Devil May Love | Niklaus Mikaelson

Epilogue

"Nana, this is my mate and fiancé, Niklaus Mikaelson"

My grandmother smiled brightly as she declined my mate's subtle handshake and smile and went in for a hug instead. Something inside of my heart swelled at the image, the love of my life hugging the first member of my father's side of my family that I knew. It was a beautiful image that I never knew I needed to witness until then. I was excited to make it even better.

"And Nana, this is Stefan and Damon, my brothers"

Nana Christo smiled at my younger and older brother before grabbing them into a big hug and giving them kisses on their cheeks that would've made them blush if they were human. Just as when she hugged Nik, my heart swelled at the image of affection between my favorite family members. My brothers had come a long way from the day of the ritual to that moment but what mattered was that moment right in front of me. Besides, they were part of the reason that Nik and I stood there in my grandmother's cottage.

"Thank you men" My grandmother said grabbing Stefan, Damon, and Nik's hands one by one and giving them squeezes of gratitude, "Thank you for keeping my Lina safe"

"Well she handled herself pretty well" Damon said sheepishly as he gave his little sister a little squeeze of appreciation, "She probably saved us more than vice versa"

Nana chuckled at Damon along with Stefan who was nodding in agreement, "I'm not surprised, Lina is quite the firecracker"

"A spitfire of sorts" Nik said before shooting my grandmother a wicked grin that she replied to with a wink.

"Anyway, let's see it My Angel, the mating tattoo!" Nana exclaimed nearly clapping like a young child with anticipation, "You've had me waiting for too long!"

"A week, Nana" I said chuckling, "A week, but alright"

I stood from the L shaped couch formation that Damon, Stefan, Nik, and I sat on across from my grandmother who sat in her favorite cushioned rocking chair and slipped the shawl from my shoulders. The summer dress I wore was strapless so the bird tattoo could be seen perfectly without me having to readjust my clothing.

As I turned my back towards my grandmother, she gasped upon seeing the large tattoo that extended from the nape of my neck down to just above my shoulder blade and spread from the middle of my back to the beginning of my shoulder.

The big image was a bird, like the ones in Nik's tattoos that were flying away from being a part of his feather tattoo but inside of the bird was the outline of a leafless tree. The tattoo was only black and white with a little grey but it was the most vibrant thing that I had seen in a long while. It was a prideful reminder of the day we successfully took Esther down and proved we were true mates.

It was also the memory that two weeks ago I lost my best and closest friend at the hands of a witch who couldn't face her own mistakes and blamed everyone else for it. There wasn't a second that went by that I didn't miss Anastasia. I would give anything for her to have been able to come and see my brothers and Niklaus getting along while visiting my family in Spain. It was quite the sight to see but I knew she was watching from the other side.

With a power like hers, Anastasia White did not simply just die. A stab in the heart may diminish her flesh but it does not kill her spirit. There were times when I missed her so much it hurt and just like that, I felt a bit of the presence of her spirit comforting. It also spoke to my dragon and calmed me down in my dreams. She was with me spiritually, just no longer physically.

I remembered that when Klaus and I managed to returned to our bodies, I felt the weight of something on top of my back.

A chill had run down my spine as I turned over and saw the blood before I looked into the dead eyes of my best friend as her body rolled onto my lap. I screamed for so long that the fire turned to smoke and my tears became liquid acid. I nearly had burned her I was so angry. I couldn't understand who would do something like kill Anastasia. Sure she was powerful but she had no enemies accept for—of course, Esther Mikaelson. The witch she had known the truth about from the first day.