need the words. She understood. Gaias was a soul burdened with overseeing nature and its wardens millennia ago. At the time, he was an it, with no comprehension of what living a real life was like. Then he had been trapped for what must have felt like an eternity inside a very literal hell. On top of that, Tanda had thrust him into a physical body. He was no doubt floundering to compute all the changes. But one thing she was sure of – he now had a family. And she knew they would all band together to help him work it out.
Leaving her new son to the tender mercies of Max’s crew, Dana sought out Mordecai. She pulled him aside, and he came willingly. Likely because he was too overwhelmed to protest, but Dana did not mind. “Are you okay with me having a son?” she asked him.
Mordecai opened and closed his mouth a few times before throwing his arms up in the air. “Sure. Why not? The more the merrier. Besides, look at our daughter. She’s already claimed the poor lad. Another stray for her collection,” he added softly.
Dana could not help but laugh when she looked over and saw Max chattering away at a very bewildered Gaias. Gaias cast a ‘help me’ look over Max’s shoulder and Diana and Beyden quickly stepped up, diverting Max’s attention. Dana smiled, yes¸ she thought, he will be just fine. Looking behind Gaias, she made eye contact with Tanda and Tempus. The pair simply nodded at her and her breath rushed out. The permission to pass on the title – to step down – was there. She could see it in their eyes, but more importantly, she could feel it in their hearts.
‘This is right,’ they said. ‘This is meant to be.’
Dana blinked back her tears and turned to Mordecai. “Do you still want the chance to love me?” she asked, bluntly.
Mordecai blinked and pulled himself up straight. But his face softened after a heartbeat and he nodded his head. “I do. Very much.”
“What if I told you I was retiring and I am able to travel between the veil at will, with no need to balance the scales? What if I told you I can stay on this side permanently with no risk or repercussions?” She stepped in closer, her body brushing against his and creating fire everywhere it touched. “And what if I told you I wanted to stay with you?”
Mordecai searched her face for an endless moment, raising her hands to cup her cheeks, “I’d say …” he lowered his mouth to brush hers. “Thank the Great Mother.”
Epilogue
Mordecai wrapped his arms around Dana, bending a little so he could kiss her cheek and rest his chin on her shoulder. It had been three weeks since Dana had dropped her little bombshell about Gaias and about her essentially becoming the Crone. He dared not call her that out loud, nor did his paladins, but it was an accurate moniker. She was now the Wise Woman, the predecessor, making way for a new generation of gods. Mordecai was yet to talk to Gaias – other than the brief meeting with him and the Triumvirate that day on the cliff – but he and Dana had spent many nights discussing the new Keeper of Nature. Usually after a marathon of lovemaking, Mordecai thought – more than a little smug. Their relationship was going strong and although Dana hadn’t officially moved in with him at the new HQ, she spent more nights there than she did in his old guest room at Max’s place. Dana had, however, helpfully made several suggestions for decorating his suite. And to his astonishment, painted and furnished it all with the blink of an eye. Giving up her position in the Triumvirate had not lessened her powers at all.
Dana snuggled back against his chest, a happy sigh falling from her mouth as she watched the IDC argue over paint colours for the council chambers. “I do not know why they are arguing. They are going to decide on pale grey – just like the rest of the walls.”
Mordecai chuckled. “This is the council we’re talking about. They may be new and have good hearts, but they are still politicians. They will always argue about everything.”
“Discuss. I believe discuss is a better word,” Dana said.
“Whatever you say,” he agreed, kissing the top of her red head, and taking in her heady fresh scent. He stepped back but kept