Coveted [New/Revised Version]

EPILOGUE

NIGHTHAVEN: 1,000 YEARS AGO

Six months passed since the First Coven took Zairian from Lisa. When Samael stabbed and cursed her, he assumed she was minutes from being dead and left her in her crippled state to his henchman. Little did he know, one of them was her blood cousin and she'd taken Lisa to her home. She stopped the bleeding but the wound was fatal. Together, they casted a Deferral Spell.

The spell didn't reverse the effects of the injury. Instead, it stabilized it but once its time expired, so would Lisa. She was fine with that as long as it meant her child would be born. Six hours into labor and she had yet to give birth to her child. She felt her body tiring.

"You can do this, Annalisa." Her cousin coached. "Just one more push."

"I can't." she cried.

"Yes you can!" the other woman encouraged wholeheartedly. "You're the strongest witch I know."

Thinking back to the ritual, Lisa supposed it was half-true. She successfully diverted Drusilla's spell from its objective with magic of her own. Instead of stripping Zairian of hydrokinesis, they would take his power of compulsion. Sure, it had its purposes but there were those who were impervious to such a thing. Despite it all, she did something along the lines of good.

Squeezing her cousin's hand tightly, she pushed. She felt her child pass through her body and into the world. Seconds afterward, the joyous sound of an infant's cries filled the room. Tears burst from Lisa's eyes at the realization that she just gave birth to her first child—to Zairian's child. Then that joy transformed.

"How is the child?" Lisa demanded shrilly. "Is it harmed in any way?"

"No," replied the midwife attending her. "You have a healthy, beautiful son."

She placed the child in Lisa's arms. She cradled her baby to her as more tears spilled from her eyes. She fought so hard to stay alive for him and now he was here. She looked down into his beautiful gray eyes. They were his father's and his hair was his grandmother's.

"What will you call him?" asked her cousin.

"I will call him Zander." Lisa said. "Zander Erin,"

"Erin?" Her cousin was incredulous. "Why would you give your child my family name?"

"Because he is yours now," Lisa placed the baby delicately in her arms. "Take care of him as though your life depends on it."

Her cousin's eyes were still wide in confusion as Lisa lied back on the bed. She held no illusions she would get to watch her child grow up. She knew what fate awaited her. She only survived Samael's attack to bear this child and now she had. The injury he inflicted started to bleed again. There was no escaping the end this time. She shut her eyes then slowly succumbed to death's coquettish embrace.

WESTMYTH: PRESENT DAY

It took four witches and Samael to put up sixty-six wards in a week, Lisa smirked, only to be taken down by a single witch in two hours. How pathetic.

Lisa descended into the mausoleum with Zander and Serenity at both her sides. It didn't take much convincing to get Serenity there. She had one parent left and would ensure nothing harmed him at all costs. Zander was always his mother's child and his loyalties lied solely with her. After a few minutes of walking, they came across Zairian's bonded tomb.

Zander lifted his hand high and the top disintegrated into a silver powder. Inside laid a very still Zairian. It was the most serene and relaxed Lisa ever saw him yet. The stake still protruded from his chest made his restful position look perverse. She reached down and removed it.

Zairian's shut eyes fluttered open. He shot up in gasping alarm, causing his long hair to fall in his face. His body tensed but as he took in the faces around him, he calmed. An expressive smile spread over his face. He stood up and adjusted his tie over the hole in the suit where the stake once was.

Stepping out of the tomb, he held out his hand to Lisa where she still crouched. She took it and allowed him to help her. Once she was on her feet, he pulled her to him and his lips came down firm and affectionate on hers. After what seemed to be a time without end, he broke off the contact.

His cool gray eyes meandered over the two people who stood before him. He recognized the similar feature in the individuals. Without doubt, these were his offspring. With Annalisa at his side, there was nothing the four of them couldn't do including restoring him to full power.

"Now that I'm back," he smirked down at Lisa, "let's finish what we started, shall we?"

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