Epilogue

Five months and twenty-eight days had passed and I was as big as a damn horse. According to Ariella and Zenith, I would only carry mine and Draven's daughter for six months. The reason for that is because she was going to be a supernatural child. Therefore, I was due in a few days.

I bet you're wondering how Draven and Malderon are getting along. Well, they have in fact become rather close. It is so strange to see the man who was our greatest enemy and my husband as the best of friends. To be honest, they're like brothers now.

Oh, that reminds me. I forgot to tell you that Malderon and I got married a month after the big battle and the big news about being pregnant, again.

Just thinking about that day, I roll my eyes and laugh. My daughter certainly had a mind of her own.

It had been a medium sized wedding, with immediate family, Malderon's clan - who was ecstatic that Malderon was alive and I was free from Draven. The pixies were there, they decorated Blaine's forest and it was beautiful. Blaine attended as well.

Zenith stood up as Malderon's bestman. Draven, Laird, Kael, Silo and Nemello were the groomsmen. I asked Ariella to be my maid of honor and Nevaeh, Iris, Viola, Karlia, and Ginny to be my bridesmaids. It was such a special day for all of us.

After the baby is finally born, my transformation will be taking place. Deron has agreed to turn me into an immortal. Thing is, I won't be a full-fledged blood sucker.

Why, you ask?

Well, it's simple. Malderon marked me, being a hybrid, remember? I will be a mixture of a water demon, a vampire, an angel, and a human. The blood of all four creatures runs through me, but it's not "activated" yet.

Malderon stepped up behind me and wrapped his arms around my belly. "It's time to eat, my love. How is she?"

I laughed when the baby kicked Malderon's hands. "She is lively right now. She always is when you and Draven are around."

My love and I sat down for dinner with his clan and parents, they had moved into the manor. Draven and Nevaeh had prepared a special dish that night, Tilapia, which was fish, and Shrimp Scampi with garlic rice. For some apparent reason the baby had me craving seafood.

To top it off, I had some blood-wine to drink - white wine with a few drops of Malderon's or Draven's blood - to appease little girl's vampiric hunger.

You might think it's gross, but she needed it in order to survive. Don't worry, I will never drink human blood. I completely refuse, and my mate and new-found friends respect me for my hard decision.

It will be difficult because, once I finish my change, I will be ravenous for blood. Whether it's human, animal, or immortal, it doesn't matter. Blood is blood, and it is how we survive.

Draven and Vaeh gently placed the plates down on the table in front of all of us and themselves. After they were situated in their own seats, Ariella prayed over the meal.

Although she was bound from Heaven, she still prayed to God. Honestly, I believe he will take her back with open arms. He planned everything that had happened to all of us from the get-go and look how that turned out.

Yes, there were hard times, but Draven is now one-hundred percent good, changed. God knew what he was doing all along.

As we were all chowing down and laughing at a joke that Laird had told us, in a poor attempt at a hillbilly accent, my stomach started to cramp and tighten. I stopped laughing and my eyes grew wide as saucers.

There was only one diagnosis for my symptoms - I was having contractions.

My heart sped up anxiously and I glanced at the clock. Right after, another one hit and I began to time each one.

They are seven minutes apart, and regular.

This was it.

I dropped my fork and went still. Malderon and Draven went silent and their eyes moved to me. Everyone around the table also turned their heads towards my shaking body.

Five minutes apart, and regular.

Both Malderon and Draven had heard my thoughts. As if they were twins, they instantly pushed their chair from the table and stood up at the same time. Malderon picked me up like a baby in his arms and rushed me to the birthing room. Draven followed close behind us.

Ariella and Nevaeh gathered basins and filled them with hot water. Ginny grabbed lots of towels to clean up the baby and me afterward. Zenith disappeared to his observatory and started grinding up some herbs to help with the pain - an epidural would not help with birthing an immortal baby. I only hoped that what he was concocting would be just as good.

Deron laid me down and helped me undress. I kept on a sports bra. The rest of me was completely nude. I couldn't have a baby with pants and underwear on.

My loving mate kissed my cheek as the pain became more intense. He gave me his hand to squeeze in case it hurt too much. I immediately clutched onto it and my teeth clenched. Seconds later, I was groaning in agony and crushing his hand.

Draven walked in with a hospital mask, scrubs, and latex gloves on. He positioned himself at my feet and spread my legs. His hands carefully grasped my ankles and he placed my feet in the stirrups.

My back arched up in discomfort once Draven slowly pushed two fingers inside of my vagina to check my cervix. Holy hell, it had been forever since I had that done. I grappled Deron's hand in a bone-breaking hold.

Draven slid his fingers out and a shit-load of fluid gushed out of me. "That would be her water breaking. Now, we wait."

After a few hours of writhing on the bed, due to horrendous contractions, Draven checked me again. "She's eight centimeters dilated and ninety percent effaced. Not too much longer. Her cervix needs to be ten and one-hundred."

"Dad!" Malderon hollered. "She needs that herbal pain remedy. Now!"

Right after he spoke, Zenith rushed in with a needle and syringe. Oh God, how I hated needles. Tears clouded my vision and I went ballistic. However, not from my phobia. It was from an excruciating contraction.

Draven had to bind one arm, Malderon the other, to keep me from lashing out or getting over-excited. They didn't want me to hurt myself or the baby.

The contractions were quickly becoming unbearable. I didn't know if I could do this anymore. My face was drenched in sweat and tears.

Zenith tied a thick rubber band around my arm, checked my vein, and slid the needle in the chosen vein. He emptied the syringe, pumping me full of his pain antidote. Zenith undid the rubber tie before it cut my circulation.

The natural medicine gradually spread throughout my body and, once it flowed through my bloodstream, I relaxed. That horrendous pain was nonexistent, replaced by a sense of peace. But I sure was exhausted and yawned.

"Let her rest, until it's time." Draven ordered.

"I'll stay with her and keep an eye on her." Malderon told him. "You can go ahead and smoke a cigarette."

"I quit that shit, man."

Malderon grinned. "Good for you. Why did you decide that?"

"For the little one mostly," Draven whispered. He seen my eyes were closed. "But I want to start a band with some friends of mine, and if I am going to be the lead singer, my voice has got to be pitch perfect."

"I'm proud of you, dude."

Draven's eyes softened for a second with happiness. "Thanks. I am, too."

Two more hours ticked on by. Malderon's head was bobbing back and forth, trying to stay awake, as he sat silently.

"Why does it feel like my bowels are about to move?" I cried out, scared of it happening and embarrassing myself in front of everyone.

Draven's brow lifted. "That is your indication to push, Evelyn."

Malderon gawked at him. "Check her again."

Draven went through the same process of checking my cervix. His eyes lit up and a smile lifted the corners of his mouth. It was then that I realized it was happening.

"She's ready to go." Draven put another glove on the other hand and sat down in front of my spread thighs. "Okay, sweet, I want you to push with all of your strength. Bear down, use your anal muscles."

"What?" I shouted, but done exactly as he told me. I took a deep breath and pushed.

Needless to say, the pain was coming back. Three more times I inhaled a big breath and bore down, panting afterward. I felt like I was pushing out a watermelon.

I didn't want any more kids after this. It was never this tough and agonizing when I'd had my first daughter. I had to remember, she wasn't a hybrid either.

"Come on, baby." Malderon urged. "You can do this. One more push and the head will be out."

I gritted my teeth, took the biggest breath and pushed, hard. That's all it took as the head slid out. She had brown hair, like mine, and a good amount of it.

I started bawling once her first cry echoed through the room. Draven took the bulb syringe and sucked out the gunk from her nose and mouth.

He told me to push one more time. I did and her body slithered out. Draven caught her and cut the umbilical cord.

Nevaeh came to her and wrapped her in a towel, taking her to Ariella. They cleaned her up, weighed her, and measured her head. I breathed a sigh of relief. My hair was drenched in sweat and I was so tired.

Ariella brought my daughter back over to me and laid her in my arms. She had beautiful sea blue eyes. I knew they would change at about a year old. All babies went through that. She looked at me, right into my eyes, and I heard Draven say something beside me.

"What?" I asked, not comprehending what he said at first. I was too happy and overtaken by her.

"Can I hold her?" he questioned again.

I smiled. "Of course you can. Here you go, daddy."

His eyes softened at my declaration and he reached down to lift her into his arms. "What are we going to name her?"

"Anastacia Roselyn Miraria Aqua." I said, exhausted.

Draven had expressed to me months ago that he wanted the baby to have Malderon's name, for reasons I am not sure of myself.

"What does it all mean?"

It was true, I gave her a name of special meanings. "Anastacia was like a mother to me. It means "one who will rise again". Roselyn was my first daughter's name. It means "beautiful rose"."

Draven's face paled. "I am so sorry."

I knew what he was apologizing for. "I forgive you."

"What does Miraria mean?"

I laid my hand on his arm. "It means miracle."

Tears filled his eyes. "I like that. My little miracle. My little Stacia."

It was a very emotional moment for Draven and myself. I even got passed my grudge about him murdering my family. He was a changed man - immortal - and he proved it with his words and actions.

Ariella replaced Draven. "I need you to push again, dear. The afterbirth needs to come out." I nodded.

She pressed on my belly to help release the placenta. I pushed and cried. This, for some reason, was more anguishing than the birth itself. Finally, everything gushed out of me and I felt such a relief. She sewed me up from where I tore a bit when Stacia stretched me.

After everyone had their chance to hold her, they returned her to me. She was ravenous. I guided my nipple into her mouth and she latched on and started to suck. It stung a bit. I wasn't use to it anymore.

Roselyn was my deceased daughter's name, so I put it in Stacia's to honor her. I felt it was right to do. I missed her a lot and a tear slipped down my cheek in remembrance of her.

Time waits for no man, in this case little hybrid girl. A year had slipped by. Stacia was up walking everywhere. Words were popping out of her mouth. She was strong, too, and smart. Her eyes had turned sapphire blue with red and purple specks. Her hair stayed brown, but I was starting to see white, natural highlights.

She and Deron were close. He was her step-daddy and she loved him. He spoiled her every chance he could get, as well as Pa-paw Zen, Mam-maw Ari, Aunt Ginny, and Auntie Vaeh. She couldn't say their full names yet.

As for Draven, he had recently started his own rock band. He was the singer. I never knew he could sing. Let me be the first to admit, he was great. Stacia liked his voice, too, and asked him to sing her lullabies all the time.

Draven loved his daughter very much. They were inseparable. She had him wrapped around her little pinky. He got her anything and everything she wanted, when she wanted it. No matter how much she was being spoiled, she was still very sweet and respectful.

Whenever she got hurt or didn't feel well, she ran to me. I loved "Mommy to the rescue" days. I would kiss her boo-boo's and caress her hair when she felt bad.

I recall when her teeth decided to finally come in. The poor thing was in pain. She would cry, her nose would run, and her little cheeks would get all flushed. I would put her to sleep at night and during nap times by running my fingertips down her back. Lord, she was precious.

I had been turned into a hybrid after I stopped breast feeding her at eleven months. She had six teeth and kept chomping down on my nipples during feedings. I will tell you and anyone else, it damn hurt. Everything was perfect all around us. I couldn't be any happier.

The connection I had with Draven had broken once Stacia was born. It was her all along. The love she felt for her father had affected my judgment of him. Good thing, too, or I would have just let Deron kill him. However, I couldn't.

Don't get me wrong, I still care for Draven, even to this day, only because he is the father of my child. Even so, my heart still and always will belong to Malderon. There is no one who can ever change that.

(Author's Note: And we are finished. Woohoo! Now, on to Book 2. Also, I am going to be publishing this. I will let everyone know how that goes and when it will be available in stores. Thank you.)