“Ah. Right. Sorry, I keep forgetting I’m supposed to be a tad more modest in your presence,” Raphael replied, giving my mom an apologetic smile. “My apologies.”
“Nothing to worry about, Raphael. Really,” my mom said, though she’d yet to look away from his torso, which was still glistening, covered in rogue water droplets. I couldn’t really blame her. It was an innocent reaction. No man could ever tear her away from my dad, but the way she and other women in The Shade reacted whenever Raphael pulled one of these moves was still utterly hilarious.
“I’m… Uh, I’m gonna go put some clothes on,” he said, looking away as he turned around and went back inside the treehouse.
“Yeah, you do that, babe,” I replied. A second later, both my mom and I burst into laughter. This wasn’t the first time, and I knew it wouldn’t be the last. Raphael had yet to adjust to certain social situations—not because he couldn’t. He just didn’t want to. Some things, like his partial nudity, felt natural, like they were nothing for him to bother with. I, for one, loved him with all his quirks and social inadequacies.
“Okay, I’ll see you in a couple of hours then?” my mom asked, raising her eyebrows at me. “I’m going to wake your father. The smell of coffee hasn’t gotten him out of bed yet.”
I chuckled. “He’s tired. Yeah, we’ll meet you both out here in a bit.”
Sinking back into my rattan chair, I took a long sip from my coffee and watched my mom go inside. I could almost hear my dad grumbling, about five minutes later, detesting the fact that he had to wake up and go somewhere on a Sunday. He’d gotten quite attached to weekends at home, since it meant spending more time with my mom, as well as Raphael and me.
Unsurprisingly, he and Raphael got along great. My dad, in fact, had been a very good influence on Raphael. “Un-friggin’-believable,” I muttered, letting a deep sigh roll out of my chest.
Every morning, I found myself in awe of this life, of these experiences of mine. Every morning, I gave thanks to the universe for letting me live long enough to enjoy all this. I’d survived a certain kind of hell. The ritual had left deep wounds in its wake. Many of us were still healing, still working to move past it.
But I deserved the peace and love that had come afterward.
We all did. We’d earned it, and its sweetness would never fade.
Varga
Unlike Phantom’s dream world, Eva and I had decided to bring it all back to The Shade. In a sense, this was where we’d started. This had been our destination and our safe space during the Hermessi troubles. The grand hall and its surrounding area had been decorated accordingly—tables, chairs, sprawling buffet tables with spiced blood, rose water, and a plethora of dishes and drinks to accommodate every single species that would attend the party.
To my astonishment, it was not going to be a private and modest affair. The moment I’d announced our engagement, my parents and my grandparents had insisted that we make it big, bright, and airy, to help the entire federation heal from the Hermessi ritual.
I hadn’t been particularly fond of being given such a responsibility, but Eva, ever fearless, had said that we could certainly pull it off. On one condition, though, she’d added. It would not take place on Nevertide, despite the fact that I was its crown prince. My family had scrunched their nose at the thought of doing it elsewhere, until Eva chose The Shade.
My grandparents had been particularly thrilled about it, since The Shade had become a central hub for all the otherworldly visitors to Earth. It was also GASP’s main base, and thus all the more adequate as a location for our engagement party.
The event itself was not all that fancy, with just some floral arrangements and mason jar lights hung all over the place. A band had been brought in from the human world, along with several Lamias who were talented lyra players. I didn’t care how massive the event would be, in the end, as long as I got to spend most of it with Eva. Since our return from Aledras, we’d become inseparable.
Our souls were forever bound, and we could feel each other’s emotions. Our hearts had become one. And tonight, the two of us were standing outside the grand hall, drowning in a sea of party guests as music played in the background, mentally bracing ourselves for what was bound to be a very long and exhilarating engagement bonanza.
We’d mostly stayed away from people when they’d first arrived. We had, of course, welcomed them and smilingly accepted their gifts and congratulations, but that had been it. We’d spent the first part of the evening holding hands and encouraging one another.
“This is way bigger than I thought it would be,” Eva murmured at one point, while we waited for the Novak family to appear. Herakles and the crew were also due to arrive soon, as he’d taken it upon himself to make sure they all showed up together. Our common Hermessi experience had made such organizational feats possible, and also endearing. “I mean, when your parents said it was going to be big… I guess my perception was off.”
“My parents and, most importantly, my grandparents, are ridiculously popular. And let’s not forget, you and I have made quite a number of fans in GASP since we wrapped up the ritual. People just want to come over and be happy for us,” I replied, smiling at a passing group of Fire Star fae.
The party was a dazzling success. All kinds of supernaturals were present—from the Druids, incubi, succubi, Lamias, Bajangs, and Maras of Eritopia; to the Imen, the daemons, and the Manticores of Neraka; the Perfects, Arch-Perfects, Faulties, and even a few Draenir from Strava; the fae from the Fire Star, Akvo, Zephyr, and the Emerald; the witches and warlocks from the Witches Sanctuary; and, of course, the diverse plethora found in The Shade. Vampires, werewolves, jinn and Hawks, dragons and Vale humans. I’d even spotted some representatives from Aledras and Cerix, though they were few and scattered through the massive crowd. I was astonished. I’d counted about two hundred guests so far, and I knew there were plenty still coming.
“It’s looking awesome, though.” Eva giggled. I gazed at her for a while, marveling at how beautiful she looked in her long, dark green silk dress. The material hugged her hourglass figure, strapped over one shoulder with a diamond clasp. She’d let her long and luscious black hair loose, and I was already looking forward to escaping this party so I could hold her close and run my hands through its entire length.
“I love you. You know that, right?”
She nodded once. “I can see your aura now.”
“Right… Right. I forget, sometimes. I’ve grown so accustomed to feeling you in me that I simply take it as a natural state,” I said.
“That’s okay. Sometimes I forget what life was like before we met. So that sort of makes us even in terms of forgetfulness.”
We both chuckled, and I slipped an arm around her waist. “So, what are you now, hybrid lady? Because you’ve gained a new species affiliation since we… you know,” I said, clearing my throat. “Made love the first time.”
She leaned into me, her yellow gaze darkening slightly, enough to make my skin tingle with excitement. “I’m a Lamia-Druid-vampire-sentry, now, Mr. Goode.”
“Your Highness,” I replied, then pressed my lips into a thin, small line.
“Say what?”
“The correct form of addressing me is ‘Your Highness.’” I chuckled, no longer able to keep a straight face. Eva had this way of disarming me simply by looking into my eyes. Her existential honesty made me love her even more.
“How about I call you Varga? Or baby? Or my love?” she replied, her serpentine tongue flicking over her lower lip. I wanted to kiss her. But there were too many people watching us.
Wait, why is that a problem? What the hell, dude, you’re engaged!
Having found my resolution, I leaned down and caught her mouth in a long kiss. I breathed her in—she smelled of wild orchids and lotus flowers, mixed with the sweetness of the steamy woods that flanked the River Pyro. “You can call me whatever you want,” I said, my lips brushing over hers.
“Dudes. Get a room!” Raphael’s voice shot through the party noise.
We both looked to the side to find Raphael and Amelia, joined by Riza and Herakles, Eira and Taeral, and Lumi and Nethissis. Behind them, Amelia’s parents stood, beaming and holding what looked like neatly wrapped presents for us. Lumi had more apprentices these days. We’d counted fifteen, the last time we’d met her. The Word was still a mystery to most of us, a force of the universe we weren’t sure we’d cross paths with again—though we didn’t exclude the possibility, based on the Word’s farewell address. But it felt nice to see Lumi’s camp grow. After what Azazel had done to her and her sisters back on Calliope, she deserved this much.
“We already have a room,” I said. “And it’s waiting for us in Nevertide. I can just cancel the party and head back there with my fiancée, if our smooching makes you uncomfortable.”
Raphael shook his head and pulled us both into a bear hug. “No way, man. I did not get out of bed this Sunday for you to bail on me!”
The crew and I were back together again, and not just for tonight. We’d made a habit of meeting as often as we could. Sometimes, we’d just kick back with drinks on the beach and relax. On certain occasions, we’d revisit the string of events that had brought us to the ritual’s end, working through our emotions and traumas. It had not been easy going back to normal after what we’d experienced with the Hermessi.
