Her father. . . .
It was why she'd come here tonight. She'd wanted her parents to be proud of her. To share in her joy.
Now they were gone. Forever.
Had you not been here, they would have been attacked unawares and Maman would have died without your ever seeing her again.
It was true, yet she couldn't stop the pain inside her. The grief that cried out for her mother's love. How could they be gone? How?
It was so unfair and she wanted blood for the loss. . . .
Fang stood back as the bears circled and held on to one another to grieve. They were a family united.
He felt like a total outsider.
Until Aimee and Dev pulled him forward. He hesitated until Remi took his wrist to force him to join them. "You're one of us, wolf." Remi's gaze went to Fury, Vane, Lia, and the others. "As are all of you. Thank you for coming to help us fight. It won't be forgotten."
Aimee reached up to wipe some of the blood off Fang's face before she kissed him. "I guess we're all brolf after all."
Dev frowned. "Brolf?"
Simi huffed at him as if she thought he was completely dense. "A bear and wolf family. Jeez, doesn't anyone understand Charonte English?"
Dev shook his head as he looked around at the hodgepodge of creatures who called Sanctuary home. "This is one fucked-up family."
Fang laughed. "I think it's the nature of all families to be fucked up."
Aimee wiped her tears away. "Simi? What was it you told me once about families?"
"We have three kinds of family. Those we are born to, those who are born to us, and those we let into our hearts."
Aimee held her hand out to Fang as Dev continued to hold her.
Family.
It was all that ever really mattered.
Those we are born to, those who are born to us, and those we let into our hearts.
The ones who were gathered here, they were family and no amount of malice would ever change that. Family could only be destroyed from within.
Never from without.
And tonight they were all closer than they'd ever been before. United in grief. United in spirit.
United in love.
Sanctuary forever.
One week later
Aimee stood in the center of the bar as Quinn and Serre reattached the lights to the ceiling. They were trying to get the bar back up and running as soon as possible, but it was taking awhile to pick up the pieces and reopen.
In true Were-Hunter fashion, they'd cremated their parents and placed their ashes in an urn that now rested in the memorial chapel where Bastien and Gilbert were kept in a special room in Peltier House.
Aimee had visited with them just that morning. She didn't think she'd ever get over the need to see her mother or feel her father's warm hugs.
She would miss them always.