“You appear to be an acceptable company,” he said at last.
As chuckles and music swelled around us, golden and warm as honey, Brummy herded Prince Augustus and Callum toward the dessert table, and Foster reappeared with a tray of champagne flutes, distributing them with a sardonic bow. Even Papa Lucian looked content, his arm around Kaori, as they chatted with Queen Lilah.
King Julian, who had been watching the scene unfold with the patience of a ruler long accustomed to supernatural dramatics, raised his glass with impeccable timing.
“To unlikely alliances.” His blue eyes glinted with amusement as they looked at his queen. “And to the ones who make monsters into men.”
“Hear, hear!” Zane clinked his glass against Sebastian’s. “Although I’d argue they make us intobettermonsters.”
And I laughed. Not the timid, careful laugh I’d hidden behind for years under Arabesque’s roof, but something wild and free and joyful. Because somehow, this was my life now.
It was ridiculous. It was messy and loud. It was perfect.
And it was mine.
Epilogue
~ One year later ~
Casimir
“For the fuckteenth time, I’m telling you, something is up with Brumous!” Zane’s voice cut through the quiet halls of Evermere.
“He’s a wolf, Zane. Sometimes wolves are clingy,” Koa sighed, rubbing the scar on his jaw as we walked. “Look at Foster.”
“No, no. He’s not justclingy. He’sobsessed. But only with Seri. He’s been following her around like a lovesick puppy.”
I frowned. That was true. Brumous had barely left Seri’s side lately, constantly nudging her hands, her side, her feet. As if making sure she was still there. I hadn’t thought much of it since they’d always had a remarkable bond, but now the wolf didn’t even go out to play with Addison or mess with Zane.
Seri herself had been different lately, too. Not enough to worry me. Just enough to make mewatch. She’d been getting tired quicker, spacing out in quiet moments, losing her train of thought. It was almost like when we’d first found her, siphoned down to nothing…
“He’s always done that,” Ko pointed out. “He’s missing Foster right now. That’s all. He’ll go back to normal when Alpha Toast gets home from vacation.”
“Well, what about her nightmares, huh?” Zane threw up his hands in exasperation. “Yeah, she’s had some in the past, but these have been brutal lately!”
He wasn’t wrong.
According to my newest spreadsheet, last night was her fourth nightmare in the past thirteen days. When asked, she said all of her dreams were more vivid right now, but especially the bad ones, which had cost her a total of five hours and thirteen minutes of sleep so far.
I’d already contacted Angelo’s family witch shop and ordered a nightglass pendant. Made from a piece of obsidian infused with moondrops, it drew nightmares into itself where they dissolved in silver light. Not a cure. Just a net to catch what it could.
Zane had a present for her, too, which Ko had just finished smithing: A whisper chain with a small enchanted charm, designed to activate when her sleep became disturbed. It held his voice singing a lullaby, and we were all eager to see her response to the gift.
“If something was wrong, she’d tell us,” Koa said confidently as we reached the library, and I grunted my agreement.
Our wife wasn’t hiding anything. If shehadbeen—
My thoughts cut off as Zane threw open the library doors and there, sprawled on her new tufted velvet chaise lounge, her birthday gift from Ko, was our beloved, Brumous by her side. Bare toes peeked out from under a thick-knit blanket, and a half-eaten apple turnover sat precariously balanced atop an ancient grimoire.
She wasn’t reading it, however. She waswritingin it.
“Why aren’t you resting?” I growled.
“Resting’s boring,Simmy.” She popped the last bite of pastry into her mouth, licking sugar off of her thumb.
“Serafina.”
“Fine.” She sighed, waving a hand. “Also, this book on lunar hexes had six critical errors. I fixed them.”
