Page 123 of Undying
I blow out a heavy breath, unsure if I trust them to keep their word.
Then he continues to speak.
“Regarding your claim to the crown—”
“Stop.” I hold up my hand before he can say more. “I never said I wanted the crown. I don’t want to rule vampires, but things need to change if we want to have a future. I’m happy to have the individual lords continue to rule, but I won’t sit back and allow anyone to put a target on our backs by trying to take over the world.”
The teenager remains mute for a moment, his gaze assessing, then a tiny smile curls his lips. “You would make a magnificentreina, little queen. The seat will remain open until you’re ready to take up the mantle. Don’t let down your guard. Build your army. You beat back the darkness today, but it’s not gone. You’ll need to be ready if you want to survive what’s coming.”
At those ominous words, he turns away and disappears back into the house. We stand in shock for a full minute before Tobias grabs my hand and hustles me around the side of the mansion. “Let’s get the fuck out of here before shit hits the fan and they try to stop us.”
No one needs to be told twice.
With a savage grin, Castle snatches me from Tobias and swings me up in his arms. As the three of us race for our vehicle, the others quickly follow. Though the future remains cloudy, it’s not without hope. As we scramble into the vehicle, all of us breathless, I look at my mates, and I don’t know how I got so lucky.
Each of them touches me in some way, reassuring themselves that I’m okay. While my body and soul might have been wounded, I know that I’ll heal with them by my side.
For the first time in my life, my heart is full of love, and nothing in this world, or the next, will take that from me.
Epilogue
MILO
It’s been two weeks since the challenge, and we still haven’t gotten over watching our mate being hurt. While she was absolutely magnificent, I never again want to be stuck on the sidelines, watching her fight for her life. It turned us into clingy bastards, and none of us have let her out of our sight for more than a few seconds.
While we might have narrowly averted the war, the rebellion has started.
Most of the wolves and vampires are overjoyed that they have someone to go to when in trouble, but there are a number of others who will come for her, not happy to have the status quo disrupted.
A few vampires have come courting, but Jolie quickly shuts them down.
Bryce and Kenny have become trusted generals and part of our growing family. They monitor shifters through their carefully constructed grapevine, alerting us when something bad is about to go down.
There has been a murmur of disturbing rumors coming from the bayou, but until we’re called to investigate, we’re just watching and waiting.
For now, we’re safe and focused on loving our mate.
Joyful laughter echoes through the house, drawing me like a moth to the flame. I stop in the doorway of the study and see Stanton pulling Jolie down on his lap, kissing her like he needs her to breathe.
He’s the one who has changed the most. The vampire is more relaxed than I’ve ever seen him, the weight of the centuries vanishing. He resigned his spot at HQ to be with ourreina. He’s hyperaware of her every second of the day and more protective of her than the wolves, if that is even possible.
It boggles my mind, but I completely understand it.
When the pair comes up for air, Jolie catches me watching, and a gorgeous blush fills her pale cheeks. Though she’s healed from the challenge, I see shadows lingering in her eyes, and I do my best to make her smile.
But it is the wolves that truly ease her burden.
Tobias and Castle act like a pair of young pups. Their devotion to her is there for all to see, their playfulness teaching her how to live for the first time. Not that they don’t work just as hard. The mansion is like living in Fort Knox, but Jolie just smiles at them fondly and allows them to get away with it.
Both wolves carry scars from seeing her injured, and it will take a while for them to overcome that trauma. While our mate is a badass and can take care of herself, even a hangnail will set them off. It’s almost hilarious to see the big Viking fretting over our little mate and the massive barbarian coddling her like a pet kitten.
In fact, the two troublemakers are on a mission right now, determined to find the man who sent our mate down this dark path in the first place. As if thinking about them has summoned them, the front door opens and their voices echo down the hallway.
Knowing their first priority will be to hunt down Jolie, I call out to the wolves. “We’re in the office.”
They both fall silent like naughty children being caught in the act, and I don’t miss the small smile that kicks up Jolie’s lips as she untangles herself from Stanton. She comes around the desk and leans against it, crossing her arms just as the two wolves enter the room.
The wolves are so in tune with her every emotion, they instantly spot her displeasure. Castle stiffens, hating to upset her in any way, while Tobias smirks, loving to rile her up. “Did you miss us?”
