Chapter Thirty

Epilogue

Saxon and I moved in to our own place, a rather nice condominum across town from the house, but just as deeply entrenched in panther territory. Logan had wanted to give me another full-on house, but there were none with connecting passages that were available, and Saxon wasn’t willing to wait. Honestly, neither was I. Logan’s house had already been haunted with memories of emotional ordeals, bad decisions, and near-death experiences, but on top of that, it seemed very empty without Aisling. Raziel did his best for me, as he always did, but it was impossible to take the place of a faerie like Aisling.

The strangest thing about living alone with Saxon isn’t that he’s finally back with me, or adapting to giving blood every day again, or anything like that. What’s hardest for me to adjust to is not having Chancy around. I go visit him as often as I can but it’s not the same. Raziel keeps him company when I’m gone, but I still can’t get used to the idea that I won’t have a big black wolf sleeping outside my bedroom door at night.

Truthfully, I’m just as sad to be gone as I am glad to be with Saxon. Aisling’s memories are what tipped the scale toward moving out. It’s so ironic, too; to think, that even in leaving, Aisling only pushed me closer to his biggest competitor for my heart.

What happened to everyone else, after Zuriel screwed up the balance between truth and deception? Rosa and Gillian moved to a bigger building, as their psychic powers are suddenly being granted truth and acceptance, though they still make time to train me. Most of the world powers are making some effort at promoting preternatural equality, although the verdict on vampires is still pending—no one really knows what to do with people who have been alive longer than the country’s legal system has existed, for one thing. Second and third world countries, just like Saxon predicted, are mostly under the influence of their preexisting supernatural ruling class, be it vampire, faerie, or otherwise.

The Court has made some televised appearances, even allowing a news crew from London to tour their castle, and see their teleporter. Of course, there’s no mention of a prison or torture, either; just a ‘system of law’ that they have used for millennia, and some vague mention of it being ‘timeless,’ which to me means ‘we aren’t changing a blasted thing for you humans, and good job at taking this long to figure it all out.’

The only loose end that no one anticipated is Cernion. He wouldn’t agree to go back to the forests of the Northwest Territories in Canada, where he lived before Xander captured him. He’s insistent on the fact that there are such things as natural connections between auras, and his is latched onto me. But so far, he’s still far from independent enough to move out. Logan seems to be letting him stay indefinitely in the house, though I have to wonder what he might want in return. Some days I miss having someone else around, and I wish he lived with us as he so obviously wants to, but usually I’m glad for the solitude. My power, be it succubus inspired or not, has caused too much heartbreak for me already. It’s been almost a month, and I still can’t think of Aisling without choking. Saxon is mostly unaffected since he’s already closer to me than sorcery could ever provide, but I don’t want to test the bounds of what tentative friendships I have any more, ever again.

As much as I’d like to do nothing for the rest of my life but save the lives of werepanthers in distress, comfort my vampire, and work towards mastering all aspects of sorcery, life isn’t that simple. There are rumors in the pack that a power in the south is moving; huge numbers of werecreatures are shifting positions, moving territories, and no one knows why. Saxon is lying low until a legal position is taken on the citizenship of vampires, so he can’t extend any influence to find out who’s causing such a massive disturbance in the balance; honestly, I doubt he would have, anyway. What’s in the south for him but lies and memories?

The big question I see in everyone’s faces asks for Saxon’s story. Well, he gives it slowly enough, but not for lack of wanting to. I have to forgive him some reluctance. After all, I made enough mistakes I can’t bear to talk about in less than two years to give me privacy issues; imagine what I could do with another handful of decades.

He’s taken a job working as an enforcer and occasional bodyguard for Uttley who, like Gillian and Rosa, has seen a huge increase in business since the whole Awakening, as it’s being called. Apparently werecreature connections are becoming not only stylish, but practical in his line of work. So he moved to a new office and enlisted Saxon for anything ‘too big’ for him to handle alone. Personally, I think it’s a big jump from his power to Saxon’s, but I’m glad he has a job, and with someone trustworthy, too.

The world keeps turning and nighttime always falls on schedule, but every following dawn could bring a new surprise or a new disaster – not just for me anymore, either. The world seems on edge, to say the least – but this terrific twenty-first century hasn’t had a dull moment before now, anyway. I’m just trying to stay out of any headlines.