Epilogue
Buckinghamshire, England, October 2013 – Constantine and Cole
Constantine enters the library and sees Cole staring out of the windows. Cole looks as bereft as he feels. This is the second time they have lost their wife this year and it is taking its toll on both of them. Even in some strange way they are growing closer with their grief. It had shocked them both to the core to learn that Aefre was carrying the original Vampire’s child, on top of his kidnapping her to the old gods know where, they were united in their sorrow and worry.
Cole turns to look at Constantine. He isn’t ashamed to admit that he has been crying. He should be, but he doesn’t care anymore. All he cares about is getting his wife home. He doesn’t even care if she brings that child back with her for the three of them to raise. All he wants is his wife and sire, by his side once more.
“I know how you feel,” Constantine says to him, taking in his wet eyes and feeling like he could cry himself. “But we have to stay strong.”
“How? We don’t even know where she is or if she is ever coming back. She has been gone for three weeks without a trace. I just can’t do this after the coma. It’s just too fucking hard!” Cole sweeps his hand over the desk and knocks everything to the floor. This isn’t the first time that either one of them has done it, but it disrupts a pile of mail that Cole, in his frustration, kicks away from his feet.
“My best guess is that she is in the Dragon Realms,” Constantine says, his eyes firmly on the mail on the floor. There is a letter in there that Cole needs to read. He has kept it aside for a few weeks, but the time has come.
“Great,” Cole says. “Nice and safe where we can’t get to her. Ever. Fuck!”
Constantine lets him vent and bends to scoop up the letters. He rifles through them until he finds the one he wants. There has been no one to sort through anything since the girl left with Devon. He hasn’t been seen since the incident in the woods, no one even knows if he is aware his sire is missing. He places the rest on the desk to be dealt with later and holds out the one in his hand to Cole.
“You need to read this,” he says.
“What is it?” Cole replies and takes it absently. “Unless it tells me how to get to my wife, I don’
t want it.” He throws it back on the desk and Constantine picks it up again to his annoyance.
“Read it,” he says quietly.
Cole takes it and looks at the envelope. He gulps loudly and searches Constantine’s eyes. “Do you know what’s in it?” he asks in dread.
“No,” Constantine lies. Of course, he knows what’s in it. He knows everything. Except how to get to his wife and return her safely to his side.
Cole nods and his heart clenches. Inside is the DNA result that Nico had ordered for Carolyn’s child. Her son. In this envelope is the news and he will find out once and for all if he is a father. He opens it slowly as Constantine watches him. He turns away and reads it carefully. He then re-reads it and stuffs it back into the envelope. He strides to the fireplace and scrunches the envelope up in his fist and throws it onto the roaring fire. He had lit it earlier in case Liv came home tonight. She will be cold if there is no fire. Constantine comes to stand beside him, and Cole knows that he already knew what it read.
Constantine places his hand on Cole’s shoulder and they both watch the letter set alight. Constantine has mixed feelings over this. He wants to be happy, but it just isn’t reaching him. Cole watches the letter burn and go black and turn to ash. Just as he is going to when his wife finds out about this.
The End
Read on with: Sacrifice: The Forever Series, Book 10
Sacrifice
The Forever Series, Book 10
By Eve Newton
Copyright © Eve Newton, 2014
?Copyright © Eve Newton, 2017
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or
dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Author’s Note
The first seven books of the Forever Series are seen through the perspective of Liv. However, books eight onwards now have the perspectives of all the other characters.
Please note that the character changes are done by heading, so it is easy to follow whose perspective you are reading.