by S. J. West
“Bold words,” I say, feeling my whole body ignite with breathless anticipation.
“True words,” he replies back confidently before pressing his lips against mine and making good on his promise.
My life has never been this sweet and perfect before, and I thank Helena for entrusting me with her most precious gift to the universe. I know the life Ethan, Cal, and I will have together may not be free of hardships (almost no one is blessed with such a fairy tale ending), but I do know that Ethan and I will make sure our son feels safe, happy, and, above all else, loved.
EPILOGUE
PART 1. JULES
“What do you think?” I ask Cal as I twirl before him in my wedding gown. “Do you think your daddy will approve?”
Cal gurgles at me from his posh white silk pillow seat on the floor of the castle’s living room and smiles like I’m the prettiest thing he’s ever seen. I’m sure it’s the way the diamonds on the gown sparkle when I move that’s causing him to smile, but I also like to believe that he’s just a happy baby who loves his life and his mommy.
“You know you look gorgeous,” my mom says as she walks over to me with the veiled crown that goes along with the dress.
“It should considering how much this dress must have cost Anna,” I tell her as she sets the small diamond and pearl crown on my head.
“Are you sure you don’t want to wear your hair up?” my mother asks, studying me with her critical eyes. “I think the veil would work better if you did.”
“I like wearing my hair down,” I tell her for what feels like the hundredth time. “Ethan likes to tug on it, especially when we …”
“Please stop there,” my mother begs, holding up both of her hands in front of her face as if such an action will stop my next words.
“Kiss, Mom. What did you think I was going to say?” I chastise her. “Cal is sitting in the room. I’m not about to describe my incredibly wonderful S-E-X life with Ethan in front of him.”
“I’m still shocked you only made Ethan wait three months before you agreed to marry him,” my mom says as she fans out the back of my dress to prevent the silk from forming any wrinkles before I walk down the aisle. “You’re normally not one to rush into things that are so important.”
“Honestly, I would have married him the day we were given Cal, but then I thought better of it. This way, he can’t claim a present is my birthday and my wedding gift. I’m sure to get two surprises now.”
My mother chuckles. “Like you lack for anything.”
I shrug. “It doesn’t have to be a physical item. I’m just hoping for special day trips together when he doesn’t have to worry about the state of this planet. Manas left it in more of a shambles than any of us realized. It’s going to take us years to straighten things out.”
“Do you think Ethan understood how much time tending to the needs of this world would take when he accepted the position?”
“I really don’t.” I sigh. “But Zane and Xander will be taking on more responsibilities soon, and Gideon asked to be stationed here as well.”
“It seems like Anna is sending more and more of her War Angels out into the universe,” my mother says, looking troubled by that development.
“Then I guess it’s a good thing you and Uncle Enis will be moving to Cirrus to help keep an eye on her and her family.”
“Are you sure you don’t need us here? You know we would move to Laed-i instead, if you do.”
I hold my hand out to my mother and she accepts it.
“Listen, Mom. I know you’ve been wanting to help protect Anna and her children for a long time now. This is your chance, and you need to take it! Besides, it’s not like you can’t phase over here every day, if you wanted to.”
“I’m sure Ethan would love us interrupting his married life so frequently,” she jokes.
“He knows how much you and Uncle Enis mean to me. Besides, you’re family, and we will always make time for family no matter how busy our lives get.”
Cal gurgles, drawing our attention back to him.
“Your mother may be marrying a handsome War Angel today,” my mother tells Cal as she walks over to lift him up out of his seat, “but I get to have the most handsome angel as my escort.”
“I can’t even argue with that,” I say, smiling at the picture my mother makes holding my son.
“I’ve been meaning to ask,” she begins hesitantly, “has Cal shown any signs of having special abilities yet?”
I shake my head. “Not yet. We keep expecting something to happen at any time, but so far, he’s just a happy little baby.”
“How did you explain the wings on his back to the people on this planet?”
“That was fairly easy, actually. Since the people here don’t know that much about Earth, we just told them that only the most blessed babies are born with wings. No one questioned the explanation when Ethan said it. I think Manas has everyone on this planet conditioned to accept anything the king tells them without even thinking about questioning him. It’s not ideal to have such drones as citizens, but in this instance, it worked in our favor.”
There’s a light knock on the door, and I tell the two lovely ladies I’m expecting to come in.
Anna and Verati walk into the room dressed in their sleeveless coral bridesmaid dresses.
“You are beyond gorgeous!” a pleasantly pregnant Verati squeals with delight when she sees me.
“I owe it all to the dress,” I tell her. “I can’t thank you enough for having it designed for me, Anna. I’ve never owned anything this extravagant.”
“You’re becoming a wife and a queen today,” she tells me. “If ever there was an occasion to wear something elaborate, this is the day. Besides, buying it allowed me to help a whole town in my down-world because they wouldn’t take a handout from me.”
Anna’s eyes travel from me to Cal, and I see a look of sadness pass over her features.
“Can I hold him?” she asks my mom.
My mom looks to me for permission first, and of course, I nod my head.
Anna hesitates before accepting him into her arms, and I realize this is the first time she’s ever asked to hold my son. I’m not sure why. She and her family have visited us on Laed-i a few times now over the past few months, but now that I think back on it, only Malcolm and Lucas have ever held Cal. It makes me wonder why she hasn’t asked before this moment.
As soon as Anna touches Cal, he begins to clap his little hands together and gurgle with delight. I see a relieved smile grace Anna’s face as she cradles him in her arms, being extra careful with the wings on his back.
“Hello, Cal,” she says to him. “I’m your Aunt Anna. I want you to know you can count on me to always look out for you. I love both of your fathers very much, and I promise that you will never want for anything.”
Cal gurgles in response to Anna’s words. I have no idea what he thinks he’s saying. Perhaps he’s telling us all of God’s plans for the universe. All I do know is that my son is happy, healthy, and wise beyond his years.
“Anna,” I say, having considered the question I want to ask her multiple times but uncertain I want to hear the answer, “do you think I should abide by Helena’s rule about telling Cal who his real parents are? Or do you think I should tell him?”
“That’s really not for me to say,” she replies, “but I believe there may come a time when you will have to tell him the truth.”
“What makes you say that?”
Anna looks down at Cal. “Because he is his mother’s son, and being born from Helena more than likely means he’ll develop powers beyond anything we’ve seen before. I don’t know what those powers will be, but he’ll want to know where they came from. Since you’re human, he’ll know they didn’t come from you. So, yes, I do believe you’ll end up having to tell him about the woman who gave birth to him, but make no mistake about it, Jules, you will always be his mother. He will rely on your love for him as he grows and faces the hardships of the world
.”
“So, your advice is to wait to tell him?” I ask, just to clarify.
“You’ll know when the time is right,” she tells me. “And don’t fear that he’ll hate you for keeping such a secret from him. I was raised by a man who loved me so much that he became human for me. He never told me that Lucifer was my biological father, and I never resented him for keeping it a secret from me. Parents do what they have to do to protect their children, and Cal will understand that when the time comes.”
“I hope so,” I say, dreading that future day. Odds are it will be many years before that happens, but just knowing that it will scares me.
“Don’t think about all of that right now,” Anna urges me. “Today is a celebration of the love you, Ethan, and Cal have for one another. Focus on that and not something that will more than likely happen years from now. Enjoy happiness when it’s offered to you, Jules, and let tomorrow sort itself out on its own.”
Cal gurgles as if he agrees with Anna’s advice to me.
There’s another knock on the door right before Uncle Enis pokes his head inside the room.
“Are you ready?” he asks me. “I think the king is getting a little antsy standing up on the altar without you. And, just so you know, it’s not nice to keep God waiting.”
“What?” I practically yell. “Do you mean the God is here?”
“The one and only,” Uncle Enis answers with a smile. “Ethan wanted to keep it a surprise. He said you’ve been hounding him to get our father to come here for a while now. So, surprise! God’s officiating your wedding.”
“I don’t hound,” I retort, walking toward the door and Uncle Enis, whose job today is to make sure I don’t trip down the aisle. “I just asked if I could meet Him one day. That’s all.”
“Asking multiple times counts as hounding, Jules,” he tells me with a congenial smile as he opens the door wider so I can walk through it and into the hallway of the castle.
“Well, it worked,” I say giddily. “I’m just not sure I can take this day getting any better. Come on, ladies!” I say over my shoulder. I watch as Anna hands Cal back over to my mom while she and Verati take their positions in front of me. “We better not keep God waiting.”
When I walk down the red carpeted aisle of the small chapel in the castle, I smile when I see Ethan standing before God, waiting for me to come to him. I was already told about the form God likes to use when He visits. Apparently, He chose the handsome body of a bald black man eons ago when He first met an ancestor of Anna’s named Lilly. What I wasn’t prepared for is the feeling of love He seems to be emanating. It fills the whole chapel, bringing me a sense of calm certainty.
I no longer feel unsure that I’ll be a good enough wife to Ethan and mother to Cal. All of the doubts that I’ve been harboring over the past few months instantly fade away, and I know now that it was only my own fear that was feeding them.
Helena gave me her son to love and cherish. She trusts me to be the mother she can’t be right now, and I have no intention of ever making her regret placing so much of her faith in me.
PART 2. GOD
Unsurprisingly, I’m met by Lucifer and Cade the instant I return to Heaven from the wedding.
“How is my son?” Cade immediately asks, looking anxious about any news I can provide about the welfare of his child.
“Happy,” I tell him. “You and Helena chose his parents well, my son.”
“And do you still believe our plan will work?” Lucifer asks, not sounding as certain as he once did. “How long will it take before we know for sure?”
“I have hope that everyone’s paths will still converge,” I reply. “But you know as well as I how unpredictable free will can be. The only thing I can be certain of is that everything hinges on her.”
“I believe she’s strong enough to do what must be done in the end,” Cade says, full of confidence. “I refuse to believe otherwise.”
“All we can do is wait and see how things play out,” I tell them both. “Only time will be able to reveal the answer to us.”
I see a flicker of doubt enter Cade’s eyes, but I do nothing to snuff it out. Doubt can be a good thing sometimes. It can make a person strive harder for what he really wants, and that may be exactly what we need to succeed.
PART 3. HELENA
As I walk through the halls of my dark palace, I let my mind drift back to the stolen moments God gave me with Cade here. Why He decided to be so kind is still a mystery to me, but I dare not question His true motivation. In the end, it doesn’t matter why He did it, or why He felt it was important for me to not feel so alone. Perhaps He was trying to give me hope, but I don’t know what it is He believes I hope for. I know I can never be truly reunited with Cade, and according to what he told me, we will only be given two more chances to see one another. I have no idea when they will happen, but just knowing that they will gives me a sense of peace.
I abruptly come to a stop just as I pass the door to the room where Anna and Lucas stayed. Apparently someone has decided to come for another visit. I phase into the room and find my unexpected guest.
Liana has phased herself into my domain again and is playing on top of the bed with one of the pillows. When she sees me, she lets go of the pillow and holds her arms out to me.
I walk over to the side of the bed and just stare down at her as she continues to hold her arms up.
“You are a strange child,” I tell her, dumbfounded by her presence. “Why do you keep coming here to me?”
With a huff of frustration—presumably because I refuse to pick her up—Liana takes matters into her own hands and crawls across the bed until she reaches the side I’m standing next to. She stretches her hands out and grabs ahold of my dress’ red skirt in order to pull herself up until she can wrap her arms around me.
I instantly freeze, unsure what it is she expects me to do next.
“Au-hel, hug,” she practically orders.
For someone so young, she sure is bossy. Was “Au-hel” supposed to be “Aunt Helena”? How does she even know who I am? I feel her squeeze me hard as she repeats her words, practically demanding that I comply with her wishes.
Cautiously, I wrap my arms around her, which seems to satisfy her needs, but it doesn’t exactly help me decipher why she’s here. After a few more seconds, she lets me go, plops herself back down on the bed, and looks up at me expectantly.
“I have no idea what it is you want from me,” I confess.
Liana huffs again, as if I’m frustrating her by my lack of cooperation. She phases, and I can see that she’s gone back to Cirrus. I feel relieved that she’s gone, but my relief is short lived, because she returns within a few seconds holding a small red ball with white stars painted on it. I watch as she rolls it across the bed to me.
“P-ay, Au-Hel,” she says, looking pointedly between me and the ball.
“You are just a one-year-old, right?” I ask her, wondering how someone so young can be so self-possessed.
Liana huffs again and looks at me disappointedly.
“All right, all right,” I say, relenting to her wishes and leaning over to roll the ball back to her across the bed.
This seems to satisfy her because she giggles in glee and rolls the ball back to me.
I’m not sure what’s going on with Anna’s child, but I see her need to bond with me as fortuitous. I only slightly regret giving her one of the seals when she was born. That decision inadvertently doomed me to a forever life in my domain. Since I can no longer leave Hell, I wasn’t sure how I would be able to continue with my plans. If these little visits with Liana end up happening on a regular basis, I may still be able to succeed. Yet, do I really want to now? I’ve still been granted two more visits with Cade, and I don’t want to act too soon and waste those chances to see him again.
I suppose I will just have to bide my time and wait. For now, I’ll play Liana’s little game with her. If she decides to keep visiting her Aunt Helena as she grows up, perhaps I can
slowly convince her to play one of my games and win me the universe once and for all.
I’m in no rush.
Time is the one thing I have plenty of …
THE END…
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Thank you so much for reading War Angel Contingent, the first book in The Everlasting Fire Series.
If you have enjoyed this book please take a moment to leave a review to show your support. To leave a review please visit:
War Angel Contingent
Thank you in advance for leaving a review for the book and I hope you enjoyed the first installment of the Everlasting Fire Series. The next book will be entitled Between Cirrus and Laed-i. This story will follow the lives of Liana and Cal from infancy into young adulthood.
The next book that I will write that takes place within the Watcher universe will be Sweet Devotion: Mae and Tristan’s Story. I know many of you have been patiently waiting for this story since Devoted.
I plan to have it completed this autumn before the holiday season.
* * *
Sincerely,
S.J. West.
NEXT FROM S.J. WEST
THE VAMPIRE CONCLAVE SERIES
As a thank you for purchasing War Angel Contingent, the first book in The Everlasting Fire Series, I have included in this book the first chapter of Moonshade, book1 of The Vampire Conclave Series.
* * *
“Find me, Sarah…”
When a handsome stranger whispers these three little words to Sarah Marcel, she knows her life is forever changed.
For two weeks straight, Sarah’s been unable to eat, sleep, or even form a coherent thought properly. She fears she’s losing her mind until a chance encounter brings a man into her life who seems to hold the key to solving her problems. With a single touch, he’s able to ease her troubled soul and bring her some much-needed peace. Yet, just as Sarah believes she’s found the solution to her dilemma, he disappears.
