Married to the Vampire King (COMPLETED)

Epilogue

Sophie Ashe

The Old Mermaid Community Centre

I checked my crown in the reflection of the SUV's passenger window. It was early spring, and this was the first official outing since the events at the lodge.

I fidgeted in my seat. This was scarier than fighting a horde of angry demons. I double-checked the skirt suit my stylist had picked out for me. I envisioned stepping out of the car with a few shirt buttons undone. I couldn't risk bad publicity, especially since Casper's popularity was rising.

The calls for Rudolph to become King quickly fell silent when the truth about his mother emerged. Nico made sure that it was accidentally leaked to the public that Augusta had been part of a plan to bring about an apocalypse with the aid of rebel demons.

Rudolph had also magically disappeared from court. He retreated into one of his townhouses and was still intent on marrying Christie. Casper was doing all he could to disentangle Christie from her engagement. Personally, I wanted to take my flaming demon-slaying sword and squad of guards to rescue Christie, but Casper and Nico warned that this may cause a 'scene'.

Casper says that Rudolph will let Christie go after a deal has been struck. I think Casper is desperate to come to some sort of arrangement as he misses his best friend, Jacques.

No one has heard from Jacques. He's gone off the grid. Nico and his team are trying to search for him, but they have so far not found him.

I hope that Casper can reconcile with Jacques. Especially now that Luc and Mia have left Port Cressida with the twins.

After the lodge, Luc took Mia and the kids up into the mountains. He didn't tell anyone where they had gone, only that they didn't want to be found. He was frightened for his family. Gwendolyn was still alive.

No one had seen Gwendolyn since the fight at the lodge. She had either disappeared into the woods or escaped us by entering the portal into Hell. Rayne said he would deal with her, but even he had even dropped off the radar.

I thought about Rayne a lot, or rather, I thought about the favour I owed him. I wondered when he would step out of the shadows and demand payment.

The SUV slowed down as we hit the bumpy road that cut through the Spit. People from the town lined the streets, not quite believing that the new King and Queen had come to visit their town. This was the first time that any royal had visited the Spit. In fact, previous monarchs had even refused to acknowledge that such a place existed in their Kingdom. But Casper and I had agreed that we would do things differently. We were going to rule differently.

The SUV pulled up outside the Old Mermaid Tavern, or what was the Old Mermaid Tavern. The old building had been refurbished, and a new sign now hung above its doors,' The Old Mermaid Community Centre'.

It was a coronation gift from Casper. He had taken the tavern from the Landlord, who had helped Augusta find vulnerable women to groom as potential sacrifices. Casper then arranged for the tavern to be repurposed, changing it to a community outreach centre for women in trouble or in need of help. The centre would offer services and resources to help women get off the street and out of the hands of silver tavern landlords.

I was delighted by the gift, especially as I couldn't visit my own Grandparents' community centre anymore. Casper had saved the Little Dove Community Centre and would continue to pay for its upkeep and staff, but I wouldn't be able to visit it. I was too dangerous to the living. My bloodlust had yet to subside.

Nico opened my passenger door, and I stepped out onto a red carpet. Crowds of people stood behind security barriers, waving flags and chanting our names.

Casper came to my side and slipped his hand into mine, and gave a gentle squeeze. I smiled up at him, uncertain but hopeful for our future.

T H E  E N D ?

The story isn't over! The next book in this series is Dark Black Magic.

See the next chapter for a sneak peak of Rayne's story...