and kissed her trembling lips, pouring all of the emotion that overwhelmed him into it. He couldn’t believe his long battle was over. Couldn’t believe that he was once more that man in the picture. Couldn’t believe this was real.
He lifted his head. His smiled faltered as fear and dread slithered through him. “Wait.” Releasing Emma, Cliff stepped back and regarded them all with dawning alarm. “This is real, isn’t it? It’s not a delusion or a hallucination or”—he looked at Seth—“false memories you planted?”
Seth winced. “No, I only did that the one time, Cliff, and realize now the error of it. This is real.”
Cliff looked at Aidan.
“It’s real,” the Celt told him, his voice gruff with emotion.
Bastien nodded as he closed the distance between them. “Real enough that I need to get my ass inside soon because—unlike you—I still roast in the sun, you lucky bastard.”
Cliff laughed with relief as Bastien yanked him into a hearty hug.
Then Aidan hugged him.
Cliff shook his head as he stared up at Seth. “I don’t know how to thank you. Or your father. You’ve given me…” Taking Emma’s hand, he twined his fingers through hers. “Everything.”
Seth clapped him on the shoulder. “You deserve it, Cliff. You’ve had a long, difficult journey that robs all others like you of their honor. But you clung to yours with admirable tenacity and deserve every ounce of happiness you find now.”
Skillet’s “Monster” filled the air as the sky began to lighten.
Seth fumbled in his pocket for his phone. “Yes?” He was quiet a moment as he listened. His gaze slid to Bastien. “I know why you’re calling, and everything is all right. Bastien and I will be along shortly to explain.” He listened another moment. “We’ll be there momentarily.” He pocketed his phone.
Cliff smiled. “It’s weird not being able to hear both sides of the conversation now.”
“That was Melanie,” Seth told him. “I believe she’s discovered the absence of the virus in your blood work. She said she needed to see me immediately and sounded panicked. Bastien and I will let her know what happened.”
Unease trickled through him. “How are we going to explain this to Stuart and the other vampires?” And how would the other vampires react to the knowledge that Cliff had been healed but their struggle would continue?
Guilt suffused him.
“I don’t know,” Seth said. “We’ll speak to Melanie in Chris’s boardroom so the vamps won’t hear us. We need to bring Chris into the loop anyway.” His countenance turned contemplative for a moment. “Maybe he can help us figure out a way to reunite you with your family as well.”
Cliff stared at him, eyes wide as he tried not to get his hopes up. “Do you think that’s possible—that I could see my dad?” His mom had died of cancer when he was a boy, and his dad had never remarried. So it had just been the two of them, with his grandparents visiting as often as they could to try to fill the void.
Bastien snorted. “Are you kidding? Reordon is like Seth. With him, anything is possible.”
Seth nodded. “But we’ll need time to come up with something.”
“That’s fine,” Cliff assured him.
Seth looked at Bastien. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes. Melanie doesn’t know I’m at Emma’s and will worry if I don’t get my ass back before sunrise.” He looked at Emma. “I’ll return for the car tomorrow.”
“No need,” Aidan said. “I’ll drive it to the network for you. Maybe we can put our heads together once I get there and come up with a plausible explanation for the vamps.”
Bastien nodded. “Sounds good. The keys are in the ignition.”
Seth glanced at Cliff. “I assume you’d like to stay?”
“Yes.”
Seth smiled. “We’ll leave you two to celebrate then.”
In the next instant, he and Bastien vanished. Tossing them a wave, Aidan ducked into the Chevy, started the engine, and drove away, leaving Cliff and Emma alone.
Still holding her hand, Cliff looked down at her and smiled. “Hi there.”
“Hi yourself.” Emma swiveled to face him. Offering him a mischievous smile, she slid an arm around his waist and leaned into him. “Has anyone ever told you you’re the hottest human on the planet?”
He laughed. “No. But I believe you have that honor.”
“Flatterer.”
He shook his head. “I still can’t quite believe it,” he admitted softly.
“I know. I think it hasn’t fully hit me yet.”
He glanced around. The gray sky began to acquire a golden glow. “Would it be okay if we stayed out here for a little while?”