The army roars and lurches forward as she takes flight and battles a flock of winged beasts. We move as a wave of solid muscle and begin to tear apart the remaining monsters. Blood splatters my body, swords lift and swing, fists fly, and we push the beasts back piece by bloody piece until we litter the ground with an array of monster parts. I keep my eye on Natia and Lucifer as they produce a gory rain onto the battleground.
I spin around, ready for my next fight, but only comrades remain. Battle scarred and wounded, but alive. We have won.
Natia drops to my side, her wings trailing through the crimson slush. She grips my chin and kisses me as she proves she has been to Hell and back for me. The strength of her touch surprises me. It shouldn’t. She is one hundred percent goddess now, a pure-blooded creature; she is a primordial.
42
Epilogue
Natia
One month later.
Clutching Charlotte’s oh shit handle, I grit my teeth. “It won’t be much of a surprise if you total this beautiful car before we get there.”
I touch the silk bound around my eyes as Archan chuckles. “You chose the transportation method.”
I snap my fingers. “Just because we can zippy zap everywhere doesn’t mean we should. Even birds walk.”
We swing a sharp left and slow down as we start to climb. My hand itches to remove the blindfold, but I wouldn’t hear the end of it and eternity is a long time. I’m learning to pick my battles.
“It’s a nice surprise, right?” I check as my leg bounces on the seat.
“I’d like to think so,” he answers, making me frown. He’d surprised me with a new floor length red floaty dress laid out on his bed, and a note asking me to be ready at eight pm. That was at least an hour ago. Okay, maybe forty-five minutes. At least thirty.
“Are we nearly there?”
The car glides to stop, and he cuts the engine. “Wait here,” he instructs as the door clicks open, letting in the warm summer evening air.
“Where the hell am I going to go?” I mutter, sitting on my hands to prevent them from accidentally moving the blindfold. “Tick tock, Reinheart, if you don’t come get me in sixty seconds I’m coming out.” I count in my head, the in between Mississippis too rushed.
My door clicks open and Archan’s dark rich scent envelops me as his warm hand grasps mine and tugs me out of the car. “Can I take off the blindfold now?” I ask as he pulls me forward.
“In a moment,” he states as we move forward. I can feel grass tickling my toes through my open-toed heeled sandals. He drops my hand and takes a deep breath. He’s nervous? Fuck, why is he nervous? He’s ill. No, he’s immortal, idiot. He’s found someone else. Nope again, my soul hums in warning.
“Okay, now you can take off your blindfold.”
My hands twitch as my heart skips a beat. Then I tear off the silk and blink at the scene before me. Ancient trees surround us. Hundreds of lanterns dangle from their branches, swaying in the breeze. I glance up, finding the clear night velvet sky dotted with thousands of sparkling stars, shining like diamonds. I spin around, finding Archan on one knee while a thousand tiny candles splayed out in the grass lead up to a white picket fence and an immense house with a wrap around porch. My hands close over my mouth as I glance down at him, he licks his lips and peers up at me as Ellie Goulding’s “Still Falling For You” streams out of the house.
“I have lived a thousand lives, met a billion souls, and travelled the universe. But only one woman has made me whole. Armed only with a sword and a heart of gold, you broke down all my walls and showed me what love is. I wasn’t ready for you, but you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I am falling for you every single moment, and I promise I will never stop. We are already bonded in the way of our people, but not in the way of your heritage.” He reaches his hand out and opens his palm to reveal a beautiful platinum band dotted with rubies, black opals, and diamonds. “Natia Waterford, would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”
I throw myself into his arms. He catches me and picks me up. “Yes, every damn day I will fall with you, yes, Archan Reinheart, I will marry you.”
He lets out a huge breath before kissing me and stealing mine. “Thank the gods. If you said no, I had a backup speech to persuade you.”
I wrap my legs around him and deepen the kiss. Clapping sounds come from the house, I break away from Archan and look over his shoulder at the stream of people making their way towards us.
“I was planning on sealing this promise with some sexy time,” I tease.
“It’s Friday night.” He drops me to the floor.
“So?”
“Barbecues and friends, you said.”
I glance at the house again. “It’s ours?”
He nods, spinning to face our welcome party with me. “All new, less than thirty minutes out of Seattle. It’s your home. I want us to have a base close to your family.”
