As the door closed behind us, Bruiser said, casually, “Moving?”
“The Dark Queen likes the mountains. We’ll have homes here as often as we want. I should have asked you first, but the mayor...”
“I saw his expression. He hates you.”
“Hates all paras. I should have discussed it with you.”
“Negative on that, my love.” He took my hand and kissed my knuckles. “My home is not coordinates on a map. Home is wherever you are.”
“This way we can come and go. Christmas in the mountains? Maybe we’ll get lucky and have snow.”
“That sounds lovely,” Bruiser said. “For now, however, you are dead on your feet. Let’s get some sleep.”
CHAPTER 28
A Good Ol’ Boy Who Ain’t Gotten Laid
A space was open before me. Inside me. It was wide and long, tall and deep, dark as night, yet warmed by crackling firelight and the scent of hickory and oak smoke. Stalagmites and stalactites rose and hung from the floor and rock ceiling. Water dripped, an irregular echo that filled the chamber.
I was sitting by the fire, yellow and gold flames, a column of smoke rising to the domed ceiling. My soul home. After all this time, still my place of spiritual refuge. Beast lay beside me, on her side, against my thigh, her big head on my knee. She was asleep, or nearly so, purring. My hand was around her chest, my fingers over her heart.
Across the fire from us sat people, my people. Bruiser. Eli and Alex. Edmund. Koun. Tex. Molly, with all the Truebloods and Everharts, even Shiloh and her primo. Aya, wearing his traditional garb. Jodi and Wrassler. Rick, which was a surprise. All of my people. So many of them.
All of them were free.
Dozens and dozens of them, human, vampire, witch.
All of the people who were once bound to me, whohad sworn to me in one way or another. Among them, oddly, was Leo.
They were no longer bound, no longer mine by ceremony or blood, but only mine by choice, should they wish it so. And there was, somehow, in my soul home, room for them all. Safe at my fire. Sheltering in peace.
I was dreaming. I knew that. But I could still, in my dream, feel Hayyel’s hand on my head in blessing. And I remembered his words after the battle. “You are free as well,Dalonige’i Digadoli.No longer bound by the past and the blood of others, and no longer able to bind others with your blood, but only by the love they have for you. The curse ofu’tlun’tathat Beast made of you when she took your soul is removed from you.”
As his hand lifted away, I woke.
Inside me, Beast rolled over and yawned.I/we hunger. Want to hunt and eat boar.
Is he gone? Hayyel?
Angel is gone and not gone. Not in cage of silver chain and dark magics. Can still see Jane and Beast. And kits. Angie. EJ. Cassy.Beast gave the equivalent of a mental shrug—a tail smack up my head. Is angel. Is with other angels. Is happy.
I opened my eyes. I was in bed in the freebie house—our house—on the wrong side, facing away from the door, lying on my side, with Bruiser spooned up behind me. I vaguely remembered we had ended up in some uncomfortable position, so tired we had stripped, showered off the blood, and fallen into bed in a heap, asleep before we hit the sheets. Apparently we had never repositioned and now his arm was warm and strong around my waist. We were skin to skin. He snored softly, moved his leg, and fell silent, tightening his arm around me. Pulling me closer.
Mate,Beast thought at me.Is good safe den with mate. Is not puma way, but is Jane/Beast/I/we way. Is good. Is safe.
I was human-shaped. I was warm. I was out of pain. I was content. Beast was right. I/we were safe.
And so were all the people I was responsible for, the people across from the fire in my soul home dream. Safe.For the first time in years. Wondering if that connection was broken too, I reached out to Eli, and found his heart beating in deep sleep. Pain-free. We had all been healed by Florence. I withdrew and closed the shielding between us, wishing I could do that permanently, for his sake.
Once I finished the coronation, I would be... done.
Tears gathered in my eyes, great big juicy tears, and because I was lying on my side, when I blinked, they rolled down my face and gathered in the hollow at my nose and eye, and into my ear on the other side.
We were safe. My godchildren, Angie Baby and EJ and Cassy, weresafe. The witches. Even the vamps were safe.
My life had changed. Utterly. Completely.
We are safe.
