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“Lucifer granted me a boon. Well, a couple actually.”

He proceeded to tell me about my sisters, that if they found mates, I’d never have to lose them either. “And Rose?”

His expression grew serious. “He made no promises for her. It’s up to fate, her path is already mapped out. I’m sorry.”

Then I’d just have to find a way to change her fate. Because I wasn’t losing her. I wasn’t losing any of my sisters. Their trials were coming, I just had to make sure they found their mates first. “I think that perhaps we should keep this to ourselves for now, at least until they need to know.”

His hand slid down my back and he squeezed my butt. “Agreed.” Then he gripped my thighs and spread them.

And instantly, I wanted him, I always wanted him. “I need you,” I said. “I need my mate.”

“Then take me,” he growled and kissed me.

I did.

Epilogue

Iris

Six months later

The chatter around the dinner table was lively, it always was when the hounds were here. Well, Warrick was here with Willow, and he’d brought a couple of his brothers and Ronan with him. The hounds were loud and big and filled the room, not leaving space for anything else, and not just in the physical sense.

And everyone soaked it up enthusiastically. Anything for an escape from the dark cloud hovering over us.

It was only a matter of time before our world was thrown back into upheaval.

I glanced across the table, but unlike his friends, Ronan sat quietly and observed. I’d noticed his deep purple gaze shifting to and lingering on Rose more than once. He did it a lot when he came here and always with this puzzled look on his face. I didn’t know what the emotionally void dhampir was thinking, but something about my sister drew his attention.

Nia pressed her nose into my palm, and I glanced down.

Iris sad.

I kissed the top of Nia’s head. “I’m okay, Ni.”

No, Nia couldn’t speak, not using actual human words, anyway. But animals were intuitive, they picked up on how someone was feeling, like a predator could sense fear in its prey. That intuition came from the animal as a kind of vibration, and one of my powers was translating that vibration. So even though Nia, or any other animal for that matter, didn’t think in human words, my mind translated what they were putting out in a way I could understand it.

It was a fairly new power. I’d always had a special connection with animals, but the communicating thing had been growing stronger slowly over the last year.

She whined and rested her head on my lap. Sad.

I gently ran my hand over her head and down her back and made myself calm down. Just like I could pick up how she felt, she could with me, and I hated my girl to worry.

“She’s a beautiful dog,” Relic said.

I glanced up and smiled, and the hound’s gaze slid to my damaged cheek, then to my lopsided grin. I inwardly winced and forced myself not to cover it with my hand. I did, however, tip my head so my hair fell forward. “Yeah, she is.”

“Iris,” Willow said, nudging my shoulder from her seat beside me.

I made myself smile and lifted my gaze. “Yeah?”

“You doing okay?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“If you need to talk…”

“I’m fine, Wills.”