Epilogue

Adam

“So?” Vic asked, squeezing Adam’s hand as they walked toward Bobby’s door.

They’d gone grocery shopping, found two giant bags of Halloween candy, plenty to hand out.

Just the thought filled Adam with warmth, with brightness. It was something he’d always wanted to do, something you couldn’t when you lived in a trailer in the woods or a mental asylum. The kids in Sue’s trailer park had always gone to better neighborhoods, so when they left the light on they only got a few trick-or-treaters.

“So what?” Adam asked.

“So move in with me,” Vic said with a grin, his wrists turning red from carrying too many plastic bags.

He was one of those single-trip people, not that Adam was going to complain, not with the way the weight made Vic’s arms bulge.

“Live with me,” Vic continued. “Cook with me. Fight with me about who’s going to do the dishes. You know, the whole thing.”

Adam got the door, led Vic the short distance to the kitchen. He set his groceries on the island and rubbed the feeling back into his wrists. Adam set his much smaller haul beside Vic’s.

The connection was gone, but he saw the sincerity on Vic’s face. Any doubt that the two of them wouldn’t make it had faded, which was good, considering what Adam had to do now.

“No,” he said softly.

Vic’s face fell. Adam leaned across the island.

“I mean, not yet,” he added quickly. “I want to. I want this. Us. You. Like you said, the whole thing.”

Vic looked stunned. Adam circled the island to put his hands on Vic’s arms. He didn’t hug him. He didn’t want to break eye contact.

“But I want to slow down a bit. We came together so fast, because we had to. I want to date you, Vicente Martinez, get to know you the regular way first.” Adam nodded to indicate the house. “And I think Bobby needs me here for a little while.”

Vic let out a long breath.

“You sure about this?” he asked. “You’ll be living with Jodi.”

“Yeah, about that . . . I’m hoping you’ll still let me spend the night sometimes. You know, when I need a break?”

“I can do that,” Vic said with a grin.

He kissed Adam hard then, and Adam realized that the most difficult part of doing it this way, the slow way, was going to be not spending every moment at Vic’s, kissing him, ripping his clothes off, and jumping feet first into a life together.

Adam forced himself to come up for air. If he didn’t, the milk would spoil because he’d lead Vic to the basement and they wouldn’t surface for hours.

“And I want to go to the ocean,” Adam said. “We can fly or drive. I’ll pay for it somehow, but I want to see it with you.”

“I can do that too,” Vic said, kissing him again.

Screw the milk, Adam thought. He’d been thinking of going vegan anyway, vegetarian at the least. But no, he put the groceries away as quickly as possible. He was still the boy from the trailer. He’d always make sure the lights were out when he left a room to save electricity. He’d always flinch at the thought of wasting food.

It was a while later when Adam walked Vic back outside, their hands still clutched.

The two speed-walking women, fixtures in Bobby’s neighborhood, rounded the corner.

One waved to them. Adam waved back.

“I’ll see you, Binder,” Vic said, leaning in for one more peck. He looked hopeful. “Pick you up at six, for tonight?”

“What’s tonight?” Adam asked.

“Our first date,” Vic said. “Officially. I want to cook for you. At my place.”

“I can do that,” Adam said, echoing Vic. “Officially.”

Vic laughed and Adam watched him drive away, still grinning.

The house was quiet, and Adam let himself enjoy it. Bobby was still off with Jodi, working through whatever registration at the community college required.

She’d start in the spring but needed some tutoring in the meantime. They both had a lot of catching up to do.

Adam would start with his GED. He’d looked up online resources, would get some books from the library.

He kept the grimoire in a plastic box, the kind with an airtight seal. He’d already photographed the pages, handling them gently with clean hands and assembling the images on Annie’s old computer. It would take a while, but he’d started putting some of the sentences together.

He’d do better with classes, learning German, learning what the Binder witches had written down. He hadn’t even known there were different German dialects, and some of the pages were very old, but he’d get there.

Maybe he would go to college someday. Maybe he wouldn’t.

The idea of loans terrified him, and he wasn’t willing to take Bobby’s money. He’d save up while he waited to qualify for in-state tuition. Maria had said he could get grants, and that she’d help him apply for them.

Either way, Adam had started learning German with an app. It gave him something to do on the bus rides to and from Jesse’s garage.

Adam had spirit walked to the watchtower to check on Vran.

No sign of John, though Shepherd and the other demons walked the halls, settling into their roles as jailers. Adam hadn’t seen Silver’s other students, though he’d mentioned that Mel was among them. She had nearly a century of history to catch up on.

Silver had explained Adam’s duties as the Page of Swords.

He’d get more lessons, in sword fighting especially, and fantasy geek that Adam was, he looked forward to that the most.

His title would ease Vran’s probation, and Vran had already requested they install a pool in the backyard. Bobby had said no, arguing that the HOA wouldn’t approve, but he’d placated Vran with a yearly pass to the Denver aquarium, and Vic had offered the use of the pool at his gym, provided Vran wore a glamour around the mortals.

It was all sort of working out. Maybe life could be like this, not easy, but not always such a battle.

Adam took the stairs down to the basement. It wasn’t his, but he’d stay here for now.

He already missed Vic, already looked forward to their date. He’d shower, figure out some clean clothes.

An actual date. With Vic. On one hand it felt silly. They already knew how they felt, had already said I love you. The future seemed inevitable, but at the same time, they’d have dinner. They’d make out.

They’d get to know each other without being slammed together by magic. Adam was self-conscious about the scar on this chest, wondered how Vic would take it when he saw it in the light.

Vic had traced it a while ago, running fingertips over Adam’s bare chest, but it had been dark. The scar was ugly, a red line. Adam flinched to know that Vic would see it eventually.

He guessed Vic might feel the same about his own scar, the bullet wound he’d gotten on the day they’d met. He had nothing to worry about. He wanted to see all of Vic, and if that meant Vic seeing all of him, it would be worth it.

Smiling, Adam turned on the light to the basement’s bedroom, intending to see what he had to wear. A bundle of black fur lay curled at the foot of the bed. Adam’s heart leaped into his throat.

“Spider?” he asked.

The black cat lifted his head, looking annoyed to have been disturbed. He opened bright green eyes, then slowly closed them. Adam slow-blinked back.

“Guess you’re moving in too, huh?” he asked.

Laying his head down, Spider went back to sleep. Adam sat on the edge of the bed and stroked the purring cat.