Page 94 of Merciless
"Nah, auto shop's closed for the next week while they repair the building." Jandro wiped his hands clean, casting me a curious glance. "Why?"
I nudged Gunner with my elbow. "Let's go to your fabled hot spring for a couple days. Camp out, just the five of us. And the animals, I guess."
"I'm down, but let's go late."
"Sure, sleeping beauty. We'll let you get your rest." I turned to face the other end of the room. "Shadow, you down for a hot springs trip?"
"Yes," he grunted out, not looking up from his tattoo.
"What are we doing?" Mari had just returned from handing out food and seeing our guests off.
"Hot springs tomorrow, for a few days." I reached for her waist, bunching up the fabric of her dress as I pulled her forward. "Just you and us."
"Yes! Later is good. I’ll do Noelle’s ultrasound in the morning." She lifted to her tiptoes to hug and kiss me again. Her skin was still deliciously warm, lips swollen and flushed from the love we just made.
"Sex, food, and booze mandatory." Jandro pantomimed checking off a list. "Clothing optional."
"Dare you to ride there naked," Gunner challenged.
"Oh boy, just watch me. You see this tan?" Jandro smoothed a palm down one arm. "The sun loves me. Now for you, that's something I don't recommend."
"What are you trying to say?" Gunner demanded in mock offense.
Mari unwrapped from me with a soft laugh and a shake of her head at their antics. That dress swished from her legs to her hips as she went over to Shadow. He paused his tattoo immediately, looking up at her with a smile. She leaned over and kissed him, nestling into his side and the big arm that came around her waist.
A clicking of nails on the floor drew my attention to the large black dog in front of me.
Hades licked his lips and sat like a good boy, dark eyes wide and innocent, no doubt begging for some leftover barbecue. It felt weird to think of him as Hades now that I knew the god no longer inhabited this animal. But calling him by another name didn't sit right either.
I knelt down to the dog's eye level, scratching the sides of his face as he licked his lips hopefully.
"I know you're not in there anymore," I said. "But I know you're always present, so I hope you can hear me."
On instinct, I paused to wait for a reaction, but there was none. Not a flicker of that ancient intelligence in those wide puppy eyes.
"I'm grateful," I went on. "Thank you for the valuable lessons you taught me. For choosing me, even though I fought against you many times. Thank you for protecting Mari and just...helping us to have this second chance."
The dog only stared back at me, ears lowered and those puppy eyes losing hope that he would earn a treat after all. With a slightly sheepish laugh, I returned to standing and went to grab a piece of rib meat.
Then I felt it.
The weight of a hand on my shoulder and a whisper in my mind.
You did well, my reaper.
Epilogue
MARIPOSA
THREE YEARS LATER
Istared at the objects on the bathroom vanity, eyes moving over each one in disbelief.
Three different pregnancy tests. All positive.
"Mariposita?" Jandro called out from the other side of the bathroom door. "You alright? You've been in there a while."
I was too shocked to answer in words, but a nervous giggle left my mouth. The first test I took on a whim and did not expect those results. The other two I took this morning, a day after hiding the first one yesterday. One could be a faulty test, butthreepositives?
