Premonition of Peace (Her Immortal Monsters #3)

Epilogue II

NATHALIE

I leaned forward in my chair, fingers steepled beneath my chin as I listened to the ever-present debate between my others. In the months that followed my encounter with The Morrigan, my loci had slowly returned to normal. Or some version of it.

Ann and Bad Nat fought on ninety percent of issues. The Warden was often the tiebreaker. And Rage, well she was going by a new name these days.

Passion.

In the wake of the destruction of the memory loci, she and I had sat down and had a heart-to-heart. That was when she first broached the subject of a name change. I’d been more than happy to agree if it would help ease some of the underlying tension between us.

Over the past six months, she’d matured a lot, finally growing up to meet the age that the rest of my loci, minus the embodiment of my childhood innocence, was at. She still had time to grow, and I knew that was partially my fault considering I was still unlearning years of repressing myself. But already she’d hit young adulthood, looking very similar to how I did around twenty years old.

“Cookies are ready,” Caretaker called out from the kitchen. Little ran into the room carrying a plate of seasonal sugar cookies with colored eggs on them while Caretaker followed behind with seven small cups of milk.

The lack of an eighth still hurt, but I didn’t dwell on that.

Bad Nat sneered in disgust at the wholesome sight, dropping her boots from the tabletop to the floor one at a time. “You have shitty Easter cookies, and we don’t even celebrate Easter—but no whiskey?” she grumbled.

Just as Caretaker started to respond, the atmosphere shifted. Lucifer materialized in the room. He’d gotten really good at slipping in and out of loci, but we had learned that he couldn’t access it if I wasn’t mentally inside. His eyes swept across the scene, and a mischievous grin spread across his face.

“I’m with Bad Nat, whiskey would be an excellent addition?—”

I groaned, rubbing my temple. “Lucifer, we've talked about this.”

“What? I’m just saying?—”

“Nothing, you were saying nothing.”

He pressed his lips together in a pout, but it wasn’t very effective when his eyes twinkled with mirth. “Very well. Is my favorite Nat back yet?”

The sudden shift in energy took the playful atmosphere away as we all exchanged glances. So much for ignoring that pang in my chest.

“Peace hasn’t returned,” I said quietly.

“Give it time, Prime,” Bad Nat said, moving to stand. She snatched a cookie off the plate while they were still hot and bit into it. She was still chewing when she added, “Of all the things that you lost, peace takes the longest to return.”

“I know,” I sighed, scrubbing a hand over my face.

“I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure . . .” Caretaker began, shifting side to side, her fuzzy slippers squeaking slightly. “I check the greenhouse every day. Keep the plants watered. Talk to them. You know . . . It’s what Peace would want. When I went out there this morning, the door was locked.”

Everyone at the table stilled.

That could only mean one thing.

“Well, well, my little witch has healed from the events last winter, after all. We should celebrate. The six of us,” he said, smirking and waggling his eyebrows.

Bad Nat swatted him on the back of the head as she walked by.

“Hey! What was that for?”

“Play stupid games, win stupid prizes,” she called over her shoulder as she rounded the corner.

The Warden sighed. “I’m with her on this one.”

“Me too,” Caretaker added.

“Oh, come on,” Lucifer said. “Ann, what about you? I know you’re secretly in love with me?—”

“Nope,” Ann pushed away from the table. “I’m opting out of this escapade. He’s all yours, Prime.”

I laughed lightly under my breath while Lucifer stood there looking put out at the rejection of my others. “How many times do I have to tell you, we’re not having an org—group activities?” I switched last second with a glance at Little. “These are all me. That’s weird.”

“Oh come on,” he said. “It’ll be like touching yourself while I watch. Nothing we haven’t done before?—”

“Lucifer!” I admonished, glancing over at Little who stared up at him with innocent eyes.

“Right, my bad.” He crouched down in front of her and patted her head. “Sorry about that.”

“What is?—”

“Anddddd we’re going,” I said standing up. Lucifer took my hand and tugged me toward the door. As we stepped through, my body gained awareness, the loci drifting away.

I opened my eyes, finding myself back in the familiar surroundings of my room. Marcel leaned against the door watching me with bemused eyes. Lucifer was perched casually in front of me, a smirk still playing at the corners of his lips.

“You always shoot down my ideas for the loci.”

“Because all of them involve fucking several versions of me,” I responded with a roll of my eyes climbing off of my bed and heading to Marcel. “Something you’re shameless about in front of Little, I might add.”

“I wish I could see inside your mind,” Marcel commented.

“So he can join the nonexistent orgy,” Bad Nat responded with a snort.

I led the two of them down the stairs and into the dining room. “I don’t know why,” I told Marcel. “It’s not like I’d let you fuck them either.”

Marcel grimaced. “That’s not why.”

“Oh?” I prompted as we stepped into the dining room. “Then why do you wish you could enter the loci?”

“Because the level of eidetic memory you possess fascinates me.” That was . . . very Marcel, actually. He was the intellectual among my men. It didn’t surprise me that he’d find the way my mind works interesting.

Looking up from setting the table, August added, “Not everything is about fucking with some of us. I’d love to see inside that mind of yours because I want to know everything about you.”

A blush crept up my cheeks as I walked over to him. August looped an arm around my waist and brought me in for a kiss. Lucifer scoffed.

“I’m not all about fucking. I’m just saying we should celebrate the return of Peace.”

August paused his breath mingling with mine and a slow smile crept across his face. “Peace is back?”

I bit my lip and nodded. “Sort of. She’s there, she’s just hiding. I don’t think she’s ready to come out yet.”

While it made me a little sad, I could also understand it. Of all my others, the one that needed the most time to herself was Peace, and the greenhouse brought her that.

“You have no idea how happy I am to hear that, sunling.” His whispered words had goosebumps trailing over my skin. We kissed. Softly, at first, but it gradually deepened. I was starting to get carried away when the doorbell rang. August and I pulled apart, both breathless.

“I’ll get it,” Marcel said, leaving the room.

The sound of my niece and nephew greeted me as the twins bolted inside, shrieks of laughter following in their wake. Piper and Ronan followed after, with Marcel bringing up the rear.

“Can I just say again how much I love that you took over hosting family dinners?” Piper said as we all headed for the dining room. “Not making dinner for a small circus is the best part of my Sundays.”

I laughed and said, “I have more help, so I don’t mind.”

The doorbell sounded again, and this time August went to get it since Marcel and Ronan were already locked into a conversion. Piper and the others settled in at the bar as I went into the fridge and grabbed two pitchers of peach lemonade. I came out and set them on the long island as Hallie, Mist, Anders, and Sienna entered the main area. Of course, Hallie was at Orson’s side in an instant, her face lighting up with a smile as the two of them began talking excitedly.

The children, now appearing around eleven years old, had grown so much. Orson and Hallie remained the best of friends, their bond as strong as ever. Sienna had come to accept that Hallie’s bond with Orson would evolve naturally, regardless of her influence. Honor, on the other hand, was in the midst of a sassy rebellious phase. Well, that’s what Piper liked to say. I’m pretty sure Honor was a sassy rebellious phase. Her attitude was sharp and her magic wild. It made for an interesting combination on the best of days.

As I scanned the room, I realized Sasha was missing. Since cutting the bond with August, she’d stopped avoiding me, and while the first family dinner was decidedly more awkward than the ones that followed, by now we’d all gotten used to our new normal.

“Where’s Sasha?”

“She’ll be along,” Sienna said vaguely, a smile playing on her lips. I narrowed my eyes, getting ready to grill her when the doorbell rang again.

“I suppose it’s my turn,” Lucifer said, exiting the room to get it.

Every eye turned toward the entrance as a deep, distinctly male voice sounded from the foyer. My lips parted. Could it be . . .

Sasha entered a second later with a tall dark-haired man I recognized from some business transactions. Their hands were clasped, and she was smiling widely up at him as she made introductions with Lucifer.

My gaze snapped back to Sienna. “They’re holding hands . . . Am I seeing things?” I asked quietly. “Or did Sasha just bring Finn Clarke to a family dinner?”

“You’re not seeing things,” Sienna replied. Her smile was nearly as big as mine.

“Sasha,” Piper called out from where she sat casually inclined against the island bar. “Who’s this?”

She was absolutely glowing as she said, “Everyone, meet Finn. Finn, this is my family.”

My heart squeezed as a round of greetings and pleasantries were exchanged. I used my magic to materialize an extra chair next to Sasha’s usual place. She gave me a grateful smile and I grinned back at her widely.

August, Lucifer, and Marcel busied themselves in the kitchen, quickly coming back out, each carrying a large, covered dishes to be served family style. Piper was not kidding; feeding a house of supernaturals was like cooking for a small circus, but I loved it. And having three extra sets of hands helped.

I walked back into the kitchen to grab the last few things, and Mist fell into step beside me, holding a covered plate. She stopped at the island counter. I grabbed potholders to pull my last dish out of the oven. Holding a large casserole pan, I nodded my head toward her plate.

“What’s that?”

Her pride was evident as she set them down. “I’ve been working on my baking,” she said with a shy smile. She pulled off the covering and my heart swelled with pride as I observed her cookies. They looked perfectly edible, not a single one burned. I reached down to pluck one off the plate and took a bite.

“Oh my gods . . . these are so good ,” I said around a mouthful of butterscotch shortbread. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a quick hug. “You’ve come so far, Mist. You should be proud.”

I was talking about more than just the cookies and she knew it.

She nodded and then chewed at her lip before flashing me a look of hesitation mixed with excitement. “I’ve been thinking,” she began, “I feel like I’ve improved a lot these last few months. My training with the Se?ora is really coming along and for the first time I think I have a good grip on my powers.”

I nodded along. “I agree, you really have.”

“Right . . .” She fidgeted with the edge of the plate. “So I was wondering . . . I heard you were looking, or considering—gosh I’m messing this all up.” A light red tinged her cheeks with embarrassment. “Forget I asked?—”

“Nope,” I gripped her tighter, not letting her flee back to the dining room. “What’s the question?”

Mist took a deep breath and then the words came pouring out, like a dam had broken. “I overheard Sasha and Sienna talking about you wanting to hire another personal assistant and I was thinking maybe I could do it?” She flinched. “I mean, if you’re open to it, I’d really like the job. The apartment has been great and I’m really thankful for all that you’ve done for me. It’s just. . . I want to do something with my life. Help people. I don’t think I could be Piper’s assistant. Too much of what she does is still triggering for me. But I was thinking maybe you might have a spot . . .”

My heart melted a little. This beautiful, broken girl was so strong. She’d never know how proud of her I was, even if I told her every day. “I think that’s a great idea. Why don’t you hang around after dinner and we can talk about what kind of work you’re envisioning?”

Mist’s eyes lit up. “I would love that.”

I gave her another small squeeze before letting go.

“Of course. Now come on. I wanna watch Sasha with her new man,” I whispered conspiratorially with a wink. She laughed lightly before turning and leading the way back to the dining room.

Dinner came and went like the breeze. By the end of it, Finn had us all convinced he was a godsend. I knew he was a good egg from the few times we’d done business together. He wanted to improve the lives of the people who lived in our city, and he cared about others. What wasn’t to like? It was obvious from her smile that he made her happier than I’d seen in a long time. And, from the way he gazed at her, he was just as obsessed as she was.

When everyone was stuffed and wandering back toward the living room, I saw my opportunity to get her alone.

“Hey,” Sasha glanced at me with a knowing look.

“Hey,” she said.

“You have a second?”

“Sure,” she said as we both made our way toward the patio door. We stepped outside but left the doors open. Chatter filtered through, hushed by the night air of summer.

“So, Finn Clarke?” I said, grinning wide. “Both a charmer and handsome. Anything else?” She threw her head back with a laugh.

“Funny. Kind. Considerate. Thoughtful.” She smiled wistfully at the scene unfolding in the living room. Finn seemed to sense her eyes on him and turned to give her a playful wink before resuming his conversation with Anders and August. “All the things.”

“How long have you been together?”

Sasha’s face lit up with a secretive smile. “You’re going to think I’m crazy.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I’m with three men. Try me.”

Sasha laughed. “Touche. We’ve only been together a week.”

I blinked. “Only a week? I was positive you’d been keeping him secret for months the way you guys acted around each other.”

Her smile widened. “Only a week.”

I stared at her for a second and then I spotted it. She had a new thread connecting to her. I gasped, my hands instinctively covering my mouth in excitement. “He’s an aurae bond for you, isn’t he?”

Sasha’s eyes sparkled as she confirmed with a broad grin. “Yeah, he is. We ran into each other at a coffee shop on Tuesday and have been talking since. It was sudden, but when you know, you know.”

I glanced towards the kitchen door, thinking about the three men who held my heart and soul in their hands.

Looking back at Sasha, I nodded. “You know what, you’re totally right. When you know, you know.”

Finn walked over and extended a hand. “I hope you don’t mind terribly if I cut in on girl time. I’m missing my date.”

I could have melted into an ooey gooey puddle right there and he wasn’t even my beau. “Of course,” I said, all but shoving her toward him. Sasha laughed, the husky sound washing over me as she left the porch.

I stayed a little longer, watching their interactions as a group. All of them. The loves of my life. My best friend and her mate. Anders. Sasha. Sienna. Mist. Hallie and Orson and Honor. They smiled and laughed, love and happiness filling the room. Those were the faces of the people that mattered to me most. My found family. I’d do anything for them. Everything was right in the world. We’d fought like hell and made it to the other side. But there was one person’s happiness I couldn’t confirm. I just had to hope.

I leaned back against the railing, forearms braced on either side. Whispering to no one but myself, I said the words out loud, wishing it would be enough so I could let go. “Kat, if you’re out there, I hope you got your happily ever after. I love you. I miss you. But I hope you found everything you were looking for.”

I didn’t expect an answer. Still, I sighed in silence. Then a dark blue wisp of magic danced in the corner of my vision, and it made me catch my breath. A distant laugh followed, one that I’d know anywhere.

It sounded happy. Free.

Tears pricked my eyes. “Kat?”

This time no answer came, but the night settled around me like a warm blanket because I knew in my heart that she was happy too.

The End.