Dedicated to my husband. My True Mate. 

*****

The author stared, her laptop screen blurring with tears until she almost couldn’t make out the words.

THE END.

“Reth?” she whispered. But there was no answering good-natured grunt, no thud of heavy footsteps in the corridors of her mind…

The tears spilled over and she tried to breathe through them.

In the next room, her teenage son crowed victory over his latest foe, while at her feet, the twelve-pound ball of fur and fangs that had inspired the heart of more than one beloved character, snored softly.

“Reth?” But, he was gone. He was truly gone.

An ache began in her chest as her mind scanned back through the most incredible ten months of her career, and everything she and Reth had experienced together. All the hearts and minds he’d touched. All the ways he’d brought her own heart and mind back to life.

Footsteps—heavy, but not as heavy as Reth’s—sounded behind her and she whirled, one hand to her chest in fright, her office chair creaking.

“You scared me!” she hurriedly wiped her eyes.

“Sorry. I just… are you okay?”  Her husband stared down at her from a height nothing like Reth’s towering loom. But his eyes were kind and strong—as was his heart. She smiled that watery smile and shrugged. “I just finished Beast.”

Reth was her family’s equivalent of Madonna—there was only one word needed.

“Wow.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Are you okay?”

“Not really. It’s weird.” She tried to force a smile so he wouldn’t worry.

Then, the love of her life—her true mate. The one the Creator made for her, and she for him, gave a little half-smile. “Did you tell them about the cover?”

She snorted. It had been a joke between them for months. He’d taken such pride in what she’d built, this story that had tugged at the heartstrings of so many. He’d downloaded the app onto his phone and started showing people.

Heedless of the strange titles and sometimes-eyebrow-raising images, he would tap his way through to the library, then turn his phone to show others, “See! Look how many views it has! She’s worked so hard. Of course, I have too. I had to get in shape to be the model for the illustrator, ha ha!”

They both still laughed about it.

She loved that he thought it was funny. That he wasn’t threatened by the imagery. She loved that he had supported her through the endless hours she’d had to put in that year to bring Reth to life.

He was her Alpha male, her rock, and her safe place. And yet, had any of her readers passed him in the halls at work, or the mall, it would never have occurred to them to turn, eyes widening, and whisper… “Reth?”

But they would have been right to do so. Because, though the Reth on the pages (or pixels) might look very different in the flesh to the man that stood in her office, her husband had the heart of a lion, and his shoulders had borne burdens so much heavier than Reth’s ever had—and borne them with strength.

He was her King. They might not be rulers, they might not have to cross portals, and their wolves might be only symbolic—but they had stood back-to-back for over two decades and fought for each other.

When he reached for her hand and drew her to her feet, she shook her head and swallowed back more tears. “I’m fine. It’s just silly. I’ll miss writing them, that’s all.”

And as he gathered her into his chest and pressed their bodies together, letting his lips play on her neck in the way that gave her goosebumps, the grief began to ease.

Because Reth was still here.

He was here in the man who loved her, and made her body sparkle with desire—even now, almost twenty-five years after they’d met, back when she’d still been so young and stupid…

Reth was in this man that, any day of the week might say something sweet, something real, then grin a moment later and add, “Are you going to put that in your book? You can use that if you want. The ladies would like that.”

He was here in the calloused hands that had worked so hard to provide, that had swung modern weapons against any that would hurt her or their child, and even in his anger that bubbled over in defense of the weak.

He was here in the heart of this man that she loved more than any other human being on earth.

She’d loved him through a real life. One not haunted by fictional demons, but the real kinds. A life not peppered with so many romantic gestures, as weary sighs. A life of sweet joy and victory—but also loss, fear, and rage.

He could be brusque. He could be thoughtless. He could rage.  But he loved with his whole heart. He held his strength in check, and gave tenderness. And he trusted her as he’d trusted no other person alive.

She didn’t care that he didn’t look like Reth. Because his heart… his heart was the heart of a lion. And so, he’d inspired one.

The author buried her nose in his shoulder and sighed as he rubbed her back, then let his hand trail down to cup her ass. That tingle he always inspired in her stomach bloomed to life and she turned her head to kiss his neck. His grip tightened.

He pulled back to meet her eyes, that sparkle of heat playing in his. “I have two questions,” he said.

She smiled. “Okay.”

But instead of being provocative as she’d expected, he looked away, his forehead pressing into lines as he searched for the right words, and her stomach tightened—was there something he did feel threatened by? Did she need to guard him from her grief about losing Reth?

When he looked back her, his face was thoughtful. “What is it about this guy that they’re all so in love with?” he asked carefully, as if he might not enjoy the answer.

The image on the cover flashed in her mind, but she knew that was only what drew them at the beginning. “That’s easy,” she said, pulling him closer. “Reth is all the best parts of you.”

He stared at her, surprised—and perhaps a little emotional. She just smiled because it was true. Then she leaned up and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his solid strength and thanking the Creator for making this man for her.

He kissed his way along her jaw, then breathed in her ear, “One last question.”

“Anything,” she whispered back, breathless. The only warning she had was the beat he left before answering.

“I have to go to the store. Do you want me to run you a cold bath before I leave?”

Groaning, she let him go, rolling her eyes as he chuckled and stepped out of her arms, turning for the door.

“Well done, babe. That’s gotta feel awesome. Well done.”

“Thanks,” she said dryly and slumped back into her chair.

The back door thudded moments later, and the engine of the car roared to life, and for a moment the truth came home to her, cold, hard, and very, very unromantic: There was no Anima. No flashy-shape-shifters. No WildWood. Instead, there were bills to be paid, homes to clean, children to parent…

The grief punched her in the gut again.

But after a moment to accommodate the loss, she smiled. Because the most important part of Reth’s story was even more wonderfully true than she could do justice on any page.

Love.

Love was real. Love was light, and heat, and thrill. Love was a shield and strength.

Her son loved her. Her husband loved her. And her Creator loved her more than both of them combined.

And because of that, the magic of Anima, of Reth and Elia’s story—the truth behind it—would never, ever die.

No matter how many evil wolves—or voices—tried to defeat it.

***** 

WE’RE HERE. YOU MADE IT! (*Sobbing intensifies*) I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: Thank you. Thank you for loving Reth, and for sticking with me despite this crazy, crazy ride.

FREE: Want to talk to Reth directly? Go to bit.ly/rethfb to say hi to Reth. He’ll even answer your questions! Just be patient. He’s not super-comfortable with technology, lol.

Want to talk to me about the book? One hour after this chapter posts I’ll be in the voice chat of my discord for an informal Q & A, and Reth memorabilia giveaway. Download the discord app and enter these letters to join us: 92g42X4nRv

OR friend me on Facebook ( linktr.ee/aimeelynn ). I’m going live Sunday, at 1pm PST (Los Angeles date/time) to answer questions and probably cry. Come along! I’d love to tell you how much this year has meant to me, and answer any questions you still have. 

Just in case we don’t get the chance to talk personally… if you want more from the Anima world, you’ll get a chance to vote on which character should have the next book in 2022. So read Taming the Queen of Beasts, or watch my Facebook page to vote!

Otherwise just know: No matter where you are, no matter what you do, there is a Creator who loves you and has a plan… and He’ll always come through in a pinch. Trust me. You haven’t seen anything yet.

I love you! Thank you for being here with me this year!