Me: Hey Nathaniel, it’s me, Helena. I’m in the Gates of Hell. Can you ask Elva to call me when she has a minute?
I hold my breath as the little green checks go from one to two before they highlight, showing that the message was read.
Then…
incoming video call
Epilogue: Erik
7 YEARS LATER,
Groaning, I roll over as my eyes draw open.
The early morning light seeps in through the large windows, and I am greeted by the most beautiful bare shoulder I’ve ever seen. Helena’s long hair is plastered across the pillows behind her, and I raise myself on my elbow so I can stare at her.
My wife. I’ve never gotten used to saying those words.
Helena is lying on her stomach, her chest rising slowly while she sleeps beside me. Her chimera is resting at our feet, taking up far more space than any animal should. I know I should let Helena keep sleeping. After all, I kept her up last night until the early hours of the morning.
I should have known Helena would be such a good student. She is amazing in every other facet of life, so of course, she would be incredible in the bedroom.
A stupid grin creeps onto my face as I watch her resting. There is something so intimate about being next to someone as they sleep. The trust Helena has given me is so deep that it takes my breath away when I remember the magnitude of what it means. Her trust is a gift I cherish every day, as I do her.
I still can’t believe this is my life. For those first few years, while the city was being rebuilt and the war began, it felt like things were going to be taken away from us at any minute.
But they weren’t. Eventually, I came to accept that this really was our reality. Helena and I are a united front. No matter what happens, we are here together.
I will cherish this female for the rest of our lives.
Seconds tick by into minutes, and I lose track of time as I stare at my wife. Eventually, she starts to move. I watch as her eyes flutter open before they meet mine. Her brilliant pink eyes now have a ring of green around them. The same electric green that her uncle has. A signal of her god-like power.
A slow smile creeps onto her face as she pushes herself up.
The sheet slides down her body, and I can’t help the way my eyes track the movement. Helena’s shoulders move in silent laughter, and I force myself to drag my gaze back to hers.
“Good morning, beautiful,” I say. My hands move as I speak, and she smiles.
Morning, my love,she signs back.
At first, when I asked Toth’toros to help us find someone who could give us lessons in sign language, I was nervous. I wasn’t sure how Helena would feel about them, but it had turned out all my fears had been for naught. Helena had loved the idea.
The Daemon had found us private tutors, and within weeks, we were communicating by sign language.
Helena slides out of bed, taking the sheet with her, and I unabashedly watch her as she makes her way to the bathing room. Her body is so beautiful, so fluid. Even though we are on land, she still moves like she is in the water.
Leaning back against the headrest, I patiently wait for her to come back.
She doesn’t keep me waiting for long. A few minutes later, she returns. I jolt upright, my eyes running down her as fire runs through my veins.
The sheet is gone.
“Gods, Helena,” I groan as I run my hand down my face. “We have a meeting with your uncle this morning. Did you forget?”
She shakes her shoulders in silent laughter as she leans over the bed and crawls on all fours. She sits on my legs, pinning me to the bed. I let her.
You silly man. I didn’t forget. I suppose you’ll just have to be fast,she signs before pressing her lips against my stomach.
Laughter escapes me as her chimera, Cebe, gets the hint and scurries into the kitchen to find something to eat. I say, “Fast is never something I want to be with you, my love.”