“Enough torture,” I growled, already ready for another go.
Lust entered his dark, expressive eyes as he whispered, “I want you, Kassandra. Forever.”
Epilogue
If you're still reading this, then you already know the fate that befell me the day I walked into the Count's mansion for a job as his housekeeper with the intent of robbing him blind.
I thought I would end up dead. That Don or my father would kill me, one way or another. I never imagined I would live a long life—that's just not a future I believed I had access to.
It turns out, my life will be a hell of a lot longer than anyone could have imagined. Including myself.
I did die.
And then I was reborn.
I am stronger. Faster. More powerful than any human.
And I am safe. Or as safe as I've ever been.
And loved.
It's not a rainbows and unicorns kind of love.
It's a dark loved filled with the stars of twilight and the secrets of lost magic. It's a love made of blood and violence and pain. A love that walks in the shadows. It's not a love for everyone, but it's a love for me. For him. For us. The only kind of love either of us could embrace and hold onto. Any other love would have slipped through our fingers, turning to dust. This love, it is hard and heavy and forever.
The Count—Vlad—sweeps into the room, his long black cloak swishing behind him dramatically. He surveys the space. All the furniture is draped in protective cloth. Personal items have been removed. Valuables packed up. The rest will be left until this town ages into its own forgetfulness.
Memory is fleeting.
But vampires are forever.
We will return. When it's safe. When the blood spilled and lives lost had faded to smudged ink in a forgotten newspaper.
He drapes an arm around my shoulder and pulls me closer to him. "Are you ready?"
I nod. There's a lump in my throat and my hands tremble slightly, but I tilt my face to his, seeking his lips.
His kisses always undo me in the best possible way, and I need to be undone right now, so I can be remade in our new life together.
Jeremy and I will begin new lives with Vlad and Leonard. We will all leave this world and set up home in the Otherworld.
As if on cue, my little brother skids into the living room, his arms full of unpacked clothing. "I forgot a few things," he says sheepishly.
The shadows at his feet pause when he does, waiting patiently for the most part, like newly trained puppies who still struggle to stay still but are doing their level best.
Vlad smiles and Leonard rushes into the room with an extra bag, which he quickly uses to pack Jeremy's clothes.
Leonard stands, his own shadows waiting patiently behind him. They are as calm and focused as the Shadowmaster himself, and I imagine what Jeremy and his shadows will become as he grows into his own powers. It's a heady thought.
"Can we go now? I don't want to be late for my first day of school!" He tugs at the Count's hand, and the ancient vampire indulges him, allowing himself to be dragged forward.
"Yes, it is time to say goodbye."
In another world, a new life awaits us. A magical school that trains kids like Jeremy. Kids born into paranormal power. He will be safe there and given the kind of education he needs. And we will be a family.
We step out of the mansion and Leonard locks the door behind us, then the four of us walk towards the car, the shadows nipping at our heels, memories of what has been haunting the imaginings of what's to come. And I smile, happy to let my old life die so I can truly live in my new one.
Forever.
Wanted.
* * *
THE END
