VANESSA

I looked around the table at Avren’s family.

My family.

I had never been happier.

Jayne and Arnon sat together. Each had a baby on their laps and ate with one hand. Elle held her new baby daughter, with Ayrie hovering protectively over them both, trying to take the baby from her so she could eat. Gwen laughed and swore at her husband, rubbing her big belly. She was almost ready to deliver. Priya waddled in carrying a platter of food for herself. She looked like she could pop at any moment, even though she wasn’t due for another month.

My belly was still flat, but we knew someone was growing in there — a girl. I had tested negative for the H4T7 gene. I glanced over at Avren beside me, who reached out to hold my hand. He wore a dark blue suit accentuating the gray color of his eyes, and he looked delicious enough to eat.

Crindol Madellan, Avren’s father, sat a few seats down from me. He wasn’t at the head of the table, and there was no one sitting on the ends. He sat and ate by himself, occasionally inserting a comment into a side conversation. He seemed content that his children had invited him to the party. Everyone made an effort to include him. He had been striving to be a different person. Avren and his brothers appreciated it, especially after all the years when he hadn’t tried at all.

He had been angry when he learned Avren had begun valuable research without consulting him. In my opinion, the king had blurred the lines between family and professionalism. He wasn’t upset because one of his scientists had made a skunkworks project secret. He was worried as a father.

“For all the time you were gone, Mr. Verrat was building a personal fortune and neglecting his job?” Gwen looked outraged.

Arnon nodded. “Security filled me in after they seized his holdings. He planned to make a lot of credits treating our wing problem with the drug therapy he’d developed.”

Jayne interrupted him. “What a bastard.” It seemed she might know what he was going to say next.

“Jayne.” Arnon put a finger over his lips. “The kids are going to start repeating us soon. Do you want them to talk like that?”

She stuck out her tongue.

“I know we questioned his scientists in court.” Allex was impatient to hear Arnon’s news and was trying to get the conversation back on track. “Whatever came of that?”

“The drug didn’t work. It appeared to offer temporary relief to some subjects, but for most of us, it was nothing but a placebo effect.”

“What an asshole.” I remembered I was supposed to watch my words. “Shit. I mean, what an evil man.” I blushed and glanced at the babies. I was embarrassed, but everyone was laughing.

“At least he’s in jail now.” Allex looked satisfied. “He’s going to suffer a fate that seems entirely appropriate: he used himself as a test subject, and the drugs seemed to work in the beginning, but they had unforeseen long-term side effects. His agony never stops when he has his wings out.”

I saw different expressions of horror and sadness on everyone’s faces. If Mr. Verrat hadn’t made terrible choices, he could have been sitting with us right now as part of a family. Instead, he was in prison. And every time he flew, his agony would never end.

“He’s going to have a tough time breaking out of the maximum security prison. It’s in the wilderness, surrounded by an area filled with beasts. If he manages to escape from the facility, they’ll eat him alive.” Anders grinned.

I felt disgusted at the thought.

“There’s a bright side. When we liquidated Mr. Verrat’s assets, all the money went to the gene project. That was Arnon’s great idea.” Allex looked at Arnon, who dipped his head in acknowledgment. Allex looked like he was trying to hold something back. “Speaking of scientists, you’ve published your paper, right, Vanessa? When are you going to be ready to release it to the public?”

We hadn’t let Allex be one of the test subjects. It was bad enough having Avren inject himself. Allex wanted to start the treatment right away, but he had forced himself to wait.

“We’ll be ready for you in a week.” Avren smiled at his little brother. “It won’t be long, Allex.”

“I can’t wait. It’s going to change my life.”

He was right. I had witnessed a change in Avren ever since he had been freed from the pain associated with his wings. He flew more and was happier in general. Admittedly, it was hard to tell how much of his joy was from marriage and having sex, but I was certain his entire family would benefit from the transformation. Anyone would be better off living a life free from agony.

I couldn’t believe we had done it. I had helped Avren, his family, and soon the population of an entire planet. Avren had insisted on putting my name on the publication. I made sure that both of our names were on it. All the fame I had once coveted didn’t seem as important to me anymore.

The people around me and my love for Avren drove me now — and one more thing. I put my hand on my flat stomach. My life revolved around the baby. I would still be a scientist, and I loved my work, but our family was paramount to me. Being famous and having an immortal quote would never give me the satisfaction I found in being around these people.

I never imagined my life would be this good. It was all because Madellan had shown up at my door.