Blood & Wine

Epilogue | Calla

"Is it weird?" I asked. "Not being Coven Mother anymore?"

Eden looked up from where she was knitting some socks for Jagger. In the six months that had passed, my best friend had gone from esteemed witch with enough power to kill the Queen Mother to a knitter. It amused me to see her tucked into her rocking chair like an old lady with a blanket around her. She grinned at me. "Not at damn all," she answered. "I'm genuinely excited that I no longer have to deal with you brats."

All in good fun. She loved us, and she missed us—but a lot had changed.

Eden had given up the bulk of her magic to a new Queen Mother—one who had been chosen for how much she loved the witches, how she cared for her Coven, and how willing she was to work with werewolves and restore the connection back between them. She did not want to be Queen Mother—at least, she had said then, not yet. Mama Helen had taken over as Coven Mother in La Estrella. It had taken about four months for everything to happen.

Dasher had left the Coven, but he was now Leader of the Rogues, getting them together one state at a time. At the moment, he and Iris were in New Mexico, chasing some who were committing a string of murders in defiance. He had fallen into his roll un-eagerly and uneasily, and not many Rogues wanted to listen to him at first. But when they realized it meant death or getting their werewolf Spirit ripped out by my other badass best friend, Iris, they had started to get in line.

Of course, Fynley was there to guide him through it as King of the Werewolves—who was not living in Italy like the rest of the International Council. He was right here in Magus, ruling from home, right beside his Mate.

I rolled my eyes, scooting next to her. "I miss you."

"I'm literally here every day."

True, but she didn't live here anymore. "I know, but you used to be across the hall from me. Now you're engaged. You're about to be a Queen. Next thing you know, you'll end up pregnant and you'll be knitting booties—"

"Calm down. No babies for the next five years at least."

I kept going anyway. "—and running around after little werewolf babies and teaching toddler witches how to blow air through their noses—"

"You mean breathing? Goddess, I hope my kids aren't that dumb. If they are, they get it from their dad."

I laughed, tucking my head into our chest. "You know what today is?"

"It's not my birthday, so no."

I poked her in the cheek. "You are so sassy without your magic." I went on before she could say something else, though. "It's the deadline. You did it. You rebuilt a Coven and got your grandmother off your back."

She had killed her, but, hey, that was life.

Eden rolled her eyes. "So much as happened, I forgot all about that damn deadline." She put her booties now and leaned into my side. "Anyway, I have an idea."

"I'm listening."

"Now that everybody has some free time—I propose a couples' vacation. You and Ezekiel, me and Fynley, and Iris and Dasher. We all need a break."

To mourn. To recover. Everything had been nonstop because the werewolf-witch war had happened in Magus, but it was spreading to our states and communities. She and Fynley were working to stop it as it was. One of the Rogues who had had it bad had run off to the Caribbeans, and they hadn't found him yet. A witch was currently tracking him from our Coven. When she got a bite, she'd let us know.

"Um, yes. But, you know, Ezekiel is a half-vampire so—"

"Switzerland. I want to go skiing."

"You've never been skiing before."

"Which is exactly why I want to go." She paused. "Also, I already bought the tickets. Iris got Dasher to agree. Tell Ezekiel to pack his bags, we leave in two days."

I laughed. Ezekiel. The love of my life. "We were actually talking about a vacation."

"Were you?" She opened her blanket and let me in. I scooted closer to her on that rocking chair, and we rocked like two grandmothers.

Many things had changed—but this hadn't.

And, until they located that Rogue, it wouldn't.