EPILOGUE
Dancing overhead, the trees of the Tillamook forest seemed to be performing an ancient ritual dance that they’d learned early in life. They swayed back and forth like synchronized partners, connected underground by a maze of roots so deeply entwined they’d never untangle.
That’s how Lucky had grown to feel about Ziggy.
The last few months had been a whirlwind of chaos, and yet together, the two of them had stood strong, weathering the storm like a couple of old growth trees that were much stronger when they were together.
“I absolutely love it here,” Lucky whispered, leaning into the solid frame of her love as they strolled through the forest near the Gods of Chaos’ clubhouse.
“It’s hard not to love,” Ziggy replied. “It’s probably the most peaceful place I’ve ever spent time.”
“You’re so blessed, you know,” she said, “to have such a place, to have family like the Gods.”
Lucky had never really had a family, at least not a safe and loving one. The time she’d spent with the Gods had been the closest she’d ever come, and she’d cherished every moment.
“It’s true,” he said, feeling that truth deep in his bones
After choosing to spare Nicholai’s life, Ziggy was feeling better about his decision now that justice had finally been served. Nicholai was arrested and taken back to Texas to face charges for Eddie’s murder and after pleading guilty to avoid the death penalty, he’d managed to get his sentence reduced to life without parole. The fact that he’d never get out of prison made everyone involved breathe a little easier.
“A year ago, I never imagined this would be my life now,” Lucky said. Ziggy squeezed her hand, stopping to kiss her gently.
“Are you happy?” he asked her.
“Yes,” she replied. She’d taken the year off work, after finding jobs for all her crew on another tour, so that she could rest without all the guilt. After all the police interviews and chaos had died down, she and Ziggy had left the country, escaping to a tiny island in the Mediterranean for a few weeks. The time they spent there had only solidified their bond, leaving them so deeply in love they knew that what they had between them was never going to end.
“Me, too,” he whispered, and she stared up at him with the light of a thousand stars in her eyes. Ziggy lit up her soul in a way nobody, not even Eddie, had ever done before.
“Hey, I want you to meet some friends,” he said, grabbing her hand and walking her deeper into the forest. They stood quietly by a rushing creek, staring down at the bubbling water pouring over the rocks and slicing through the middle of the lush forest.
“Sit here, be very still,” he whispered, sitting next to her and staring up at the trees.
“What are we waiting for?” she whispered.
“Shh, you’ll see,” he said, his voice barely audible. The sun was setting in the distance, sending slivers of yellow light through the trunks of the pines, softly illuminating the quickly darkening forest. With a soft woosh, the branches above them parted and a pair of huge flapping wings broke through the air overhead.
Lucky gasped, as another bird came flying down, both of them landing on the rock beside them with a heavy thump. Slow and steady, two pairs of bright yellow, big, round eyes blinked at them.
“Owls!” Lucky cried.
“Aren’t they amazing?” Ziggy asked. “This is Oliver and Olivia. They hang around, let us feed them, even let us pet them.”
“I can pet them?” Lucky asked with wide eyes.
“Sure, go ahead.”
She reached out gingerly, her fingers gently sliding over their feathers as they sat calmly allowing her touch.
“Wow,” she said, looking up at Ziggy. “This is amazing. How did I get so lucky to meet you, to have this be my life now?”
She continued to pet the owls, as Ziggy stared over at her with all-consuming love filling his eyes. The storm of the past few months had passed and all that lay ahead of them was smooth sailing and a whole lot of love.
“It wasn’t you, babe,” he said, his voice a lusty growl as he gazed over at the love of his life. “I’m the one that got Lucky.”
He stood up and the owls flew away. Pulling her to her feet, he kissed her with all the love in his heart, all the emotion spilling out into his kiss, the two of them entwined in the forest like roots of an ancient pine.
THE END