Little Red (Twisted Dark, #4)

Epilogue: Never Ever

I honestly felt a little nervous. I didn't know why but I was. Lyxton pressed his hand to my lower back and I knocked on the door. I worried my bottom lip and there was nothing but silence from the other side of the door and my apprehension grew a touch more. "She should be here." I whispered it to Lyxton as I looked at the door intently.

"She probably is." He reached past me and knocked on the door himself. There was a few moments before I could hear the locks turning and then Tia slowly cracked open the door. She threw me a small smile before throwing Lyxton was more than wary look.

"Hey, Lilli." She said it softly and opened the door a bit more. "I knew you were coming." She said it a bit nervously as she wiped her hand against her long grey skirt and her eyes darted to Lyxton again.

"Can we come in?" I asked it gently and she hesitated before nodding. Tia opened the door wider, quickly scuttling backwards and nearly hiding behind the door as Lyxton and I came inside. She shut the door behind us and I watched as she nearly plastered herself to it, her eyes warily darting to Lyxton every few seconds. I held out my arms. "Huggy hugs?" I asked it hesitantly and even though she was still warily looking at Lyxton she didn't hesitate to come forward and give me a hug. I held her tightly, pulling her as close as I possibly could. I wanted this meeting to go okay, I really did. Lyxton and I wanted her there as a witness when we signed out marriage license. It was now legal for us to get married, Lacey had enacted her changes a few days ago and it was a relief. We didn't necessarily need the paperwork but with the bar it was better to have it so everything was settled properly.

She gave me two precise squeezes and I gave her two in return before smiling and giving her one more just because. "Lilli!" She sounded agitated and I grinned as I gave her another one before she gave me two more squeezes. "Now we are even." She pulled back and I reached up, tapping her once underneath each eye.

"One two." I watched as she lifted her own hand and repeated the gesture, tapping me one underneath each eye.

"Three four." She pressed our foreheads together as I made eye contact with her, letting her see just how much I loved her. I wanted her to also see the immense gratitude I had for her, for giving me a way to be with Lyxton, for letting me keep him. "We will love each other."

"Forever and more." I finished before kissing her right cheek and then her left. "For the two I owe you." I grinned at her and to my surprise she pulled me close and hugged me again, squeezing me twice more before she let me go.

She pulled back, letting me go before she smoothed her hands down her skirt, "Now you owe me two more." She nodded sharply at that and I chuckled, unable to help myself. She looked at Lyxton and pinched her lips together. I glanced at him and he was holding himself relaxed and nonthreatening, well as nonthreatening as he could be given his size.

"Do ye mind if I give you a hug too?" He asked it low and almost casually and watched as Tia brushed her copper curls from her face, swallowed twice, grimaced once before giving a jerky sort of nod. Lyxton stepped forward and wrapped her up in his arms. He gave her two squeezes, just like I told him he needed to and I watched as Tia relaxed and gave him two in return. He slowly let her go before looking around. "You look like you need some bookshelves." There were even more books laying in haphazard stacks around the foyer and Tia swallowed twice again.

"Yah. The stores get a little too chaotic and I can't bring myself to go to out and buy some." Her voice was so achingly shy that it was heartwrenching for me.

Lyxton nodded before he moved around us both to go back to the door. "Come with me." He opened it up and bounded down the stairs. I wrapped an arm around Tia's shoulders and pulled her outside. I moved her down onto her lawn right as Lyxton pulled the large tarp off of the back of the truck to show the hand made book shelves he had insisted he make for Tia the day after we had both taken her potion. He rolled the tarp up and bounded back towards us. Once he was in reach he reached up and chucked Tia's chin twice, giving her a soft smile. "I owe you the greatest thanks, Tia. For going so far out of your comfort zone to make it so Red and I can be together." He bowed his head at her and I watched as Tia's face went bright red. I chuckled at it, unable to help myself as how embarrassed she looked.

"It-it was nothing." She damn near stuttered the words out and I grinned unable to stop myself a Lyxton reared back.

"Nothing?" Lyxton reached out and hauled her up into another hug, giving her two very large squeezes. "It was everything!" He set her down and kissed her cheeks, once on each side before he bent down to her height to meet her gaze. "Everything." He kissed her cheeks again before letting her go and moving back to the truck, leaving Tia look more than shell shocked.

"He's right, it means everything to us." I said it to her gently as I watched as he opened up the tail gate and hopped up on it to start removing the straps on the bookshelves. "You gave us a chance to live our lives in our own time and to make our own decisions without anything tearing us apart. It means the world to us." I reached out and wrapped my arm around her shoulders before tucking her to my side and kissing the side of her head twice.

"He's chaotic, like you." Tia said it evenly and I hummed as I watched as Lyxton got the straps off and started to shuffle one of the shelves towards the tail gate. "But I like him. He makes you happy and that is all I wanted for you, Lilli." She looked up at me and I grinned at her before kissing her cheek twice.

"I was thinking about getting you your own werewolf husband. There are a lot at the Compound who would just adore you, you know." I fought to keep my face straight and even as I dropped my arm from her shoulders.

Tia inhaled sharply, "Lillianna! That is not funny!" Her voice had a pitch of panic to it and I walked away from her, trying to hide my smile as Lyxton managed to get a bookshelf off of the back of the truck. "Take it back, Lilli! You know words have power!" Tia grabbed my hand, yanking on me, causing me to laugh loudly, unable to hold back my amusement any longer. Tia's cheeks puffed out and she scowled at me. "You are not funny! You are so mean!" My knees felt weak as I looked at her and laughed harder. "I won't ever take a werewolf on! They are too chaotic and it will never happen!" I managed to get away from her and headed straight for Lyxton with her on my heels.

"Don't put that on me, Lilli! Take it back!" Tia called it out after me and I knew she was following and it caused me to laugh harder. I caught Lyxton's eye and he grinned at me, holding his arms open for me. I fell into them, hugging him tightly as he dipped me with a searing kiss. "Never ever, Lilli! I will never ever love a werewolf! Ever!" Tia's words filtered into my head and I smiled against Lyxton's lips.

I had said that about becoming a werewolf's breeder. Tia just had to look at me to realize her mistake.

Words certainly do have power.