Cliff's Descent

by Dianne Duvall

  Seth shrugged. “Because it would appear my father healed you.”

  Bastien’s and Aidan’s mouths fell open.

  Cliff was pretty sure his did, too, as the most absurd thought flashed through his mind. “You have a father?”

  Emma looked up at him. “I’m so glad you asked that, because I was thinking the same thing.”

  Seth laughed. “Yes, I have a father. One whose powers make mine seem paltry by comparison.” He smiled at Cliff. “And apparently your willingness to sacrifice yourself to spare me and members of my Immortal Guardian family pain, injury, and even death made an impression on him. Because he not only eradicated the virus, he reversed the brain damage you suffered and fully restored your immune system.”

  Cliff tightened his hold on Emma’s hand as his heart began to pound. “You’re sure?”

  Seth’s smile widened. “I’m sure. You are now a wholly healthy human, Cliff.” His brow furrowed. “Although you’ve lost the greater regenerative properties the virus gave you, so you will age now.”

  Awe and wonder swept over Cliff as he turned to Emma. “I’m going to age now.” Joy made his chest swell and his heart expand. “We can grow old together.”

  Smiling through her tears, Emma nodded. “We can grow old together.”

  Elation filling him, Cliff swept her into his arms and buried his face in her neck. When that wasn’t enough, he swung her around. He was free of the virus! After years of struggling and suffering, of fighting and desperately clinging to hope, he was human again!

  And they could have their happily-ever-after.

  Emma laughed and cried at the same time while Cliff wept against her shoulder.

  They could have their happily-ever-after!

  Lowering her feet to the ground, he raised his head and stared down at her, reveling in the love and joy that lit her beautiful features, knowing she saw the same in his. “This is who we are,” he murmured, thinking of the photo she had taken of them so long ago in which they’d been so happy.

  A tear slipped over her lashes and trailed down her cheek. “This is who we are, honey. Now and always.”

  Smiling, he dipped his head and kissed her trembling lips, pouring all of the emotion that overwhelmed him into it. He couldn’t believe his long battle was over. Couldn’t believe that he was once more that man in the picture. Couldn’t believe this was real.

  He lifted his head. His smiled faltered as fear and dread slithered through him. “Wait.” Releasing Emma, Cliff stepped back and regarded them all with dawning alarm. “This is real, isn’t it? It’s not a delusion or a hallucination or”—he looked at Seth—“false memories you planted?”

  Seth winced. “No, I only did that the one time, Cliff, and realize now the error of it. This is real.”

  Cliff looked at Aidan.

  “It’s real,” the Celt told him, his voice gruff with emotion.

  Bastien nodded as he closed the distance between them. “Real enough that I need to get my ass inside soon because—unlike you—I still roast in the sun, you lucky bastard.”

  Cliff laughed with relief as Bastien yanked him into a hearty hug.

  Then Aidan hugged him.

  Cliff shook his head as he stared up at Seth. “I don’t know how to thank you. Or your father. You’ve given me…” Taking Emma’s hand, he twined his fingers through hers. “Everything.”

  Seth clapped him on the shoulder. “You deserve it, Cliff. You’ve had a long, difficult journey that robs all others like you of their honor. But you clung to yours with admirable tenacity and deserve every ounce of happiness you find now.”

  Skillet’s “Monster” filled the air as the sky began to lighten.

  Seth fumbled in his pocket for his phone. “Yes?” He was quiet a moment as he listened. His gaze slid to Bastien. “I know why you’re calling, and everything is all right. Bastien and I will be along shortly to explain.” He listened another moment. “We’ll be there momentarily.” He pocketed his phone.

  Cliff smiled. “It’s weird not being able to hear both sides of the conversation now.”

  “That was Melanie,” Seth told him. “I believe she’s discovered the absence of the virus in your blood work. She said she needed to see me immediately and sounded panicked. Bastien and I will let her know what happened.”

  Unease trickled through him. “How are we going to explain this to Stuart and the other vampires?” And how would the other vampires react to the knowledge that Cliff had been healed but their struggle would continue?

  Guilt suffused him.

  “I don’t know,” Seth said. “We’ll speak to Melanie in Chris’s boardroom so the vamps won’t hear us. We need to bring Chris into the loop anyway.” His countenance turned contemplative for a moment. “Maybe he can help us figure out a way to reunite you with your family as well.”

  Cliff stared at him, eyes wide as he tried not to get his hopes up. “Do you think that’s possible—that I could see my dad?” His mom had died of cancer when he was a boy, and his dad had never remarried. So it had just been the two of them, with his grandparents visiting as often as they could to try to fill the void.

  Bastien snorted. “Are you kidding? Reordon is like Seth. With him, anything is possible.”

  Seth nodded. “But we’ll need time to come up with something.”

  “That’s fine,” Cliff assured him.

  Seth looked at Bastien. “Are you ready to go?”

  “Yes. Melanie doesn’t know I’m at Emma’s and will worry if I don’t get my ass back before sunrise.” He looked at Emma. “I’ll return for the car tomorrow.”

  “No need,” Aidan said. “I’ll drive it to the network for you. Maybe we can put our heads together once I get there and come up with a plausible explanation for the vamps.”

  Bastien nodded. “Sounds good. The keys are in the ignition.”

  Seth glanced at Cliff. “I assume you’d like to stay?”

  “Yes.”

  Seth smiled. “We’ll leave you two to celebrate then.”

  In the next instant, he and Bastien vanished. Tossing them a wave, Aidan ducked into the Chevy, started the engine, and drove away, leaving Cliff and Emma alone.

  Still holding her hand, Cliff looked down at her and smiled. “Hi there.”

  “Hi yourself.” Emma swiveled to face him. Offering him a mischievous smile, she slid an arm around his waist and leaned into him. “Has anyone ever told you you’re the hottest human on the planet?”

  He laughed. “No. But I believe you have that honor.”

  “Flatterer.”

  He shook his head. “I still can’t quite believe it,” he admitted softly.

  “I know. I think it hasn’t fully hit me yet.”

  He glanced around. The gray sky began to acquire a golden glow. “Would it be okay if we stayed out here for a little while?”

  She gave his fingers a squeeze. “I’d like that.”

  Turning, they strolled toward the front porch, where they sank onto the steps, sitting side by side with their hips pressed together. Cliff kissed the back of her hand, then rested it on his knee.

  The soft sounds of nature helped calm his chaotic thoughts as he absently stroked her fingers. Now that the trauma of thinking he would die today had passed, his mind quieted, needing a reprieve.

  Birdsong floated on the cool breeze. Scuttling sounds arose as two squirrels chased each other around and around an oak tree at the edge of the yard.

  Peace fell upon them as he and Emma leaned into each other and let it all gradually sink in.

  A third squirrel joined the other two and drove the chase to another tree.

  A crow caw, caw, cawed in the distance.

  Cliff sighed, his lips curling up at the edges as happiness suffused him. “How would you feel about adding a picket fence?” he asked softly.

  Emma surveyed the yard, her expression thoughtful. “I’d like it. If we had a dog, a fence would keep
him from chasing after whatever wildlife happens by and getting into trouble.”

  He squeezed her hand. “And keep the children from wandering too far?” His heart swelled as she looked up at him, her face filling with wonder at the realization that they could have children now.

  She smiled. “That sounds perfect, honey.”

  Dipping his head, he pressed a kiss to her lips. “I love you, Emma.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Releasing her hand, Cliff wrapped an arm around her and held her close as the two of them watched the sun rise.

  * * *

  Thank you for reading Cliff’s Descent. It’s a story I’ve wanted to tell for quite some time now. For the many Immortal Guardians fans who have asked me to please find a way to save Cliff, I hope you’re as satisfied with his happily-ever-after as Cliff is.

  If this was your first time reading an Immortal Guardians book, I hope you enjoyed Emma and Cliff’s story and liked meeting some of the crew. Just a note: Cliff’s tale is more somber than others in the series because of his unique circumstances. You’ll find more humor sprinkled throughout the rest. Though their personalities and backgrounds vary, my Immortal Guardians are deeply loyal to each other and—despite the sometimes dark and violent lives they lead—love to laugh and tease each other. The men also all adore strong women. So if you appreciate heroines who kick ass, you’ll find a lot of them in my series.

  Thank you again for reading Cliff’s Descent. If you enjoyed it, please consider rating or reviewing it at an online retailer of your choice. I appreciate your support so much and am always thrilled when I see that one of my books made a reader happy. Ratings and reviews are also an excellent way to recommend an author’s books, create word of mouth, and help other readers find new favorites.

  Dianne Duvall

  www.DianneDuvall.com

  Dianne’s Newsletter

  Acknowledgements

  As always, I want to thank Crystal. You’re amazing and such a pleasure to work with. I don’t know what I’d do without you. I also want to send hugs and a great big thank you to my fabulous Street Team. You all rock!! I hope you know how much your continued support means to me and how very much I appreciate it. More love and hugs go to the members of my Dianne Duvall Books Group on Facebook. I have so much fun in there with you and can always count on you to spark smiles and laughter.

  Thank you, Kirsten Potter, for giving my characters unique and entertaining voices that continue to delight listeners. More thanks go to my editor, Anne Victory, who is such a joy to work with, as well as the other behind-the-scenes individuals who helped me bring you Cliff’s Descent.

  And, of course, I want to thank the Immortal Guardians fans who requested this story and all of the other wonderful readers who have picked up copies of my books. You’ve made living my dream possible. I wish you all the best.

  About the Author

  Dianne Duvall is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of the acclaimed Immortal Guardians paranormal romance series, the Aldebarian Alliance sci-fi romance series, and The Gifted Ones medieval and time-travel romance series. She is known for writing stories full of action that will keep you flipping pages well past your bedtime, strong heroes who adore strong heroines, lovable secondary characters, swoon-worthy romance, and humor that readers frequently complain makes them laugh out loud at inappropriate moments. Reviewers have called Dianne's books "fast-paced and humorous" (Publishers Weekly), "utterly addictive" (RT Book Reviews), "extraordinary" (Long and Short Reviews), and "wonderfully imaginative" (The Romance Reviews).

  The Lasaran (Aldebarian Alliance Book 1) was a #1 Audible Mover & Shaker. The Segonian (Aldebarian Alliance Book 2) was a Barnes&Noble Top Indie Favorite. Audible chose Awaken the Darkness (Immortal Guardians Book 8) as one of the Top 5 Best Paranormal Romances of 2018. Her audiobooks have been awarded multiple AudioFile Earphone Awards for Excellence. One was nominated for a prestigious Audie Award. And her books have twice been nominated for RT Reviewers' Choice Awards.

  When she isn't writing, Dianne is active in the independent film industry and has even appeared on-screen, crawling out of a moonlit grave and wielding a machete like some of the psychotic vampires she creates in her books.

  For the latest news on upcoming releases, contests, and more, please visit www.DianneDuvall.com. You can also connect with Dianne online:

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