him, savoring the cool strength of him.

“Big night,” I remind him.

My stomach is in knots.

“Paul and Diana are coming.”

He tenses slightly but says nothing.

After everything that’s happened, he’s still wary of my connection to Paul.

Not jealous.

We’re beyond that now.

But concerned about the pain reopening old wounds might cause.

“I need this closure,” I say, answering his unspoken worry.

I can’t seem to stop pulling the humans into my orbit, but I have to say goodbye.

A final-final- final goodbye.

Hopefully one where no one tries to kill any of us.

“We all do.”

His lips find my neck and fangs tease my skin.

“I know. I’ve arranged everything as you asked. There will be extra security. No one unauthorized in or out. Human snacks are prepared. They’re on the dining table.”

The penthouse apartment is neutral territory, not Costin’s underground lair or my family’s estate.

Somewhere Paul and Diana will feel safe, where a child won’t be overwhelmed by supernatural energy.

Plus, there are no secret tunnels leading to the underground city.

I’m not taking any chances that goblins might try to sneak in, or elves decide suddenly to revolt.

“Thank you,” I say, turning in his arms to face him.

“For understanding.”

His smile is gentle.

“I’ve had centuries to learn patience, Tamara. A few more hours are nothing.”

“Is that what you tell yourself about the wedding?” I tease, referring to Astrid’s insistence on planning what she calls, “an appropriate ceremony befitting the Devine name and the master vampire.” Three weeks of preparation already, and she’s talking about months more.

“I’d marry you tonight if you wanted,” he says seriously.

“No witnesses, no ceremony. Only us.”

The intensity in his gaze makes me shiver.

“Don’t tempt me. Astrid would never forgive us.”

He laughs, the sound still rare enough to feel like a gift.

“Then we wait. After all, we have forever.”

Forever.

The word doesn’t scare me anymore.

The doorbell rings, interrupting our moment.

I feel a flutter of nervous anticipation.

“They’re early.”

“Do you want me to stay?” Costin asks.

I shake my head.

“This is something I need to do alone.” I press a kiss to his lips and glance down his naked body.

“Besides, I think you should probably put some clothes on before you greet guests.”

He chuckles and nods in understanding.

“If you need me I’ll hear you.” He vanishes in a blur toward the back of the apartment as I move to answer the door.

Paul waits on the other side, Diana half-hidden behind him.

He looks better than when I last saw him, though there are new shadows in his eyes.

Diana peers around his leg, her face lighting up when she sees me.

“Tamara!” She breaks free of her father’s protective stance and launches herself at me.

A backpack drops on the floor behind her.

I catch her, careful of my strength, and hug her close.

The amulet hangs around her neck, its magic a familiar vibration against my skin.

“I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you too. Did you know I got to see real wolves?” Her excitement bubbles over.

“They were huge. And they let me pet them!”

I raise an eyebrow at Paul over her head.

He shrugs as he lifts the backpack from the floor.

“Sully and Anthony’s idea. They know how important she is to you and thought she should understand that part of your world. Sully said something about the pack protecting their own.”

So Sully had visited them?

That’s surprisingly sweet.

“Sully’s funny,” Diana says.

“Oh, uh, sorry, come in,” I say, stepping back as I realize I’m blocking the entrance.

Paul hesitates at the threshold and glances at Diana “Is he...?”

“Giving us space,” I tell him.

He nods and enters, his hand protectively on Diana’s shoulder.

“Nice place,” he says, taking in the modern furniture and floor-to-ceiling windows with their spectacular view of New York at twilight.

Diana bounces ahead to explore the penthouse.

I don’t want to tell him it’s only one of many homes Costin owns.

I honestly don’t even know how many he has.

I never thought to ask.

“We like it.”

“We,” he repeats.

His eyes find my antique engagement ring, a simple platinum band with a blood-red stone.

“Anthony mentioned you’re getting married.”

“Yes.”

An awkward silence falls between us.

There’s so much to say, and no easy place to start.

“I wanted to say—” I begin.

Diana breaks the tension, running back into the room.

“You can see the whole city from here.” She tugs at Paul’s hand.

“Dad, come look!”

I let her lead us to the window.

The three of us stand side by side, watching the city lights come alive as darkness falls.

“It’s pretty here,” Diana says.

Then, with the directness only children possess, she asks, “Are you really a vampire now?”

Paul starts to object, but I stop him with a look.

“Yes,” I tell her honestly.

“And a werewolf too. I’m something new.”

Her eyes widen.

“Cool! Can you turn into a bat?”

I laugh despite myself.

“Not yet. Maybe someday.”

“Can I pet you when you’re a wolf? Sully says I can’t just pet any wolf.”

I nod.

“Sully is right. Ask your dad before you do anything with the supernatural. That’s important.”

“Does this mean I’ll be special someday too?” She touches the amulet.

I really hope not.

“You’re already special. The dragon needs you to be you.”

“Can I see your fangs?” Her boundless curiosity is untainted by fear.

“Diana,” Paul warns, but I shake my head.

“It’s okay.” I kneel to her level.

“Are you sure? It might be scary.”

She nods eagerly.

I let my fangs extend slightly, just enough to be visible without being terrifying.

Instead of recoiling, she leans closer, fascinated.

“They’re cool. Dad, can I get fangs?”

I retract them, feeling a strange relief.

Children see the world so differently.

“Absolutely not,” Paul states.

“The amulet’s keeping you safe?” I ask, touching the pendant at her throat.

“Draakmar is behaving himself?”

She nods solemnly.

“It gets warm sometimes when there’s danger. Dad says that means it’s working.”

“Smart dad,” I say, standing up again.

“It’ll always protect you, as long as you wear it.”

“Draakmar gives me his dreams sometimes. He really likes fires,” Diana says.

“Did he do that to you too?”

I nod.

Though, the visions the ancient dragon gave me were his fantasies of fire consuming the world as he destroyed it.

I put a stop to that plan, and suspect it was the dragon’s way of keeping his magic before Elizabeth and Thane tried to steal it.

Hopefully, things will be easier for Diana.

She doesn’t seem afraid, and maybe that’s the difference.

Draakmar chose her.

The dragon’s connection to the girl seems strong.

That’s good.

Paul’s expression has softened, watching our interaction.

“Diana, why don’t you go draw a picture for Tamara? I packed your markers.”

He lifts the backpack.

She needs no further encouragement as she grabs it, racing off to the dining table.

“Help yourself to the snacks,” I call after her.

Alone with Paul, I feel the weight of our complicated history.

I think of the timeline that was erased from when we were together, and the memories given back to us.

I think of the dangers I’ve brought into his life, and the impossibility of what might have been.

“Anthony mentioned you’re heading to Kansas City,” I prompt quietly.

I know his parents live there.

They’re good people.

He nods.

“It’s a fresh start, away from all of this. My business has gone under since I’ve been,” he gestures vaguely, encompassing the supernatural world that’s become my home, “away. Your brother and Sully have arranged protection for all of us. Discreet, he promised.”

“He’s good to his word,” I assure him.

“The pack will make sure you’re both safe.”

“And what about you?” he asks.

“Will you be safe?”

After everything, his concern still touches me more than I expected.

He still cares.

“I’m learning,” I tell him honestly.

“Every day gets a little easier. And I have people watching my back.”

“The vampire,” he says, as if not quite able to say Costin’s name.

“Among others.” I don’t elaborate.

Paul doesn’t need to know about council politics or my newfound abilities.

The less he knows, the safer he’ll be.

He runs a hand through his hair, a familiar gesture that once made my heart race.

Now it’s just a memory, bittersweet but fading.

“I wanted to hate him,” Paul admits.

“For taking you away. For changing you. But when I saw how he fought to save you that night in the graveyard...” He shakes his head.

“He loves you. I can’t hate him for that.”

“Thank you,” I say softly.

“That means more than you know to hear you say that.”

“We had something real, didn’t we?” he asks.

“In that other timeline. Before everything reset. When you were human, we were real.”

I nod, throat tight with emotion.

I thought he could be my future, but he was just my waystation.

“We did. It was beautiful, Paul. But it wasn’t meant to be.”

“Because of what you are.”

“Because of what I’ve always been,” I correct gently.

“This was always my path. I just didn’t see it. Even when I was human, I was never fully part of your world. I just didn’t want to admit it. I wanted to be normal so badly.”

Diana returns, proudly displaying a drawing of what appears to be a wolf standing next to a figure with fangs.

I take the picture, genuinely touched.

“Thank you, sweetheart. It’s perfect. I’ll keep it forever.”

And I mean it literally.

Long after Diana has grown old and forgotten this night, I’ll remember the little girl who saw the monster in me and called it cool.

The idea of it makes tears fill my eyes.

I don’t like the thought of losing her.

“We should go,” Paul says, checking his watch.

He goes to retrieve her backpack.

“Our flight leaves early tomorrow. I need to sign some papers with the realtor selling our house and do some packing.”

I walk them to the door, knowing this is truly goodbye.

Not just for now, but likely forever.

It’s better this way, safer for them, cleaner for all of us.

But it still aches.

I kneel to hug Diana.

“Have so much fun with your grandparents, and be good for your dad, okay? And remember, if the amulet ever gets warm, listen to it. Go close to your dad. It can protect you and him.”

“Will you come visit us?” she asks.

“We’ll see,” Paul says.

“Let’s get settled first.”

“If you ever need me, I’ll be there,” I promise her.

“Come on, sweetie.” Paul nudges her to come with him.

She nods solemnly, then surprises me with a kiss on the cheek.

“Bye, Tamara!”

Paul hesitates, then hugs me too, a brief embrace that carries the weight of what might have been in another life.

“Be happy,” he whispers.

“You too,” I reply.

“Both of you.”

I watch them walk down the hallway to the elevator, Diana’s chatter fades as the doors close.

Another chapter of my life, ending.

But this time, it’s a gentle closing, not a violent tearing.

I sense Costin before I see him, standing in the doorway behind me.

“You good?” he asks simply.

I nod, surprised to find it’s true.

“Yeah.”

“How can I help?”

“I cost them so much. I uprooted their lives. He lost his business. They have to move.” I sigh.

I know he can feel my guilt, just as I feel his concern.

“I want to buy his house above asking, enough to matter but not draw suspicion. Anonymously,” I decide.

That will give them help in the immediate future.

“And I want to set up a trust fund for Diana. I never want her to have to worry. It’s the least I owe them.”

Costin doesn’t even blink.

“I’ll call the lawyers. It will be done.”

His arms enfold me, and I lean into his strength, grateful for his comfort.

I feel our bond wrapping around us and we stand in silence for a long moment.

He understands that some moments don’t need words.

“Lorelai will be here soon,” he reminds me after a while.

I sigh, sensing my mother’s arrival.

“Another goodbye.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” he says.

“California isn’t that far.”

“Are you saying you want to move to the golden state? Can’t get enough sunshine here?” I tease, but I know what he means.

Unlike Paul and Diana, my separation from Lorelai doesn’t need to be permanent.

She’s part of the supernatural world, whether she wanted to be or not.

It happened the second she had her affair with my father.

The doorbell rings again.

This time, it’s my birth mother who stands there.

Her bohemian skirts swirl around her ankles, and her bracelets jingle on her wrists.

“Butterfly,” she says, embracing me without hesitation.

She smells of incense and essential oils.

I hug her back, careful of my strength.

“Thanks for coming.”

Costin excuses himself discreetly, giving us privacy.

Lorelai moves into the apartment, her gaze taking in everything with the artist’s eye.

“So this is where vampires live these days,” she muses.

“Much nicer than crypts and dungeons, I imagine.”

I laugh.

“Costin has those too. And apparently a place in the mountains. But this is more practical for New York.”

She settles on the couch, patting the spot beside her.

I join her, feeling a strange mix of comfort and awkwardness.

Our relationship is still new, still finding its shape.

“The council has been in touch,” she says without preamble.

I stiffen.

“What? Why?”

“Apparently having a daughter who’s about to join the supernatural high council makes me a person of interest.” She smiles wryly.

“They offered protection.”

“Protection or surveillance?” I’m immediately suspicious.

“Both, probably.” She shrugs.

“I have to admit, I was surprised.”

“Astrid’s already making arrangements for my appointment,” I say, half amused, half exasperated.

“She’s calling in favors I didn’t know she had.”

Lorelai chuckles.

“That woman could outmaneuver a fae queen with one eyebrow raise.”

“What did you say?” I ask.

“I declined. I have my own methods.”

I frown.

She should take the help.

I’m going to make sure she has it whether she wants it or not.

“Such as?”

“You’d be surprised what a lifetime of studying magic can teach you. Just because I’m human doesn’t mean I’m helpless.” Her eyes twinkle.

She touches my cheek.

“I was able to help protect you all those years. I think if the supernatural world wanted me dead, it would have happened by now.”

All this time, she’d been watching over me in her own way.

I remember she’d bartered with trolls for the amulet Diana now wears.

I think back to the butterflies that used to appear when I needed help.

The strange coincidences that saved me more than once.

I put my hand over hers.

“Thank you. For everything.”

“I’m going back to California,” she continues.

“My life is there. But I want you to know you always have a place with me, if you want it. A mother always finds ways to help. We could be happy there, away from this city. I used to dream about you coming to live with me. You’re different now, but it could still happen. We’ll convert the basement. I’ll make a deal with a blood bank. You’ll be safe.”

“Thank you,” I say, meaning it.

“But my place is here now.”

“With him,” she says, glancing toward where Costin had disappeared.

“With myself,” I correct.

“I fought for so long to be normal. Now I know I never really was. And that’s okay. I know who I am now. What I can be.”

She studies me, her eyes so like mine.

“You’ve found your path.”

“I’m getting there.”

“That’s all any of us can do.” She takes my hands in hers.

“I’m proud of you, butterfly. Not because of what you’ve become, but because of how you’ve faced it. With courage. With heart.”

Tears prick at my eyes.

All my life, I’ve wanted to hear those words from a parent who truly saw me.

Not as an asset or a disappointment or a project, but as a person.

“Costin is very lucky to have you,” she says.

“Don’t ever forget that. He’s the lucky one.”

I want to argue and tell her I’m the lucky one, but I don’t.

“I’d invite you to the wedding, but?—”

“It’ll be a supernatural affair,” she finishes.

“I understand.”

“You should visit, though” I tell her.

“After.”

“Wild horses couldn’t keep me away.” She squeezes my hands.

“Or vampires. Or werewolves.”

We talk throughout the night, catching up on everything that’s happened.

I tell her about the battle, about finding balance between my natures, about the council’s offer.

She tells me about her art, her friends, her quiet life that somehow intersects with the supernatural world more than I ever realized.

When she finally leaves, it’s with promises to call, to visit, to stay connected.

Not a goodbye, but a beginning.

Costin finds me on the balcony afterward, watching the light shift over the city as dawn approaches.

He wraps a blanket around my shoulders, though I no longer feel the cold the way I once did.

“How did it go?” he asks, handing me a glass of blood.

“Better than I expected,” I admit.

“I thought I’d be mad at her for leaving me as a baby, but I realized the past doesn’t matter. Life is messy. We’re all doing our best to make it work.”

“It is good you spoke with her,” he says, a smile in his voice.

“Sully called while you were talking. I didn’t want to interrupt. He wanted us to know that things are calm but not settled. His exact words were, ‘there are always shadows after a storm.’”

“That feels like a next week problem.” I lean back against him, savoring his presence.

“Have you thought about where we’ll live? After everything settles down.”

“Wherever you want.” His arms tighten around me.

“New York. Romania. The moon. I don’t care, as long as we’re together.”

I laugh.

“The moon might be difficult, even for us.”

“Give it a few centuries. Humans will build something there, and we’ll follow.” His tone is light but sincere.

“That’s the gift of immortality, Tamara. We have time to see it all, do it all.”

Immortality.

The word still feels strange, a concept too vast to fully comprehend.

But with Costin, it doesn’t feel like a sentence.

It feels like hope.

“I was thinking somewhere quieter,” I say.

“At least for a while. Somewhere we can just be, without council politics or family expectations.”

“I know just the place,” he murmurs against my hair.

“A little estate in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Isolated. Beautiful. Room for wolves to run.”

An image forms in my mind of snow-capped peaks, forests stretching for miles, open skies where stars blaze without city lights to dim them.

“Perfect,” I say.

“There is a ghost town on the property that can be quite entertaining,” he adds.

“I’ve seen a ghost duel.”

I chuckle.

“No thanks. I might avoid that for the time being. I think I’ve had my fill of hauntings.”

He turns me in his arms, his expression suddenly serious.

“Are you sure about this, Tamara? About us? About everything?”

I know what he’s really asking.

Am I sure about binding my life to his for however many centuries we have?

“I’m sure,” I tell him, holding his gaze.

“It won’t always be easy. But nothing worth having ever is.”

His kiss is gentle, reverent, a promise that spans centuries.

We make love with the city lights spread beneath us like fallen stars.

Our clothing slips from our bodies, but I don’t feel the night air.

All I feel is our bond, drawing me closer.

There is no frantic rush to completion because we have all the time in the world.

Every kiss, every caress feels like a promise, not one made in words, but through skin and blood and unspoken need.

Costin’s hands moves over me like he’s rediscovering something sacred.

I answer in kind, pressing my mouth to his chest, his throat, tracing his collarbone with my tongue until his control slips and he growls softly against my neck.

I feel his bite as he drinks me in.

I arch into him, meeting him stroke for stroke.

My senses come alive in a way I hadn’t realized possible.

This is not just sex.

It’s possession, a promise that we belong only to each other.

It’s identity and hope and perfection.

I bite him back, letting his taste fill me completely, strengthening our bond.

There is no room for doubt, only raw pure emotion.

Magic stirs beneath my skin, pulsing in time with our bodies, a low hum of electricity that wraps around us both and lights up the balcony with shades of blue.

When we finally meet our release, there is a calmness between us, like the world has finally settled.

Dawn threatens, prickling my skin with warning.

Costin sweeps me indoors to the safety of our bed as the blackout shades lower to protect us, and I find myself thinking about the long journey that brought me here.

From the mortal girl who just wanted a normal life, to the hybrid who helped reshape the supernatural world’s balance of power.

“What are you thinking?” Costin asks sleepily beside me.

“About destiny,” I reply.

“And choices. And how sometimes they’re the same thing.”

He props himself up on one elbow.

“Philosophy at dawn? You really are becoming immortal.”

I playfully swat his chest.

“I’m serious. I spent so long fighting what I was meant to be, only to discover that embracing it was the key to finding myself.”

“And are you happy with what you found?” he whispers against my temple.

I consider the question.

Am I happy with what I’ve become?

With the wolf blood in my veins, the vampire hunger in my heart, the magic at my fingertips?

With the council seat waiting for me, the responsibilities that come with power, the eternity stretching before us?

“Yes,” I say simply.

“I am.”

And it’s true.

For the first time in my life, or death, or whatever this existence is, I feel complete.

Not perfect, not free from doubts or fears, but whole in a way I never was before.

I am Tamara Devine.

Hybrid.

Council member.

Bride-to-be of a master vampire.

Friend to werewolves.

Daughter of magic and mortality.

Once broken, now whole.

Costin’s arm tightens around me as a deep sleep claims him.

I press a kiss to his chest, right above his heart.

That heart has beaten for centuries, waiting for mine to find its rhythm alongside it.

I close my eyes, surrendering to the day’s embrace.

Tomorrow night will bring new challenges, new battles, new moments of joy and sorrow.

But for the first time in my existence, I’m not afraid of what’s coming.

I’m ready.

I am Tamara Devine.

And I am finally, completely alive.

The End