Our parents hugged us for what felt like forever, and both Jovi and I would’ve held on for longer. They showered us with kisses, and we all cried, while River, Ben, and the Hawks held Field in a massive group hug. Laughter and cheers erupted around the hall as we relished being reunited with our families after weeks.

It was weird for Mom and Dad, as they’d spent twenty years without us, not even knowing we existed. They were so apologetic, their eyes filled with tears. They were still coming to terms with the fact that their memories had been completely erased. Jovi and I reassured them that it wasn’t their fault, that, in fact, it had been better this way because it saved them the pain of missing us.

“It’s all in the past now, Mom,” I said while Dad held me close and kissed the top of my head. Jovi wrapped his arms around our mother and purred like a kitten. “We’ve come a long way these past few weeks, and, if I do say so myself, we’ve come out as better creatures because of the experience.”

Mom looked at Jovi and me for a few moments, before she exhaled sharply and motioned for a young man to join our little celebration. The Eritopians had taken a few steps back, in the meantime, allowing us to spend time with our families. They watched quietly, with bright smiles on their faces, sharing the overall sense of joy and relief that our Shadians had brought with them.

“Jovi, Aida, there’s someone you need to meet,” Mom said.

The young man stopped in front of us, scratching the back of his head as he awkwardly smiled at us. I could immediately see a strong resemblance between him and Jovi—he was handsome, tall, and wiry, but with plenty of muscles distributed along his frame, curly black hair, and brown-golden eyes that popped thanks to his dark, smoothly trimmed stubble.

“This is Dmitri, your brother,” Dad introduced him.

Jovi and I were stunned, staring at Dmitri for several moments before we could utter any kind of coherent response.

“Well, then.” Jovi was the first to react, with his usual slightly inappropriate manner. “I see you two got busy while we were away.”

We all burst into laughter, and Jovi and I hugged Dmitri, overjoyed to welcome a brother into the fold.

“Welcome to the family, I guess,” I said with a grin.

“Complete family, that is,” Dmitri replied with a boyish smirk.

“Hey, the more the merrier, right?” Field interjected, coming next to me while his family circled around us. He put an arm around my waist and pulled me closer, prompting a look of surprise from Mom and Dad.

“You’re not the only one with news here.” I winked at my parents. “Field and I are together. There, I said it. Out loud.”

I held my breath, wondering whether we should’ve eased them into it a little bit more. But, then again, they’d just introduced us to a new brother. They had totally won the “bombshell news” challenge for the day. I took comfort in Field’s warmth as I examined the expressions around us.

The Hawks looked genuinely surprised, but grins soon emerged on their faces as they quickly adjusted to the change. River smiled at us, making sure to give me an encouraging nod to express her approval, while Mom teared up, hugging us both.

“I don’t know how this came to happen, and I’m sure you’ll tell us all about it later,” she sobbed. “But I’m so happy to see you all alive, strong, and healthy!”

I felt tears welling in my eyes, but I swallowed them back as I glanced around the throne room. Derek and Sofia were speaking to the Daughters, accompanied by Rose, Caleb, and the Shade witches. They occasionally looked at us, their smiles carrying the promise of catching up very soon. Dad, on the other hand, had his attention fixed on Field.

“Dad?” I said tentatively.

“Sorry, honey.” He snapped out of his trance. “I just… didn’t expect this. But if this is what you two want… If you’re both sure, I mean…”

“I love Aida,” Field said, prompting Dad to raise his eyebrows in surprise. “I fell in love with her in the middle of this mess. I would do anything for her.”

“And I love Field, Dad,” I said, leaning into him. “I’ve always had a massive crush on him, and my loudmouth brother decided that, you know, since we were fighting for our lives here, it was as good a time as any to tell Field about it.”

Jovi smirked in return, his arm around Dmitri’s shoulders. Dmitri was watching our exchange with curiosity and amusement flickering in his eyes.

“Oh, come on, Aida, this flying log wouldn’t have made a move if I hadn’t given him a little push.” Jovi winked.

I chuckled, and Field rolled his eyes before he put on a sheepish smile and nodded.

“He’s right, though,” Field said, gazing at me. “I didn’t have the courage, but you seemed to have enough for the both of us, anyway.”

That prompted some “aww”s out of River and Mom, while the Hawks all wore their signature smirks.

“Guess we found the chicken in our family then,” Sky joked.

“He’s already got the wings for it,” Blue chimed in.

“I could pluck your feathers out, little birdies,” Field shot back with a grin.

“Oh, don’t cluck so much. It’s unbecoming!” Rock chuckled in return.

“There are so many ‘why did Field cross the road’ jokes going through my head right now.” Fly was the last to speak, making us all burst into laughter.

“I have to say, though,” Dad said, looking around. “There are some pretty… fascinating creatures around here.”

I realized that his eyes had been sucked in by the succubi, judging by the way he couldn’t help but gaze at a group of them standing a couple of feet away, watching us. Dad’s eyes glimmered, which suddenly made everything very awkward and prompted Mom to blatantly stare at him.

“Bastien, honey,” she said, her voice a couple of degrees below zero. “You’re drooling.”

Dad swiftly turned his gaze to look at her, surprised and embarrassed.

“I… No, baby, I wouldn’t… You know I wouldn’t,” he tried to explain while I stifled a laugh.

“It’s not his fault, Mom,” Jovi interjected, chuckling as he patted him on the back. “They’re succubi. They’re naturally designed to seduce, just like the incubi. They sometimes forget to keep their nature under control, and they have this effect on the opposite sex. You get all lightheaded and can’t turn off your bedroom eyes. It’s quite extraordinary.”

Mom couldn’t help but laugh at Dad’s predicament, until she noticed Grezzi gazing at her with a seductive smile from across the room. Her cheeks flushed as she took a deep breath, and I snapped my fingers in front of her face before glaring at Grezzi. He got the message quickly, turning his head to rejoin a conversation with Jax, Hansa, and Jasmine.

“Mom, stay with us,” I said.

“Okay, I see what you mean, Jovi.” Mom blinked several times, regaining her senses and wrapping her loving arms around Dad’s large frame. He smiled gently and welcomed her embrace, amused by how the tables had turned.

Jovi took Anjani’s hand and brought her closer to our group. The goofy smile on his face said it all, and our mother was quick to point that out as she gave Anjani a polite and appreciative nod.

“I take it this beautiful young lady here is your significant other?” she asked with a smile.

Anjani’s skin glowed delicately as Jovi put his arm around her shoulder.

“She is, and I swear it had nothing to do with her succubus nature,” he said, pulling her closer, then sighed as he gazed at her. “Okay… maybe it had a little bit of an influence, but I’m in full control of my mental faculties here when I say she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Mom and Dad put their arms out, inviting us all to join in another group hug, this time with Field and Anjani included. We laughed as we came together, with River, Ben, and the Hawk brothers once again amplifying the reunion.

“We’re just happy you’re all okay,” River said, tearing up. “Now that we’re remembering everything, I don’t know how the hell we spent over twenty years without you. The Shade hasn’t been the same!”

“It’s all good now, Mom,” Field replied gently. “Nothing will tear us apart like this ever again.”

I breathed out as I relaxed in his embrace, welcoming the natural and familiar scents of my family into my consciousness. I eventually told them about my Oracle abilities and how this whole Eritopian affair had unfolded, and, after a few moments of carefully considering all the details, Mom and Dad took me into yet another tight hug.

“You are perfect just the way you are, sweetheart,” Dad said, his voice trembling. “The upside is you can keep using these abilities for good.”

“Yeah.” I nodded, wiping more tears. “I plan to work on them more, though. I have a very poor sense of direction when I’m under.”

“Oh, honey, you’ve come so far already, in such a short timespan!” Mom replied encouragingly. “Mastering your Oracle abilities will be peanuts compared to this!”

And she was right. The hardest part was over. Everything else that followed could be managed and controlled, conditioned and perfected.

The only thing that didn’t need additional work was my relationship with Field.

We were together now, and back with our families, too.

We were perfect.