EPILOGUE
~ Nearly Five Years Later ~
The last of my sisters rises gracefully to her feet after kneeling to allow the former Alpha of the Beast Realm to place the diadem of her office upon her head. The emeralds in her understated crown reflect brilliantly in the morning sun, as do the gemstones and precious metals which denote the office of each of my sisters. I groan inwardly and barely stop myself before closing my eyes and shaking my head when the Herald signals the musicians to launch into the ancient fanfare signaling the ultimate triumph of the Western Péntearchy. I had argued against all of this useless ballyhoo, but oh-so stubborn, stick up his very fine ass, Alpha Logan Montgomery, insisted we follow the ancient high protocols today. Of course, I caved. After all, who am I to argue with the male who stood by my side from the very beginning, and truly, has taught me everything I know about ruling a vast kingdom of shifter and magickal beings?
As the last notes of the heraldic music fade and the cheers rise in a deafening crescendo, I turn first to my right and smile at my sister and bestie. The sun reflects brilliantly off the fine filigree of her golden crown, but it cannot outshine her inner beauty. I have much to learn from this young dragon and I am grateful for the chance. I turn my gaze to my three other sisters in turn, each one already holds a precious place in my heart and I look forward to fulfilling our destiny – together. United.
“Ladies,” I begin in a clear strong voice which easily reaches the far corners of the vast Assyllian Plain and the ears of our gathered well-wishers. “Shall we take to the air and officially assume our respective thrones?” With regal nods, each queen acknowledges her place in history.
The mighty Emerald Dragon, our Warrior Queen and the Péntearchy’s Chronicler, explodes into her very impressive and deadly dragon form before she takes to the sky amid deafening cheers. I watch with a happy smile upon my lips as she alights upon her mesa and resumes her battle form to sit upon the Emerald Throne where she is joined by her mate Consort, her Sentinel, and Royal Advisor. This newest addition to our sisterhood, our emerald queen, has displayed such bravery and an undeniable willingness to fight and die for our kingdom. Her valor and dedication has already changed the course of history, and I am honored to have her at my side.
Next comes the Silver Dragon, our wise and capable Alchemist-Builder Queen. Once she bursts into her regal silver dragon form, I crane my neck to watch her gracefully fly high overhead amid the appreciative cheers of our subjects. Fortunately, I no longer shudder at the use of that word. Once she is seated upon her throne in her brilliant silver scaled battle form, she too is joined by her mate Consort-Sentinels, and her Royal Advisor. My silver sister has already changed the way our people live day to day. In fact, her work benefits all of the realms, and I am grateful for her addition to our ranks.
The Alchemist is immediately followed by the spunky Onyx Dragon. She is our Conciliator-Peacekeeper Queen. This brave, resilient female will be our voice of reason amid trying times for centuries to come. I laugh when she angles her long slender neck so that she is eye to eye with me and then proceeds to wink playfully at me. I can hear her joyous laughter in my head as she flies over to her own castle to assume her place upon her resplendent onyx throne. I can’t hold back the smile when her massive mate Consort and her oh-so very young Sentinel join her along with her Royal Advisor.
Now it is my turn to wink before I nod to the dragon who was the first to join me among the ranks of the Western Dragon Péntearchy. When she effortlessly explodes into her brilliant golden beast, I smile my satisfaction and joy. Taking this form hasn’t always been easy for this particular queen. The Golden Dragon is our highly revered Healer Queen, the patron protector of women and children everywhere. While her challenges have been many, her triumphs have truly been awe inspiring. I am honored to be her sister, friend, and co-ruler. I watch eagerly as the Gold dragon flies directly to her mesa, lands without fanfare and dissolves into her battle form with a somewhat inelegant shake, much like a dog shaking off water after a swim. I smile because I knew she would not be able to resist doing that. Once seated, her two mate Consorts and her Royal Advisor join her. I smile at the males on either side of the Gold dragon. While I first thought them unlikely, and possibly unfit, for this role I cannot question their devotion and success as her consort protectors. I nod to them both and to each additional defender who moves to stand behind her throne. As our most treasured and vulnerable queen, her grace and beauty of spirit have earned her an entire court of additional guardians. I thank any god willing to listen every single day for these valiant guardians.
I must confess, the sight of each of these grand ladies taking flight, one at a time, is truly awe inspiring. No one queen outshines the others. We all have our roles to play and duties to fulfill. None are more important than the other four. It is with that certain knowledge foremost in my mind that I take on my massive ten ton dragon form and take to the air. I circle around my mesa and castle just once, to give the masses a chance to see the Ruby Dragon in flight. Soon, I alight by my throne and drag the pushy beast back so that I might take on my battle form. Unfurling those wings, and raising my arms in a high, wide open arc to encompass everyone assembled, I bow first to the right and then to left, paying homage to my sisters before plopping my butt in my much despised ruby encrusted throne. Even after nearly five years, I seriously hate this damn throne. I hate all the pomp and circumstance, but I willingly put up with some of it, because I have the greatest job in history. It is well worth a little useless frippery and formality to have the opportunity to make a true difference in so many lives. Not to mention, shifting into a massive dragon is pretty badass. What girl wouldn’t be happy with this lot in life?
When I feel Nyle and then Kazar take my hands into their own, I automatically bring those vicious looking scaled and clawed appendages to my lips to plant a kiss on each palm. I adore these males, my mates, my best friends, and closest advisors. I cannot wait to share my news with them… later. Now I must do my queen thing. Soon, I can do the mate thing. Repeatedly.
I smile up at the Irish Raven, my guide and official Royal Advisor. Morrígan has been with me through thick and thin. For so many, many centuries, this female has worked tirelessly toward this day. This triumph probably belongs to her more than anyone else. She’s earned the right to celebrate by virtue of the centuries in which she was reviled as the scourge of the Celtic and Brythonic pantheons, all for just keeping her word to a god. I hope to display even a tenth of the amazing dedication to duty this female has exhibited over the centuries.
Glancing across the way, I see the three dragon queen creator gods and their mates. Those very powerful beings set this all in motion and we owe them a great debt. I rise to my feet, walk out to the edge of my mesa where I curtsy to each in turn. With a very satisfied smile, I turn to address our subjects. “Okay, preternatural citizens of the human realm… shall we party or what?”
There is an explosion of magick behind me, I turn in shock to see what has happened now. The sight that greets me causes my lips to curl up into a huge and very happy smile. I look to my right and then to my left to see that the same thing has happened upon each of the five mesas. The Consorts and Sentinels have all assumed full dragon forms. No longer are true dragons only female. I can’t help but believe this unexpected development assures the survival of the mighty dragon race for many, many eons to come.
I turn back to the assembled crowd. “Now we truly have much to celebrate!” My Herald, who has become well acquainted with my quirky sense of humor, immediately begins to pump that old Flo Rida song onto the vast Assyllian Plain. “Indeed, Welcome to my house! The home of the Dragon Queens is finally secure and stronger than it has have been in history! Party. Have fun. Tomorrow we can get serious and go back to working toward a better universe for all.” With those words, countless witches, sprites, wizards, and other magickal folk, busily set about creating a carnival atmosphere down upon the plain below. I have no doubt, Immortals will be telling stories about this day for centuries, hell, maybe eons, to come.
Several hours later when I had to beg off as yet another ambassador asked me to dance, I stand there watching our daughter frolic on the dancefloor with her Tata and Daidí. Even though our Clara is not yet five years old, you’d never guess it by watching her. Her appearance, intelligence, maturity, and demeanor are of a much older child… a young teen even. I watch as she flits from father to father. Her delighted laughter ringing in the air, and I wonder if her siblings will all age so quickly. I hope not, but considering the threats which have confronted my sweet Clara, I am glad she is nothing like most vulnerable five year olds.
When the song ends, a few of the younger Michaels and Summers children urge Clara to join them for a game of tag. Her fathers instantly give their permission for our daughter to play with the youngest of the Airendell vampire children, and then my males come to join me. I am leaning against a makeshift bar, manned by none other than the Twin Ravens’ master bar keep, Tara. The cantankerous but loveable vampire has already guessed my secret and I am praying she keeps it to herself. At least for now.
The greetings my mates bestow upon me threaten to turn this very “G” rated gathering into something that would be more at home back at the Twin Ravens MC in Tulsa. With great reluctance, I break away. My beast and my hyperactive libido are protesting loudly as I stop kissing and caressing my very sexy males. Kazar’s gaze travels from the top of my head all the way down to my now bare feet. He lifts an elegant brow in silent question. “My feet hurt in those shoes,” I offer with a shrug.
“How come you are drinking water instead of the crazy expensive champagne which is flowing so freely?” Nyle asks after he requests two fingers of scotch on the rocks.
“She needs to hydrate,” Tara says with a meaningful look my way. “And get off her swollen feet to rest,” she adds, giving me a look which can only be described as triumphant.
“Are you ill, puella?” Kazar demands instantly worried over my wellbeing.
I assure my sexy vampire that I am fine, but he doesn’t seem convinced. In just a moment, Nyle jumps on the band wagon.
“You look tired, aingeal mine. And you haven’t had more than dry toast and weak tea for breakfast for some time now. I keep telling you, you need more food in the morning.” The wolf cocks his head to examine me thoughtfully. “Are you sure you are not ill?”
I sigh and barely suppress the urge to roll my eyes. I wanted to do this in privacy, but now that pushy Tara has got them noticing the little signs I have been trying to hide, I have no choice but to spill the beans. Crooking two fingers in a come hither gesture, I beckon my lovers to bend down to hear my news. When they comply, I can’t help the silly giggle which escapes my lips. In all honesty, I have been dying to share my news for some time, but the healer advised me to keep it to myself until the dangerous early days had passed. “We are going to be parents… again.”
“Really?” Nyle questions, delight plain on his handsome, bearded face.
“Really!” I confirm with a happy nod and bright smile. Kazar’s hand protectively cups my small baby bump. In truth, I was a bit surprised my males did not notice the slight changes as my body progressed through the equivalent of the first trimester. “In fact, I am five weeks along, we have made it past the dangerous first month.”
Kazar grins at our mate, “I told you she is pregnant.”
Nyle laughs and nods his head. “Yeah, oh wise and ancient one, you did indeed call it over two weeks ago.” Kazar simply chuckles at our wolf’s impishly mocking tone.
“Are you and the child doing okay?” Kazar asks, always the most practical of the three of us.
“You betcha. Mama and babies are doing great,” I report with an eager grin.
“Babies?” they question in unison.
I nod. “Haven’t you ever wondered why most dragonlings are fraternal twins?” My males simply shrug. “Because most Dragon Queens have two mates. And both mates frequently father a child at the same time. Magick or something,” I say with a smirk before cocking my head to the side, “So daddies, care to take Mama back to our home in Tulsa to celebrate?”
THE END!
I hope you enjoyed Twist of Time! Writing this story was a true labor of love, sprinkled with a few moments of hatred for my fickle muses and contrary characters. I honestly struggled at times getting a handle on this complicated triad, but the story of the Ruby Queen and her regal sisters has been in the back of my mind since I first began writing the Airendell books back in 2011 or 2012. For that reason, I hung in there and finally told the tale of the first reawakening Dragon Queen. When everything has been said and done, I am content with the way Callie’s story unfolded. I hope you enjoyed this wild ride with me and my characters.
Let me assure you, there are many more adventures in the works for the denizens of my fantastical universe. Keep reading for previews to a few projects that are in the works… including the next dragon queen story. Please bear in mind these chapters are rough drafts, un-edited and subject to revision before publication. I share them with you to simply let you know, more stories are coming. Also, keep reading to find links to all of the books in Tulsa Immortals series.
Thank you for your interest in my writing. I am truly privileged to have the opportunity to share the stories knocking around in my head with such a welcoming audience. As a writer, I am grateful for every soul who reads my stories. If you would consider leaving a review for this book, you would make my day! Really. Reviews, the total number of them, are one of the primary ways readers find new books to read. The very algorithms which operate the primary online vendor sites favor those books with a minimum of twenty-five reviews. Books with at least fifty reviews tend to do even better. So, you see, your review, even if it is only a line or two, truly does make a difference!