Page 108 of The Reaper's Vice

“Well… shall we get the food on the table?” Brett asks.

Lillith nods. “Kain and Ghost should be coming in with the turkey any minute now.”

Brett chuckles. “I still don’t see why it took two whole grown men to fry a turkey.”

“One to work, one to observe,” I say, shrugging with a cheeky smile. “Either that, or they didn’t want to get smacked any more today.”

“If they would stop sticking their big ol fingers in the mashed potatoes, maybe they wouldn’t get hit!” Brett throws her hands up in exasperation. “Animals, I say.Animals.”

We all devolve into laughter again as we move into the kitchen, pulling the sides from the oven and finishing up the last touches. We each grab a dish and move into the dining room, finding all the plates spread neatly around the table. Sloane and Hadrian are sat next to each other, their heads bent low and giggles flowing as they whisper secrets to each other. Noticing our arrival, the pair jump apart, sheepish grins spread across their faces.

“Glad to see you two finally getting along.” Ghost steps into the room, a bright white smile spreading his lips as he looks toward his daughter and Hadrian. “Everyone ready to feast?”

“I am! I am!” Sloane raises her hand high in the air, giving her father a wide, gap-toothed grin. “I want the first piece of turkey!”

Hadrian raises his hand, shooting Sloane a loving glance out of the corner of his eye. “Sloane gets the first piece! She called it!”

Ghost chuckles, shaking his head slightly as he steps up to the table, making way for Kain to drag in the turkey. The sight of the hulking man in a pink, flowery apron shouldn’t be as funny as it is—yet, the sight has me biting down on my lip to hold in my laugh.

“I checked it three times. No salmonella.” Kain places the bird proudly onto the table.

“That’s a lie. He checked it atleastthirty times.” Ghost rolls his eyes, but he can’t hide the amused smile on his face. “The man isobsessed.”

“I don’t fuck around with my family’s safety.” Kain glowers at Ghost, his fist clenching at his side. “Salmonella is a major threat to their health.”

“Okay, big guy. Whatever you say.” Ghost pats him on the shoulder. “Enough talking—let’s eat!”

We all take out seats around the table, Orion plopping down next to me and scooting his chair as close as possible. He rests his palm over my thigh, his expression the picture of serenity as he gazes into my eyes.

The background noise fades until there’s just me and him. Until it’s just me, and the man who worships me. The man who saved me—wholovedme, when I couldn’t even love myself.

“Oh, wait, I almost forgot!” Ghost pipes up, drawing me and Orion from our trance. “We don’t have the animals here!”

Sloane squeals, grabbing Hadrian’s hand and pulling him from his seat as she rushes from the room. When she returns, there’s a petting zoo at her heels. Sviato and Savyne lead the pack, their bright yellow eyes trained on the steaming turkey as Rupert—Ghost’s Great Pyrenees—lets out an excited woof. Venom, the cat with tiny legs and a massive heart, follows at Rupert's heels, his shocking black fur standing out like a beacon against Rupert’s fluffy white coat. To top it off, Orion’s crow Bacchus and Lillith’s pigeon Herb fly into the room, their wings beating a flurry of air across the table as they perch on the back of one of the chairs. The only ones whoaren’there are the gators—for obvious reasons—but they’re enjoying their very own Thanksgiving dinner in their lake outside Orion’s cabin.

The animals settle into place as Sloane and Hadrian take their seats, a hush falling across the room. I stare at each one of them—the animals, too—and for once, I don’t feel so alone. For once, I feel like Ibelongsomewhere.

I never thought I would have a family. Yet, when I look around at all the smiling faces at the table, it feels like home. It feels like safety. It feels like love.

Orion squeezes my hand, and that hole in my heart closes over.

This time, for good.

EXTRA EPILOGUE

ORION

4 months later…

I take a deep breath, the air stale and reeking of leather behind my plague mask. My eyes gleam red in the dark, illuminating my path through the woods and allowing me to see through the worst of the shadows. Which is good, because my little dove has gottenmuchbetter at hiding from me.

A twig snaps nearby, and my steps come to a halt. I tilt my head, trying to listen past the violent roar of blood in my ears.Close. She’s close.

I purse my lips, allowing an eerie whistling tone to fill the air.

In the night, little doves take flight,

Silver wings soft as fading light.

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