If he wasn’t holding onto me, I think I’d fall to my knees.
Dear lord.
I shake my head at him, willing myself to not cry for once. I can’t cry every time he says something so incredibly heartfelt and romantic, or I’d be a puddle of tears for eternity.
“Come on, let’s have dinner,” he says, holding onto my hand and leading me out of the bedroom.
I follow him, going down the stairs, passing by dead roses and making them bloom before my eyes.
We’re right on time, because the table in the dining room is all set and as we step inside, I realize this is the first time I’ve been around all five people in this house (and now a dog) at the same time, in the same room.
And at the table there are only two empty seats.
At both ends of the table.
Solon goes to one, and I go to the other, taking our place as the heads.
I look down at Solon and give him a shy smile. It feels so lofty to be sitting here across from him, but at the same it feels…right.
Meant to be.
“Well this looks wonderful, Yvonne,” Solon says to her.
I look over the food. There are nearly raw steaks, seared just so for us vampires, and then medium steaks for the normal folk. There’s salads of sliced fennel and oranges, there’s potato, cucumber, even a seafood salad. There’re also huge carafes of red wine, and it seems everyone has already poured themselves a large glass. Perhaps they’ve had several already, given the happy and g
lazed expressions on everyone’s faces. Even the snarly Ezra looks relaxed.
Solon and I quickly catch up, filling our glasses, and then Solon gets to his feet, raising his wine glass.
“Here’s to us, here’s to this house,” he says, looking everyone in the eye. “I never really get a chance to be with you all like this, and I have to say, it makes me realize that despite how different a lot of us are, I do consider you all my family. Vampires know all too well that family can be only blood and yet sometimes more than blood, and with you all, I feel…that we’re all in this together, as terribly maudlin as that might seem.”
Everyone nods, and Yvonne is tearing up, dabbing her eyes with a napkin. I’m not used to everyone in this house being so sentimental.
Solon flashes her a charming smile, then looks at the rest of us. “As a very old proverb says, we are all visitors to this time, to this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love…” he looks at me at that, “and then we return home.” He pauses, raising his glass higher. “May we all not return home for a long, long time.”
I look around the table at my new family, my found family, joy leaping up inside of my chest. It doesn’t negate the family I already have, my parents at home, just like my vampire side doesn’t negate the witch side and vice versa. I am an Ouroboros, one side feeding the other, and I have other beings in my life who care for me and look out for me, too.
And then there’s the one at the head of the table, raising his glass of wine.
Staring at me with all the devotion and intensity in the world.
Because he knows that the world belongs to us now.
And some day, together
…we’re going to change it.
THE END
Special note from the author: Thank you so much for reading Black Sunshine. I tried to keep this book as a standalone, but as I wrote, and fell deeply in love with these characters, I realized there is so much more to Solon and Lenore’s world. While I do think this stands alone for readers who do not wish to read any more about this couple and can be satisfied with their “happy for now,” I’m also dying to keeping writing. If this book has bewitched you like it has bewitched me, please let me know by leaving a review, or messaging me on Instagram, or commenting on my posts. I would love to bring you more of everything.
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