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A sob catches in her throat as she surges closer, crashing her lips against mine in a kiss that’s pure joy, pure devotion. I gather her closer, banding my arms around her tight enough to make it clear I’ll never let her go.
“I love you,” she gasps out between kisses, “I love you, I love you, I love you.”
She rests her forehead against mine as we catch our breath.
“Mate me,” I murmur. Can she see my love shining from my eyes? “Be my partner in every way. Build a life with me, Misty. One filled with laughter and adventure and more love than the stars can hold.”
“Yes.” Her tone is giddy.
Elation fizzes through my veins.
“Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes!”
In this moment, the rest of the universe fades away. The inn, the renovations, the challenges we’ve faced to get here… none of it matters.
All that matters is her and me. Us.
It won’t always be easy. We’re both too stubborn, too passionate, for that. But I also know, with bone-deep certainty, that there’s nothing we can’t weather together. No storm we can’t outrace, no ghost we can’t outsmart.
As long as we have each other, we can face anything.
“We’re in for a beautiful, wild, wondrous adventure.” She’s beaming.
“I can’t wait to spend forever with you,” I whisper against her lips, sealing the vow with a tender kiss.
“Can you feel it?” she asks. “It’s as though this wonderful old inn is in agreement, as if it’s hugging us in its warmth. As if she, too, knows that everything is exactly as it’s meant to be. That after a lifetime of waiting, of wanting… we’re finally home.”
“Yes. Home, my mate. We’re home.”
Chapter Twenty-Five: Epilogue
Misty
Our last grand opening, a year and a half ago, was a very public gathering. Even Mayor Azari Alderon and his human mate, Phaedra, came. This grand opening is just a private affair, just me, my mate, and our littlechitza.
Well, if you want to get technical, I guess we should include an indeterminate amount ofchitzababies. It turns out Vortex is a she who got very friendly with the neighborhood stud. I can’t blame her; I’m pretty friendly with my own neighborhood stud.
Well, more than pretty friendly, because I’m also expecting. Not a litter like Vortex, mind you. Just one adorable Human-Astralite hybrid.
I’m told that human DNA is recessive to just about every other humanoid species in the galaxy, so I’m expecting an adorable green babe whose fangs will grow inafterhe or she is done breastfeeding.
I’m terrified that, considering how stubborn I am, the one thing our child will inherit from me is my willfulness. What if after he or shebecomes able to perform their spectral shift, they disappear to terrify me at all hours of the day and night?
Zylus, always calm and steady, warns me I’m borrowing trouble. If he knew how horrible I was as a teen, I doubt he’d be quite so optimistic about how easy our child will be to parent.
However, here we are, two-and-a-half humanoids and an indeterminate amount ofchitzasas we walk over the threshold to our new cottage together.
Well, not together. Who am I fooling? I’m big as a house and unless we wanted to record a vid of slapstick humor, we’re going to enter this house single file.
We spent months developing the plans, painstakingly recreating the time period of the Inn. It’s painted in inviting creams, with accents both the exact shade of Zylus’s skin and Vortex’s fur. If our babe comes out another shade, we’ve already planned to change the color of the window sashes to welcome the child into our family.
Over the last year and a half, I’ve gotten used to the way Zylus looks at me, the care he takes of me, the sweet words and praises he shares no matter who is listening, and the way he rocks my world in bed—whether he’s corporeal or not.
But as we begin this new chapter in our lives, I take a moment to reflect on just how lucky I am. I met the best male in all the galaxy and was lucky enough to snag him. Well, it took a few crappy months, but I’ll give myself credit. I finally came to my senses.
Zylus
I take a moment to look around the place with fresh eyes, noticing the workmanship, the comfy furniture, and the inviting layout. But the most important thing is my little family.
