Epilogue
Alex lifted his strawberry milkshake as if to clink glasses, so Pip followed suit. Whipped cream melted down the side of his glass and pooled where his fingers met the glass. Pip hadn’t touched any of his vanilla milkshake yet—he was saving it for a little later.
“To being reckless and young,” Alex declared.
“To following your heart,” Pip replied.
Their glasses clinked together, then Pip took his first sip of the sweet drink. The thick, creamy taste flooded his mouth and nearly overwhelmed him. He’d been doing very well eating off the land, and the Hunter was a terrific cook, but it meant he'd missed out on a lot of the overly sweet, artificial flavors he was used to.
“I was going to toast the triumph of good over evil too, but I didn't think you could wait. Look at your face.” Alex cawed with laughter.
Pip laughed along too. “Good over evil? Sounds a bit heavy.”
“I'll bet you haven't heard as no one knows how to track you down.”
“Heard what?” Pip fast sobered up from the sugar explosion.
“I think the police will want to talk to you. You should probably call in on them, but I don't think they need your evidence because they've got the phone and all three pleaded admitted it. But what do I know. I'm not a lawyer.”
“What are you on about?”
“You're so loved up you don't remember do you? The night you met antler man. The photo's came to light, they were showing and sharing them and it just got out. It turns out you weren't their only victim and now their facing big criminal charges.”
“What Oli, Rhett, and Jason?” Pip's mind spun. It was an horrific ordeal that could have ended so much worse, but so much had happened since then that Pip barely gave it any thought. “Oh.” He drank more of the delicious drink, taking big gulps.
“God. One of these days, you’re going to come back from the other dimension as a total caveman. He isn't making you eat raw meat, is he? Like, squirrel meat right off the bone? I don’t need to send you an emergency pizza?”
“Do they deliver pizza to the woods?” Pip set his milkshake down and rolled his eyes before shaking his head. “No, we don’t need an emergency pizza.”
“Guess that’s what Wednesdays are all about,” Alex said. “Getting your fix of human food. Do you miss it?”
“Sometimes, to be honest. But I think it’s probably better this way. I’ve felt a whole lot healthier since my diet changed.”
“You look healthier, too,” Alex remarked. “And it’s only been a month.”
Pip nodded. He would always be slender. Dodging sweets, and eating fresh fruit and nuts straight from the plant coupled with meals high in protein, meant he was putting on a little bit of definition. He enjoyed days spent foraging in the other world. He’d learned to climb trees to collect the succulent nuts that grew so prevalent in the other world’s forest, and he’d begun to gain proficiency in identifying the different edible mushrooms there, too. The Hunter regularly brought home game for them to eat, and apart from the small vegetable patch Pip attempted to maintain with little success, he didn’t need too much more.
“Let’s destroy that with burgers and shakes,” Alex said, grinning. “Gotta get your winter body on for the season, right? Now you’re living all wild and back to basics, you’ll need a bit of tub to survive.”
“I…” Pip wrinkled his nose. “I don’t think there’s going to be a winter. It’s the other world.”
“Eh. You don’t know that for a fact. Burgers and shakes it is.” Alex kicked back in his chair and sipped at his milkshake thoughtfully. “Do you know how your aunt and uncle are doing since they moved?”
“Well,” Pip said, “I called them before I met up with you. The house is unpacked, and Aunt Lauren found a job that lets her be home at night with Uncle Joe. I get the feeling that even though she’s still mad at me for leaving so abruptly, she’s glad she gets to have some alone time with him.”
“Gross.” Alex shook his head. “Didn’t need the visual. Thanks for that.”
“They’re a cute couple,” Pip said. “They deserve a second honeymoon after all the hard work they put into making sure I adjusted to the death of my parents and a new high school. When I first got here, I wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows.”
“I remember.” Alex chuckled. “I’m glad you turned out the way you did—because, for the first year there, I really wasn’t sure. But you’ve gone from mourning freshman to the boyfriend of a god. I’m pretty sure that’s got to be a record.”
“We’re not…boyfriends.” Pip struggled with the word.
“Then what are you?”
“We’re partners.” The distinction was subtle, but it was there. “We’ve chosen to spend our lives together, and he cares for me as I care for him.”
“And you have sex,” Alex said dryly. “I guess a lot of it, if he’s half the beast you claim he is.”
Pip’s cheeks went red. “I never claimed he was a beast!”
“Well, you indirectly implied it.” Alex shrugged a single shoulder. “If he wasn’t a good lay, I don’t think you would’ve been so divided on what the best choice was. Admit it—he’s rocking your world on the regular.”
Pip buried his head in his arms, trying to hide how flustered he was.
Alex laughed. “All right, no need to say anything. Your embarrassment is testimony enough. But in my eyes, if you’re caring for each other, and sharing your lives, and having sex, then he’s your boyfriend.”
Pip looked up from his arms, only daring to steal a glance in Alex’s direction. The sun from the window they sat next to streamed through and lit up Alex’s hair, turning the pale blond color to white. Pip blinked, reminded of something, but the familiarity dimmed when Alex shifted his weight, and the sun hit him from a different angle.
“Partner is different,” Pip said. “Boyfriend just feels like such a temporary arrangement, like a trial period before you commit to a subscription. This is the real thing. We’re committed to each other. I’m not leaving him, and he isn't leaving me. As long as nothing happens to me like it did in my other life, I’ll be almost as immortal as he is. We don't just promise our lives to each other for now—we promise them for the rest of time.”
“Ah. The old promise-you-my-soul-for-all-of-eternity bit.” Alex’s lips trembled, and Pip could tell they held back a laugh. “Yeah, of course. How could I forget? That’s a classic. My cousin, Jillian, just did it a few months back.”
“Very funny.” Pip found the courage to lift his head from his arms. He sipped at his milkshake to distract himself from the rest of his embarrassment. The sweetness exploded across his tongue, and he sighed with delight. “I’ll have you know that it’s a little more complex than you make it out to be…and we’re very happy, thank you very much.”
“I’m glad for you.” Alex wasn’t joking anymore. His tone was sincere, and his smile had sweetened. “Like I said, I didn’t know what to expect from you your first year here, but what I know is after all the shit you’ve been through, you deserve a chance at happiness—even if that happiness is with some divine creature.”
“I’m still working on him, you know,” Pip said. He winked. “So far he isn't telling me about any friends, but I’m going to keep on him. You’re not an immortal, divine force without meeting some people along the way, you know? There’s got to be someone in some dimension for you.”
Alex waved his hand. “I was kidding before. Really, all I need is some guy who’s going to treat me right. Doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be nice if he could promise me eternal youth, but you know, I’m not so picky. I’m not going to limit myself when it comes to love.”
“As long as you’re ready to be reckless, I think you’ve got bright prospects,” Pip said. “Besides, you’ve got a little while. Who knows what the rest of this summer will bring you?”
“Hopefully a few more Wednesday milkshake dates with you and some quiet time at the library. And some trips Elsewhere, I remember you said you'd take me. Apart from that, I’m ready to have a relaxing couple of months before I head off to college.”
“The Hunter said you can certainly come to Elsewhere, so long as he accompanies you. It's quite safe, but there's so much that can go wrong,” Pip warned. The warmth of embarrassment that once flooded his cheeks filled his heart instead. It was still a little early into his new life to tell, but Pip had a feeling that his life was on the right track, and it was all because Alex had given him the courage to be brave and go after what he wanted. “Life has a way of throwing a wrench into your plans, I wouldn’t get your hopes up for anything predictable or relaxing around here. Beaumont, I’ve learned, is a very particular place.”
“You can say that again.” Alex craned his neck and looked over his shoulder. “How long is it that we’ve been waiting for our burgers? I think time might’ve stopped. Anyway, can you get your totally-not-a-boyfriend on the case?”
Pip snorted with laughter. It bloomed inside him and took hold, and it wasn’t long until he was laughing out loud as Alex tried to flag down a waitress to ask about their food.
It wasn’t the life he’d ever imagined he’d find himself living, but it was the only life he wanted. With the Hunter in his heart, his family supporting him from a distance, and his friend at his side, there was nowhere else Pip wanted to be.
The pull in his soul that had plagued him for years was gone.
He’d transcended through time and found his happiness.
*
You will meet Pip and Alex again in books 2 and 3 of the Elsewhere series.
Book 2 Raven will be published on 7th December.
Book 3 will be available before the end of 2017.
We at LLP hope you enjoyed reading Hunter by H J Perry.
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