AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When I’m done, I’m left gasping for breath. My muscles ache and I feel like I’m about to collapse on the bed.
Obviously I need to think about a lot of things, but right now, everything seems…fine. Good, even. Exhaustion is hitting me hard all of a sudden and I have to do my best not to curl up into a ball and go to sleep.
I don’t.
I sit up as Trine straightens her dress, brushes out her hair with her fingers. She flashes me a smile as Malon goes over to the couch, where his clothes are.
I should get dressed too, but I’ll do it later. When I’m not so tired. Trine lays her head on my shoulder and I wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her close as we both watch Malon get dressed.
“That was really hot,” she says. “You didn’t have to do it.”
“I told you. I only do things I want to do.”
“And you wanted to do all of that?”
“Yes,” I reply. “Couldn’t you tell from the sex?”
She laughs, her hair tickling my skin. “Would you go further?”
“If it turns you on,” I whisper into her. “I would do anything.”
“Stop,” she says, giggling. “I can only take so much sex in one day. And we’re about to have a serious conversation.”
“Yeah?” I ask. “What about?”
“Well, I don’t know, exactly,” she says. “But I think I figured out a way to stay with you guys.”
My heart soars when I hear that, but I don’t do anything other than kiss the top of her head. “Okay. If you’re sure.”
“And how do you intend on doing that?” Malon asks, once he’s done putting on this long-sleeved dark green shirt that looks a bit small for him. It shows off his muscles. He rolls up his sleeves, so I can see his tattoo.
“It’s a long answer,” she replies. “I don’t want to go into it before Rei and Misha come back. It does start with us changing the sheets to this bed, though.”
We all laugh as Malon walks to the bed and sits next to us.
And for a moment, everything feels like it might genuinely be okay.
EPILOGUE: TRINE
We’re back in my apartment. I didn’t think I would feel nostalgic looking at my tiny little room, but I do. It’s difficult not to think about everything that’s happened here. If my life hadn’t gone so massively off track, maybe I would have remained here for several years. Bryony is helping me with labeling boxes, putting things in the right ones, figuring out what to throw away.
Ever since my mom died, money stopped being a concern. I knew my mom was rich, I just didn’t realize just how rich she actually was. I don’t think I’m ever going to have to worry about paying for rent again–even if I don’t live in one of the properties she left behind.
I’m her sole heir and she still gets quite a few royalties from all the demon-related books she wrote. So I just get a random sum of money every month that’s more than I’ve ever seen from any job.
The lawyers are taking care of all of it. They keep me updated, but honestly, hearing about it upsets me a little. It’s a bit easier now with the passage of time, but I don’t know if it’ll ever become easy.
And now that I don’t have to worry about dying or being possessed–and that my dreams are stupid and completely back to normal, the only nightmares vestiges of the past–I can focus on the fact that I have these four amazing men by my side and they don’t seem to want to let me go.
Bryony stuffs the rest of my shoes into a small box. “You know,” she says. “You can just buy new shoes.”
I laugh. “No,” I say. “Then I have to go to a store and buy new shoes. I’ve broken these in at gigs.”
“Okay,” she replies, shrugging. We both look around the room, which still has all my furniture in it but is empty of my belongings. She sighs, leaning back on her hands. “Are you sure you have to go, Trine? You could stay here. Next gig, you might even earn a hundred dollars instead of fifty.”
I laugh, but it does feel a little bittersweet. “You know if it was just about the band, I would stay,” I tell her. “But there’s this impending apocalypse and it’s getting closer. I should probably be with the people who know how to handle it when it comes.”
“We’ll never get another bassist like you,” she says. “Who are we supposed to audition? A man?”
