Lacing her fingers with mine, Sabrina walks to the edge and peers down with a grimace. “Probably should have haggled for a ride to solid ground, too.”
Kissing the back of her hand, I guide her to wrap her arms around my neck and climb on my back so I can carry her down and make sure she damn well stays where she belongs; with us. “It’s not too huge of a gap; you kicked that bastard across it, after all.”
“Fair.” She wraps her legs around my waist and hangs on tight. “Scale of one to ten, how mad do you think Carina’s going to be to get my call?”
“When you ask her to house a hoard of demons in Khalida? I’m sure you’re going to become her new favorite curse word.” As we make our way down, I sigh, pretty sure the last two weeks have taken a decade off my lifespan. “But better Carina’s wrath than losing you.”
"I told you I'd never sacrifice myself for someone else." Against the side of my neck, she smiles wistfully. "You don't die for the people you love; you live for them."
Epilogue
Sabrina
3 Years later
––––––––
“Harlow, Devlin! Getback here!” Thane’s harsh demand has Emmy and I looking up from where we’re sprawled out on our stomachs in a couple of beach chairs, dozing under the summer sun.
“Shit.” Wide awake in an instant, Emmy rolls to her feet, sprinting across the sand to where her toddlers are making a beeline for the ocean.
Concentrating, I flick two of my fingers, swiping the sand out from under the girls’ feet before they can reach the water. Better a face full of sand than getting swept up in the undertow, even if it makes me sound like a jerk.
Thane snatches them up a few seconds later, tucking the squirming blonde haired, silver eyed twin girls under his arms like a couple of footballs. “Thanks, Sabrina.”
Pushing myself up, I wave him off. “I don’t know how you guys do it, honestly.”
As Emmy reaches them, he grimaces. “Sorry, babe. I swear, I only turned around for a second.”
Stealing Harlow, she shoots me an apologetic look. “Rain check?”
Chuckling, I remind her, “I’ll literally see you in a couple of hours for dinner, don’t stress it. Not like we can’t sneak in some time together whenever it works out; perks of living together.”
With a blinding smile, she blows me a kiss and heads back up the beach towards the wing of the house she shares with her mates. Getting to my feet, I head down the beach a little way in the opposite direction, enjoying the tranquility. Water laps at the edge of the island, the mainland still visible on the horizon, close enough for convenience whenever we need anything, but far enough away that we can see anyone coming, too.
It’s safer for everyone this way, surrounding our demonic little castle with a moat and taking a step back from the world.
