Diadem of Blood and Bones

by Ripley Proserpina

  “After finals, we marry her,” Valen said as the door closed behind them. He pulled out a chair, and Hudson sat her in it.

  “Good idea!” Marcus said. “New Year’s Eve. New Year, new name. Briar Filipelli.”

  Briar swallowed hard. “This discussion reminds me that we do have one more battle ahead of us.”

  The guys got serious fast. “What is it, little one?” Valen asked. “Talk to us.”

  “You have to tell my mother.”

  A slow smile grew across Valen’s face. “That is the kind of battle I look forward to. I love you.”

  An answering smile tickled Briar’s lips, and she touched them with her fingers. Inside, her vampire was content and sure of their safety. A future full of family and happiness stretched infinitely in front of her.

  “I love you,” she said to Valen, but her gaze went to each of the men who challenged and protected her. “I’ll love you all. Forever.”

  Epilogue

  Briar

  “Briar Hale, Master’s of Science, Biology.”

  The sun was bright on this early May day. It was hot against the back of Briar’s neck as she glanced down at the stairs leading to the stage. Hand on the railing, Briar was momentarily distracted by her diamond ring, winking in the light.

  She took a breath, placed one foot in front of the other, and walked across the stage. The president of Boston College handed over her diploma and shook her hand.

  She’d done it.

  Today was the culmination of years of work.

  Briar’s degree had taken her longer than she’d planned, but biology was so interesting and with the labs of Boston College and Harvard University at her disposal, she’d researched everything that caught her interest.

  Briar knelt, diploma in hand, and waited to receive the hood that would signify the end of her graduate studies. “Ready?” a small voice asked, and Briar nodded. Two tiny hands lifted her graduate hood over her head carefully and settled it onto her shoulders. “Congratulations, Mommy.”

  Briar turned to sweep her daughter into her arms and shower her with kisses. Lindy giggled and threw her arms around Briar’s neck. Her eyes, dark like Sylvain’s, sparkled as she blew a raspberry against Briar’s cheek.

  Standing to stride off the stage, Briar lifted her gaze and met the proud stares of her husbands and the watery smiles of her parents. Her mother glanced up at the blue sky and then back to her with a smile. The sun was no longer Briar’s enemy. As far as her parents understood, the condition that had forced Briar to hide was treatable with an experimental medicine Hudson had developed.

  Amazingly, her family had accepted the presence of four guys in her life easily. Assumptions were made about Sylvain being her boyfriend, and they’d never really clarified that all of them were in a relationship. Sometimes, Mom gave her a strange look, but she kept her opinions to herself. She was just happy to have a healthy daughter, and a beautiful grandchild.

  Mom glanced away, patting Hudson on the shoulder and pointing to Lindy and then Briar. Whatever she said had Hudson throwing back his head to laugh. Sylvain leaned over, brown eyes twinkling wickedly to say something to Marcus. Her mom suddenly blushed. Briar could only imagine what he’d said. Valen’s gaze bounced between her and Lindy, eyebrows raised as if to ask, “Do you need me?”

  “I love you.” She mouthed the words to the men who had given her more happiness than she ever believed possible.

  As if they planned it, each of them stood, clapping and hollering, as they pushed through the crowd to meet her as she walked off the stage and into their waiting arms.

  The End

  Acknowledgments

  I’ve never written acknowledgements before, but the end of a series feels like the appropriate time.

  Thank you, first, to Rebecca Royce. My critique partner. Granter of wishes. Holder of hair. None of this would have been possible without you saying, “Do it.”

  Thank you, Steph. You read my very first book, a monstrosity of 120,000 words told in first person present tense. But you made me feel like a writer, and you accepted those printed pages with a smile and told me to keep going. I wouldn’t have dared without you.

  Thank you to my editors, Heather Long, Jennifer Leigh Jones and Becky Lynn who push me to be better. You don’t accept mediocrity or inaccurate semi-colon use.

  Thank you to my cover designer, Leanne, who goes back and forth a million times.

  Thank you, Bethany. You are the friend who makes me tough, who makes me laugh, and who drives my getaway car.

  Thank you, Annie. For roos and squirrels.

  And thank you to my family. You tolerate me when I walk around like a zombie because my head is with my characters. You support me and celebrate with me and are the greatest thing I’ll ever have in my life.

  Thank you also to goats.

  And my cats.

  And Optimus Prime.

  Untitled

  Author Bio:

  Ripley Proserpina spends her days huddled near a fire in the frozen northern wilds of Vermont. She lives with her family, three magnificent cats, and a dog she doesn’t deserve.

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  On the web: www.ripleyproserpina.com

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  Books by Ripley:

  Midnight’s Crown:

  Briar

  Shadow of Thorns

  Diadem of Blood and Bones

  The Searchers Series:

  Finding Honor

  Finding Nora

  Finding Valor

  Finding Truth

  Finding Courage: Coming Soon!

  Demon Matched Series:

  Matched with a Demon

  Wishes and Curses Series:

  Wrath and Ruin:

  Revolution and Rising: Coming Soon!

  Anthologies:

  Snow and Seduction

  Valos of Sonhadra:

  Whirlwind: http://amzn.to/2EBrRQj

  Standalones:

  The Ice Bride

  Missing Linc

  While Beauty Sleeps