The Family Business: The love and war series [COMPLETED]

Epilogue

"May I steal away the birthday girl?" Eros asked, pulling Aubrey's thoughts with him. With a single nod, Apollo bounced off to challenge Hermes for the group of muses he was currently entertaining. Eros handed Aubrey a small gold box. "Happy birthday, my dear."

Aubrey gasped at the necklace inside. Around a beautiful gold chain hung a rose in the most brilliant shade of red she ever saw. "Eros, Thank you! You didn't-"

"I know I didn't." Eros's held his hand up in protest. "But it seemed rather perfect for you. A beautiful rose, but dangerous if not handled properly." Aubrey rolled her eyes and pinched her lips to keep from laughing as he continued, "It's carved by eastern dwarves and made from their most precious of rubies. It'd put the Burma ruby to shame."

Aubrey smiled as her fingers grazed the little gold thorns that framed its ruby petals. When her blue eyes met his familiar gaze, Eros grinned and asked, "Did you know rubies are essentially red sapphires? They are a gem all on their own, but both come from the same mineral. Interesting, no?"

Unsure if there was a double meaning bind his words, she simply said, "Thank you. It's beautiful."

"You're welcome. Now, I'm sure you'd much rather be somewhere else.... Go on. I'll cover for you."

Was it obvious? Aubrey's eyes narrowed, but her own smirk betrayed her as she said, "Thank you."

"Of course. But I warn you, Dwarves gold is like catnip to a dragon." At Eros's knowing wink, Aubrey's blush turned as red as the rose she clasped around her neck.

He somehow always knows, she thought. Quickly sneaking off to the bathroom, she closed her eyes and thought of beautiful blue sapphires. With a wide grin, she willed herself to Damien, but when her feet firmly landed on the ground she expected to be surrounded by the walls of his apartment. Instead, long overgrown grass swayed around her knees as she stood at the center of a ghost town.

"Aubrey?" Damien called from behind her. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I..." her voice trailed off as she noticed movement from inside the beaten up houses. One by one, people began to look out the windows and boarded up doors. "Where are we?"

"It's an old southern mill town, hidden to most thanks to Morgan. I was going to wait a few more weeks to bring you here, but considering..." Damien placed his hand on the small of her back. "Aubrey, I'd like you to meet my dragons. We're all that's left of our kind."

Slowly, more dragons stepped outside the small homes. They weren't dressed in rags like Aubrey had expected from the state of the town. Instead, they were dressed casual, yet she couldn't ignore the hardship worn on their faces. Few children clung to the legs of their parents as they looked back at their Drakonas and his unclaimed mate.

"But the apartment, and the suits, the bike?" Aubrey asked. Damien never appeared to be a man hurting for money, and she had a hard time believing he would let his people suffer while he spoiled himself. Did she truly know him?

A small smile crept over his lips. "I took the apartment from a greedy businessman and sold many of his things. The suit is important for keeping up appearances or business deals. I take only what my people and I need. The rest goes to rebuilding our home in Kavkaz. And the bike... it's my one treasure," he said, lifting Aubrey's hand to his lips. "Aside from you."

The sincerity in his voice hit the very center of her core. She knew he was hell bent on rising up his people, but it never clicked until now. Their numbers where so few, it was heartbreaking. There had to be less than one hundred in the whole rundown town.

One look around and Aubrey knew exactly what she was meant to do. "I want to help you. I want to help you rebuild Kavkaz, and end all this."

"Aubrey, are...are you sure? You know what you would be accepting?"

"Yes." She never felt so sure in her life. "You're sexy as sin, and we never know how much time we really have."

His head cocked to the side as he eyed her skeptically.

"Just something someone very wise told me," she said with a smirked.

That was all the reassurance Damien needed before his mouth crashed down to claim hers. Fire ignited every one of her senses as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. She wanted all of him and more.

Just as she was about to vanish in his kiss, he pulled away, leaving trails of fiery pecks along her jaw line. She wanted to protest until his lips found a very sensitive part of her neck, sending all thoughts far from her mind. His deep voice filled with lust as he whispered, "It seems you've acquired a new piece of jewelry. Hmmm...we might have to return home sooner than I had intended."

His words sent a whole new wave of emotions through her body. She had little time to respond before he swept her up in another scorching kiss. Aubrey's thoughts were lost in a daze. Her world was far from perfect, but with the right people by her side and the beast in her arms, she would find a way to face it all. Yes, life was good.

 Author's Note: I can't believe I finished!! I hope everyone has enjoyed my very first story and thank you so much for sticking with it! Please let me know what you thought! I'm always open to suggestions! Thank you again!

Vote, Comment, Hope You Enjoyed! :D