Page 84 of Midnight Salvation

“Alone at last,” Ash said as he closed the door to our townhouse with an exaggerated bang.

“My husband wouldn’t approve of me being alone with another man,” I teased.

“I’ll hide in your wardrobe if he comes home early.” Ash winked at me, tugging me toward him by my hips.

“He’s very possessive.”

His gaze roamed over me before locking with mine. “He’s a lucky man.”

“The feeling is mutual.” My hands combed through his hair and dragged his head down to mine. There had been a time when I never thought he would ever want me, but now we craved each other with an intensity that grew every single day.

His kiss was wild and dominant, taking control as only he could, his tongue twining with mine in a war neither of us would win. We didn’t make it up to our bedroom, and Ash introduced me to stair sex. I finally understood what all those gaps between the bannisters were for—they were the perfect foothold for me to balance myself on and grab rails to cling to as he forged into me hard and fast. My ass would have carpet burns tomorrow, but right now my full focus was on the delicious friction between my legs and the pressure waiting to detonate in my stomach.

I screamed my release as Ash climaxed inside me, his teeth skimming my shoulder.

“Love you,” he muttered against my lips.

“I love you to the moon and back,” I whispered, losing myself in his kiss.

The wolves no longer clawed at our door, but we still had enemies. With Ash at my side, we finally had a future together, and that meant the world to us both.

***

Epilogue – One Year Later

Ash

I had no idea why I was nervous, considering we were already married. It wasn’t as if Lucrezia wasn’t going to arrive and say, “I do.” Yet, my stomach was filled with frantic butterflies.

The past was buried, and the Council exterminated. All that remained of it was the shell of an ancient house and rumours, but that was a story that Jordan was more suited to tell since he had been the master of their doom.

Lucrezia had wanted a wedding for her sisters to join in, and when had I ever been able to say no to the woman who owned my worthless heart? She was a successful businesswoman who thrived every day in the jewellery world, those around her loyal because her heart was too big and she showered affection on everyone.

“Ready?” Xavier asked, grinning at me. “I doubt she’s going to say no.”

“She might,” Jordan chimed in. “No one knows they’re already married. This is Lucy’s one chance at escape.”

“Fuck off,” I growled.

The past year had taken me to the heights of heaven and the depths of despair, yet through it all, one fierce, tiny woman stood at my side. She was there when I put Dad’s ashes in the Blackwood family vault and had it sealed forever. The men in there belonged to the past and would never be allowed to influence our future.

Mum and Nicole had forged a new relationship, and most Monday nights were family dinners at Mum’s house that Aaron, Oliver, and I were expected to attend with our partners. Aaron was slowly rebuilding his life after nearly losing it at Dad’s hands.

Lucrezia had insisted that the ghosts of the past needed to be exorcised, so our wedding today was held in the church at Blackwood Manor. I’d considered burning my family home to the ground, but then that wasn’t enough to torment Dad in the afterlife. Instead, one room at a time, I had the building taken apart and redesigned. It gave Mum and Nicole a project and allowed my sister to learn about her heritage at the same time. She was still considering what name she wanted to use.

It was barely recognisable after the renovations that Dad had kindly paid for from his accounts that I drained.

We took our place in the church with all our families and friends around us. The demographic of those in attendance had changed greatly in the past twelve months, with not a threat anywhere in the room.

My breath caught when Lucrezia arrived on the arm of Lucas, and her sisters behind her. She had designed this dress personally for the day, and the silk and lace moved around her as she walked down the aisle. Crystals sparkled on her dress and hair, and suddenly all the nerves evaporated when her eyes met mine.

This was where I was supposed to be.

By her side for the rest of my existence.

Lucrezia smiled and the world stopped spinning for a moment just so everyone could look at the most beautiful woman.

I repeated the vows, but never once did my eyes leave hers. Our rings were now permanent fixtures on our left hands, that I would wear until the day I died.

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