Authors: Jaylee Davis
Epilogue
Twenty-eight Years Later
Location: Free
Space, Planet Capra
The years went by
too quickly. Evana wanted to capture each moment and preserve it somehow, but
there were too many to save. Her former existence had faded into the past, so
distant she could scarcely remember most of the details. Her life with Drake
was perfect. She couldn’t imagine living without him. They were practically
inseparable, except for the times when Nemesis would insist on patrolling Free
Space boundaries. And Justice was always ready to leave Capra with Drake.
The two ships
shared the duty of protecting Free Space. They divided the area into quadrants.
Nemesis would patrol one half while Justice patrolled the other. Evana thought
it was a good system, and surprisingly, Drake agreed.
Always on guard,
they searched for any sign of the ghost ship that had vowed to destroy Nemesis.
Grendhal had warned them of Lilitu’s threat, and Drake was adamant in his
belief that Bayal’s pilot had spoken the truth. Nemesis agreed. Since she
relied on her com-beacons to give them some warning of an approaching enemy,
their forays into the galaxy beyond Free Space were few.
She’d assured them
Lilitu wouldn’t enter the Milky Way without detection. It was simply a physical
impossibility. In her world, size mattered a great deal, and ghost ships,
unlike tiny wraiths, consumed massive amounts of dark energy. Which meant
Nemesis would detect another ghost ship long before it entered the galaxy. No
matter if it traveled faster than light or sub-light, she’d see it. So far, nothing
had appeared.
Other than taking care
of her mate and all of Free Space, Evana enjoyed motherhood. Her son had been
born on Capra. With Mara and Suri helping her through the delivery, Evana had
given birth to a perfectly normal eight-pound boy, not too small, not too
large. Nemesis had insisted they name him Jonathan.
Drake had
complained loudly about not being able to stay with her and watch the birth of
his child, but Suri and Mara had ejected him from the bedroom. Evana knew he’d
only given in and left because she’d threatened to have Nemesis remove him and
put him in stasis if he hadn’t left willingly. On Capra, the men didn’t stay
with their mates during childbirth. It was tradition. So he had to leave.
Bracken, Travis and
Ronnan had taken him to the settlement. They’d invaded the one local tavern and
had proceeded to do what the men of Capra did while they waited for their babes
to be born. They’d drank to excess. It was tradition. After the birth of his
son, Drake had grudgingly admitted it was a damn fine tradition, especially
since he’d sobered up after thirty minutes with no ill effects.
He was a doting
father, always hovering about. The only times she couldn’t find him had been
when his son had needed a diaper change. Evana suspected his nose was more
sensitive than her own. The rest of the time, Drake had always remained close
by, hanging around the nursery, watching over their son or holding him. Justice
had been the only force that could take him away.
It wasn’t until
Jonathan’s tenth birthday that they’d noticed he was just a little different
than his friends. They’d both blamed Nemesis. She’d vehemently denied any wrong
doing.
Nonetheless, their
son’s smile showed off the proof that something was very odd. His permanent
teeth were all beautiful, straight and perfect. However, his sparkling white
canines were slightly longer than normal by about an eighth of an inch. It was
an obvious difference.
Evana’s fury had
been tempered by Drake’s curiosity. No amount of badgering on their part had
made Nemesis admit to tampering with their son’s DNA. Thankfully, Jonathan
hadn’t seemed to care. In fact, he’d been oblivious. It’d never stopped him
from smiling or laughing with his friends.
As he’d grown
older, it certainly hadn’t stopped him from gaining the attention of the young
women on Capra. If they took him to other worlds, females of all ages would
throw themselves at him. Very often, some of them would miss Jonathan and fall
into her mate’s arms. Evana turned warrior-princess jealous in an instant and
had dispersed many a lusty crowd. Jonathan would pout, but he’d have more of
them trailing along behind him in no time.
By the time he’d
reached full maturity, the people of Capra considered him a prince. They loved
him. Evana knew they thought of him as their own son. And Jonathan, much like
his father, was always there for them. He helped in every way he could.
Some of the things
he did Evana disapproved of. Fishing and surfing were her son’s worst habits.
At first, she didn’t understand how her mate could stand by and let their son
put himself in such danger. That was until she discovered Drake was right there
with him, surfing, fishing and swimming. Every time she and Nemesis left Capra,
the men she loved would head to the seashore. Inexcusable.
Nemesis stepped in
and put a stop to all the water activities. Poor Justice was caught in the
middle. The wraith was ordered to “babysit” while she was away. Drake was angry
with Evana for being overprotective. Jonathan was furious with her and Nemesis
for interfering in his life, a favorite complaint of his. Evana had to work
extra hard to get back into her mate’s good graces. It took her a whole night
to entice him.
All in all, the
raising of Jonathan had been deeply satisfying for her. Especially today, her
son’s twenty-eighth birthday. The time had come to discuss his future again. He
had choices. She wondered if he’d made a decision.
Nemesis dropped to
sub-light and entered orbit. Evana jumped out of the pilot bed, downed the
elixir as fast as she could without choking and threw on her clothes.
“Drake and Jonathan
are practicing in the meadow. Would you like to join them?”
“Yes, but put me on
the road above the meadow. I’d like to watch them for a while.”
“Tell the young
prince I wish him a happy birthday.”
“I will, Nem.”
Seconds later, she
appeared on the narrow roadway near a stone wall that ran alongside the edge of
the road. Evana climbed on top and took a seat to watch them practicing with
swords.
They were trying to
kill each other. At least that’s how it looked. In reality, Jonathan swung his
sword with all his might while his father casually blocked each strike. To
Evana, it looked as if her son’s skills were improving. Excellent, she thought and
took her time to study him.
His overall frame
appeared slightly smaller than his father’s, but they were close in height.
Jonathan resembled his father in musculature. However, he had a litheness Drake
lacked. Their skin color was identical, deep golden tan. Their similarities
ended there.
Jonathan had long,
shoulder-length black hair, shiny and straight like hers. His eyes were ice
cold blue, frigid to look at and perfectly framed with narrow, black expressive
brows and long, black lashes. He had the nose and mouth of a god. Apollo come
to life in mortal form, she thought. Well, she might be prejudiced, but she
really didn’t think so.
He had a sparse
collection of black curls on his chest and a narrow line of short black hair
that ran in a straight line down from his navel that disappeared beneath his
low-slung waistband. Only a small amount of hair grew under his arms. He was at
least ninety-nine percent human and all male.
Unlike his son,
Drake didn’t have any hair at all on his torso, arms or legs and no facial
hair. He was a pilot like herself. Jonathan would have that choice. He had
other options as well. They could change him, stop him from aging and make him
immortal. He was old enough, physically ready. Or he could live out his life as
a human. It was her least favorite option. She didn’t want to ever lose her
son, especially that way. For too many centuries she’d watched loved ones age
and die, an immortal’s curse.
The men paused for
a moment, just long enough to wave at her. She waved back, happy they’d noticed
her. It was a perfect moment—her mate and son, both of them looking at her,
displaying their two very different smiles. The day couldn’t be more wonderful.
She took a deep breath, enjoying the smells of the meadow and the warmth of
Capra’s sun. Clashing swords brought her attention back to the meadow.
Drake attacked and
Jonathan retreated a few steps. He parried a strike and then launched his own
assault back at his father. They sparred back and forth for several more
minutes. The session ended with a grapple, and they broke apart. Both men
laughed. From her perch on the road, Evana laughed along with them until
Nemesis called to her.
Pilot! Vengeance
has emerged! He said the time of waiting is over. Danger approaches.
While listening to
Nemesis, she saw Drake stiffen. Justice had contacted him.
Jonathan
disappeared from the meadow.
“No!” Evana
screamed in unison with her mate. She appeared at his side in an instant. “What
happened?” she asked Nemesis and Drake.
Nemesis didn’t
answer.
“He was fine!”
Drake insisted.
They looked at each
other in stunned silence. She trembled fearing for her son. Her mate’s mighty
arms encircled her with their comforting strength. When their ships finally
contacted them, Evana closed her eyes tight and prayed to the gods.
There is always a
choice
,
Nemesis said.
The End
About the Author
In her early teens,
if Jaylee wasn’t perched in front of the TV watching a sci-fi show she was in
her bedroom reading a sci-fi novel. It wasn’t until she discovered her mother’s
secret stash of romance books squirreled away at the back of a closet that her
interests took an abrupt turn.
Jaylee is a retired
RN and has been married to her own wonderful alpha for several years. They live
on the Gulf Coast in southern Texas. When the youngest of three children left
the nest a couple years ago, she decided to follow her dreams and write full
time. Thankfully, her cast of characters never gave up on her. They remain
stuck in her head, waiting for her to write their stories. They’re an impatient
group.
www.jayleedavis.com
Also by Jaylee Davis
Training the
Warrior