Page 163 of When Death Whispers

A deep rumble starts deep in my chest, my eyes flashing in warning. I am absolutely at a disadvantage. Except when I make good on the sexy promises she sends my way.

I swallow my growl and glance around—Steo’s shadows eagerly mastering the coffee pot under Hudson’s careful guidance, Hudson’s warm laughter filling the kitchen, and Parker’s soft presence at my side. All of it pulsing and thrumming through the weave of our tether, filling my chest with light and life. A strange little family we’ve somehow formed. One I craved, but never knew I needed.

I turn back to Parker, unable to hide my smile. “Maybe just a little.”

Her delight fills me with love, more than I ever imagined possible. I lean down slightly, brushing my lips against her forehead. “But mostly, it’s you.”

Parker simply tightens her hold on my arm, contentment now radiating through our bond.

In this odd, cozy space we’ve carved out in the Evergloom, I realize fully, irrevocably, that the demon I once was—the demon born of terror and fear—has faded into something new. Something stronger.

And for the first time, I don’t fear the vulnerability this brings. With Parker’s gentle strength, Hudson’s stubborn loyalty, and Steo’s fierce protectiveness, I’ve found something greater than fear, deeper than hunger.

I’ve found belonging.

Epilogue

Home.

Funny how one small word can hold so much weight.

I wasn’t sure I’d ever understand it—what homefeltlike. Stability, warmth, safety—they’d always been elusive, something others had and I could only long for.

But here, deep within the Evergloom, surrounded by the strangest of companions, I’ve finally found it. Not the kind of home I’d ever imagined—but exactly the one my soul had craved. The loneliness I’d once felt is just a distant echo, of someone who was ruled by fear. Now I have the constant strength of the bond in my chest, my heart, and I have never felt so alive.

The burrow is warm, dappled in a gentle glow from the pink-veined walls. The fire in the hearth crackles steadily, its light casting dancing shadows across the space as something savory bubbles in the pot over it.

Hudson is at the makeshift kitchen counter, sleeves rolled up, brow furrowed in concentration. “No, you can’t flip that with a knife—Steo, stop trying to assist like that. That’s… that’s not helpful.”

Steo stands at his side, eerily graceful even as he looks completely out of his depth, one hand lifted like he’s about to smite whatever’s in the pan into submission. His shadows flit about, buzzing with mischief, one even creeping toward the butter like it might slather itself in it. They’re bright pink again, which somehow makes the chaos oddly charming.

“I was attempting efficiency,” Steo says with perfect seriousness. “The spatula failed me.”

“It didn’t fail you, you tried to use it like a spear.”

Rad lounges nearby, stretched across the couch, sipping coffee and watching the spectacle with a lazy smirk. “If the pancakes catch fire again, I’m eating one of you instead.”

His thoughts contradict his words, however, and he’s currently contemplating whether he wants to learn to cook too, just so he can then use it as a bargaining chip to convince me to ride his face again. His eyes find mine, then, the glow intensifying, and I send him a sexy thought of my hands pulling on his fur while he fucks me with his tail. Lust collides through the bond and he looks two seconds away from acting on those thoughts before shadows swarm me, pulling my attention away.

“And I’ll feed you to the shadows,” Steo replies mildly, continuing their conversation, not even looking up.

“Try me, Bone Daddy,” Rad growls.

“Children,” I call from the armchair, my tone teasing. “Some of us are trying to relax.”

Three pairs of eyes snap to me instantly. Hudson’s exasperation melts into a warm grin. Steo’s shadows flicker joyfully. Even Rad’s smirk softens, the tension in his shoulders easing. Love, understanding and heat travels through the bond, adding to the comforting thrum in my chest.

I stretch, luxuriating in the moment. “I don’t know what you’re trying to cook, but it smells like it’s going to set the realm on fire.”

Hudson sighs dramatically. “Grilled cheese sandwiches. Or, it was supposed to be.”

“You’ll love them,” Steo says confidently, despite the questionable steam rising behind him.

Rad sits up straight suddenly, sloshing coffee all over himself. “Did you say sandwiches? Grilled? Withcheese?” He stands suddenly, stomping toward the stove with a new focus.

Chuckling, I rise and cross the room to them, the familiar pull of our bond wrapping around me like a hug. Rad opens his arm without a word and I tuck myself against his side, stealing warmth from his body as I watch Steo and Hudson attempt a truce over a spatula.

“Shadows don’t even have hands,” Hudson mutters as he tries to reclaim the pan from a stray shadow.

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