Page 141 of Origins of Eternity

Arwen smiled into their kiss.

???

Weeks later, they were walking along the cliffs, holding hands. The weather had been cooperating as much as it ever did in Scotland, and Iro nodded toward another cottage that had smoke billowing from the chimney.

“I have another surprise for you.”

“You do?” Arwen asked.

“Do you remember how a long time ago, you asked me if I had any relatives still alive? Descendants?”

“Yes. You avoided the question, so I thought it might be a bad one to bring back up. Then, we got busy hunting vampires who wanted to be the next Cassia. Why?”

“Over there.” Iro nodded again. “That house.”

“What about it?”

A man walked out with a young girl and a boy.

“It’s owned by a family that comes here every year for a few weeks at a time.”

A woman walked out behind them, carrying a big bag, and the man hefted his small daughter before helping her into the car that they had in the gravel driveway.

“That family ismyfamily.”

“What?” Arwen asked.

“My sisters had children. Some of them survived to have children of their own and so on. The woman is my great great great great great–”

“Yeah, I got the idea,” Arwen said, laughing.

“Niece,” Iro finished. “So are her kids, obviously. They are the only ones left of my direct family line, but theyaremy blood. It’s one of the reasons I bought the cottage. I check in on them every so often, and I knew that they come here this time of year. I thought maybe we could introduce ourselves one day while they’re here and have them over for dinner or something.” She turned to Arwen. “You could meet my family.”

“Oh, baby,” Arwen said and cupped her cheek. “Yes. Absolutely.” She leaned in and added, “I love you so much.”

Iro nodded, kissed her on the nose, and said, “Want to head back now? I can start a fire.”

“I think we’re out of wood. You’ll have to chop some.”

“You have got to stop throwing what Idochop back into the woods to make me chop more.” Iro laughed.

“No, I don’t,” Arwen replied with a smirk and took off in the direction of their cottage.

“Oh, you’re in trouble!” Iro laughed some more and ran after her, seeing the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen: her Arwen, completely free and happy.

And in her over three hundred years on this planet, Iro knew she had never been happier or felt freer than she had since she saw the beautiful woman with hazel eyes walk into a bar over ten years ago.