Into The Divine

by Danielle James

  “They should have been here an hour ago,” Rebel grumbled.

  “I know I am anxious to see my daughter as well,” Angel added. “And remember, Leigh is going to be making two trips.”

  “You don’t think they could manage to fly them all here at the same time?” Frankie asked.

  “No, that would not be safe,” Azerial commented. “But perhaps I can help.”

  “What can you do?” Serena asked her.

  Azerial smiled and vanished.

  Samuel stared at the place beside him where she had been. The moonlight shone brightly and reflected off the mating mark he now wore on his neck. “I hate it when she does that,” he muttered.

  “What do you think she has in mind?” Serena asked.

  “With her, there is no telling,” Sam answered.

  They all stood outside watching the night sky. They were waiting patiently for their mates and children to return home from Boston. The house had been fixed and cleaned, and Antonio removed all the explosives from the house. The children would hopefully never know the extent of what really happened in their home, and Angel hoped he never had to tell them.

  In only a matter of minutes, Azerial returned. “Ok, I’m ready if you are.”

  “Ready for what?” Samuel asked.

  “To see your family,” she said as if he were supposed to already know.

  “I have been ready,” Rebel chimed in. “The sooner the better.”

  “All right. Everyone step back,” she demanded.

  Azerial lifted her hands into the air and breathed in the salty air. Then she brought her hands together in a single clap. They made a thunderous noise and everyone covered their ears. Then, when they dared to look, their family was standing in front of them. “Daddy!” Jade squealed as she leapt into her father’s arms. Brea was right behind her and Angel held them close to his chest. “My girls,” he cooed at them, showering them with kisses and love.

  Jessica jumped into Sebastian’s arms and he kissed her hard.

  Macy hugged Antonio and watched along with Keelie and Ricco as everyone reunited as if they had been gone an eternity.

  “That woman of yours really is something,” Rebel told Sam as he hugged his daughter.

  “Yeah, she is,” Samuel agreed.

  “I wish I could have done it faster,” Azerial said. “I had to find them and ask them to land before bringing them here. I didn’t want to yank them out of the air.”

  “You did perfectly,” Samuel told her and kissed her on the nose.

  “It is time,” Keelie said loud enough for everyone to hear.

  “Ah,” Antonio whined, “I don’t want to go yet.”

  Macy took his hand and smiled at him widely. “It isn’t like we can’t come back,” she said.

  “True,” Antonio agreed.

  “Do you have a spell?” Serena asked Frankie.

  “I think I have just the thing,” she answered. “It’s a spell to put something back where it belongs. I think if I word it a little differently it may just be what we need.”

  “Yeah, it’s time for me to go too,” Phoenix said. “Kelly has been missing me and I’ve got my own family to look after.”

  Angel came up to Phoenix and stretched out his hand. Phoenix took it and shook it. “I can’t thank you enough, man.”

  “My pleasure,” he replied. He smiled and stepped away from everyone.

  They all watched as Phoenix spread his wings. The fire inside him lit up his feathers and he shot into the sky as a ball of fire. “Man, I gotta give that cousin of mine some respect,” Leigh said to anyone who was listening.

  “Yeah,” Frankie said. “Now, it is time to put everything back the way it is supposed to be.”

  Brea fought to hold back her tears. Keelie wrapped her arm around her best friend. “It’s gonna be all right,” she whispered.

  “I know,” Brea choked out. “But I am going to miss you so much.”

  “It’s not like we won’t ever see each other again,” Antonio pointed out. “Hell, I have died and come back twice now. No wait, three times. You never know what the future might hold.”

  The family took a moment to embrace each other, saying goodbyes that they weren’t afforded the first time around. And then, it was time. Macy, Antonio, Keelie and Ricco all stepped into the circle of candles.

  Frankie said a blessing as everyone joined hands. When the circle was complete, she began the spell that would put everything back to rights. “A place for everything and everything in its place. We send back now our love that was borrowed, return to your rightful space. Upon arrival we thank you for your gift, also returned with a tear and a piece of our hearts shall you keep.”

  Azerial couldn’t help but let the tears flow freely from her eyes as she watched the fallen return to their rightful place in the heavens. They had become her family as well, and even though she could visit with them whenever she wanted, she hated that the rest of her family could not. She hurt for them. She let her grief mix with her new family’s and watched as the four inside the circle shimmered and disappeared from sight.

  Ten months later…

  “Can we just get steel blinds?” Leigh grumbled as she put out the fire on the drapes. Again.

  “Now where would be the fun in that?” Azerial laughed. “She will learn to control it one day.”

  As if she knew exactly what Azerial was saying, little Toni flew past and shrieked at her mom. “It’s a good thing the guys make a lot of money with their music,” Leigh continued, “Otherwise, we would all go broke on fire extinguishers and drapes alone.”

  Azerial smiled. “Come little one,” she said to the baby dragon. Well, if they were going to be completely technical, Toni was a toddler now. That didn’t mean that she wasn’t very much a baby to them all.

  Toni flew right into Azerial’s arms and shifted into her human form. “That’s better,” Azerial said. Toni cooed at her and reached up to her face with her little hand. “She is going to be special,” she told Leigh, “I know it.”

  “She already is special,” Leigh said, beaming with pride. “And she really likes you. You are so patient. One day, you are gonna make a great mother.”

  Samuel chose that moment to join the conversation. He wrapped his arm around Azerial’s waist and leaned over to kiss Toni on her head. “I agree,” he said. “I can’t wait.”

  Leigh looked at the couple who were holding her child. The expressions of love were unmistakable. They would make great parents. Azerial handed Toni over to her mother and Samuel pulled her in closer. He gently laid his hand on her lower belly and kissed her softly. “I just can’t wait,” he said again against her lips.

  Leigh looked from Toni to Azerial to Samuel. She knew that look. It was the look of someone keeping a precious secret. “Seriously?” she asked, lighting up like a Christmas tree.

  They both looked at her, but didn’t deny it. All Leigh could do was grin like an idiot and say, “Oh my Goddess.”

  EPILOGUE

  The lights went out and the stage was plunged into darkness. A hush fell over the crowd as they waited for what was to come next. The announcer came over the PA system then. “Ladies and gentlemen, please, welcome back to the stage, Angel Knight!”

  The crowd erupted in cheers and hoot and hollers. Whistles blew and fans clapped their hands above their heads. Cell phones and lighters lit the arena and cast a glow overhead. A single light shone down on the stage in front of a microphone, and there, in that light, was Angel.

  He brushed his sweat-soaked hair over his shoulder with one hand and waited patiently for the noise to die down before he spoke. “I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you. We would like to thank Danie for all the times she got out of bed in the middle of the night to write the things we were shouting at her. She gave us life and for that, we could never say thank you enough. To Lisa, who loved us all enough to make us shine as brightly as the sun, we love you and thank you,” he gave a little wink just for her. “We
want to thank all of you who stuck with our family and stayed by our side through the good times and the hard times. We thank you for welcoming each new member into our family.” At that moment, Brea and Jade joined Angel on the stage. He wrapped his arm around his wife and his daughter.

  There was a shuffling on stage and then another spotlight came on, this time, over Sebastian and Jessica. Sebastian waved and Jessica blew a kiss into the crowd. Applause and cheers filled the arena.

  Another spotlight. This one over Rebel, Leigh, and little Toni. Again, as Rebel waved and Toni grinned, the crowd cheered. The same thing as spotlights centered over the other couples as well. Jacque and Frankie, Samuel and Azerial, Gage and Serena. When they had all waved, Angel cleared his throat.

  “Oh I almost forgot,” Azerial said as she clapped her hands together one time. A fog-like mist appeared on the stage and when it settled, the remaining family was there. Antonio and Macy stood hand in hand on one side, Keelie and Ricco on the other. The crowd exploded in applause and cheers and it took several minutes before Angel could speak again.

  “You have followed our family as it grew and we wanted you to know that we have known it. We have heard every laugh, seen every tear, felt all your frustrations, but most of all, we have felt your love. You are just as much a part of our family as we are. You have made our lives what they are. It is because of you that we are so much more than words on a page. It is you who gave us a life of our own. It is because you loved us, that we will live forever.”

  The family joined hands and lifted them into the air. As a single unit, they all bowed deep at the waist. When they stood, the decibel of applause was deafening. Just before the lights on the stage went out, Angel looked into the crowd and into the eyes of every soul reading this now. He smiled a huge grin that showcased his fangs, thrust his fist into the air, and then he shouted into the night, “We love you all! Goodnight!”

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  Into the Divine was the hardest book for me to write in this series. It was so full of emotion for me, that on several occasions I had to stop and walk away. I hated every minute of the chapter that saw the death of my precious family. In fact, I received all kinds of interesting ideas from my betas about where they could hide my body. Now, with that being said, I was overjoyed when the guys told me that it wasn’t going to end that way.

  I think I cried more than not during this book. It just feels so final. It felt like goodbye. At this time, there will not be another book in this series, but who knows what the future will hold? Not me. I expect at some point Jade will want her story told, just as Toni will. When that day comes, and I hope that it does, I will be ready to tell their stories for them.

  I have gained so much from this series. Not only have I gained a wonderful family, (so what if they live in my head,) but I have gained some of the most loyal fans a writer could ask for. I have gained friends. I am still shocked and humbled by the response my guys get and how much they are loved by my readers. I only hope that I can do the Knight family justice with future books that I will write.

  I couldn’t possibly name all the people who have helped me along the way. There are so many of you and I hope that you will forgive the mass message, but thank you. Thank you for being there for me and thank you for loving my little family. You all have a special place in my heart and will stay there.

  Reviews are the life-blood of the indie author and so I have to ask that if you read this, take a moment to post a review, please. If this is your first encounter with the Forbidden Love Series, then read on. There are a few teasers in the following pages.

  Again, thank you so much and keep reading!

  With much love and respect,

  Danielle James

  Contact me:

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Danielle-James-Author/148085235274682

  Email: ddjames1976@aol.com

  Website: www.daniellejames.webs.com