Until she pulled the documents out of his folder. Disbelief, shock, happiness, and incredulity warred as she tried to make sense of what he’d given her. “Is this for real?”

Smiling, he nodded. “Syn pulled strings with his school. You’ve been accepted into their teaching program.”

Tears welled in her eyes.

“Why would you do this?”

Pain darkened his eyes. “I can’t get you out of my mind, Jayne. I’ve been absolutely miserable without you.”

“But you’ve made yourself a Hyshian. Do you understand what that means?”

A slow smile spread over his face. “Freedom alone is worthless. I know it’s been brief, but no one brings me the peace and happiness that you do. I want your face to be the first one I see in the morning and the last one I see at night.”

A single tear fled down her cheek. “I love you, Hadrian.”

“And I love you, Jayne. I always will.”

Epilogue

FIFTEEN YEARS LATER

Jayne smiled as Hadrian handed her their most recent addition to their family.

Sway Jinx Erixour.

He was the most handsome baby she’d ever seen. “He looks like you.”

Hadrian wrinkled his nose. “You’re delirious from your delivery. He looks like a squashed elf.”

“Don’t you listen to daddy, my angel. He’s just jealous there’s another man in my life.”

He laughed. “Not even a little. I don’t need my powers to know I will always rank second to this one.”

Her hospital door opened to allow their two daughters to spill into the room. They were closely followed by her sister and Jinx.

“Can I see?”

“Can I hold him?”

As always, her girls talked over each other as they scrambled onto her bed and shoved their father out of the way. Hadrian’s expression said that he didn’t mind in the least.

Eve shook her head as she and Jinx watched them.

“I want a baby!” Tara, their oldest, shouted over her younger sister, Lyra.

Hadrian squelched his laughter. “I’m standing down on this one, Ma. You’re the one who has to explain those mechanics to her. I’m not about to.”

“We’ll talk about this in a few more years, baby. Eight is way too young to be a mom. For now, you can practice on your little brother.”

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Okay. If I must.”

Jayne carefully placed Sway in his sister’s arms. She ran her hand through Tara’s curls as love washed over her.

So much had changed over the last fifteen years. She’d been a teacher and had gone back to contract work to keep her family safe.

But more than that, to help Nykyrian, Syn, Hauk, Jinx, Nero, Eve and so many others reshape the corrupt League that had preyed on all of them.

They were still fighting the authorities, but she liked to think that in a small way, she’d played a part in making the universe a better place.

The only thing she knew for certain was that Hadrian had made her small world worth living.