Page 136 of Anaki

I gave her a solemn smile. “That didn’t even cross my mind,” I told her. “I wouldn’t expect someone to heal me. It was my own sickness, just dealt a bad hand. Just because someone has magic doesn’t mean they owe me anything to heal me.”

Tajah’s brows furrowed. “No magical entity would have been able to cure you, Elena. It would take an extreme amount of manna, a very powerful entity, to do such a thing. Not even my manna stores could touch you. It would take potions, enchantments, and the cost of those would be far too great. All magic comes at a price. The pain would be gone, but another ailment could have replaced it.”

We were silent for a time as I pondered her words. Tajah didn’t know what Abuela was capable of, and I needed to keep it that way. I wassure Nadia didn’t really know what she was talking about, unless Abuela purposely let that slip. I believed that Abuela could have helped me, but keeping us protected was what was more important.

Besides, being with Anaki was what healed me. I didn’t need her magic. Locke settled himself onto the plush, inviting cushion of the La-Z-Boy rocking chair. Emm followed and nestled comfortably onto Locke’s lap. His fingers gently traced through her hair, each stroke soothing and deliberate, while she instinctively snuggled closer, seeking warmth and solace in his embrace. “Speaking of Abuela and her abilities to protect us. The running and hiding are over for our family.”

Luis giggled and pushed another forkful of food into my mouth. Anaki high-fived him and pointed to the plate to get another scoop of food.

“Wait, what?” I pressed. “What do you mean?”

Emm smirked and ran her finger across the rim of the glass of wine she was drinking. “Our sperm donor is dead, and most of the cartel’s men. We are no longer in hiding, and we can expect them to leave us the hell alone.” She winced. “Sorry, mijo.”

Luis stood up. “That’s twenty bucks in the cursing jar!”

Emm cursed again.

“Forty!”

Locke snickered. “The jar is back at the bar, and I swear, to the fucking goddess, there has got to be a grand in it by now.”

“Twenty!” Luis laughed.

Journey put her hand on her hip. “Serves you all right. There are children at the bar now. Soon, Deliah’s baby is going to be talking, and she would be so upset if her baby’s first word was something bad.”

Grim chuckled and rubbed his beard. “That would be funny as fuck.” We all stared at him. “Aw, dammit.”

Anaki threw his head back and laughed, then pulled me closer.

That may have been the most unconventional family dynamic I had ever encountered, but it was really, really growing on me.

Epilogue

Anaki

Ijumped down from the bar, my chest soaked with sweat. The place was bustling tonight, and I was relieved that my shift had finally ended.

I wasn’t going home alone now, I had my soulkin waiting for me, with our son tucked away in his own section of the cave.

He had been attending school with Tajah and Bram. Now that his powers had awakened, and Elena and I knew what sort of power Luis held, we knew it wouldn’t be wise to send him to regular school.

Besides, the children who grow up in the Iron Fang wouldn’t be normal either. They would need to be taught here in their early years, to know they were different and to keep themselves hidden until they knew their strength. This was for their sake and for the safety of the humans.

In a few short weeks, Luis went from snapping his fingers to create fire to wielding it and throwing fireballs. This concerned Bram at first, but Luis’ ability to control it in such a short amount of time put him at ease.

Bram would continue to keep us updated on Luis’ progress without letting the others know of his strength. We would still worry about Luis’ future and safety, especially with a power that would be greater than Abuela’s ever was.

Pushing my way through the throng of bodies in the packed bar, I caught fragments of heated conversations about the alarming attacks on the fringes of the Iron Fang territory. Idris’ rogues, along with those outcasts expelled from the club, were growing dangerously audacious, brazenly invading our land without a shred of fear or concern for the imminent retribution.

We didn’t know if Idris was behind these rogues, trying to make us feel trapped, or if these beings were doing it on their own.

Tajah’s ward around the territory kept us safe, and our families could roam freely within, but there were always shifters and prospects taking shifts now. It brought the normalcy of what a pack should be to protect our land, at least, to the wolves who were used to pack life.

Lately, Locke and Emm had been on edge. There had been attacks of hybrids, fifty to a hundred miles away from town. With still limited resources, we hadn’t been able to travel to check it out ourselves, but word had gotten around that humans had seen creatures they couldn’t describe. Half human, half animal with fangs, fur, and claws. Old legends like Bigfoot, Moth man, vampires, werewolves, and other unexplainable phenomenon that humans used to obsess about resurfaced because of these disturbances.

Were these the Idris hybrids?

All of that brought on worry that the Royal Council would get involved and bother us here in the Earth Realm. Or would they even care? They had their own realm to bother and to rule? I thought the latter.

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