To my dearest daughter,
You make me proud to be your father. Enjoy some much-needed time away from Hell with your partners.
Coordinates: 35.9078 N, 127.7669 E–Planet 2.4 in the Wirexon Galaxy.
Love, Dad
I’m starting to tear up, and I just hold Tabby close to my chest while looking at the people sitting at the table around me. Everyone here loves me, and I actually feel it. There’s no doubt or paranoia anymore. I don’t know if I just needed more time to settle in my own body or come to my own conclusions. But I’m so fucking thankful I did. That I didn’t possibly ruin everything that’s right in front of me.
I don’t care that I’m not worthy; I take their love and kindness greedily. My father and Lilith kiss the top of my head, and I give Blair and Dax a quick hug before Toth portals us all to our vacation destination.
When I see the small cabin, I worry that we’re all going to kill each other, but then I see the lake.
A lake I can actually swim in.
I kiss Tabby’s head, rushing inside to put her on the bed. She curls up and makes the softest little noise. It takes everything in me to leave her there, but my sweet baby needs her rest. When I head back outside, I see how beautiful this planet is, and I’m in awe. The trees are so vivid, and it smells like the sweetest honeysuckle, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Hell. Toth is next to me as soon as I walk towards the lake.
“Happy birthday, little demon,” Toth says, swatting at my ass.
“Thank you, Daddy,” I jest, and he narrows his eyes at me and swallows. I have a feeling my ass will be taking a lot more than a swat tonight for what happened at dinner. “How long did you traitors know about all of this?”
“Long enough for Elvor to steal that raccoon-looking thing from his world,” Judd says.
“It’s not a raccoon?” I question Elvor, and he scrubs his face.
“No, she will live longer,” he replies, and I make a note to figure out how to make my sweet Tabby live for eternity. I know she was just placed in my arms, but I would kill anyone who dared to hurt a single one of her cute little fingers.
I’m tugging off my boots and tossing my clothes everywhere. “No one would let me into the Black Lake. This water here looks beautiful,” I say. I run down the pier and jump in the water, completely forgetting that I never learned how to fucking swim.
Elvor is the first one in, and it doesn’t hurt that he can stand on the bottom as he holds my hips.
Toth and Judd are quick to get into the water, and Toth glares at me.
“Why the fuck did you run if you didn’t know how to swim?” he chastises.
“What was the worst that could happen? I can’t die; plus, the three of you are here,” I say.
“Menace,” Elvor growls in my ear, but he continues to be my own personal flotation device as he swings me around in the warm water.
“You know our happy little bubble is going to burst sooner or later. The angels will want vengeance for what we did in the Fae Realm,” I remind everyone. It’s the thing we’ve all been thinking, but none of us have had the guts to say it.
“They can’t take this away from us, sweetheart,” Judd says.
“Like murdering angels is such a chore for you,” Toth jokes, and I splash him with water. It turns into an all-out water fight. It gets so bad at one point that Elvor holds me with one arm and starts splashing the shit out of the other two.
My stomach hurts from laughing, and Elvor finally brings us to shore.
Someone had the forethought to bring a blanket out here, and we all lay on the grass naked, looking up at the stars.
The night is humid, and it almost reminds me of the night I left my human body. It was the start of who I was supposed to be. I feel like I not only know myself now, but I know what I want. And what I want is to stare at the stars with my loves beside me.
I’ve spent most of my existence feeling lost and hopeless. But as I lie here next to the three men who are my reason for existing, I feel nothing but hope for the future. It might be filled with murder and chaos, but I wouldn’t have it any other fucking way.
Epilogue
I’m covered in angel blood and wing feathers as I pluck them off one by one.
“You did good, Judd,” I praise him with a kiss. He’s beaming down at me. He’s not covered in blood but with ash. I’m so fucking thankful that his power has grown and he can protect himself.
