Epilogue
Amaliya stared across the treetops toward the sparkling Austin skyline. Safely ensconced in their new home in the Bouldin Creek area south of downtown, Cian and Amaliya were adjusting to their new digs. Amaliya rather liked the modern-style three-story home with its blocky exterior. The flat roof doubled as a deck that allowed her to gaze toward the building that had been her home for a brief, but lovely time.
Smoking a cigarette, she glanced down into the dark street below. Eduardo was somewhere down there patrolling. The streets were much quieter and darker than the busy downtown area and she was still adapting to the stillness.
Voices drifted up from downstairs. Aimee and Cassandra were doing dishes after their dinner. Amaliya hadn't been surprised when Cian had taken them in. The couple occupied one of the bedrooms on the second floor. Though the women seemed wary of the vampires at times, things were slowly warming between all of them. Amaliya had been amused to find Cassandra and Cian playing pool in their new game room earlier in the evening. They were both competitive, but their playful jibs had made her smile.
She heard the door open behind her and smelled Cian’s cologne. He had been on the phone for the last hour. Cian had attempted to warn Santos in hopes of recruiting him eventually to their cause, but the vampire master of San Antonio would not listen. Amaliya really didn’t care if Etzli ended up killing the jerk.
Cian slipped up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist. She rested against him, relishing his touch. His soft kisses on her cheek made her smile.
“You're always so beautiful in the moonlight,” Cian said, his voice husky in her ear.
Putting out her cigarette, Amaliya nuzzled his cheek. “Stop trying to seduce me. ”
Their new bedroom didn't have the retractable walls of their former home, but it did have reinforced doors and heavy metal shutters that covered the wide windows. Amaliya rather enjoyed having an actual bedroom to sleep in, even if her clothes were strewn all over the floor. It was a habit that drove Cian crazy.
“I can't help myself. ” Cian kissed her cheek again and then rested his chin on her shoulder. “How are you tonight?”
In the aft
ermath of her grandmother and Pete's deaths, Amaliya had fallen into a deep funk. It was hard to fathom how two people who loved her so deeply could die when she remained alive. She still struggled with accepting that reality. Pete's final words through Samantha still haunted her. His sentiment had been lovely, but he spoke of a dream she could have never shared with him. He had died because he had believed that he could create a life with her. Pete had never known that she wanted to be a vampire and that she loved Cian.
That truth ate at her.
“Better,” she said, wondering if it was a lie or not.
“Pete did what I would have done. ” Cian brushed his lips against her shoulder.
Amaliya wondered again if he could actually read her mind. “It doesn’t make it any easier to know he died trying to save me and make me mortal when that’s the last thing I want. ”
“We choose to do incredibly brave and sometimes stupid things out of love. ”
“The life he imagined for me never would have happened, even if I hadn't been changed into a vampire. ”
“Sometimes, when a man loves a woman, he dreams foolishly. ”
“Oh?” Amaliya lifted her eyebrows. “Do you dream foolishly?”
Cian turned her about in his arms and locked his hands behind her back. “I dream of a time when we are not facing death, but enjoying life. I have a little fantasy in my mind that I cling to when things are dire. ”
“Oh? Tell me. ”
Laughing, Cian kissed her lips lovingly. “Do you really want to know?”
“Uh huh. ” Amaliya slid her fingers under his shirt to stroke his skin.
“Okay, here it is. ” Cian fastened his intense hazel eyes on her face. “I dream of you. With me. Forever. No one ever comes between us and we experience the beauty of the eternal night side by side. We never part ways, but always find solace in one another. ”
Amaliya touched his cheek lightly, his words sending a thrill of terror and pleasure through her. “You mean forever. . . ”
“I have been in love many times, Amaliya. I have tried to hold onto those loves only to lose them because of the choices I made. But it is different with you. It has been from the beginning. The same way you choose not to run away, I choose not to push you away. I have always betrayed or hurt the ones I love out of the selfish need to ensure my own survival at all costs. But when I look at you, I know I would die for you. ”
Covering his mouth, Amaliya whispered, “Don't say that. ”
Cian pressed his lips to her palm, then drew her hand away. “I will say it, because should I die in defense of you, I want you to know it is because I love you and would do anything for you. ”
“Like Pete,” Amaliya sighed, lowering her chin and staring at his chest.