by Lia Davis
"Go to sleep, Phenex," Tala said.
"Yes, Tala," he replied.
"Goodnight girls," my mother's voice drifted over us. "Goodnight, uh, everyone else."
Soft laughter filled the air as those of us still awake chuckled at my mother's awkward show of affection for our ridiculous number of mates.
It was over. Maybe now life could go back to normal.
Whatever normal was.
Epilogue
Poppy
My girls had no idea I watched them. They had no idea of a lot of things. For now. I'd need them soon, but they had a few years before I had to disrupt their lives.
They'd defeated Trinity beautifully. I'd watched that as well, jumping for joy in my bedroom as I watched through a carefully placed portal.
Meda had kicked major ass. "I'm the granddaughter of Lucifer," she'd said. I chuckled remembering her sass.
All three of them had shown their extreme strength. Tala, using her empathy at the last minute was a stroke of genius. I probably should've taught her how to do that years ago. Oh, well, better to learn things by doing. She'd never forget it now.
My girls sat in the huge library of the home Meda's mate had bought them, blankets spread around and a roaring fire in the mantel. They'd figured out they were much stronger together and had been spending a lot of time together since they killed Trinity.
"What are you doing?" my Lilith asked, walking into my room. I indicated the window to the Earth realm, so she could see her girls.
"Oh, they look so tired," she said.
"They're exhausted. But Trinity is gone, and they have time to rest."
Lilith sucked in a breath. "What have you Seen?"
I hated to tell her. "Lilith, time passes differently on Earth, you know that. When we close this window and go to bed, we'll wake up tomorrow to find months or years have passed there."
She nodded. "Yes, but we always make it work." Furrowing her brow, she put a hand on my arm. To us, she'd only been with me in Hell for almost a year. On Earth, it had been more than eighteen. I hated to break the news to her. "Lucifer, what is it?"
She'd been distant since I forced her to return. But I'd Seen what was coming, knew it would take everything I had, every bit of support at my disposal. The day my son was born, I Saw the future of my family. My heirs.
Lilith didn't want to be here, but I'd had no other choice. She was the wife of my choice. No other woman had ever made me a fraction as happy as Lilith. I hadn't even looked sideways at another woman since Kane was born. Watching her birth my son had cemented my love for her in my heart. Having her here with me when he was an infant had been the happiest time of my life. Then she'd left, to raise him on Earth. I'd told her he would one day rule the vampires. It was important he be in the right places at the right times, to meet his mate.
Unfortunately, my beautiful lover didn't return my affection. She viewed me as a good time in bed, and I gave her the power she loved. I almost chuckled. That woman loved wearing a crown.
I hated to make her face fall into worry, but there was no choice. "The contracts are gone," I said. "All of them."
"What do you mean, gone?" She stepped back, looking through the window at our granddaughters and their mates. Mates I'd carefully selected years ago, appealing to the ancestors. Nobody knew I had power there.
I had power everywhere. Everywhere except Heaven.
Nobody knew I'd made sure, from the moment my son was born, that events would lead to this day.
If I hadn't, there would never be enough power to defeat him.
I put my hands on Lilith's arms. "Sammael has returned."
Thank you so much for taking this journey with Media, Tala, and Ami. It’s been one hell of a ride.
So what’s next in the collective world?
Poppy and Lilipad, of course!
The first book in the Lucifer’s War Trilogy, Consort, is available for preorder and releases January 22, 2020!
Click Here to Preorder your copy
Dark Water is a steamy Reverse Harem paranormal romance novel set in the Collective World. Please see the suggested reading order for the Collective World below.
Please note, Academy's Rise -- Hell Fire, Dark Waters, Dead Air -- can be read as a stand-alone trilogy. The below reading order is only suggested.
Welcome to the Collective World
Coven's End
Kane
Voss
Quin
Jillian
The Complete Series Bundle
Academy's Rise
Hell Fire
Dark Water
Dead Air
Lucifer's War
Consort (Jan 2020)
Assassin (Feb 2020)
Queen (March 2020)
About Lia Davis
Lia Davis is the USA Today bestselling author of more than forty books, including her fan favorite Ashwood Falls Series.
A lifelong fan of magic, mystery, romance and adventure, Lia’s novels feature compassionate alpha heroes and strong leading ladies, plenty of heat, and happily-ever-afters.
Lia makes her home in Northeast Florida where she battles hurricanes and humidity like one of her heroines.
When she’s not writing, she loves to spend time with her family, travel, read, enjoy nature, and spoil her kitties.
She also loves to hear from her readers. Send her a note at [email protected]!
Follow Lia on Social Media
Website: http://www.authorliadavis.com/
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Also by Lia Davis
Paranormal Series
Shifters of Ashwood Falls
Bears of Blackrock
Dragons of Ares
Gods and Dragons
Dark Scales Division (Co-written with Kerry Adrienne)
Shifting Magick Trilogy
The Divinities
Witches of Rose Lake
Coven’s End (Co-written with L.A. Boruff)
Academy’s Rise (Co-written with L.A. Boruff)
Singles Titles
First Contact (MM co-written with Kerry Adrienne)
Ghost in the Bottle (co-written with Kerry Adrienne)
Dragon’s Web
Royal Enchantment
Marked by Darkness
His Big Bad Wolf (MM)
Their Royal Ash
Tempting the Wolf
Hexed with Sass (part of the Milly Taiden Sassy Ever After World)
Claiming Her Dragons (Part of the Milly Taiden Paranormal Dating Agency)
Contemporaries
Pleasures of the Heart Series
Single Titles
His Guarded Heart (MM)
About L.A. Boruff
L.A. Boruff lives in East Tennessee with her husband, three children, and an ever growing number of cats. She loves reading, watching TV, and procrastinating by browsing Facebook. L.A.’s passions include vampires, food, and listening to heavy metal music. She once won a Harry Potter trivia contest based on the books, and lost one based on the movies. She has two bands on her bucket list that she still hasn’t seen: AC/DC and Alice Cooper. Feel free to send tickets.
Visit L.A.’s website and subscribe to the newsletter, or follow her on Facebook.
Also By L.A. Boruff
The Unseen War (Paranormal Reverse Harem) https://laboruff.com/books/unseen/
Coven’s End (Complete Paranormal Reverse Harem co-write with Lia Davis) https://laboruff.com/books/ce/
Academy’s
Rise (Paranormal Reverse Harem co-write with Lia Davis) https://laboruff.com/books/ar/
Valentine Pride (Complete Paranormal Reverse Harem co-write with Laura Greenwood) https://laboruff.com/books/valentine/
The Firehouse Feline (Paranormal Comedic Reverse harem co-write with Laura Greenwood and Lacey Carter Andersen) https://laboruff.com/books/the-firehouse-feline/
Southern Soil (Sweet Contemporary Reverse Harem) https://laboruff.com/books/southernsoil/
