“Is that so?” It sounded good in theory, but life rarely worked that way. “And where did you hear that?”
“On the television.”
Of course, he had.
Chuckling, Ruger arched forward and brushed their lips together. “I love you, Luka. Thank you for choosing to believe in us.”
“I love you, too,taavi.” He palmed the back of Ruger’s head and brought their mouths together again. “And I will always choose us.”
Epilogue
Six Months Later…
Asitturnedout,Luka had been right. People really couldn’t outrun their karma.
Or a very spiteful and determined dragon shifter.
Watching the downfall of Envy Castille had been immensely satisfying. At the height of the debacle, Ruger had even set up notifications on his phone to alert him to new articles and posts about the absolute shitshow going down in the music world.
Three weeks after the Halloween festival had ended and Castor had left the castle, the first stirrings of trouble had begunto circulate online. Accusations of abuse and misuse of power trickled in with more and more people coming forward.
If nothing else, it had been enough to get people’s attention. And once they started talking, they hadn’t stopped.
He had his suspicions, but he couldn’t say for sure how Luka’s story had found its way onto the internet. Whoever had leaked the information had been considerate enough to leave out any personal details, however, and they had never mentioned his mate’s name.
Naturally, it had been met with skepticism…until the security footage from the conference room at been released.
His and Luka’s faces had been blurred—thank the gods—but Castor had been in full HD view for the world to see as he casually admitted to his wrongdoings. Even mocking Ruger for thinking anyone would believe him.
Fantastical or not, it had been hard to dismiss the claims when they came from the perpetrator’s own mouth.
Honestly, Ruger had expected the obligatory apology tour with false promises to reflect on his behavior and make a change for the better. That didn’t happen.
Instead, Castor had quietly disappeared from public view and faded into obscurity. Even after the hype had died down and most people had stopped talking about it, he hadn’t returned.
With his power and money, he’d likely reinvent himself—maybe even with a glamour spell to hide his true face—and return to the spotlight one day. Yeah, it sucked, and Ruger wouldn’t exactly call it justice.
For now, though, it was enough.
He and Luka had found a small cottage just outside of town, situated on a few acres with enough room for him to run and his mate to stretch his wings. They hadn’t quite worked their way up to hosting dinner parties yet, but they were working on it.
Luka had joined the security team at Blackhaven Manor. Although, instead of patrolling the grounds or the corridors, he preferred to perch atop the east tower to watch over the property.
Some found it a little weird. Others felt intimidated by it.
Ruger found it endearing.
Standing among the new spring grass on the east lawn, Ruger shielded his eyes from the sun and looked skyward, smiling at the crouching figure silhouetted against the sky.“All clear?”
“All clear,”Luka sent back.
“It’s time for your break.”He always had to remind him mate, but he didn’t mind. In fact, he looked forward to those stolen moments together in the middle of the day.“I brought coffee.”
Pushing to his feet, Luka unfurled his wings and stepped off the tower roof, plummeting sixty feet to the ground below.
Ruger exhaled in a rush when he heard his mate land with a muffled thud. No matter how many times he witnessed the descent, it always made his heart skip a beat.
“Thank you,taavi,” Luka purred as he came to join him. Instead of taking the offered coffee cup, however, he tucked his knuckles under Ruger’s chin and tilted his head up for a chaste kiss. “How is your day going?”
