Page 66 of The Child of Rue Royale
“Enamored?”
“Too formal.”
“Devoted?”
“Just doesn’t cut it.”
“We’ll work on it,” I say, kissing his cheek, ready to go home. Ready to start my life over with him again. And maybe in that life, I can be his wife.
THE MOMENT WE PULL AWAYfrom the house, a stampede runs across my heart. We’re going home, where I desperately want to be, yet it also means we have a treacherous reality to face. One filled with other witches and vampires, some I don’t trust, some I know will be out to kill me and possibly hurt my son. But then I think about last night, how connected Bastian and I are, how committed, how he wants to marry me. I know it’s probably not possible, but I look at his pinky ring on my finger and I admit, I would love to be his wife. To call him my husband. But not one witch in my coven is married, and it’s not something I ever really considered. And Bastian, well, he’s not a vampire anymore, so does that mean I could marry him? So many questions run through my mind as we drive down the road, and then Bastian squeezes my knee.
“You okay?” he checks, and I smile and nod, placing my hand over his.
We meet Cassius and Marlowe at the little private airport terminal where rich vampires get to fly. The night sky, once a safe haven for Bastain, but now only Cassius requires flying at night. The brothers embrace when they see each other, bright smiles showcasing their shared affection.
Cassius hands Bastian an envelope, its contents including everything Bastian needs to be a part of society again: a birth certificate with a new date, license, and passport.
Chantal and I greet Marlowe, and she reaches for Aven’s head, gently rubbing it with a smile.
“What a neat contraption,” she says, pointing to the baby carrier Aven’s wrapped in on my chest.
“His favorite place.” I grin, rubbing his cheek and fixing his pacifier.
Bastian catches up to my side, looking at Aven and me, then Cassius, Marlowe, and Chantal, and for a second, I see a flash of pride cross his face.
“We are ready to board,” Cassius says and picks up my bag as Bastian places his hand on the small of my back, his mouth leaning down to whisper in my ear. “Let’s go home, baby. Fuck the world, let’s go home.”
I kiss his jaw, wanting his arm to wrap tighter around me, wanting to sink into the safety I feel now that he’s back.
My hand cups Aven’s head. I’ve never been a mother back home. Will it feel strange? Will I have to adjust all over again to a new place, a new reality? But Bastian’s hand slides from my back to my waist, pulling me closer to him, just as I wanted, and we walk on the tarmac toward the private plane.
Two witches, a vampire, and now…two humans and a baby. Who would have thought? Who would have ever thought, but now I’m the prideful one. Because it almost feels like some kind of makeshift family, like this is the beginning of something, like the five of us could become our own family unit, and I hold my head up higher. Because with this team behind Aven, he should be safe. He will be safe. At least, I’m optimistic.
Fuck the world, let’s go home.
Mother waits for us on the steps of Bastian’s Garden District house, standing the moment our car pulls into the driveway. It’s two a.m., but she looks beautiful as always, her red lipstick perfectly applied, and no hair out of place on her black bob.
Her eyes survey the sight I’m sure she never imagined as we pile out of the SUV, her stare taking in her grandson amongst a majority of beings she once thought her enemy.
I’m nervous she’ll be rude, that she’ll talk down to Bastian and Cassius as she so enjoys doing.
But the first thing she looks at is Aven, who is sound asleep in his car seat. A small smile graces her red mouth, then she looks up to Bastian and quietly says, “Welcome home.”
“Thank you, Delta. Thank you for everything,” Bastian whispers, and I start sweating immediately, a mix of nerves and the humidity I did not miss. But there’s that smell, the mix of damp air and magnolias. And I’m so happy to be home.
“My girls,” Mother says as she embraces Chantal and me, kissing each of our cheeks. The crickets sing loudly through the quiet as Bastian and Cassius unload our belongings. “Jade wanted to come, but she couldn’t leave her girls.”
“Of course. I’ll text her when we get inside,” I say, wishing she were here.
Mother and Cassius completely ignore each other, which is no surprise, but what is a surprise is Marlowe greeting Delta by name. “The human that doesn’t listen,” Mother says in teasing tone, and Marlowe only laughs. I see they’ve become acquaintances since Mother took over my job delivering to the vampires.
“Guess I’ll never live that down.” Marlowe turns to me. “I told your mother what you said to me that night. And I told her I wasn’t going anywhere.” She looks at Cassius with that look of worship I know so well. It’s how I look at his brother.
“Mercury is already inside,” Mother says, and my heart jumps with the desire to drop everything and run to him.
But then a light turns on from inside the house, and my eyes dart to the front door opening. And out walks Nicola, Oksana, and Amerie.
Bastian’s breath catches as Nicola’s hand covers her mouth with a shriek as she falls to her knees. Cassius takes Aven’s car seat from Bastian, looping it over his arm, whispering, “Go.”
