Page 51 of Consume Me
“Yours,” I answer, no hesitation.
And for the first time in years, I am consumed by hope for the future.
Epilogue: FourWeeks Later
Kendall
Inever thought I’d see the day when my sister and I were sitting at the same table, both mated, both… happy. Okay, “happy” is a relative term when the two males sitting across from us look like they could brood the sun right out of the sky.
Tori’s mate, Legion, is every inch the predator of legends—tall, broad, and watching Noctan like he’s sizing him up for a sparring match instead of a dinner conversation.
And Noctan is doing the exact same thing right back.
The dragon and the wolf.
Gods help me.
I set my wine glass down, ready to defuse this with small talk, but Tori just smirks at them over the rim of her drink like she’s watching her favorite show. It’s just the four of us tonight. I have a feeling Klyn and the others were told to make themselves scarce for this first dinner. Noctan has no idea this is actually the calm before the storm. It’s all chaos from here on out.
“Isn’t this fun?” Tori whispers.
I gawk at her. “Our ideas of fun are very different, I think.”
She snickers, but the amusement fades fast as she glances at me. “I guess I wouldn’t know what you find fun these days.”
I wince. “Yeah, I deserve that. I’m sorry. Like I told you before?—”
“No, no, don’t explain again. I forgive you. I was just giving you a hard time.”
I exhale. “You should. I shut you out, and I shouldn’t have?—”
“Stop.” She sets her glass down and reaches across the table for my hand. “We’re moving forward. You’re happy. I’m happy. What do your visions tell you?”
I manage a smile at that. “That we have a lot more family dinners in our future.”
“See?” She sits back and picks up her wine again. “Now, we get to enjoy these two measuring their dicks until they bond like brothers.”
I try—and fail—to muffle a laugh.
But neither male shows any reaction to her words. Apparently, that would be against the rules of whatever standoff they’re in.
The silence lasts so long that it’s everything I can do not to laugh again.
Finally, Legion tilts his head. “You were in the Third Border War, weren’t you?”
Noctan nods once. “The last two years of it.”
Legion’s mouth quirks—barely. “I was there for thefirst three. Thought I knew every commander worth his salt, but I don’t remember your face.”
“Probably because I preferred the front lines to the war tent,” Noctan says evenly.
Legion chuckles, low and gravelly. “Fair. The men played by different battle rules back then.”
“A soldier had more honor,” Noctan agrees, his mouth twitching like he might almost smile.
And just like that, the tension eases a fraction. They dive into some shared war stories that sound equal parts horrifying and ridiculous—comparing battles, terrain, old commanders who apparently couldn’t strategize their way out of a paper bag.
It’s… weirdly adorable.
