Maciah had given her one of the vampire SUVs. “Burn it when you’re done if you’re so inclined,” he replied.
“I just might,” Sam said, but her normal attitude was missing from the words.
My gaze went back to Collin’s bloodshot eyes. “Your loss will be remembered by us all.”
He nodded. “Thank you.”
Rich, the other shifter from their pack, dropped a hand on Collin’s shoulder, guiding him toward the waiting vehicle.
Zeke and Rachel joined us, and Zeke went to Sam before she could get in the SUV. “Thank you, Samantha.”
They embraced tightly as Rachel stayed by my side, holding my hand, tears brimming in each of our eyes.
Zeke was drying his face as Sam pulled back, turning away from us before we could see any emotion. We let her go without another word.
Rachel went back to Zeke, wrapping her arms around his waist.
I glanced around. There was nobody left except for the four of us once Sam, Collin, and Paul drove away.
Maciah had given Jazz, Gabe, and Nick the choice to stay or take some time off once the other vampires had dispersed. They’d chosen to go, and none of us blamed them. One of their own had turned against us, and we’d lost even more members of our nest.
It was a lot to process, and we all deserved to do so in our own way.
“What are we going to do now?” Zeke asked.
“We’ll go home and start over. We did it once, and we’ll do it again. Viktor won’t take anything else away from us,” Maciah said, voice full of strength, even though I knew his heart was crushed.
He’d only just gotten his friend back. Not only was Bennett gone forever, but so was Nikki. A hard truth for all of us to accept.
“Where’s home?” Rachel asked, a sob building in her throat before she barely got the two words out.
“Wherever we want it to be. As long as we’re together,” I answered, reaching for her hand.
EPILOGUE
The battle with Viktor had stayed with us long after it ended. Even though we had won, we’d lost so much—vampires and wolves alike. Rebuilding wasn’t going to be easy, but we were doing our best to live the rest of our lives for those who no longer could.
As guilty as I felt at times, I knew that was what Nikki and Bennett would have wanted for us. Whenever my grief was at its highest, all I had to do was close my eyes and I could see Nikki’s face clearly, glaring at me with her hands on her hips. “Don’t waste this life or I’ll come back just to kick your ass.”
Some days I was tempted to take her up on that threat, but I didn’t want the disappointment of her never showing to make the sorrow any worse, which was why we’d already began hunting again.
Maciah, Zeke, Rachel, and I picked up where I’d left off back in Portland while we waited for the mansion to be rebuilt. The cabins were still usable, but we needed the main house finished to make it a proper nest before we started recruiting other vampires. Though, that didn’t mean we couldn’t hunt while we waited.
I wiped ash from my face and grinned at Maciah. “That was fun. And exactly what I needed tonight.”
He shook his head at me. “Your version of fun is a lot different from most people.”
“And your point would be…”
Maciah pulled me toward him as I slipped the stake into my back pocket. “No point. Just stating the obvious. Now, can we go home so I can strip you naked and wash all of this crap off of us?”
We’d killed four vampires that had been in town for the last two weeks, targeting human nightclubs and murdering nightly. They’d been hard to track, but I was relentless in my hunt to find them.
“Home sounds nice,” I said as Maciah nipped at my shoulder.
“Just home?” Maciah murmured before slipping his hand over my ass.
I grinned. “Maybe the naked part, too.”
“Right. Just maybe.” He released his hold on me and blurred toward our new hunting vehicle, a blacked-out Range Rover. The one in LA had grown on Maciah, and he’d decided we needed one just like it once we came back to Portland.
Except ours had bulletproof glass and an armored body with roll bars inside and all the weapons a girl could ever need while slaying vampires.
I joined him at the vehicle where he was holding the passenger door open for me. Before I got in, I pinched his chin between my fingers. “I love you and can’t wait to be naked in the shower with you.”
He grinned. “I know.”
“Cocky prick,” I muttered under my breath as I slid into the seat.
Maciah ignored my comment and was in the driver’s seat in the next second, but I hardly noticed as the adrenaline of the hunt began to wear off.
Rachel and Zeke had been helping us track the group, but they’d asked for the night off for some time alone and we had no problem with that. Maciah and I then turned the nightly hunt into a date of our own, trying to find some normalcy after all the hell we’d been through.
It wasn’t until several weeks after we got home that I was able to go more than a day without tearing up over the loss of Nikki. Our womance would never be the same without her. Accepting that wasn’t an easy feat.
Thankfully, Rachel, just being her amazing self, had captured photos of the three of us, and even Bennett once he’d made his reappearance. Those memories would be forever on our walls and cherished as we tried to move forward with our lives in their honor.
Given the mansion wasn’t going to be move-in ready for months, we’d moved into my old condo. At first, I’d been furious when Maciah asked if we could stay there—just the two of us—but after I yelled at him for trying to separate me from Rachel after all we’d been through, he kindly informed me that he’d bought the condo below mine for Rachel and Zeke to live in.
I wasn’t sure how I’d gotten so lucky to have Maciah as mine, but not a day had passed since we killed Viktor that I didn’t let him know how grateful I was.
Maciah drove to the condo and placed his hand over my eyes when he pulled into the parking garage. I tried to pull it away, but he pressed harder. “Wait a second. I have a surprise for you.”
“I thought getting naked with you in the shower was the only thing I had to look forward to once we got home,” I joked, trying to keep the mood light regardless of where my thoughts had been.
He didn’t respond with words as he parked the Range Rover, but his enthusiasm and sexual need were equally palpable. “I’m going to pull my hand away, but promise me that you’ll keep your eyes closed.”
I nodded. “Promise.”
There was an excitement in his voice that hadn’t been there since before our home had been burned to a crisp, and especially since losing Nikki and Bennett. As much as I didn’t like surprises, I couldn’t fathom denying his request and ruining his fun.
Before I could think too long about what Maciah might be up to, he was opening the door and unbuckling my seatbelt to lift me out of the seat. He carried me to the other side of the vehicle before setting me back on my feet and moving to my side.
“Okay, open your eyes,” he said fervently.
I blinked several times as I tried to process what I was seeing. It was my car. My Lexus. The first just-for-me purchase.
The two-door hardtop had been special to me, but when it was totaled after asshole vampires ran me and Rachel off the road, I’d thought my baby was a goner, a demolished ball of steel never to be seen again.
I took hesitant steps toward the black beauty. “Is this the same one?” I asked breathlessly.
Maciah nodded, following me. “The one and only. Of course, you’d gone and splurged on a limited-edition car, so finding all of the parts to keep original to the way you’d had her built wasn’t easy, but I wouldn’t return her to you less than perfect.”
My hands moved over the smooth surface of the roof. “You did this? For me?”
“Only for you,” he replied softly.
I turned toward Maciah and leapt into his arms, holding his
face between my hands. “Thank you.”
“Your smile is thanks enough.” His grip tightened on my ass. “Do you want to go for a ride?”
As much as I’d missed my car, there was a different type of ride that I was going to need first. “Maybe a little later,” I murmured as I scraped my teeth over his neck.
Before I knew it, my back was pressed against the inside of the elevator, and the doors were closing behind us. “I’m not too proud to admit that was the answer I was hoping you’d give,” Maciah said before kissing me.
I pulled back just enough to speak. “We have forever, and no one is ever going to take that from us.”
“Forever doesn’t seem like enough time to love you, but I won’t take a single second for granted,” Maciah whispered, his eyes darkening.
My legs squeezed tighter around his hips as the doors opened to our condo. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, and I’m going to spend the rest of the night showing you just how much.”
As he walked us into our bedroom, I couldn’t stop the smile from growing on my face. Just a few months ago, I was trying to kill him in this very room.
Now, I was able to easily see the rest of our lives play out as he lay me on the bed, melting my insides with just one look.
I’d known the moment I’d laid eyes on Maciah that he would be different, and every day we had together made me more thankful than the day before.
Maciah was mine and I was his. There was nothing, and no one, that would ever change that. Not today or centuries from now.
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Then, flip the page to see what’s next for this world!
AFTERWORD
Mystics and Mayhem was a dream I had a couple years ago. It began with a snarky fae and turned into something I never predicted! If you’re just joining us, Mystics and Mayhem is a fantasy world in which I’ve been writing the last few of my book series in.
None of the series contain spoilers to the others, only fun cameos from some of your favorite characters. If you want to start at the beginning, here is there recommended reading order:
Broken Court
Luna Marked
Scorned by Blood
Fated to the Wolf
If you’ve been around from the beginning, then I hope you’re excited to see that there will be another series in this world! Fated to the Wolf will be a dual POV trilogy. The leading lady is a witch named Andie and do you remember that pesky rogue wolf named Foster that we’ve seen pop up a couple of times now? He’s our brooding love interest. Don’t tell the others…but he might be my favorite so far. That’s a secret just between us, though!
Want to be the first to know when their story is out? Sign up for my newsletter and join my reader group for early sneak peeks and other updates! Options on the next page :)
Mostly, I just wanted to say thank you to my readers for embracing this world and all things Mystics and Mayhem! I’ve had a blast writing these characters and can’t wait to see where else they take us!!
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ALSO BY HEATHER RENEE
Scorned by Blood
A complete New Adult Vampire series featuring a not-so-human leading lady and the sexy vampire bound to protect her no matter the cost.
Luna Marked
A complete New Adult wolf shifter series (dual POV) featuring a strong-willed leading lady and a patient, yet fierce alpha male.
Broken Court
A complete New Adult Urban Fantasy series featuring an unconventional and anti-heroine leading lady, a broody love interest, and a fae kingdom with a vile king.
Royal Fae Guardians
A complete Young Adult Urban Fantasy series featuring fae, magic users, a sweet romance, along with snark and humor.
Shadow Veil Academy
A complete Upper Young Adult Urban Fantasy Academy series featuring shifters, elves, witches, and more.
Elite Supernatural Trackers
A complete New Adult Urban Fantasy series featuring witches, demons, a smart-mouthed female lead, alpha males, and a snarky fairy sidekick.
Raven Point Pack Series
A complete Upper Young Adult Paranormal Romance series featuring wolves, witches, vengeance, and fated mates.
Blood of the Sea Series
A complete Young Adult Paranormal Romance series featuring vampires, open seas adventures, and the occasional pirate.
Standalone
Marked Paradox - A complete Young Adult Fantasy fae story about a realm divided and one fae to bring them back together.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Heather Renee is a USA Today bestselling author who lives in Oregon. She writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels with a mixture of adventure, humor, and sass. Her love of reading eventually led to her passion for writing and giving the gift of escapism.
When Heather’s not writing, she is spending time with her loving husband and beautiful daughter, going on their own adventures. For more ways to connect with her, visit www.HeatherReneeAuthor.com.
Vampire Vow (Scorned by Blood Book 3) Page 16
