Epilogue
Two years later……………
***PLEASE CHECK OUT THE VIDEO I MADE FOR THIS STORY, LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK---->***
**A/N, Yes this is it the last chapter. I wrote this book in the third person POV and it was tough, this book was originally going to be Manxwoman as some of you have picked up from all my poor errors in the beginning when it was prewritten and my editing skills sucked. I will eventually get around to fixing that, but you guys have stuck with me and this story and for that I wanted to send you a heartfelt thank you to everyone who have commented and voted and just plain encouraged me to keep going. I wrote this chapter in Multiple POV rather than the third person. I wanted the characters to have a say. Our Total Submission will begin soon now that Rescue Me is completed. Many of you are waiting for Stavos’ story with his twins :-P..Lol. Thank you again it’s been a wonderful ride writing for all of you, xoxo, ladydianna.
(Picture of the Gazebo----->)
Walking through the community center I stopped at the indoor gym and watched the inner city kids of all ages playing games interacting with each other and it made my heart swell. When I graduated last year and heard about this job from an interview with the Department of Children and Family Services, I jumped at it. At first it was rough because the kids that came here were from single parent’s homes and the group homes in the rent controlled area nearby, most where latch key kids and the community center was the only thing keeping them from falling into trouble. The area was rife with crime, drug dealers and such, enough to entice a poor kid to run drugs for quick money as the dealers flashed their fancy cars and clothes at them to lure them in. I had to on more than one occasion call the cops. Dimitri wasn’t pleased at first about my choice of jobs, more the locale and the environment, but having volunteered here, along with Irina and the twins, he caved. It was even on his donated funds that he updated the building, donated the games and computers. Stavos also updated the buildings security system and showed up here all the time seeing his mates spent a lot of time here helping the children.
Ayden and Ahron were currently in a heated game of basketball with some of the older teens. I must say they were great with them, very patient and willing to look pass the belligerent attitudes to the good kids they really are at heart. I sighed and turned back down the hall to my little office. I had some paperwork to fill out on the progress of some of the newer children in my program. The center worked with DCF when they placed kids from neglected homes in the group home around the corner. The kids came here for counseling and supervision away from the group home. That is where I came in, I am the community center counselor and Social Worker. The community center was destined for demolition not so long ago and after I first started here, after fighting with the city and DCF, the community as well as myself, several prominent city commissioners, and a lot of Dimitri’s business associates, we managed to convince to keep the place open and running.
A lot of those companies chipped in and even offered program studies and academic scholarships for the kids to be able to go to college and work. We had community colleges come here all the time and talk to the parents and high school kids about their options to further their education. We provided parenting classes as well as family planning with the local hospital and clinics, too often young girls came to me distraught and crying that some man or the other even a family member got them pregnant. It was heart breaking work sometimes, but this was what I wanted to do, I wanted to give help where I could and my mate understood my needs and where they came from, and if it was up to him he would most likely take them all in and take care of them to ease my mind and to make me happy. I couldn’t have asked for someone better as my mate, the love of my life.
Getting back to my office I closed the door and sat behind my desk. I started on the necessary paperwork and filled out the forms. I scanned them into the computers and emailed them off to the individual case workers that needed them. I glanced at my watch and noticed that I still had at least another two hours of my business day, so did my mate. But I it was Friday, the kids usually hung out and did movie night with the other younger counselors here, then the center would close at ten. I sent a quick mind link to Stavos letting him know my plans and he just smirked and promised to send Marcos and some of the guys to watch over the staff and kids this evening until he could get here to join in movie night and later lock up and take his mates home.
I locked up my office and I stepped back into the outer office to tell the girls I was leaving for the day. They winked at me and told me not to hurt my man, they could read me like a book, but that’s what happened when you worked closely with a group of people in an emotional soup box for long periods of time. You get to really know one another. Although I must admit that no one here knew I was Vampire. That was not necessary information anyone needed for me to perform my job. Getting into my car I started the engine and listened to it purr. Dimitri bought me a cute little Mini Cooper for a graduation present. I vetoed all his other car choices; they were too flashy and screamed wealth, totally inappropriate for my job. So he settled on my cutie after having Stavos wire it like a tank.
I made my way home and I thought about my life since my decision to stay with Dimitri. I lost my human life but I had gained so much more. My thoughts flashed back to that eventful day after Dimitri turned me. I had woken up not in the guest room where he had made hot, mind blowing love to me, but I was firmly encased in the middle of our now massive bed in the Master bedroom, cocooned in blankets and a very worried muscle bound Vampire. I had opened my eyes and had to close them almost immediately everything was so bright even with the heavy curtains pulled over the window. Dimitri had hushed me and caressed my face. He explained that I was going to be hyperaware of everything involving my senses for a while. I remembered as I had slowly opened one eye then the other to see him hovering protectively over me, still stroking my face and I had felt every stroke, every caress right down to the marrow of my bones.
My poor man had just braced himself because he knew what was coming. A heat had flashed over my body making me feel like I was on fire. My back undulated clear of the mattress as my desire for his body and blood rolled through my body. Dimitri smoldering gaze had never left my heated one as he had watched me writhe and whimper for him. I was rock hard and I had reached out him and he caught me. He had cared for me, drawing me to his vein and had instructed me to drink from him. It was and still is one of the most erotic things that we do, sharing our blood with each other.
I had used his body on more ways than one all day in those following days. It was a mark of his strength and stamina as the sex had pounded on and the feedings had continued for almost two days. He had never complained and he was always ready and attentive to my needs. It still brought tears to my eyes whenever I think of that time in my life, where my life actually began. I never saw my human death as something to be mourned. I always referred to it as my real birth into my love and my family.
I pulled up to the guard house of our home and entered the pass code to open the gates. I waved at the security guard and drove through. Getting to the house I watched our security gates swing open and I passed through driving the length of the driveway to park my car, Stavos and Gustav always argued about my going straight to the garage. They preferred that I parked in the drive and one of them or the security team would park it for me, they said Dimitri decreed it so that they could make sure that everything was in working order and that my gas tank was always full. I picked my battles and just let them have at it.
As if on cue, when my foot hit the top step Gustav was right there swinging the ornate front door open and greeted me with a much too innocent smile. I stopped and eyed him warily. “What are you up to now?” I asked, afraid to go inside. I mean between him and the twins I didn’t know which one was worse, he even hauled Stavos into his schemes a majority of the time, then played the innocent bystander, but I must admit it was all in the name of our welfares. Even though we hated to admit that we have been handled into whatever at the time. Sometimes whatever the situation, it was for his own amusement and that’s when he took to disappearing or Irina had to step in and handle the mess he created, that woman was an Angel I tell you.
“Good evening Master Caleb.” He crooned as he waved me into the house. I got even more concerned with his tone of voice and the smirk on his face. I rushed through the door screaming for Irina at the top of my lungs as I ran for the kitchen.
She came bustling towards me like a beautiful avenging Mother. “What is it baby?” She asked as I ran straight into her open arms and buried my head in her neck. She always smelled like sunshine and flowers.
“Your husband is up to something and it’s scaring me?” I pouted against her skin.
She laughed and eased her shoulder forward bring my face out to look at her. She smiled that soothing motherly smile as eased my hair off my forehead. “Don’t worry baby, he is just messing with you, he has nothing up his sleeve tonight, I can assure you off that, now go have a nice long bath, while I make dinner.” She stated as herded me towards the stairs. I walked by the chuckling Gustav on my way to do what she said.
I poked my head out of the pantry where Irina had shoved me and got the all clear from Gustav to come out. Caleb almost ruined the surprise I had for him by coming home early. It was a good thing he had let Stavos know that he was leaving work early and made plans for the center to be secure and locked up after movie night there. My poor baby was so involved that he didn’t realize that today was our two year anniversary and I had plans for my baby. I just hoped that Irina could finish setting it up before he caught wind of it. She was currently bustling around with the last minute details. I intended to have a commitment ceremony and replicate our first dinner together in the gazebo I had recently built in the back of the house. The entire back patio would be lit up as we exchanged our pledges. All of our family would be in attendance, we were already fully committed as per the Vampire mating ritual but I wanted to go the extra mile and surprise him with the ceremony effectively and legally recognizing him as my life partner.
The twins and Stavos arrived shortly after to help set everything up, Ayden went upstairs to occupy my sweet boy so that he wouldn’t pick up on the arrangements. Right when the day turned to night I wanted to pledge my undying love to him. I trusted Irina to work her magic as Gustav dragged me down the hall to the guest room to shower and change. The food had already been arranged by the caterers, thank goodness, by the time Caleb had gotten home, so he wouldn’t see the delivery trucks. Now, it was up to Irina to get Caleb into his tux without tipping him off and again I trusted her fully with that. That woman was a force of nature and I told a Gustav on a daily basis that he was a lucky son of a bitch, to which he smugly agreed.
Dimitri was so gone for his cute little mate that is was so funny to watch him interact with the slender young man. I must admit that Caleb in all his fragile beauty did bring out the protector in you to the fore front, and Dimitri kept me real busy making sure that not so much as a hair was ever disrupted on his love’s little head. I saw eye to eye with him on that as I watched Ayden come back down stairs to be dragged off my Ahron to get dressed. Those two surely kept me on my toes. Either they were tempting the devil out of me or frustrating me to no end with their evil naughtiness. They definitely needed to be taken in hand, and I was enjoying in doing so to the fullest. I couldn’t imagine life without them though even with all my demons and ghosts from the past haunting me from time to time they managed to settle the beast riding just under the surface of my skin.
I heard arguing and whining coming from the guest room and I made my way there to see what was going on. I almost barked out in laughter as Gustav was trying in vain to hold Dimitri still with a tweezers in one hand trying to pluck his eyebrow. He was ranting about the Barber missing a spot and Dimitri was struggling just as hard to be left alone. I decided to be the good friend depending on which side of the coin it was to help Gustav. I came up behind my huge friend as used my arms over his burly ones clamping down on his chest and pulling him back into my body rendering him still, his arms pinned to the side. I knew he was just humoring us because he was as strong as an ox and if he wanted free, even with my vampire strength, he would be.
“I swear you are as stubborn as an old goat.” I muttered as I plucked the offending hair from my friend’s brow. God between him and Stavos they would have managed to give me gray hair if it were possible. He just screamed in agony and rubbed his eyebrow when Stavos released him, one would think that I had cut his head open and performed a lobotomy or something. I continued to scowl at him as I got him into his tux. I was just arranging his cuff links when Irina let me know that the Justice of the Peace arrived and to get him outside and entertained. She was almost done with Caleb. I left Dimitri with a severe warning not to do anything that ruined my efforts at his perfection. I rolled my eyes at Stavos grinning at his side and left the room to do my precious wife’s bidding.
I wondered what all this fuss was about, I should have known they were up to something when I came home to Gustav’s too innocent face. Now Irina was hustling me into a tux. She kept going on and on about some dinner Dimitri is hosting tonight at the last minute for some business associates. It would have been nice if he had linked with me to let me know something about it. Now I felt flustered and a little bit annoyed. Irina had only left me to slip into a gauzy confection of Lilac that suited her figure and complexion perfectly. Her hair was done up in some sort of intricate up do. These people he was entertaining tonight must sure be some fancy big wigs or something.
She turned me towards the full length mirror in the wardrobe where she had polished me within an inch of my life. I must say I was impressed. The Valentino White tuxedo fit me to perfection and not a hair was out of place. I didn’t have time to linger as she hustled me out of the room. I wanted to ask where Dimitri was but she had the determined glint in her eye and everyone knew not to mess with her when she was on a mission. I would find my wayward other half in a minute. She ushered me into the sitting room and I gasped, there was the object of all my desires standing so mouthwateringly handsome in his own Black Valentino suit. Oh my God, I have died and gone to heaven, no pun intended. Irina closed the door quietly behind her as she gave us some privacy.
I watched as he stalked over to me, my mouth dry and my breathing picked up. This man has never failed to render me stupid with his movie star perfection and sexily dangerous aura. I could feel my blood already setting up for a slow simmer. He stopped in front of me and picked up my hand, sending those amazing little tingles shooting from our point of contact and up my arm.
“Baby, I have a surprise for you tonight. If you recall it has been exactly two years to the day that you walked through those front doors of our home for the first time and captured my heart forever.” He purred and I could feel the tears already gathering at the back of my eyes as my heart galloped away in my chest. I refused to cry though, fighting it stubbornly as I waited for him to continue. “You have come into my life and given me everything right down to your own life so that I may live. Tonight just outside those balcony doors. I want to pledge myself to you by the laws of man. By Vampire tradition I am already yours and you are mine, but tonight in front of our family I want to give myself to you, for you to wear my ring and carry my name as in human tradition.” He whispered against my trembling lips, and that did it, I was done, big fat happy tears rolled out of my eyes and I nodded my head for the lump in my throat was firmly lodged there. He gently gathered me into his arms and kissed away my tears.
I managed to pull it together and he took my arm and led me to the patio doors. He threw them open with a flourish and led me out onto the cobbled patio, and my jaw dropped. Millions of lights lit the entire back of the house. There where enormous arrangements of potted white roses and fluffy green chrysanthemums scattered throughout. A spectacular lighted gazebo draped in even more roses and lights stood in the center. Dimitri led me through our grinning family and into the gazebo, there were two photographers snapping away recording this event on film, once in the Gazebo there was a man holding a bible standing there smiling at us. Behind him was a silk covered table. I gasped again, because on it where several photos of Dimitri and I over the course of our relationship. One of us together on vacation, a couple of them of us fooling around, but there was a big one of us curled up on the chase by the pool fast asleep locked in each other’s arms. And, yep, yet again, I was struggling with the water works as he turned me towards him. Taking my hands in his as our family gathered around us to witness our vows.
I couldn’t help it as I blotted my eyes with my husband’s handkerchief. It was too beautiful to watch my boys as they exchanged their vows. Anyone could obviously see the love and affection they shared, this was an extraordinary bond. I snapped my eyes over to my nephews and watched as they each were attached to Stavos’ side, their mate. Gustav leaned over and pecked me on the cheek, no one was more ecstatic than him at these turn of events, he always feared for his best friends for different reasons, that they would never find or settle into having a mate, not after Dimitri’s heartbreak of losing his mates or Stavos’ determination for whatever reason to exist alone with any other bond than that of his friends standing here tonight. I am so pleased at these turn of events, so euphorically happy that Caleb, Ayden, and Ahron came along and captured their hearts and in doing so rescued my men from a long and lonely existence.