“And mine, too, if I can persuade a certain vampire to make me his blood mate,” Rayne adds, elbowing Jareth purposefully. He laughs, pulling her into his arms and twirling her around.
“I think that can be arranged,” I hear him whisper in her ear.
“Well, that’s very nice of all of you,” Magnus says. “But before I can even consider a political campaign, there’s something important that Sunny and I must do.”
“There is?” I question. “What’s that?”
“Why, reverse your vampire transformation, of course,” he says, looking surprised that I haven’t guessed. “I’ve been doing some research. If we are able to get our hands on the Holy Grail—”
I shake my head. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”
Magnus crinkles his brow. “I’m pretty sure it’s the only—”
“I mean I don’t think I want to reverse the transformation,” I say with a shy smile. “I know this may sound weird, but I’m kind of looking forward to becoming a vampire. After all, it means spending eternity by your side.” I pause, giving him a loving look. “If you’ll have me, that is.”
“Oh, Sunny!” Magnus cries, grabbing me and burrowing his face in my neck. He squeezes me tightly, as if he never wants to let me go. “I can’t think of anything I’d want more in the entire world.”
And, truth be told, neither can I.
Epilogue
Sunny
And so we get our happily-ever-after. The one I used to think was reserved for storybooks. Magnus’s and my relationship is better than ever, thanks to the new memories we now share. Not to mention the fact that I’m now his true partner. A vampire. A blood mate in every sense of the word. No longer worried about growing old and having him leave me behind—now we have the ability to be together forever. And he’s even promised me a proper wedding, once I graduate from college. How amazing will that be?
To be honest, I don’t know why I held out for so long. Being a vampire is pretty awesome, I have to admit. Sure, I don’t get to go out during the day anymore, but with all I’ve gained from my transformation? The sun can suck it.
Pyrus is tried and convicted, and unfortunately sentenced only to eternal life in prison, rather than the forever death. But we’ll take what we can get. At least he’ll never rule any sort of vampire organization ever again. The coven members have convened and chosen a new House Speaker. A leader committed to fostering a democracy, where every vampire has an equal voice.
And who scored an almost unanimous vote for the job in question? Um, yeah, that would be my boyfriend. And as his blood mate, I get a new job, too—as his coleader. I can’t tell you how cool it is to stand in front of the entire Consortium and get sworn in. All those vampires who once saw me as a pathetic mortal now looking upon me with utmost respect. As we stand together, after saying our vows, we announce our commitment to continue to work toward peaceful relations with all otherworld creatures, not to mention Slayer Inc. We’re even working on a treaty with the fairy kingdom, with the help of my mom and dad.
Another order of business? To reinstate all the vampires cast out of the Consortium under Pyrus’s rule. Like the ones who live under the streets of New York City and fought selflessly to save Magnus and me, once upon a time. They’re thrilled, of course, to be a part of the organization again and vow to serve and protect in any way possible.
It’s a busy job, running a coven, and there are plenty of times, I admit, when Magnus and I collapse, exhausted at the end of the night, with no energy to do anything but sleep. But we always make an effort to take time for romance…to enjoy life with one another one-on-one. And our relationship is all the better because of it.
As for my sister, it doesn’t take long for her to persuade Jareth to turn her into a vampire. Though not an official slayer, she continues to serve as an ambassador between the vampires and Slayer Inc., along with her friend Spider. Spider becomes the one who takes care of the werewolf cheerleaders and the evil vampires wanting to take over the world, while Rayne helps Mom and Dad defuse the threat of Apple Blossom and his fairy cohorts before our grandmother is slain. Because of this, Mom doesn’t have to become fairy queen and can remain on earth and Dad can stay alive with Heather, Stormy, and Crystal. Rayne makes sure Mom still meets David, though, and, sure enough, the two of them fall in love all over again. In fact, they’re planning a June wedding and have promised that Rayne and I can be bridesmaids!
In addition to her ambassador work, Rayne has also started a vampire boarding school. After her own experiences, she’s realized that vampire trainees need more than a three-month course to really understand what they’re getting into when they choose immortal life. So now those who want to become vampires must attend a four-year university before they’re allowed to be presented with blood mates. Our half-sister, Stormy, is so excited about the new school, she’s been begging her mom to let her become one of its first students.
Oh and best of all? Hades showed up to Magnus’s swearing-in after party, along with Race Jameson, who ended up becoming his court musician after we left him behind. Turns out, Hades was so pleased by all the new vampire souls the zombies had provided him when taking out Pyrus’s guards that he decided to trigger the bonus clause in Rayne’s back-in-time contract: merging Jareth’s and Magnus’s current memories with those from the first time around. Now, just like Rayne and me, the boys remember both this reality and the one we effectively erased. When Jareth realized all Rayne had to go through to make his stubborn past self fall in love with her all over again, he asked her to marry him, right then and there.