Changes

Epilogue

I was relaxing in the pool room with Z. It's been a wonderful twenty years. I wish I could say thise twenty years have been peaceful but with our children, peace doesn't exist. Zephira was now an adult, often sneaking away with Vlad and Nia's son, Myrio. Our second oldest, Nikoli, was a terror going through teenage hormones that were on steroids apparently, and then you have our youngest Hilary, who was ten who didn't know the meaning of volume control.

In those twenty years, my mother gave birth to another set of twins, Lucas and Sonny. They looked like their father, but personality wise they were carbon copies of their older brothers who they enjoy spending time with. Violet and Silver now also have two kids, Piper and Bixlow. Pipe was quiet. Too quiet to the point we sometimes thought she had left the house when in reality she was under the blankets in her bed, reading. Piper gained Silver's ability to turn invisible as well while Bixlow enjoys pulling pranks with his element ability. His favorite was to make illusions with fog to trip us up.

Z was running his nose along the side of my neck, placing a kiss every now and then. It has been a little bit since we've been alone together so he was enjoying it. Until Nikoli came running in, being chased by Hilary. Nikoli tried to jump over the pool to get away from her. However his foot only grazed the edge and he fell in, splashing his father and I.

Z growled, as Nikoli came up sputtering. "What the hell is going on," Z asked them. "He ate my food while I was in the bathroom," Hilary said. "And it was good," Nikoli declared. "Dad, can you drown him," Hilary asked. "Tempting," Z muttered and I smacked his chest. Nikoli got out of pool, his clothes getting water everywhere. "You better not get water all over my house," I told him. "I thought it was our house," Nikoli argued. Z growled, "Don't argue with your mother." "Yeah," Hilary said then stuck her tongue out at him.

I sighed as Nikoli began to chase Hilary into the house. "Five minutes," Z muttered. "That's all I ask for." "Watch where you're goin'!" We heard someone yelled at the kids.

"Sorry Uncle Jaden!" The kids yelled in unison. I leaned against Z, "I think five minutes is too much to ask for." He chuckled softly, "I guess I'll have to sneak away with you." I laughed softly, "That's how I got pregnant with Hilary remember?" He kissed my cheek, "Worth the risk." I laughed and shook my head.

We got out of the pool and I had put my cover over it when I could hear our children arguing in the kitchen, this time, Zephira adding into the chaos. I was debating on whether or not I wanted to go into the kitchen. To keep it from getting destroyed, I had no choice.

I went in and saw Nikoli with a piece of bacon hanging out his mouth, Zephira wielding a spatula while guarding the stove. "Back off rat," Zephira growled. "What is it now," I asked them. "I'm making Hilary more food since this fat ass ate her last plate, and he keeps stealing the bacon," Zephira said. "Nikoli, leave them alone," I said in warning.

Myrio then came in and Zephira gave him a smile, her cheeks taking on a light blush. Z growled softly and I elbowed him. The ever over protective father.

I was sitting on the porch, enjoying some sweet tea when Jay came out and joined me. "So how did your date go last night," I asked him curiously. It's taken some time but eventually my brothers got over their grief and have found two great women. "Maddie kept kickin' my ass at pool," Jay said. Maddie was very much a tom boy who enjoyed going to sports bars and rodeos. She worked as a mechanic and like us, she moved from Texas to Louisiana. She was full of southern hospitality and I loved that about her.

"You poor thing," I mocked. He chuckled, "I enjoyed every second of it. She rewarded me for being a good sport." I made a gagging sound and he chuckled. "You're disgusting," I told him. "She doesn't seem to think so," he said with a smirk. "I'm gonna throw you in the water," I threatened. He laughed and I joined it. I had to admit, it was good having my brothers back.

I was sitting at the kitchen island, a glass of wine in front of me, waiting for Z to return from his hunt. Violet came in wearing one of Silver's shirts, his mark looking refreshed. She grabbed herself a drink and sat beside me. "It's so quiet," she said with a smile. I nodded, "Isn't it nice?" She nodded, "Oh yeah." Violet was my closest friend and a sister to me. Over the years we have gotten into trouble, given our mates hell a time or two, and we raised our kids together. "Any plans for your and Silver's mating anniversary," I asked her. She shrugged, "He is enjoying keeping it a secret. Claims I will know soon enough." She ran a hand through her silver and red hair. Every time she dyes her hair, some part is always silver as a kind of claim. Her nails were currently a deep purple that sparkled in the light. She had also got me in the habit of getting my nails done, but I did that coffin style, and not the stiletto like she often did. 

We continued to talk, even after Silver came in. He wrapped an arm around her waist and she leaned back into him. He simply held her close as she and I talked. When Z came downstairs after brushing his teeth and dressing, he wrapped his arms around me. He noticed my half empty wine glass and poured more into it, then added his blood to make it better. We discovered the hard way that the only time alcohol truly affected us women is if our mate's blood was mixed into it. It was truly weird but it was a great way to relax. He passed me the glass and I took his arm and licked his wound closed. Our children find many of the mannerisms we do to be strange but that was because for them, their Founder instincts haven't kicked in so they don't understand it yet. I was more than okay with that, because it means they're still children and not reaching the point of maturity. For our son, I don't think he'll ever reach that point mentally. I prayed I have the patience to put up with him for all eternity. 

When Silver and Violet retired for the night, Z began to trail kisses down the side of my neck as I took a drink from my glass. "I think now is our chance to pick up where we had left off before our children interrupted us," he said with a smirk. His hands slipped under my shirt and I arched into his touch. He continued to enjoy teasing me until I finished my glass. Once I was finished, he picked me up bridal style and carried me to our room. No matter how many years have passed, I can't get enough of him. He affects me just as he did the moment we met, if not more. I will never be able to get enough of him. 

He has been my friend, companion, partner, lover, and mate for these last twenty years and I was truly lucky to have him. He chased away my nightmares, protected me when times were hard, and loved me no matter what. I was truly blessed to be able to call him mine. I never knew how powerful the word 'mine' could be until I mated with him. He was truly mine, body, heart, and soul. Just as I was his. I will never take a single moment of our immortal lives for granted.