The week Cyrille was forced to stay in Ireland was the longest seven nights he had ever experienced. He wanted to rush back to Paris to find out what was wrong. To make sure Kate and the baby were okay. But neither Wrath nor Lust were in any condition to travel, and Oberon had insisted on getting as much information from them as he could before they left.

They all felt the shift in the magic when Constantine died but had no context for it for nearly ten hours after the calls finally came in. Massive fights had broken out in at least three areas of Paris. There was damage to property, countless injuries, and untold casualties. Cyrille knew what had to have happened from that news alone, and it was confirmed the next night when a Counsel bulletin arrived. It was several pages long with a great deal of information to unpack.

First thing on it; Constantine Moureaux was dead, killed by Evelyn Guerrero, sister to the king of the lycanthrope. Vampires recorded as made, not born, were dying slow, exceedingly painful deaths. The older the vampire, the quicker the death and the faster their bodies faded to ash. Twenty-four hours later, some of the younger vampires were still showing symptoms and were under quarantine and careful observation. More news to follow.

The deaths of over a hundred born vampires had been recorded all over the world as well. All of them were traced back through the bloodline of Nolan Wes. At the same time, there had been a coordinated attack on the Dracula estate in Romania, killing dozens. It is believed the only target was Nolan Wes's granddaughter. The Counsel had the survivors in protective custody. Exactly how many and their names were being carefully guarded, even from other Counsel members, until further notice.

Nolan Wes was dead.

At that, Oberon and his consort had grown very quiet. Even Cyrille felt ill. He had never met the infamous Nolan Wes face to face, but both Pride and Lust had. Morgan and Nicole had looked at each other in pure disbelief. They both agreed that there had been something... eternal about Wes. Death came for all things, but death itself seemed to fear the shadow of that vampire.

They were starting to speculate that Nolan himself could have been one of the survivors of his line, but then Oberon continued. Lord Wes's death was confirmed by Aarón Guerrero. Wes and Guerrero had been at the center of one of the brawls in the city. According to Guerrero's statement, Wes had attacked, and he defended himself. It was a well-known fact among the Ancient governments that Nolan hated the werewolves. It took no stretch of the imagination to believe Guerrero's words.

As per the testimony of two other present Counsel members, it was unclear if Evelyn had been acting of her own volition or if Aarón had been pulling the strings. They did find the order to attack the Wes family had come from Evelyn's phone, and it was hard to believe that she had done all of this herself without any help. There was a side note from the two shifters expressing the opinion that Constantine had been unnecessarily aggressive, if not hostile, towards her during their talks.

Nevertheless, the lycan king and the other werewolves were being carefully watched under house arrest. So far, they were complying and were given enough trust and space to mourn the loss of his sister, as she had died in the fight with Constantine. As of the bulletin's release, they had no evidence of the extent of her relationship with the terrorist Raphaël Laurent. Interrogations and investigations were to follow.

Due to the many controversies and uncertainty of their involvement, the offer of a Counsel seat to the lycanthrope has been suspended. That news came as a complete shock to Oberon. He had no idea that the shifters were planning to relinquish a seat to the wolves. Logically, it made sense. The lycans under Guerrero's growing rule were a strong and monetarily stable breed. The decision from a political standpoint, however, was complete madness. Anyone who supported the decision, publicly or otherwise, would have instantly lost the support of Nolan Wes, which was far more valuable than the support of even his king. Why would the shifters, who have always harbored their friendship with the man, risk losing that?

Oberon and his consort got lost in the debate for so long that Cyrille took the bulletin from the fae king to read the rest of it. He searched for information that wasn't there as much as what was. Raphaël was dead, of course, and Cyrille would take the time to grieve him later. However, he could not show remorse for his old friend here, lest he reveals his own connections to this disaster.

Further into the document, he read that Khalid was dead too. His body was found in the torched remains of a nightstalker club along with two other demons. So, he had gone for Kate. The other bodies were reported as male, so she hadn't been killed in the altercation or the burning of his property. He hoped Celeste got her to the catacombs and put the legion on lockdown.

But since he had no way of confirming, he nearly destroyed the Seelie palace trying to get out and get home. It took a lot of convincing and a lot of alcohol to calm him down to the point where he wasn't breaking things. What he would have done for the dragon's abilities to communicate telepathically from long distances.

The only news on the dragons in the document was that they had to be notified over the phone. It was agreed that Shifter Representative Atticus Shaw, who had been mentored by Nolan Wes and was well acquainted with the tenth dragon's family, was the one to do it. More news would follow, but they predicted devastating emotional reactions from Luna and Rhiannon.

There was no mention of the Organization in the bulletin. No mention of the bodies of Templars, as they had been cleaned up before either human or Ancient authorities found them. As far as the Counsel knew, the Organization wasn't even a consideration.

Cyrille knew better. He knew they had their hands in a lot of pots. Another reason he wanted to get back to Kate. The longer he went without her in his arms, the less confident he felt in Celeste's ability to protect her.

With the sheer, overwhelming amount of information, Oberon finally allowed the Sins to leave peacefully after a short explanation. Cyrille told him as little as possible. Wrath and Lust had been captured by the Organization, forced to produce Kate, and then Kate was raised to be a weapon for them. And now that she, too, was pregnant, they would be hunting her again. He did not mention that she could control the archangels.

Oberon made him swear that he and the other Sins would answer the Counsel's summons when the time came to get the whole story. Cyrille agreed over and over, repeating the promise he had no intention of keeping. The second he returned to Paris, he was going to seal the entrance to the Catacombs, so the only way in or out was with his explicit permission.

Was it extreme? Absolutely. Was he going to risk losing his mate or his child? Absolutely fucking not!

Oberon was a fool for believing him. Yet they were allowed to leave anyway. The fae even offered to fly them back to Paris on their own plane, which they took full advantage of.

The closer they got to the entrance of the Catacombs, the more visibly nervous Chandra and Morgan got. They hadn't seen their daughter in fifteen years. Longer, for Morgan, as he had been in the veil, and it was impossible to know how many centuries had passed. Cyrille had no words of comfort, as he had no possible way of empathizing. Nicole was more interested in the drama, and Sloth simply couldn't be bothered to care.

When he crossed into the realm, Cyrille finally took a deep breath. He was home. Even if they were followed to the Catacombs, no one could enter unless accompanied by a demon or a demon themselves.

His and the other few houses halfway to the river were empty and dark. No matter how many times he told himself that it was safer in the city itself, it didn't temper his wild emotions or fear that something could be wrong.

"It's been so long since I was here," Nicole said dreamily, looking up at the star-strewn sky as the boats crawled at an unbearably slow pace. "I forgot how peaceful it is. It's kind of boring, don't you think."

"I like it," said Sloth.

"Of course you do, you lazy shithead," she snapped back in irritation. Because he was Sloth and he couldn't be bothered to move on his own, the other Sins had taken turns carrying him. "We invited you here ages ago. So why didn't you just come?"

"Effort."

Pride gave him a look like she was tempted to toss him in the river when they turned the last bend, and the city came into view. Cyrille stood in his boat and started scanning the docks for any sign of Kate. She had to be here... she had to.

The first demon to see them was Morane. She rose to her full height, her feathered ear tufts pointing straight up and a broad smile spreading across her face. "Master Greed has returned!" she announced to the market.

Hundreds of demons turned their heads to see five of the seven High Sins approaching, and a cheer rose to near-deafening proportions. "Do you have every breed here, Cyrille?" Morgan asked in quiet awe.

"Not all, but most," Cyrille answered distractedly, still searching the crowds for his mate. "This is a haven for all of us, not just my creations. Morane! Where is Katalin?!"

The harpy gave him her famous skeptical look, her hands on her hips. Before she could answer, another woman flew out of the crowd and threw her arms around his neck so hard he nearly fell back into the water. "Thank the gods you're back," Celeste's voice cracked in his ear. "I was so worried."

Relief washed through Cyrille as he hugged the matriarch, his second in command, with just as much affection. She was here. Which meant Kate had to be as well. "Where is she?" he asked as they parted.

Celeste gave him a knowing grin before jerking her head back through the streets. "In the fields. She's been looking after Rakah's brood lately. Getting her some good practice in for when your little monster comes along."

He didn't say anything else. Cyrille started running down the main street to the open plains beyond the city. Though other demons were still making their way to see what the fuss was about at the docks, he didn't see any of them. His focus was entirely on getting to her.

And then, he was there, standing at the end of the lane a few hundred meters from the city limits. The knee-high, blue-tinged grass swayed back and forth in a non-existent wind, and the stars above illuminated the realm in shades of blue. Kate was crouching or kneeling in the grass, calling out to the broodlings in a playful tone, Zaqeer perched on her shoulder and looking around for her siblings.

It was the little arachne who saw him first and waved enthusiastically. "Master Greed! Welcome home!"

Kate's head snapped up and around, and those beautiful golden eyes that haunted his dreams met his. The world around him vanished. The next second, he had his hands in her hair and his mouth on hers. She was alive! She was safe! Kate twisted his shirt in her hands and lifted herself on her toes to kiss him deeper and push herself closer. She needed as much reassurance that he was there as he did.

Suddenly, she shoved against his chest, broke the kiss, and slapped him. "Never leave me again," she snapped, tears welling up in her glaring eyes. "Got it?"

"I wouldn't dream of it, kitten."

Even as his cheek burned, Cyrille couldn't stop smiling as he took in her appearance. It had only been a week for him, but it had been much longer for her down here. Apparently, she'd been eating well as her once sunken cheeks were fuller, and the black lengths of her hair were holding a luxurious shine. Her eyes were brighter than he last saw them, and they danced with her fluctuating emotions. But the most significant sign that so much more time had passed for her was the small but noticeable protrusion of her dress at her stomach.

He stared at the bump in amazement. He'd already known she was pregnant, but now it was obvious. Everyone else could see it too. He was going to be a father. Holy shit, he was going to be a fucking father! He was elated and terrified, and oh gods, what the hell had he done!?

Kate giggled at his rapidly changing expressions, took his hand, and brought it down to the bump. "Celeste thinks I'm eighteen, maybe nineteen or twenty weeks now," she said softly, watching his eyes. "I can feel her moving sometimes."

"Her?" he met her eyes again, and she beamed. "We're having a little girl?"

"I guess she could change her mind at any time, but... yeah... We're having a daughter."

Cyrille lowered himself into a crouch and pressed his lips to her stomach. There was an immediate reaction of magical feedback from the tiny lifeform inside her. The little spark of an essence swirled around his own magic, and it was that very second that his daughter had him wrapped around her little finger, just like her mother.

Kate's grip on his shoulders suddenly tightened, and he looked up. She looked back towards the city, her eyes wide as dinner plates. He followed her gaze to see Chandra and Morgan at the edge of the lane, and he smiled.

None of them had to say anything. Cyrille let go of her waist, and she ran straight into her parents' arms. "You're here!" she gasped, tears spilling onto her cheeks. "How? How are you- how did you escape?"

"Later, princess," Chandra pushed Kate's hair from her face to see her clearly. "Look at you. You're all grown up!"

"And out!" Morgan added with a laugh, looking at her pregnant belly, his eyes twinkling with a mix of pride and mirth. "My gods, Katalin, you couldn't have picked someone better than Greed to have a baby with?"

Kate hesitated, watching her father's face. Then she threw herself into his chest. "I'm sorry, daddy. I'm so sorry."

"I was just kidding," he chuckled and pulled her tight against him.

She shook her head. "I killed you... I... I couldn't..."

"Oh, sweetheart," he hushed her and pulled her back so his yellow eyes could meet her gold ones. "I don't want you to waste another second worrying about that. I'm not angry. I could never be angry for something you had no control of."

"But-"

"I'm here now. We all are. We're free."

Her tears started falling with more vigor, and Cyrille couldn't help but smile at the unlikely family. "So," came a voice from behind him. "Those are Katie's parents, huh?"

Cyrille whirled around in shock. He had to be imagining it, but there Danika stood. She flinched under his disbelieving stare. "Please, don't kill me. Celeste said it was okay for me to be here while things on the surface calmed down."

"You," he breathed. "You're alive? But... how?"

"How long has it been since Constantine died? You know, up top?"

"Barely a week."

"Still too early, then," she sighed and shrugged. "I don't know how. I only remember snippets of that night. But I do remember the pain. I can't even begin to explain how much it hurt. Like I was being skinned alive, then burned at the stake, and frozen all at the same time. Aarón brought me here so he could be with me in the end, but... I don't remember any of it. I just remember waking up and being alive... somehow."

Cyrille narrowed his eyes and stepped closer to her. Something was... different, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "What do you mean by," he asked slowly. "Too early?"

"Kate said I was in and out of consciousness for almost three weeks. So if it's only been a week on the surface, it's still too early to know if anyone else survived."

His fingers brushed her cheek, and she tensed. "Oh, my gods," he whispered. "You're... human?"

Curiosity taking over, Cyrille pushed his magic into her, feeling out her soul as best he could around the shield of being bound to Aarón. She was still tied to the wolf, though there was definitely some strife in her feelings for him. Other than that, her magical signature was gone. There wasn't even a fragment of Templar magic left in her. And she was somehow... older than before.

"This doesn't make any sense. How is this... possible?"

"Aarón... did something. He was... working with them. The same people that did all those things to Kate." Danika's jaw twitched, and she looked away. "Are you going to kill him?"

Cyrille narrowed his eyes at her. "Why would I do that? His work with the Organization was circumstantial. A means to an end. Neither of us knew about your or Katalin's involvement until well after meeting you."

"So, you knew? Even after learning what they did to her, you didn't tell-"

"You are directing your anger at the wrong person, Danika," he hissed over her, keeping his voice low so as not to alert Kate. "Aarón knew the consequences of Constantine's death, as did Raphaël. I am not obligated to tell you anything. That falls on the shoulders of your mate."

"I'm going to take a wild guess and assume you didn't tell Kate, either."

"What difference would it have made if I did? She would have had to kill Raphaël and his entire rebellion to stop him. She's strong enough to do that, so fine. But then there's your wolf. Once Aarón killed Wes, there would have been an active war, and either Aarón or Constantine would have died. Aarón dies, your soul shatters, and you're dead within the year. Constantine dies, and you do too. Or so we assumed. What could she have done? What would you have done?"

"I worked with Wes. I could have at least gotten them to the negotiating table."

"If you truly believe that Wes wouldn't have used your bond with Aarón to torture him, you are still that naïve little girl playing soldier. There were only ever three outcomes for you after meeting that lycan: a broken soul, torture, or death. Telling Katalin only would have put her at unnecessary risk and that I will not allow that. However you look at it, it's better that she doesn't know. She would have grieved your death and moved on in time."

"Don't sugar coat it or anything," her eyes fluttered, and tears glistened in her eyes.

"Your grievances are with Aarón, not me. Flawed as his reasons may be, Aarón only wanted to protect you. You're alive. Give the world time to settle again. Then, you can return to him, get the whole story, and start over." Cyrille looked back at Kate, and his smile returned. "Katalin will want you to be a part of our daughter's life, and I will not deny her that. But there is no reason the roles couldn't be reversed."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're human again, Danika. Humans are unique in their ability to reproduce with nearly every breed in this world, werewolf included. Or you could choose to transition to Lycanthrope. You could have the home, the family, everything you ever wanted is within your grasp. All you have to do is reach out and take it."

Danika stared up at him, eyes wide and disbelief in her heart. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to hope. Before she could change her mind, she threw her arms around his waist and hugged him. Cyrille went statue still, his hands lifted away from their bodies. "Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome," he patted the top of her head awkwardly. "Now, release me. I have a mate I plan on spoiling for the foreseeable future."

"That better involve a foot rub," Kate said behind them.

Cyrille broke away from Danika and swooped Kate into his arms, and she started giggling. "Anything for you, my love."

"Gross," Danika rolled her eyes and started back towards the city. "I'll take Zaqeer and her brothers back home."

Kate called a thank you before turning her gaze back on her mate. "Where did Wrath and Lust run off to?"

"Went to find Celeste. Mom's not doing too great, so dad will get her settled in." She wiggled out of his grip to get back on her feet, but he kept his arm around her waist to keep her tight up against him. "So is... Is Envy..."

"Gone. Trapped in a demonic prison and under lock and key in the heart of the Seelie kingdom. It's over, Katalin. It's all over."

Cyrille lowered his head to kiss her softly, relishing in her scent and sweet warmth. But when she broke away, there was worry in her eyes, and she started chewing on her bottom lip. "No, it's not. Cyrille, there's something I have to tell you."

~