A Demon's Kiss ✔️

Epilogue

~Aspen

I feel hands on me before I even realise I'm awake.

Someone is grazing their fingers along my hand soothingly. For a moment it feels so perfectly blissful I don't want to open my eyes. I just want to stare into the darkness, let it envelop me forever.

Regardless, I crack my eyes open, blinking past the dull light.

I'm laying in bed, Kastriv by my side. His head is bowed, hand in mine as he sits perfectly still.

"Kastriv?" I breathe out, my voice raspy and rough.

He immediately raises his head, eyes widening. Pulling his chair closer to the bed, he helps me sit up so more, making sure the pillow behind me is perfectly propped up.

"Hey...you're awake," he says, like he can hardly believe it. He's clearly been sitting there for who knows how long, probably thinking I'm head.

"I'm alive?" It feels too good to be true. I thought for a second there that I would have died.

Many times in my life I sometimes wished for a simple way to relieve my pain. But as soon as that feeling came, it went. Just like now, as I am so painfully grateful I'm okay.

"Oh yes. And back in your body," he notes, motioning at me.

I stare down at my hands, at my familar rings. Any hint of Atari is gone, like I never was in her body, like I never caused her to die...

"What happened?"

Kastriv shifts. "Atari is dead. Larsen still doesn't entirely know what is going on, but that's probably for the best."

I release a long breath, feeling a crushing amount of relief and guilt fall upon me. I know I did the right thing, that I've saved many Demon's from a terrible fate. But I never thought I would ever be capable of hurting someone...

I just hope that Larsen will be okay with it.

Then again, Larsen has likely killed many people. This death won't stain his reputation, or his moral system I imagine.

"So she's really dead?" I feel like I need to repeat it endlessly to have it stick to my mind.

Kastriv smiles, looking like years worth of tension has lifting from his shoulders. "Keo and I found Atari's plan for the spell. We destroyed it."

"No part of you considered keeping it? Just in case?" I feel silly asking, but I know the thought is going to haunt me, even if I trust Kastriv with my life.

He takes both my hands into his, squeezing them gently. "Demon's have never been my enemy. In fact, I have one as my mate, and I wouldn't change that."

I smile gently. I believe him.

"What happened to the spirit?" I ask. I left her locked downstairs in the cell, not giving her a single say in the plan as it was unfolding.

"The moment Keo was free he killed her. He said she was an abomination."

"I would be sad about that, but she deserved it," I mutter. No part of me will mourn that spirit. Not when she chose her own life over many Demon's. In one way, she was no better than Atari.

Luckily Keo saw it the same way.

"It feels strange not having her around to haunt me," Kastriv admits, looking around the room as if taking count of the spirits he can see, the absence of one that was once around him all the time.

"Is that a good thing?" I ask softly.

He only smiles, gazing at me. "The best thing."

"I'm assuming Keo is gone?" I want to get everything out of the way, so I can concentrate on my mate, and our bond. I care about him, so much, and for once, I feel like maybe we have a shot at being a normal couple.

"He's looking for an Angel-blood that is supposedly the answer to all his problems," Kastriv muses, laughing softly to himself.

We both know the irony of that.

"Ah yes...I wonder how that will go, considering he hates all Angel-bloods." If they have use to him, he won't kill them. But I'm not sure how long that will last.

Kastriv shakes his head. "He isn't our problem now. You proved you are capable of so much with your magic. I mean, look what you pulled off."

I nod. He's right. I've done more than I ever thought I would be capable of. Oliver would feel especially foolish if he knew, considering he spent many years of our marriage trying to tell me I would never achieve anything.

Sitting up a little straighter, I focus on my mate. "I have one more thing in mind for my magic, actually."

"Really?" he raises his brow.

"But you're going to have to give me time to figure it out." I feel a spark of excitment in me. A new goal, a new purpose.

And this one is going to be worth it.

***

One Week later.

Opening the door, I peek in. The house is quiet, as I step inside, dumping my back before I enter the living room.

Kastriv and I are back in Territory One. It's where I came the night Oliver hurt me, when my entire life changed.

I like it here. It's quiet, peaceful.

Kastriv is sitting in a chair amongst the sunlight, reading a book.

At the sound of my footsteps, he glances over his shoulder. "Aspen?"

"Hey..." I greet, approaching him. He immediately drops the book, getting up to sweep me into a hug. I've been away for a couple days without him. If feels good to be in his arms again.

"You're back early," he breathes into my hair. I can hear the elation in his voice, since he was reluctant to let me go in the first place.

After the instance with Atari, I don't think he wanted any distance between us.

"It didn't take as long as I thought it would," I admit, tucking a stray hair behind my ear as I step back from my mate.

He frowns. "Your trip with Kaia?"

"It wasn't really a trip with her...I went and saw your parents," I tell him slowly. I feel bad for lying to him, but I knew he wouldn't let me go without him if I did, and I know I would need my space for what I did.

"What?" He doesn't sound angry. Just a little worried.

"I didn't want to tell you because I wasn't sure it would work," I say. "I wanted to go and make sure I was actually capable of doing this first."

"Doing what?" Kastriv questions.

I tuck my hands in my pockets, swaying back and forth. "It's a work in progress, but I've been able to start reverting the damage Atari did to their brains."

His eyes widen with realisation. "You what?"

"It will take time. A lot of time, but I've been able to get in their head to start sifting through their old memories that Atari tried to destroy. I think I can restore them," I explain. It's not an easy process to quantify into words anyone could understand.

But it's more than I ever thought I could do...

Kastriv sweeps his hands through his hair as the reality of what I'm telling him sets in. "Wow..."

"I think I can do this Kastriv. I've made good progress so far," I admit hopefully. I knew the moment I was done with Atari that this is what I wanted to do. For my mate and his happiness.

"I can't believe you're doing this," he breathes, finally breaking out into a smile, coming to terms with the truth of this.

"You deserve to have a relationship with them. You deserve to be happy." I hold either side of his face, smiling up at him.

I can see the beginning of overwhelmed, happy tears starting to shine in his eyes. "Thank you, Aspen. Seriously."

"I should be thanking you. You saved me from a horrible marriage, and I've never been happier," I breathe.

Without Kastriv, I'm not certain I would have ever gotten out of that marriage to him.

"All I want to do is make you happy," he tells me, leaning forward to kiss my cheek.

"And you do." I mean it. I know there is so much to come between us, and I'm itching to see what it will be.

He tugs on my hand, nodding toward the stairs. "Come. Let me have my way with you and then we can do some more gardening, since I know you like it so much."

I grin, nodding. "Alright. You've convinced me."

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Thank you all for reading this story! I hope you enjoyed (:

~Midika 💜🐼