I knew I didn’t really need his permission, but since he seemed to be the man in charge now, I at least wanted to show him the respect he deserved after today.
“Of course.” He gave a slight bow and walked away to a waiting group of wolves.
I didn’t quite know how we were going to move forward, but I knew without a doubt that we would somehow. Even if it took us years to do so.
The lives lost would be honored to the best of our ability, and we couldn’t do that by letting the grief take over. Just like Meme requested, I’d make sure her death meant something and make her proud from the other side.
Epilogue
Seven months after the battle that changed more lives than I could count, I stood on a stage at Shadow Veil Academy and received my certificate of completion. It was a bittersweet moment for me as I glanced out into the crowd, wishing I could see the faces of those who had been taken from this world too soon.
After the fight ended, Enzo, Jules, Gemma, Talon, and Lyssa stayed behind with me in New Orleans to help settle the quarter and plan the celebration of life for those lost, with a special tribute to my Meme.
She had touched lives all over New Orleans, and it would be many lifetimes before she was forgotten. There had been a parade down the main streets that tourists took as something just for fun while the rest of us mourned, remembered, and celebrated those who had given their all to stop Malina.
The coven Amalia had belonged to headed up the tribute, and I made a promise to myself that I’d be more involved with my witch side when we moved to New Orleans.
It wasn’t going to be a permanent move, but it was a “for the moment” choice. Enzo and I decided that life was short, and we needed to experience the world, so our intention was to explore every bit of it that we could.
When we’d come back to school, it took well over a month for the cloud of sorrow to lift. We’d received notice that Vincent’s latest hideaway had been found, along with the body of the last missing student.
On top of her death, there had been thirteen others, including Alexander, one of the council members. Jules had made the decision then that she would join the council on a longer but still temporary basis, and Professor Emmett Melnier had filled the remaining spot.
Jules had taken Marek’s death nearly as hard as I had, and joining the council had given her something to focus on while we all healed.
“Raegan Keyes,” Headmaster Stone called, probably not for the first time based upon the snicker that ran through the crowd.
My face blushed as I moved forward in the line and took my certificate while shaking his hand. “Thank you.”
“Don’t be a stranger around here, Raegan. I know you have plans, but I expect to see you back for a visit at some point,” Headmaster Stone said with a warm smile.
“I will be sure to do so.” I grinned back at him and then exited the stage through an archway of teal and silver balloons.
Gemma was waiting for me under a banner that was set up for pictures and read “Congratulations, Graduate”. Pain struck through me as I watched waiting families ready to take pictures. There were happy moms and dads with their kids, something I’d never have for myself.
Gemma strode toward me, her eyes wide and full of happiness. “Can you believe we’re done?”
My head shook. “Actually, I can’t. Though, I do hope that the rest of my life is only a fraction as stressful as the last three years have been.”
“Girl, you and me both, but something tells me that life on Drakken is going to be just as crazy as here.”
About a month after we had returned home from New Orleans, the four of us and JayLeigh went back to Drakken. While we were there, Talon had asked Gemma to move to Drakken with him, and she’d immediately said yes, but with the stipulation I visited at least once a year. I had happily agreed, as long as she did the same on Earth.
During our second visit to Drakken, Enzo and I had received a much warmer welcoming, and I had been surprised to find Onyx there. Even though he had come to our rescue when we needed it most during the final moments of the battle, I wasn’t sure the dragons would ever trust him again.
Apparently, he had turned over a new leaf when he overheard Malina talking about how she planned on killing all of the dragons as soon as she was finished with Marek. That hadn’t sat well with Onyx and worked out in our favor. He’d been tempted with power and realized it came with a price he wasn’t willing to pay.
While he wasn’t put back in a leadership role, he was welcomed back as a resident in Drakken. Now that it was public knowledge dragons still existed, some of them had decided to venture to Earth, but outsiders would never be allowed in Drakken.
It was too much of a risk to the small population of dragons to lower their shields and allow those without dragon DNA in. I didn’t blame them and fully supported the decision.
Ethaniel had stepped in permanently to run things in Drakken, but JayLeigh was next in line to the throne if she wanted it since I had declined. As much as I loved my dragon side, I wasn’t “Queen” material, and I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life tied to one world. Instead, I wanted to explore everything each of them had to offer.
For the time being, JayLeigh had temporarily declined the role when I pushed that she should have been next in line after me. She wasn’t ready yet, either, but Drakken was her home and she would one day settle down. Until then, she took pleasure in warning Ethaniel that she could be lurking around any corner, so he’d do well to be on his best behavior.
Though, the most interesting thing we had learned when we went back was about Enzo. Phox had found us while we were there and said she had some information we’d be interested in.
My stomach had twisted, and I shook my head. We hadn’t needed any more surprises; all I wanted was some normalcy for a little while. The conversation came back to me clearly because it had made Enzo so incredibly happy, while at the same time making me realize how close I had come to losing him.
“So, has anyone questioned why elf boy can suddenly turn into a dragon?” she remarked.
“Well, I assumed Jayce came with the bond I have with Raegan. I never thought I needed to question it,” Enzo replied.
Phox groaned, clearly disappointed in our lack of query. “No, your bond would have only ever allowed you into Drakken. Nothing more, nothing less. For some reason, the dragon spirits thought you worthy of being Raegan’s equal in more ways than one. When you should have died after having been hit with the dragon’s tail that day in the forest, the spirits saved you by giving you Jayce.”
“What? I should have died that day?” Enzo gaped.
“Well, duh. You were bleeding internally from being hit by a dragon. It really shouldn’t come as a surprise. The three of you were too far from the castle to get to Marek in time and without the spirits’ mercy… Anyway, don’t screw it up.”
“Wait, how do you know all of this? You weren’t even in Drakken at the time.” I immediately regretted questioning her.
Phox rolled her eyes. “Have you not learned anything? I won’t even justify your idiocy with an answer. Just know Enzo is now officially a hybrid.” She turned to him. “You are half-dragon and half-elf. The only of your kind. Be worthy of the beast within you, and hopefully our paths won’t need to cross again for many years to come.”
Gemma’s fingers snapped in front of my face, and I shook my head to clear the memory.
“We’re still on to go to dinner with the others, right?” she asked with some irritation, telling me it wasn’t the first time she had done so. Apparently, I had no attention span left in me.
“As far as I know. Where is Talon?” I asked, since he was the only one in our group not graduating.
“He’s changing. I might have jumped on him when I exited the stage and knocked over the vase of flowers he was holding that proceeded to cover his pants in water. Oops.”
My head shook as laughter took over while I pictured poor Talon covered in petals
and water. Enzo snuck up behind me, and I flinched as his arms wrapped around me. He pressed a light kiss to my neck and whispered, “Congratulations.”
I responded with a kiss of my own before greeting Finley and Lyssa, who had joined us as well. “Where’s Peyton?” I asked.
“Uhhh, she won’t be joining us tonight. Her and her new bae decided they needed some ‘alone time’,” Lyssa answered using finger quotes around the last part, which had Enzo groaning. He hated that we had no filter around him.
“See? I told you we could have gotten out of it,” Enzo grumbled some more, but I elbowed him in the ribs.
“We’re all going our separate ways soon. We’re not missing this dinner.” My glare held until he conceded.
“Yes, Dear.”
With Gemma and Talon heading to Drakken within the week, I would be trying to get as much time in with her as possible. Lyssa was staying at Shadow Veil and would be working toward becoming one of the teachers. The choice had surprised me, but in a good way.
Peyton and Finley were supposed to head off on a girls-only trip, but I had a feeling Peyton’s new boyfriend was going to put a kink in those plans, so I had invited Finley to join us in New Orleans if she wanted. Nothing had been decided, but I hoped she would accept the offer.
We moved through the crowd of people and stood in front of the school, waiting for Talon. He apparently took longer to change than most girls.
“Hey, I’m glad I caught you,” Peyton said excitedly as she approached us with her boyfriend Linc practically wrapped around her waist. Her eyes were bright with bliss, and my heart was truly happy for her.
Hugs and more congratulations went around before Gemma shoved her phone at Talon, who had finally arrived. “Take our picture.”
“Ours, like mine and yours? Or ours, as in you and your friends, because if it’s the latter, I’m going to feel a little left out.” Talon pouted adorably.
Gemma patted his chest. “You’ll get over it. Now be a good mate and take the picture. If you make it look good enough, maybe we can do a group one, too.”
Enzo snagged the phone. “I’ll do it, and then we will do a group one no matter what.”
Gemma shrugged, then grabbed my hand. She, Peyton, Finley, Lyssa, and I each wrapped an arm around the person next to us as we stood in front of the school. Enzo backed up several feet and took a few pictures for us.
When he handed the phone back, we all approved and even invited Linc into the group picture. He might be new to the group, but if he was important to Peyton, then he was important to us. Though, I did push them to the end so that if things went south later on, we could also crop him out.
Evil, yes. Smart, definitely.
We headed off to dinner minus Peyton and Linc, and warmth settled over me. Even though Marek and Amalia weren’t physically present, I had no doubt they were hanging out with my parents and watching over us.
A month later, we were settled into Amalia’s home back in New Orleans. It was still hard to consider it mine, because I refused to change a thing about the place. It was perfect as it stood, and I discovered something new about my grandmother every day.
For example, she had a crazy obsession with frogs. There were little frog figurines found throughout her house in odd places. The weirdest one yet was the cheese drawer.
Finley had indeed joined us, and Lyssa was due to visit within the next week. I couldn’t be more excited to have another one of my girls close, even if it was for a short time.
After the sun set on a warm and humid evening, I was sitting out on the balcony that was attached to the bedroom we had claimed as our own and enjoying the slight breeze that blew in.
Meme’s house had five bedrooms, and I couldn’t fathom taking hers anytime soon. Plus, the view of the French Quarter from ours was pretty fantastic.
Lights twinkled off in the distance, and music could be heard just enough that it had my fingers tapping to the beat. Down in the street, there were still kids running about, most of whom were supernatural and enjoyed pulling pranks on Enzo at every chance.
Considering he was the only elf, or half-elf, this side of New Orleans, he took it all in stride, and thoughts of how he would be as a father began to filter through. Well, up until he snuck up behind me and scared the crap out of me.
“Whatcha doing, mate?” he said with a laugh.
“Well, I was thinking nice thoughts about you, but now I’m plotting your death.”
He shrugged. “So, nothing new?”
“Nope. Where have you been?” I asked since he hadn’t surfaced in a few hours. The house was huge, and I gave up trying to keep track of him half of the time.
“I was in the attic. Leesa asked me to look for some books she thought would be helpful for the upcoming ceremony. I found one, but not the other two she requested.”
Leesa was the new coven leader, and she was having a hell of a time picking up where Amalia had left off. Apparently, my grandmother didn’t accept help all that often, and nobody knew how to do her job. I had no doubt in my mind that she was enjoying the hell out of how frustrated people were in their attempts to replace her.
“Well, are you done for the evening or do you need help?” I asked, really hoping he would say he was finished.
“Depends. What did you have in mind if I’m done?” He smirked and leaned closer before trailing a finger up my arm and under my chin.
“I was hoping I could persuade my mate to stay in, close the windows, and have his way with me. Though, he was busy, so I figured I could ask you.”
His eyes darkened and a rumble sounded in his chest as a few scales appeared on his arms. Even months later, it was the most beautiful thing to me when his dragon side came out. Jayce had been a gift none of us expected, but we all appreciated, especially Chelle.
“Mine. Always mine,” he growled in my ear as he picked me up from the chair and strode back inside, waving his hand to close all of the windows with a loud bang.
Placing a gentle kiss to his neck, I whispered, “Yes, my love. Always yours. Forever and infinity.”
Enzo was my happily ever after, no matter where we ended up, who we were with, or what we were doing. None of it mattered as long as we were together.
Afterword
It’s always a bittersweet moment when a series is finished. There is the excitement of “Yay, readers will be happy there are no more cliffhangers!”. Sorry about those by the way… sorta. Then there is the emptiness of “I’ve just spent months with these voices in my head and how I am supposed to let them go”.
Shadow Veil Academy was a loosely plotted adventure that soon became complete chaos. I lost all control of the characters and often found myself feeling like I was reading it instead of writing it. Raegan and Enzo took complete control and I loved every word and moment of it.
Honestly, I don’t know if their story is over. My heart is still very attached, but for now it’s time to say goodbye and thank you. Thank you to everyone who loved them as much as I did, forgave Enzo for his not so bright moments, laughed and cried with me and the characters, and so much more!
Cheers to panty burp becoming a daily word in some people’s vocabulary and many more stories to come!
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Acknowledgments
A special thank you to my husband who didn’t murder me for pretty much working two full time jobs in order to release these books so close together. I love you forever and infinity.
To my assistant Michelle. I am so grateful for you and your support means the world to me. Thank you for making me a little less of a control freak!
To my editor and bestie, Jamie. Thank you for always putting up with me finishing books early and being flexible w
ith your schedule! I love you, Boo!
As always, to my readers… no matter how many words I write, I couldn’t do this without your support. You all have a piece of my heart and thank you so much for believing in me!
Also by Heather Renee
Raven Point Pack Series - Complete
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Shades of Magic
Shades of Deceit
Shades of Secrecy
Shades of Vengeance
Shadow Veil Academy - Complete
YA Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Delayed Admission
Deadly Declaration
Daring Provocation
Blood of the Sea Series - Complete
YA Paranormal Romance - Vampires
Crimson Horizon
Pale Horizon
Obsidian Horizon
Standalone
YA Fantasy - Fae
Marked Paradox
Guardian Fae - Coming Soon!
YA Urban Fantasy - Fae
Of Dreams and Sorcery - January 2020
Of Blood and Soul - February 2020
About the Author
Heather Renee is a USA Today bestselling author who lives in Oregon. She writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels with a mixture of adventure, humor, and sass. Her love of reading eventually led to her passion for writing and giving the gift of escapism.
When Heather’s not writing, she is spending time with her loving husband and beautiful daughter, going on their own adventures. For more ways to connect with her, visit www.HeatherReneeAuthor.com.
Daring Provocation (Shadow Veil Academy Book 3) Page 19
