Epilogue

 

New York

2049

 

Tamian held Lucy’s hand as she and Simone chatted backstage, waiting for Cyanide Sweetness to take the stage. Lucy’s pregnant belly was covered by a band T-shirt, and she’d never looked more radiant.

Getting Lucy’s contract with the GIA terminated hadn’t taken long. Julian had produced a document which outlined Ramey’s manipulations in getting Lucy hired under false pretenses. With the evidence stacked against a dead man, the government had no recourse other than to let her retire. They remained at the chalet for two weeks, continuing their explorations. By the time they returned to the States, he’d told her how much he loved her, and she didn’t hesitate returning his words.

The Hounds welcomed him with open arms, although Rory did her best to guilt Lucy into remaining in New York. It didn’t work, and a week later, after introducing her to his parents, they were in New Atlanta. As Lucy settled into her training with Julian, the mates took Lucy under their proverbial wings after she showed them her real ones. Tamian had laughed at Trevor, who was completely smitten with Lucy. If the human hadn’t been mated to Jasper, Tamian might have stepped in. But all the mates held Lucy on a sort of pedestal. She laughed it off, proving she was “just a normal girl.” Her words. There was nothing normal about his mate, and he was glad for it.

Of all the mates Lucy connected with, Simone was the one she was closest to. When they first met, Lucy told her how their eyes changed after mating, the same as Simone’s and Desi’s had. Lucy was introduced to Simone’s mom, Celia, and after some digging – with a little help from Julian – Lucy found Simone’s father. He turned out to be a Hound named Archer who was passing through California when he met Celia. She admitted it was a weekend affair with no strings attached. It had taken months before Simone decided to get in touch with the Hound. Celia had left the decision up to Simone. Things went well, and the three of them had a wonderful relationship.

The backstage area was cordoned off for Desi’s family and friends. Sixx, Desirae, Jasper, and Trevor were among those in attendance. Rarely did Sixx and Desirae miss one of Desi’s performances when he was in the California area, but they had taken a vacation to stay with Tamian and Lucy at their home in New York. The band was also staying with them, and when the Hounds converged on the house, even as large as it was, things had gotten crowded. Tamian couldn’t have been happier, because his girl, surrounded by all her family, was ecstatic.

Tessa and Gregor, wrapped in each other’s arms, came to stand beside them. “I swear these two are gonna be the death of me,” she griped, rubbing her stomach. “I still have three months to go, and already I can’t stay out of the bathroom. Stone, will you still love me if I take to wearing diapers until the demons are born?”

“Red, stop calling my children demons. And yes, I’ll love you in diapers.” Gregor pulled her closer and kissed the side of her head.

Tamian couldn’t stop himself from telling his sister, “You know that old saying, you pay for your raising? I guess you’re gonna pay for yours with the twins.”

Gregor narrowed his eyes at Tamian. “Hush your mouth. My children will be angels.”

“Just like their mother?” Tamian asked.

“You have a point.” Gregor grinned until Tessa elbowed him in the stomach.

“I’m not too pregnant to kick your ass, Stone. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll shoot your ass,” Tessa vowed.

Everyone around burst into laughter, knowing it wouldn’t be the first time something like that happened. Tamian’s own happiness was made even greater by Tessa’s. Things with her and Gregor were stilted after she returned from New York, and Tamian finally broke down and had a talk with his brother-in-law. Things afterward turned around, and Gregor did everything in his power to show Tessa how much she meant to him, babies or not. It was almost a year later before she got pregnant, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. Again, there were some things he just did not want to know about his sister. Tessa and Gregor visited as often as Gregor’s work allowed, with Tessa and Hayden wearing out the pool table. They were evenly matched, but it was fun watching them give each other shit. She’d become an honorary Hound, and the Gryphons treated her like a sister.

When Lucy finally decided to have Lucius’s equipment removed from their home, they discovered another secret door. It opened into a long, underground tunnel that came out by the lake. That explained how Lucius was able to move the bodies into the house without being detected. With Jonas’s help, Lucy determined the DNA she’d been studying hadn’t been that of Gargoyles, but humans with special abilities, such as those in the lab.

Maveryck had found a letter from Vera addressed to Lucy among the notes. The woman who raised Lucy had secrets of her own, and instead of taking them to her grave, she explained them to Lucy in the letter. One day, Vera walked past the door to Lucius’s office just as he was stepping out of the secret passageway. Vera’s weekly garden club meeting had been canceled when the president had fallen ill. Lucius didn’t realize she’d come home early, but instead of asking him about the secret room, Vera waited until Lucius had flown out of town for a seminar. What she found made her sick.

She went on to tell Lucy how she’d been a nurse the first few years of their marriage. When Harlow asked the Balls to raise Lucy, Vera quit her job to stay home full-time. She never regretted her decision. What she did regret was the fact that Lucius had been a monster, and she had to make sure his influence over Lucy didn’t carry on any further than it already had. Knowing a little about certain medications and how they reacted together, Vera mixed several into Lucius’s coffee every morning with him none the wiser. It took almost two years, but by the time Lucius realized something was wrong, the damage had been done.

Vera left the letter in the secret room. If Lucy never found the room and what type of male the man who raised her had been, she could go on with her life believing the best about him and Vera. If she happened upon the atrocities, Vera wanted Lucy to have the whole truth. Vera’s last words were those of a desolate woman begging Lucy to forgive her.

Almost a year later, Lucy was still coming to terms with the truth, but most days, she didn’t show it. Their lives were filled with helping the Hounds deal with the Ministry accompanied by their duties as King and Queen. Now, they had their daughter to look forward to in a few months. Tamian spent every day doing his best to keep a smile on his mate’s face. Like the one she wore when Desi took the stage. All the bad was forgotten as Lucy jumped up and down, screaming along with the crowd as her favorite rocker brought his music to life. All in all, their lives were perfect, and he could only see them getting better.