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Forever.

Snow gave us our forever.

26

NOVA

THREE MONTHS LATER

Even now, I cannot quite believe Snow is gone.

It has been three months since we held a ceremony at the lake. We laid Snow’s beautiful body on a raft and we sent him out to his favorite place, burning under the night sky. We said our goodbyes and we told him how much we loved him, and how grateful we were for what he did. For us, for the world.

If the scepter had remained in existence, even protected by Lucien, there was always the chance the Anti-Magick Alliance could have gotten hold of it.

Snow ended it. He ended the fear.

Yes, the AMA still exists. As long as supers exist, they will be here trying to stomp us out. But at least that is the end of the supernatural threats.

For the first time since I moved to Phoenix Falls, everything feels calm.

There is an undercurrent of grief. But it grows quieter by the day.

And Mack is okay. He and Sam have been taking lots of walks. Talking for hours, helping each other through what they’re experiencing, even though they are both going through something very different.

Mack feels the same, and he looks the same. But something inside him has definitely changed. He is missing a piece he will never regain. But he will learn to live with the emptiness. That’s what I know, deep in my heart.

He will learn to live with it, and we will work extra hard to fill it for him. Even if it’s just a little bit.

I turn my face to the sun and smile. It is early February, and still freezing cold. But we are having some sunny days, and I love the sun at this time of year. It makes everything feel crisp and bright. It is the promise of new beginnings.

When Mack arrives at my shoulder, I know it is him before he even touches me. I lean toward his presence and when his hands meet my hips, I put my palms on top of them and guide them to my belly. He sighs with contentment, and it sounds like the purr Snow used to make. His lips vibrate against my skin.

For a moment, he just rests his large warm hands on the swell of my stomach, then he allows them to drop to my waist. “You really should stop wearing these,” he mutters.

“Because none of my clothes fit now this baby is growing bigger?” I lean back onto his chest and try not to let my raging pregnancy hormones take over. All I want to do is turn around, rip his pants off, and sink down on top of him. Right here on the jetty.

But I also want to feel him enjoying the way my body is changing.

Mack flicks open my the top button of my jeans and tugs them over my hips. “You should stop wearing them because I want you naked. All the time.”

I only realize Sam is there too when I notice him kneeling beside me, helping me to step out of my clothes.

The panties are next to go. They are still lacy and black, because I refuse to give in and wear maternity underwear. Sam smiles at them approvingly as he tucks them into his back pocket.

From this angle, the silvery scars on his back look like tiger stripes.

I never stop wanting to kiss them better.

As he begins to kiss my ankle, there’s a splash in the water and Tanner leaps up onto the jetty. He’s dripping wet, and not even a little bit cold.

Holy fuck he looks good like that; dripping, shaking his floppy hair, arms bulging as he stretches them out and does his favorite party trick for me – the instant dry method.

Mack’s hand settles between my legs at the same moment Sam reaches the back of my knees. The sensation nearly makes my legs buckle but Tanner is in front of me now, kissing me deeply.

My tongue meets his, slowly searching for the connection that makes fireworks break out beneath my skin.

“Are we late to the party?” Luther’s deep gravelly voice lands like hot coals on my aching skin. His heat moves with him. Quite literally, he brings a warmth to parts of my body I didn’t know existed. Kole is with him. They stand aside, leaning casually against the side of the jetty while Sam begins to lap my pussy and Mack’s fingers start to torment my clit.