It brought me great joy to see Thayen with Sofia and Derek. I knew they would love him fiercely, and that they would protect him with everything they had. There was wisdom in The Shade, and Thayen had a lot to learn from it and our collective experiences. Sure, Mira and Kemi had their own stories to share, but The Shade had gathered tales from three dimensions—countless experiences of all that was both good and bad in this world.
“I think I’m going to cry,” Mom said quietly.
“Right there with you,” Trev managed.
I wanted to laugh, until I realized that my eyes were wet and stinging with tears I could no longer stop from rolling down my cheeks. And as Kalon pulled me into his arms and we watched Thayen bond with Sofia and Derek—his new… parents—I allowed myself a good and hearty cry.
Beyond the nightmare we’d endured, each of us had found happiness. A moment of kindness. A breath of fresh air. Beyond the nightmare we’d miraculously survived, each of us had emerged with a renewed love for life, no matter how long or short it would turn out to be. For Kalon and me, the future was filled with surprises. For Tristan and me, the universe still had stories to tell.
Our lives were just beginning.
Derek
Twenty years went by in a blink.
I would’ve said I didn’t even feel the time slip past me, but I did. I got to revel in its every moment. Sofia and I had the blessing of watching Thayen grow up into a strong and capable young man. The world went on, and so did we. The Shade expanded. Our family, too.
I didn’t feel older or younger, but I was happy. At peace with everything we had done, everything we had yet to do. The children of our children’s children were bright new forces in GASP, each a splendid hybrid with interesting abilities and a strong personality.
The universe was good to us. Our GASP federation had expanded to new worlds across all three dimensions. Tristan and Unending had led the way in discovering new planets and civilizations, new and wonderful creatures to join our collective efforts for peace and prosperity. There were still problems to be handled. There was still suffering. Violence plagued different parts of the universe. But we were stronger together, better equipped to face any challenge that came our way.
Visio was a whole new kingdom, with a portal connecting it to The Shade. Rimia and Nalore were thriving, led by good and honorable rulers. Trev had taken Amal as his queen, which had brought Amane and Ridan to Rimia more often. Mira and Kemi were still Lord and Lady Supreme of Visio, having led the Trakkians into a new kind of prosperity. Nalore had been governed by one of Kalla’s Orvisian boys, a Nalorean named Hel, who’d taken every opportunity to honor her and the legacy she left behind.
We never heard from Death again after our Roano encounter. To this day, I had a feeling Tristan and Unending knew more than they had told us about what had happened there with Death and the Spirit Bender, but I accepted that they probably couldn’t give us the details for our own good. It didn’t really matter in the end. Lumi had her occasional encounters with Sidyan—or so she’d said, at least; I was certain they were more frequent than she’d implied—and the Reapers stopped by once a year or so for a quick GASP catchup. We’d made it a habit to meet because we’d found that working together was much better than struggling apart.
Their project of gathering the ghouls was still ongoing—they had the whole universe to cover with their search—but they had all the time in the world. Soon the time would come for us to meet again. I looked forward to our talks. The Reapers weren’t the easiest to get along with, but they had come a long way since their early days. I figured they’d grown fond of us, too.
“Dad, pass the spiced blood, please,” Rose said, giving me a troubled look. She must’ve asked me more than once.
“Sorry, honey. Here you go,” I replied, smiling warmly as I reached for the pitcher and handed it over.
“Where were you?” she asked.
“Oh, all over the place.” I chuckled.
Our table was longer than before. It held the seats of at least four generations of Novaks and close friends of our family tree. It was loud and loaded with laughter. Crystal glasses were always full of spiced animal blood for the vampires, and plates were piled with selections of fine dishes for everyone else. Candles flickered in the middle, their amber light dancing across our faces.
It was hard to focus when the whole clan was present. It always brought me back to the early days of The Shade. Remembering where this had all started had a humbling effect on me. We’d come a long way, and we weren’t showing any signs of stopping.
“Well, you need to get yourself back in the moment, because Harper has an announcement to make,” Rose said. I looked at her, then at my beloved Sofia before I finally settled my gaze on Harper.
Sitting closer to the center of the table, she was joined by Caspian, both of them wearing the Mara leathers and elegant furs. They usually donned their GASP uniforms, but they preferred their local clothes when they came to The Shade for the monthly family dinner. We’d made it a habit to… well, not break bread but drink blood at every full moon. They were all so busy and scattered across three dimensions otherwise, that these dinners were the only way for me to see my grandchildren and great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren together.
Seeing Harper in her adopted Mara clothes made me sad and proud at the same time. She was of The Shade, but she’d also adapted to the Mara community, which she helped lead alongside Caspian, Jax, and Hansa. Tonight, however, she looked brighter than ever. She had an announcement to make, as Rose had just mentioned.
“Hey, everybody,” Harper said, gazing left and right to acknowledge everyone at the table.
There were so many of us. Sofia’s and my family. Xavier and Vivienne’s. Lucas and Marion’s. My darlings Rose, Ben, and Thayen. Field and Aida. Caleb and River. Their kids and grandkids, joined by Chantal, Jericho, Isabelle, and Sophia, who were all grown up and rowdier than the whole family put together. Victoria and Bastien’s troublemaker pack, complete with Richard, Voss, and the recently married Douma and Dmitri. Jeremiah and Pippa. Scarlett and Patrick. Heron and Avril, too. Viola and Phoenix’s daughter, Astra, was always a sight to behold and a miracle. It had taken years for her to be conceived and born, considering the complex nature of Viola as a Daughter of Eritopia.
All their eyes were on Harper, who got more nervous with every second that passed. “Just wanted to let you know that I’ve decided to take the vampire cure, which fortunately still works after the… wait, what did we call it again?”
“The Visio reset!” Lucas replied, stirring roars of laughter across the table.
“Right, the Visio reset!” Harper said. “Anyway, I’m going into human mode for a while because Caspian and I have agreed to try to have a baby of our own…”
She was met with raucous applause, including my own, as my heart grew three sizes at the prospect of another great-grandchild. Harper was an exquisite creature, strong and fearless beyond belief. Caspian was good and well balanced, which would make them both wonderful parents.
“Won’t there be a genetic compatibility issue because of Caspian’s Mara traits?” Serena asked, but Astra already had the answer.
“If Mom and Dad managed to have me, I’m pretty sure Auntie Harper and Uncle Caspian will succeed.”
Indeed, Phoenix and Viola had gone to great lengths to have her. In the end, with a little bit of help from our witches and the Faulty twins, they were able to conceive, and Viola successfully carried Astra to term. We’d made extraordinary advances in terms of magi-tech after resolving the ice dragons’ fertility issues. Thanks to Amal and Amane’s work, Lethe and Elodie had welcomed their daughter, Dafne, in the world just eighteen years ago. There were still many mysteries left to untangle, but The Shade was never in short supply of happy and deeply loved children, even in the dragon caves.
“I’m sure Corrine and Amane will both be happy to assist you with whatever you may need,” Sofia chimed in, thrilled by the new
s. “This is wonderful, Harper! You have our full support, of course!”
Every month, someone had some good news to impart in our family. Every month, I looked forward to being around them, to taking in their successes and offering wisdom where they failed. GASP was running smoothly, as well, thanks mostly to our children. Rose, Caleb, River and Ben had taken on a more executive set of roles, eagerly assisted by Bastien and Victoria.
There was a new batch of recruits to work with. Thayen led the group, along with Voss, Field and Aida’s hybrid son, and Isabelle, Serena and Draven’s daughter. Jericho, Caia and Blaze’s dragon-fae son, and Richard, Jovi and Anjani’s incubus-wolf son, had already graduated with honors. Sophia, Zane and Fiona’s daughter, better known as Soph, had completed her training on the Nerakian GASP base, and she’d put most of the local daemon lieutenants to shame. Needless to say, this new generation was exceptional and a pleasure to watch.
“Has anyone heard from Taeral lately?” Caia asked, adding some fresh fruits to her dessert plate. Avril was sweet enough to bring a couple more pitchers of blood from the kitchen. I’d arranged for the dinner table to be set outside our treehouse, since there were so many of us these days, but we didn’t mind. The eternal night of The Shade gave us a beautiful moon and a starry sky to peek at through the thick redwood crowns.
“Meh, he’s the king of the Fire Star now, so he’s too busy to waste time with us commoners,” Dmitri muttered.
“Aw, miss your playdates already?” Douma shot back, feigning a pout. It was enough to make Jovi spill his drink as he burst into laughter.
“Don’t be sad. I’m sure Eira will let him visit you the next time they visit Cerix,” Jovi said, though he struggled to keep a straight face.
Dmitri glanced my way. “See what I have to deal with, Great Uncle? They’re bullies.”
“Yes, but they mean well,” I replied with amusement. “That being said, Taeral is still settling into his new role. And as you know, with Sherus and Nuriya retiring to travel the Earthly Dimension, it’s up to him to rule over the Fire Star.”
Sofia nodded. “Also, he and Eira still have their five-year-old daughter to raise, as well. His hands are full, so let’s cut him some slack, okay?”
“Speaking of Stella, how is that fiery little devil? Has she set the palace ablaze yet, or does she still stick to the curtains?” Field interjected, causing another ripple of laughter to spread along both sides of the table.
“She’ll grow up to be quite the force of nature. I’ll give credit where it’s due.” Vita sighed.
I clinked a teaspoon against my glass, urging everyone to pay attention as I stood up. It was time to make it official—we’d had our drinks and food and giggles, and we’d gotten some wonderful news from Harper, but tonight was about more than that. Tonight, Sofia and I had decided to share some news of our own. Granted, it wasn’t going to be a surprise, really, since we’d spent the past couple of decades in a steady transition, but still.
We had to say it out loud.
“Can I have everyone’s attention, please?” I said, and every pair of eyes was suddenly on me. For a moment, I lost my breath and wasn’t sure if I could go on. I’d rehearsed the speech so many times in my head… it was supposed to run smoothly.
But it was happening now. It was real. And my brain was frozen.
Fortunately, Sofia’s hand found mine, and she sprang from her seat to join me. I looked into her eyes, losing myself for a moment, and thanked the stars and the universe itself for having brought her into my life. All these years later, and we were still perfectly matching halves of a whole. All these years later, and she was still my rock.
My voice.
Sofia
Derek and I had every reason to be nervous, but we’d talked about this. We’d taken a long time before we’d even reached the decision. It felt right. It was absolutely right. Despite that, he couldn’t find his words anymore—words he’d practiced both alone in a mirror and with me. For all the time we’d been together, I knew I had to support him, just as he’d supported me in past endeavors.
We weren’t just married and eternally in love. We were partners.
“There’s a reason why my husband is having a hard time articulating his thoughts,” I said, smiling at our enormous family. Boy, we’d gathered quite the band here, and from many different walks of life. Among them, Zane pretty much stood out—remarkably tall plus horns… yeah, it was still hard to look away sometimes. “Derek and I have spent the past few years working toward something. It’s why Rose, Caleb, River, and Ben have taken on more responsibilities in GASP. It’s why Bastien and Victoria have been helping, as well. Not to mention Corrine and Ibrahim, who aren’t with us tonight. Oh, and let’s not forget Lucas and Marion’s support, as well, bless their kind souls.”
“Aw…” Lucas feigned an overly affectionate pout, while Marion nudged him in the rib, making him laugh.
“Anyway, thing is, Derek and I have decided to—" I wanted to continue, but Phoenix cut me off.
“Yeah, you’re retiring. We know.” He wore a dry smile. “We’ve known for years now.”
That snipped my train of thought into two flailing ribbons I couldn’t quite grasp anymore. “Um… it wasn’t really meant to be a surprise. Rather a…”
“In fact, we’ve been wondering when you’d make it official,” Jovi cut in, shamelessly grinning. They were doing it on purpose, and that made it hard for me not to crack up.
“Is this it? The official announcement?” Field chimed in, ignoring Aida’s nudge.
“Yes.” Derek took over. “I know our kids have been doing most of the executive work in GASP for some years now, but Sofia and I have stayed on in a more… advisory role. Thing is, raising Thayen has made us both want more out of life, out of each other, and seeing Tristan and Unending trekking the worlds the way they so often do… we’ve decided we want that for ourselves.”
Tejus cleared his throat. “Okay, so let me see if I got this straight. You’ve been retiring for almost twenty years now, so that you and Sofia can go on vacation together?”
Derek took a moment to respond. “Yes.”
“Ha. Well done,” Tejus replied. “Two questions here, though, before I congratulate you for working way too hard to take this step.” That got some chuckles from our audience. “One, will it take you another twenty years to actually pack your bags and go to Boca? And two, have you forgotten what happened the last time you went on vacation? Spoiler alert: Strava.”
“Don’t be a sourpuss!” Hazel lovingly berated him. “We can go to Boca if you really want to. Though the sun’s going to be a pain there. The nights are pretty short.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “We just wanted to make it official, like Field said. We’re not sure when we’re leaving or for how long, but given that we have a hard time stepping away from our GASP duties, I assume it’s going to take a little while longer. We’re trying. We really are.”
“For what it’s worth, I think you both deserve this,” Thayen replied, and my love for him shone brighter within me. Who needed the sun when I had a son like him? He’d grown up to become such a handsome and kind man. He was a vampire now. He’d taken the step on his eighteenth birthday, after spending years to make his decision. I loved that about him. Thayen was a lot like Derek and me in that sense. He took his time. He rarely rushed into anything.
“Thank you, my darling,” I told him.
“Just don’t rush into anything.” Lucas jumped in with his own brand of sarcasm.
“And don’t ask us to join you,” Bastien added. “Tejus was on point there. I’m in no mood for another round of Strava shenanigans.”
“Oh, please! That was the most action you got this century,” Victoria shot back.
These were amazing people we’d surrounded ourselves with. Witty and bold. Silly and brilliant. Brave and insane. Bright and dark, at the same time. Our family was incredibly diverse and beautiful in its own way, and it was time to hand over the
reins to GASP. Derek and I had more to do, more to experience, more to discover.
We could kick back and relax. Personally, I longed for a day when I could just… do nothing. Do absolutely nothing. I longed for boredom and oversleeping, two things I hadn’t experienced in decades. Perhaps this was our time to do it. Our time to jump into the unknown once more and find new delights. Derek and I knew that life had plenty more to offer. We only had to take that one courageous step forward.
“Mind you, Sofia, if you guys leave for your vacation and whatnot, don’t expect any of us to keep an eye on Thayen while you’re gone,” Xavier said. “We all know he’s going to have the Visentis boys over, and they’ll turn The Shade inside out by the time you’re back.”
“Hey. Not cool.” Thayen replied, feigning outrage. “We’re all adults now. We can take care of ourselves.”
“Right, Mr. It-Was-Only-A-Party-I-Don’t-Understand-Why-the-Vale-People-Are-So-Pissed-Off,” Aida grumbled, holding back a chuckle.
“That was three years ago!” Thayen said.
He and the Visentis boys did have an explosive dynamic—Aida had a point. Esme and Kalon had done a phenomenal job of raising Ansel, Tudyk, and Moore considering their difficult upbringing. When they were apart, each of them was a wonderful creature. When they came together, however—and even more so when Thayen joined in—it was a recipe for headaches and neighborly complaints. Nevertheless, Derek and I encouraged their madness as long as it had its limits, which, thanks to Thayen, it did.
It was nice to blow off steam, especially for young vampires such as themselves. And we were in no position to scold them when we’d done our share of crazy stuff growing up, too. After all, I’d come to The Shade as part of Derek’s harem in a dark and troubling time of our lives. We’d evolved since then, but we never forgot our point of origin. It made us who we were.
A Shade of Vampire 86: A Break of Seals Page 26
