Page 62

bonus epilogue

ZAIN

I t was a meow that woke me from my peaceful slumber. And then a delicately placed paw, standing on my chest.

“Wife,” I groaned, reaching over in bed to wake her up. “Your beast won’t leave me alone.”

All I found was cold, empty sheets.

“Luna?”

Even after all these years, the panic flared in me at finding her missing. A side-effect of my newly-pregnant wife having been kidnapped and trapped underground.

Sometimes, I still got nightmares, but then I’d wake up and find her sleeping next to me, her moonlit blonde hair sprawled across my black, silky sheets. It was enough to calm me, to soothe that ache in my soul.

She’d been sleeping so much lately that I couldn’t imagine what would have dragged her from our bed. Though she’d probably just gotten up early, and I’d find her making a batch of scones in the kitchen. Just like always. No matter what changed, her love of baking never did. I loved that about her. How she always smelled sweet, like sugar and lemons and lavender.

I ran my fingers through my hair, eager to seek out my mate. I tugged at that shining golden cord that tied us together, feeling her love at the end of it.

Fates, but I loved her. How could I have ever imagined my life—our life—as anything but this?

Getting up from our bed, I pulled on my robe, heading toward the bathroom.

We’d come to the smaller manor in the countryside for a few weeks of peace. I’d left Kairos in charge, figuring a little delegation certainly wouldn’t have the entire demon realm collapsing around us.

I did a double take, rubbing my eyes at the words written on the bathroom mirror. Happy Birthday, Daddy! was written in… icing?

Running my fingers through it, I brought them up to my lips. The taste exploded on my tongue. Chocolate . A smile spread over my face. I’d forgotten the importance my wife placed on the day of my birth, probably because I’d never really celebrated before her.

Pulling on a black shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants, I hurried down the stairs. Luna had bought them for me last year in the human realm, insisting I wear them around the house.

Watching the heat spark in her eyes whenever I did made it worth it.

Something about the heroes in her book also wearing them?

I didn’t care—if it made her happy, I’d do anything she asked.

Figuring I’d find my family at the source of the icing, I padded into the kitchen. Leaning on the door frame, I watched the scene unfold in front of me.

My wife and our five-year-old twins were crowded around something on the massive counter, giggling to themselves. Luna had our three-year-old daughter on her hip, attempting to stick her hands in whatever they had been working on.

I chuckled, the sound attracting the attention of my little demons.

“Daddy!” Rae and Rion shouted, hopping off their stools and running over to me.

“Did you get up early to surprise me?” I asked, bending down as they both wrapped their arms around me in a hug.

Rion nodded. “Mommy said we could help for your birthday.”

I hoisted them both up in my arms. They were both getting bigger by the day, and I was grateful for the power coursing through my veins that allowed me to still carry them like this. I already knew I’d miss these days when they were gone.

“Happy birthday, Daddy.” Rae cuddled against my neck, and I kissed her little blonde forehead. So much like Luna’s, even though she’d gotten my mother’s violet eyes.

“Thank you, little star.”

“Morning, handsome,” Luna said as I walked over to her, pressing a kiss to her lips. “Happy birthday.”

She was wearing a pretty, flowing lavender dress that cut off at the knees and had left her light blonde waves tumbling down around her.

“Thank you.” I rubbed my nose against hers. “They just keep getting better.”

A grin lit up my wife’s face. “Good. That’s what I’m going for, after all.”

Luna was only thirty, compared to my three hundred plus years, and sometimes it felt like I wasn’t really living before I met her. Like I’d just been going through the motions. I’d been surviving, just waiting for this.

A life full of love, warmth, and happiness. A life with a family of my own.

“So what did you all make me?”

“A cake, Daddy!” Rion beamed up at me from my arms. “It’s chocolate, and we helped Mommy!”

“So that’s where the frosting came from, huh?”

Luna’s lips curled up, a small smile lighting up her face as she adjusted Lia on her hip.

I hummed in response, setting them both down and ruffling my son’s hair. “Good work, bud.” I looked at the cake. I could definitely tell they’d helped, even though it still had all the charm of Luna’s baking. I was sure it would taste just as good as normal.

No, better. Because they’d all made it with love.

“And how’s my sweet angel?” I asked, tugging at a strand of our youngest daughter’s dark hair. Liana had Luna’s bright green eyes and features, her light coloring in stark contrast with her jet-black hair.

She held out her arms for me, and I took her from Luna.

“Careful,” she warned, wiping her hands on her apron as Liana stuck her fingers in my face. “She has some frosting on her fingers.” My wife giggled.

I grunted, taking our baby girl—though she wasn’t all that little anymore—over to the sink to wash off her hands. “You just wanted me to deal with that, huh?”

Maybe. Luna sent the thought to me and winked as I dried off Lia’s hands, adjusting her pretty dress that thankfully came out unscathed.

Blowing raspberries on her cheeks, she erupted into laughter, and I threw her up into the air. “More, Daddy!” she cheered, throwing her hands into the air.

“Later, Princess.” I kissed her cheek. “Let’s check out this cake your mom made first, hm?” Sure, I’d just woken up, but cake sounded like an excellent idea.

I reached out, but Luna swatted at my hand. “Breakfast first.”

I frowned. “So you’re tempting me with a delicious cake made with love by my family , and I’m not even allowed to eat it?”

“Yes.” She stuck out her tongue. “Because I also made breakfast. Your favorite.”

Quirking an eyebrow, I held her gaze. I can think of something else I’d rather have for breakfast. My favorite meal. I’d happily eat you ? —

Zain! Her cheeks turned pink. Not with the kids around.

I waved her off. Later, then. My lips turned up in a wicked grin. Later, indeed. I knew just what I wanted for my birthday this year.

Two little hands wrapped around my free one, and I was tugged towards the balcony door. Raising an eye at Luna, she gave me a sly smile as the glass doors opened in front of us—magic. Her magic.

I was constantly in awe of her, how with just the flick of the wrist, she could summon items to her, the way she gave her full attention to baking even while being the queen of the entire realm.

Magnificent. Never mind that I had my own magic. She was incredible.

“You did all this?” I finally choked out as I surveyed the patio. She’d spread out a picnic blanket, and there was a basket of freshly baked scones and other assorted breakfast items laid out for us.

“Mhm.” She slid an arm around my waist. “The kids helped a little.”

“Oh, I bet.” I eyed our children, who were eagerly staring at the chocolate filled pastries in front of them. “Thank you.” I kissed the top of her head. “Now, let’s dig in.”

* * *

LUNA

The birthday cake sat on the counter, half demolished by the three little hellions who ran around here like they owned the place. In a way, I supposed they did. They were Princes and Princesses, after all.

Though we wouldn’t be raising them like that. And unlike some royals, we were raising our own kids. Thankfully, the demon realm had been peaceful after his father's death. Everyone seemed to be happy with our rule, even if I was a witch and originally mortal. Though these days I wasn’t quite human any longer.

Sometimes it still felt strange to me that I had an eternity to live now, but I also knew that we’d do it together.

Me, Zain, and whatever brood we raised. Plus Willow and Damien and their kids. A smile lit up my face.

Some days, I was extra thankful that we’d managed to fall for a pair of demon brothers.

A prickle of awareness trailed down my spine, and I didn’t have to turn around to know who was standing there.

I’d been cleaning the kitchen as Zain ran around the palace with the kids, getting into countless shenanigans, I was sure. Though the twins were still small, they’d already started coming into their own magic, and they wreaked havoc all over the palace grounds.

Zain slid behind me, wrapping his hands around my waist and pressing his body tight against mine. “Thank you, Moonbeam.” He pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Today was…” He exhaled roughly. “There aren’t enough words. I love you.”

I turned in his arms to press a kiss to his jaw. “You deserve it, Zain. Every bit of happiness.” I cupped his cheek.

He shut his eyes, nuzzling into my hand.

When his eyes opened, they were shining with heat. Molten, liquid gold, swirling around in those beautiful eyes I’d spent so much time staring into. How had I ever thought those dull, muted brown eyes he’d glamoured had been anything but a farce?

This was the real him. Demon and wicked and all mine.

“I love you,” I murmured, kissing the corner of his mouth.

“You know, the kids are all tuckered out now…” Zain’s hands wandered, slipping up under my skirt to grab my ass. He squeezed lightly, sliding his fingers under the thin line of my panties even as his lips found mine. His tongue swept along the seam of my lips, seeking entrance, and it didn’t take much for him to coax them open. Our mouths were locked together, devouring each other like it had been ages since we’d last tasted each other instead of hours.

My husband hummed slightly, playing with the waistband of the scrap of lace. He could probably scent the arousal pooling between my thighs, but I was long past being embarrassed with him.

“What?” I bit my lip, holding in a gasp as he snapped the fabric against my skin.

“Was thinking I liked it better when you weren’t wearing these all the time.” He rubbed my clit through the material.

My cheeks were warm. “ Zain .” I couldn’t hold back a small moan as he rubbed me over the thin fabric, my wetness already soaking them.

“I know what I want for my birthday this year,” he said, his deft fingers continuing to drive me crazy. I was so empty, and all I needed was for him to slide them inside of me, to fill me up.

“Hmm?” I mumbled, blinking at him through the haze of lust. “But you already got your presents.” We’d opened them after dinner. Though what did you really get a demon king who had magical powers and owned everything he could ever desire?

“What do you say we have another one?” Zain asked, resting his free hand on my flat stomach.

I gaped at him. “What?”

“A baby.” He rubbed his nose along my neck.

I let the sleeves of the soft purple dress slip down my arms.

“What, three isn’t enough for you?” I laughed as he pressed kisses along the sensitive skin there, taking extra care to press one over the mark he’d left all those years ago.

“Liana’s three. The twins are five. Doesn’t it seem like a good time?” He let his teeth scrape over my skin, and I already knew what my answer would be. Yes. “Let me get you pregnant again.”

“You’re insane.”

“You like it.”

“Yes,” I confirmed. “I love it. And I love you. My wicked, wicked demon husband.”

He hummed, a devious expression covering his face, before he crooked his fingers into the fabric against my hip, tearing it from my body in one movement.

I shot him an incredulous look. “Zain.”

“What?” A wicked smirk covered his face. “I like you bare for me.” He ran his knuckle over my slit. “Just like that.”

“I liked those,” I pouted, ignoring the way his fingers teased my entrance, how desperate I already was for him. How much our conversation had flipped that switch inside of me.

“Haven’t I already proven to you that I’ll buy you more?” He brushed a piece of hair off my cheek.

“Still. Those were pretty.”

Zain chuckled, hoisting me up onto the counter, his arms boxing me in. “What do you want, my queen?” His eyes flared, that bright golden color looking like liquid metal, little bolts of lightning surging as he took me in.

“You,” I admitted, running my tongue across my lower lip. “But today’s supposed to be about you.”

“This is about me,” he said, lowering onto his knees. “And right now, I want to taste my mate on my tongue.”

Using his hands to part my thighs, he dipped his head down, his face stilling for a moment as he inhaled my scent.

“Zain,” I murmured, burying my fingers in his hair and tugging him further against me.

The first swipe of his tongue against my clit made my body jolt, though that may have been the spark of lightning that surged through my body.

Fuck , it never stopped being amazing between us. He thrust his tongue inside me, lapping up my arousal. “So sweet,” he muttered, swirling his tongue inside of me before sucking on my clit.

Zain feasted on me like a man starved, working me higher and higher until I was about to shatter.

Though I’d learned to control my magic, sometimes it still found ways to burst out of me when he caught me off guard, overwhelming me with powerful orgasms.

He pushed two fingers inside of me, and that was all it took. Between his mouth and the way he knew exactly what spots inside of me would make me come, it was a wonder I could last as long as I did.

Though I enjoyed it equally as much when he had me crying and begging on the edge, never quite letting me tumble over.

He stood up, still fully clothed—though he’d changed after breakfast out of his sweats and into a black silky shirt and black trousers—and stepped in between my thighs. His hardened length pressed against the front of his pants, and I reached out, tracing a finger up his shaft.

He clicked his tongue, pushing my hand away. “It’s my birthday, isn’t it? That means I’m in charge.”

“Yes,” I whispered, feeling my pulse fluttering in my throat. I liked it when he took control, reminding me exactly who he was. My husband, the demon king.

“Take this off,” he ordered, running a finger between my breasts. “I want to see you.”

Obeying him, I pulled my dress off over my head, letting the garment fall to the floor.

“Good,” he murmured, placing a kiss to the top of each breast—still held up by my lacy bra that matched my now ruined panties. “And this.”

I unhooked my bra, and it joined my gown in a heap. My cheeks warmed as he surveyed me—completely naked, sitting on the kitchen countertop—while he remained fully clothed.

After giving birth to three children, I wasn’t as slender as I’d been when we first met, but Zain never made me feel anything less than beautiful. He still called me his goddess, and the way his eyes heated as he took me in made it hard to deny that. Stretch marks or not, he was still just as insatiable for me as I was for him.

“The perfect present,” he murmured. “Spread your legs for me, Moonbeam.”

Doing as he asked, I parted my thighs, giving him a full view of my bare pussy.

“Good girl.” Zain’s croon filled me with satisfaction, making me feel bolder—empowered.

I cupped my breasts, running my thumbs over my hardened nipples as he watched me. Biting my lip, I hid a smile as he groaned, palming his cock through his pants.

“Zain,” I whispered, running a finger through my wet folds as he freed his erection—long and full and thick— and pumped himself as he watched me slide a finger inside.

“Luna,” he groaned. “You drive me absolutely wild, you know that?” Wild was an understatement. He was a feral beast when he unleashed himself, driven purely by his demon mating instincts. The way I had been after our wedding—drunk on demon aphrodisiac wine.

“Come here,” I begged. My fingers weren’t enough. I needed him to quell this aching need inside. I was so empty, desperate and needy for him. Only him. Only ever him. “I need you inside of me.”

“Do you need me to fill you up, wife?”

I whimpered, nodding as I circled my clit with the finger that had just been inside of me. “Yes. Please.”

“Need me to flood that sweet pussy with my cum over and over, hm? Until you’re all good and bred for me?”

A moan slipped from my lips. “ Yes.” Before I could beg again, he was in front of me, his fingers digging into my thighs as he pulled my legs further apart. Without warning, he pushed inside of me, filling me to the hilt with one thrust. Stars exploded in my vision.

“Fuck,” he groaned. “You feel too good.”

I let my head fall back, exposing the crook of my neck to him. “Zain,” I begged. “Bite me.”

He complied, sinking his canine teeth into my flesh, the sting quickly turning into mind-melting pleasure.

Wrapping my legs around his waist, I curled my fingers around the cool stone countertop, digging my nails in to keep myself in place as he fucked me harder. The sound of our bodies moving together filled the room and was sinfully delicious.

Each stroke of his flesh against mine, the way he filled me completely—it was all too much. I cried out as another orgasm ripped through my body, my insides clenching around his length.

“That’s it,” he praised, releasing my neck. “My good little wife.” Zain licked at the bite marks on my skin, sealing them with his magic.

He pulled out of me, and I blinked up at him. “But…” He hadn’t come yet. Even if he normally put my pleasure first, I wanted to feel him come inside of me.

For him to fill me up, just like he’d promised. Instead, he released my thighs, massaging them lightly to counteract the sting of how he’d kept them pulled apart, and guided me down off the counter.

“What—” I murmured, but he silenced me with another rough kiss against my lips. “I thought you were going to fill me up,” I muttered when he released my mouth, leaving one last kiss on the corner of my lips. My fingers fiddled with the buttons on his shirt, attempting to divest him of at least one piece of clothing.

The corner of his mouth tilted up. “I promised I would, didn’t I?”

Then Zain spun me around, bending me over the counter so my nipples pressed against the cool stone. His knee wedged between my legs, pushing them apart. His hand traced down my back, down the ridges of my spine, before swiping down my exposed slit.

“So wet for me, Luna.”

I let out an unintelligible string of words as he pushed his fingers inside me, not giving me what he knew I needed.

Straining my neck to look back at him, I found he’d shed his clothes, those magnificent black wings spread out behind him. Powerful, yes, but also beautiful. And to know that I was the only one he let see him like this made it even more meaningful.

A satisfied hum left my lips as he gripped my hips, pressing our bodies tightly together so I could feel how hard he was for me.

“Fuck me,” I gasped, pushing back against him and rubbing my ass against his cock.

His tip pressed against my entrance before he pushed inside, stretching me fully with his size.

“That’s it, baby,” he muttered, pushing inside as I let out a series of short, gasping breaths. “Look how well you take me. Made for me.”

A moan of agreement spilled out of me. “I was.”

Nothing had ever felt as right as being with him. As his wife, his queen, his mate—I knew it was true that the universe had made us for each other. And even if he’d had to wait three hundred years for me, at least we had each other now.

And I never wanted to let him go. Not when I’d found so much happiness here. A purpose, a meaning . Everything I’d ever done had led me here to this life. Though I’d never imagined I would be a queen, my family was everything to me.

Zain wrapped one hand around my neck, the other still on my hip, keeping me pressed tightly against him as he moved with short, punishing thrusts. He worked me higher and higher, electricity sparking through my body with each push of his body against mine.

“I’m so close,” he grunted in my ear.

In response, I squeezed my thighs together, tightening around him.

“Fuck.” He buried himself even deeper inside of me, and I tightened my grip on the countertop. “I need you to come again.”

My back arched as a shadow touch ghosted over my clit. “ Zain.” Gods, he knew me too well. When his powers melded with mine, it was enough to override all my senses. He massaged my clit with his wisps of shadow, tightening his grip on my neck, and that was it.

I came with a scream of his name, light flooding from my fingertips, and he followed behind me with a roar as lightning cracked outside, thunder rumbling as he poured his seed inside of me.

Warmth unfurled in my belly, and I moaned as he did just what he’d promised—filled me up.

“See?” Zain whispered in my ear as he pulled me upright, sliding a hand over my stomach. “I always keep my promises, don’t I, wife?” He released his grip on my neck, pressing a kiss to each side. “Are you okay? I wasn’t too rough, was I?”

I laughed, pressing my ass against him. “No. But haven’t we well established that I like it when you’re rough with me?”

A rough chuckle vibrated through my body, reminding me that he was still buried inside of me, though I was content to stay just like this for a bit longer. “You’re perfect.”

His fingers guided my chin to the side so he could press a soft kiss against my lips, and then he pulled out of me. Our combined releases trickled out of me, and he swiped a finger through the mess we’d made before pushing it back inside of me.

“Caveman,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.

Zain gave a hum of satisfaction as he pulled on his pants, tucking himself back inside before picking up my dress from the floor. He guided the garment over my outstretched arms, letting it fall over my naked body before he wrapped me up in his embrace.

We stayed like that for several moments, swaying back and forth in the quiet of the kitchen, his head resting against mine as he held me tight.

“Thank you,” he murmured.

Turning in his arms, I rested both hands on his cheeks. “For what?”

He shook his head. “Everything you’ve given me. For every moment since you agreed to be mine.” He took one of my hands in his, kissing my palm.

“I love you,” I murmured, knowing the words weren’t enough to describe the depths of my feelings for him. Luckily, we didn’t need words. I could feel exactly what he felt for me, too.

“You’re my everything, Moonbeam. I love you so much.”

A grin spread over my face. “I know.” I stepped up onto my tiptoes and pulled his neck down so I could whisper into his ear. “Now take me to bed, husband. We’re not done celebrating yet.”

He smiled wickedly before throwing me over his shoulder and carting me up to our bedroom, where he showed me exactly how much he liked that idea.