Blood Prophecy

Epilogue



Solange


December 21

Every year Lucy’s parents held a bonfire a few days before Christmas, on the winter solstice. It burned through the night, meant to encourage the sun to return after the longest night of the year. Once my mom started having babies who would one day turn into vampires, Lucy’s mom turned part of the celebration into a Longest Night party for us. She’d been trying to find the joy in the things we might find scary, to find the beauty in the night we’d eventually have to claim almost exclusively. Just as she was doing again tonight, with the biggest bonfire I’d ever seen. My entire family was here and so were Lucy’s friends from school. Bruno fell asleep on the couch after dinner and none of us had the heart to wake him.

We sat on the garden wall, swinging our feet over a pumpkin patch. Lucy handed me a bottle of something alarmingly frothy and pink. “What is that?” I asked dubiously.

“Some raspberry thing Aunt Hyacinth told my mom would be festive. Mom added healing herbs.” She wrinkled her nose. “Looks nasty.”

“You have no idea. Aunt Hyacinth’s been so domestic since the battle.”

“That never ends well,” Lucy sympathized. “Personally, I’m sticking to chocolate as my therapy.” She dipped her hand into the giant bag of macaroons in her lap. “That and the twice-weekly mandatory school counselor visits.” They were helping. Her heartbeat was back to normal, without that stress-induced rapidity.

“Do you still have to check in every two hours when you’re not home?” I asked her.

“Yes, not to mention I have to meditate with Mom every Sunday morning and show her some kind of artistic expression every week. But the counselor says if they’re still making me check in during the new term, she’ll recommend a psychologist for them too. So ha!” Lucy ate a few more macaroons. “The academy gave me a new tutor.”

“And?” I knew that look.

“I don’t like her.”

“Why not?”

“Mostly because she’s not Tyson,” she admitted, watching Isabeau and Logan throw sticks for the dogs to retrieve. “I miss him.”

“I miss London too,” I said. “Even though we didn’t even get along.” We looked out over the crowd of people around the fire, the light warm and cheerful on their faces. Warm apple cider and hot chocolate circulated in the new hand-thrown clay mugs I’d made for Lucy’s parents.

“Your mom’s right,” I said. “We needed this.”

Lucy tilted her head. “Are Jason and Sebastian flirting?”

I followed her gaze, my eyebrows easing into my hairline. “Even more shocking, is Sebastian actually being chatty?”

“I had no idea.” Lucy grinned. “Nathan’s going to be pissed, but they’re so cute.”

“We really are,” Quinn drawled, having only caught our last comment. Connor, standing next to him, rolled his eyes.

“How did you fit that big head of yours in the car on the drive over here?” Lucy teased.

“He had to stick it out the window like a dog,” Nicholas added with a smirk as he came up behind Lucy. He sat beside her as Quinn pretended to look insulted.

“It’s not my fault I’m so much prettier than the rest of you,” he said with mock sorrow. “It’s a burden. Now I’m going to be a hero and save my girlfriend.” Quinn winked at Lucy before drifting over to where Hunter and Chloe were politely listening to Lucy’s dad’s explanations of how an ancient stone monument in Ireland was built to align with the rising sun on the day of the winter solstice. Connor went to join Christabel under a blanket, letting her read some long rhyming poem to him. He didn’t seem to mind in the least.

“How’s Hunter?” I asked quietly as Lucy leaned against Nicholas.

“Better. Kieran drops by school every few days to hang out with her,” Lucy said. He’d be leaving soon for college in Scotland. I tried not to think about it. We had finally found each other again. Lucy frowned, fiddling with a macaroon but not eating it. “I still can’t believe you’re leaving,” she said, as if she’d read my mind.

“Me neither.” I’d finally convinced Mom and Dad to let me travel. I wanted to visit other vampire communities, learn new traditions, and forge new connections to make up for all those I’d accidentally severed. I needed to find someone to help me further control my pheromones and my hunger. And I wanted to make amends. My parents had only agreed when Aunt Hyacinth offered to come with me. My brothers would take turns joining us. Marcus was the first to volunteer, ever eager to gather new knowledge. He’d already helped me turn the copper collar into a bracelet cuff. I could wear it if I felt like my pheromones were too much.

“You have to e-mail me every day,” Lucy demanded. She threw a macaroon at my head to illustrate the seriousness of her request.

I ducked it easily. “You too.” I tossed one back at her, missed, and hit Nicholas in the temple.

“Ow,” he said mildly. He wore a strand of wooden beads with a red tassel around his neck. Kieran was beside him, wearing the same kind of necklace.

Lucy chuckled. “Mom gave you prayer beads.”

“Yes,” Nicholas replied, sitting on the wall next to Lucy. His hair was tousled, which meant Lucy’s mom had also hugged him and ruffled his hair, as she always did.

“And you’re wearing them because you’re awesome,” Lucy said approvingly.

“That too.”

“Anyone got a camera?” she asked as Kieran came to stand next to me, leaning against the wall. My knee pressed against his arm. “Because she made a set for everyone I want a photo of Bruno wearing his.”

We sat for a long time, the four of us on the wall, silently enjoying the party. “This is the best Longest Night yet,” Lucy said happily, snuggling against Nicholas and watching everyone revolving around the fire, laughing and eating homemade cake.

“Let’s make a pact,” I suggested, wanting to hold the moment in my hand like a little bird. I wasn’t ready to let it fly away yet. “No matter where we are or what we’re doing, every year we all meet up for a Longest Night celebration.”

Kieran held up my hand, our fingers entwined. He kissed my knuckles. “Deal.”

“Deal,” Nicholas echoed.

Lucy held up her little finger, crooking it. “Pinky swear?”

I looped my finger through hers. “Pinky swear.”

Because that’s what best friends did—they stood by each other.

And because no one mentioned what happened to Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, or all of those other princesses sleeping through their lives. Eventually, the Longest Night gave way to morning.

Eventually, they woke up.



Author’s Note

It is wonderfully strange to write the last book in a series. When I wrote Hearts at Stake/My Love Lies Bleeding I thought I was writing a standalone novel. I wanted to have fun with Snow White and with vampires, even though everyone kept saying vampires were dead (ha-ha). I wanted to tell my story regardless. I could never have imagined it would become a six-book series, and additional e-novellas and short stories. And that is what the Drake Chronicles taught me again and again: Tell Your Own Story.

I hope it’s brought you a few hours of escape, a few thrills, and a few sighs over those Drake brothers.

I already miss them.

But there’s always more to the story . . . so look for new Drake Chronicles e-novellas coming your way.