and we’re no longer warriors, or phoenixes, or gargoyles; we’re just desperate men who would give up anything to make our woman smile.
She eventually calms down and scolds us for acting like frightened kittens, which for some reason doesn’t offend any of us. Then she starts to talk about everything we need to do, including creating a home for our baby, informing the phoenixes and the gargoyles about what happened, and most importantly, finding her daughter.
We all take turns kissing her until she grows quiet, and then we’re all laughing.
So this...this is what we’ve been fighting for all along?
It’s worth it. Worth every dark moment. Worth every injury. Every tear. This moment, this woman, this family, it’s complete.
26
Hecate
Our wedding took place just outside of our new home. My men had spent months building a cottage, exactly to my specification, on a plot of land not far from a lonely road. Gargoyles, phoenixes, and even some witches came and celebrated with us. It was tiring, given that I was the size of our house, but it was perfect in every way.
As our guests and my husbands ate after the ceremony, I snuck away to the garden in the back of the house, then carefully sat down beside the little pond with its golden fishes. Around me, a cozy garden had been tended by my husbands until it was everything I’d wanted and more.
But as much as I feel happy and content with my new life, there’s still something missing. Empusa. My daughter. No matter how many different spells I create to find her, it’s as if she has disappeared.
I hope that means the spell I weaved around her is powerful enough to keep her hidden from Hades. But it also means I’m finally back on the surface and still can’t be with her. It makes everything I experienced so bitter-sweet.
Is my daughter safe? Is she happy? Does she have loved ones? Or is she alone?
There had been leads. I’d tracked her to various crossroads and learned that the one near our house was one she frequently visited. It was why I chose this place for our home. So that when we found her, she could be part of the family in all ways.
And yet, I’ve still seen no sign of her.
While talking to the witches tonight, they told an old story that reminded me that there is something else I can do for my daughter, and I’m ashamed that I hadn’t thought of it earlier. Dipping my hands into the water, I start to murmur the words to the spell, pleading to the magic for help. I ask it to release her from the binds of her demon blood. To give her as much freedom as the magic can bring her.
Tears track down my cheeks, because I know exactly what I’m doing. In releasing her from her demon binds, I doubt she’ll ever return to these crossroads, and yet, I would rather have her be free than have her back in my life.
The water turns blood red. Small bubbles erupt from the pond and rise far above me before drifting away. I watch them disappear into the evening sky, and I cry harder. My Em. My darling.
If the tales the witches told are true, her demon blood had forced her to remain at crossroads to lure dark souls to their deaths. My sweet and gentle daughter would hate such a life, and yet she wouldn’t have been able to escape it.
Until now.
The thought of her living such a life, it kills something deep inside of me. I will try to cling to the happiness I have with my men and the child growing inside of me, but I’ll never forget her. And I’ll never stop looking for her.
“Are you crying? Is it so awful to be promised to us forever?”
I glance up, wiping the tears from my cheeks, and see Blaise standing on the pathway to the garden. A sad smile plays across his lips, so I know he’s aware of why I’m here and why I’m sad. He wears a pure white suit, like all my men, and it hugs the perfect lines of his body. When he walks toward me, my heart skips a beat, and then, not giving a second thought at the dirt near the pond, he sits down and pulls me into his lap.
Unable to help myself, I kiss him, and our kiss is gentle and perfect.
“Another man might be jealous.”
We break our kiss and look