IN FULL COLOUR - Dark Fantasy
Epilogue

Axel

Days later, I found myself in a cosy little house in the heart of Lighthaven, staring down at my beautiful mate as she lay naked in my arms, her bare chest exposed to me and her endless smooth skin a playground for my hungry eyes.

Dark unruly hair covered half of her face as she slept, lips slightly parted, exhausted but very much satisfied. With a content smile, I traced my fingers idly over her skin, the thin layer of sweat from before now gone and her heart rate back to a normal, steady pace.

Not only did Gabrielle belong to me, but I belonged to her. Since almost losing her and finally getting her back, I had given myself to her willingly over and over again. It was like I could not get enough of her.

In all my years, I have never felt this way about a woman before. She just understood me and I yearned for her, body, mind and soul.

I know, it’s rumoured for fated mates to be practically inseparable for the first few months after formally mating, but this felt more. Different. Special.

Our love was everything I have always wanted. My mate. My home. My wife.

She stirred beside me, making a beautiful breathy noise that sounded like a masterpiece to my ears. As she slowly turned onto her side to face me, my eyes roamed over the faint remains of scarring covering her side, disappearing over her back. How close I had come to losing her.

My fingers glided over the white scars, tracing them with love and admiration, “you know, Ray told me that my sister also came back with scarring after she was taken.”

Gabby’s caramel orbs fluttered open and she stilled, listening to the rumble of my deep, husky voice.

“I’m sorry,” she replied sleepily.

“They didn’t want me to know about it because I was already so consumed with guilt. They had kept it from me all this time.”

I felt Gabby’s arm snake around my waist as she snuggled into my chest, comforting me.

“What type of scar did she come back with?”

I gestured on her flat stomach to where Rayden had described it, “a line, right here, cutting over her stomach like so.”

Something changed in the atmosphere around us and Gabby swallowed thickly, “was it ragged or smooth?” She asked, suddenly sounding wide awake.

“Smooth. Like it had been a surgical incision.”

Gabby’s body stiffened against me and her worried gaze snapped up to mine, searching for something hidden within.

“Didn’t Coyne say he had another offspring somewhere out there?”

My gut tightened. I haven’t even thought about that.

“I think he said the child should be six and a half according to his count,” she continued while my world came to an abrupt halt.

I started shaking and bile formed in the back of my mouth. No, no, no!

Like a violent, unpredictable storm, the puzzle pieces began falling into place. Gabby’s brows rose in question, and she sat up quickly, cupping my face in her hands.

“Axel?”

“I-the scar Lily bears were inflicted before we found her and had been thoroughly healed by that time, which meant that it must have happened at least a year or maybe more prior to us replaceing her. Which also meant that…” I couldn’t finish it. Couldn’t say the words.

Lily had been gone for seven years.

Gabby looked horrified and I felt all the blood drain from my face.

Dear reader. I will add a sneak preview into the next book within a day or two, which will be answering a few more of your questions and will have you asking more. (wink wink)

Please be sure to hit the follow button on my main profile to get notified when the next book will be published.

Kind regards.

Lana

xoxo