Page 142 of He Who Sleeps

“Well dream, my sweet sexy victim. Because against all odds, you got what you wanted. And I think we did, too.”

She smiled to herself and felt him relax into sleep behind her, following soon after, with visions of a life imagined revealing from the mists.

Epilogue

8months later, 2 weeksto All Souls.

Petra walked through the bottom level of the massive house, Niobe on her shoulder, chattering on about weird parrot things. Since coming back to the States, she had been spending a lot of time with both Brutus and Niobe, and these days they were both like her shadows. Brutus would normally be at her side but he was with Carter as they were overseeing the final touches of the sanctuary they had set up on the east side of the property, Barks and Scales Sanctuary. They were holding the dedication ceremony in a few days and Carter was obsessed with making sure it was perfect.

He had kept his promise, and they were already housing thirty dogs from tense situations in the makeshift indoor kennels there, safe because of her love, and many more would be, too. Their sanctuary would be able to house over one hundred dogs, and there were houses being built for cats, and one for the more exotics like reptiles and birds.

Niobe cooed in her ear, rubbing her head against hers. She reached up and stroked her breast, smiling. She did that when she heard Easton’s voice, and they were coming up to him and Emerson now.

“Ah, there she is. How’s your list?” Emerson said as he went to her and kissed her. Niobe flew over to Easton and cooed at him.

“Kitchen is being unpacked, I think Leo and Jack are still up in their bedrooms unpacking, and my amazing suite is all in place.” She grinned. Her bedroom was the largest, with the largest bed, of course, big enough to sleep at least five of them together. So much nicer than her apartment, which she had vacated, though Emerson had told her he purchased the building, so if she wanted to use the space she could.

Emerson picked her up and spun her around. “I love this house,” she said with a bright smile. The place had been finished completely only five days before, everything to their specs thanks to Damon. “He did an amazing job.”

“Didn’t I?” Damon said as he walked into the room. “It does my heart good to know our priestess approves.”

“Brown noser,” Emerson said dryly. “Why are you here?”

“Giving the pool guy the plans for the pool, grotto and hot tub,” he offered. “You guys still on for coming next week, right?”

She nodded. Damon and his crew had taken a shine to Fiona at Petra’s birthday party. She of course had made them work for it, but it seemed they were working out. Halloween was coming up, which meant Petra wouldn’t be the only one doing time as a devotion. Of course Damon and the guys were probably nothing like her seven, but she had no doubt Fi could handle it.

Next week was their ‘coming out’ party, so to speak, where Fiona would decide, in front of the whole Order, if she would commit to being a devotion. None of them were going to miss it.

Victoria and Carlee were both playing the field as well, though Carlee was close to accepting a devotion spot as well. Petra knew it was going to be an on the fly situation, considering the courtship with the guys she was with was a lot shorter than Fiona and Damon’s crew.

"You'll have to come and see the studio now that it's mostly set up." Easton was going from strength to strength. He was almost unrecognizable as the man she'd first met—a distant, cold, untouchable killer. His art had changed, too. His pieces were still edgy and heart-rending, but there was a sacred element to them too now. They'd discussed it as a group once but none of them could quite put their finger on what was different. Just that the art seemed...holy somehow. They'd been going for four or five times the price of his earlier works and since he'd also massively increased his output, Lorne was talking about opening a new gallery just for him and artists he wanted to support.

Seeing his studio was one of the things she had been waiting for. Before they moved she had spent a lot of time at his loft, but knowing he could work from home, in a studio built to his specs...she couldn’t wait.

“I can’t wait,” she told him. “I’m yours any time you want me. Emerson? Did Finn get back from seeing his sister yet?” She had been dying to meet Jessica, but was giving Finn his time to connect with her. It was the same with Leo and his mother, Cynthia, though Leo was already planning on having her come for the holidays.

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