You might have missed my announcement last week, but I finished the first draft of Exposed, and this is the second to last chapter. I didn't realize it when I started writing this chapter, but as I wrote it, the ending finally came to me. However, I'm a believer in people having many different endings that happen over the course of their lives, and characters in books are no different. The end of Iris's books is really just the end of a chapter in these characters' lives and the start of a new one. 

Jonas~~

            Over two hundred people stare at me when I step out of the ship and onto the stairs, the rays of the setting sun basking over them. In an attempt to steady myself, I take hold of the railing even as I try to project the image of a cold, dogged leader. There are no pitch forks or swords visible to my eye, but that doesn't mean the Society isn't here as a mob. Why would they want an Expired Preeminence when they could have Colton? They haven't been around as I pleaded my case to Amoria's Orders. Perhaps they're here to act as a wall to keep me from returning home to the Estate as Elleany's leader and to ensure Colton enters it as Preeminence, as he should have been by now.

Panic builds in me but when my eyes settle on my father and mother in the front of the crowd, the tightness in my chest begins to unravel. My sister stands beside my mother, with Alastair on her left. My Delta flanks my father, and the rest of my Order fills out the rest of the front line. I may consider the Society as a whole my family, but those right there in the front row are my true family. The ones I know I can trust with my life.

Behind me, Iris steps out of the ship and slides her hand into mine. "Welcome home, Preeminence."

I bend down, giving her a chaste kiss on the lips. The Society can wait.

"Remember to breathe." Her eyes search mine. "Please?"

I tap her on the nose. "You're asking for a lot. But I'll try."

My mother and father start to head for the stairs, and I use it as my cue for us to begin descending them, keeping Iris's advice to breathe at the front of my mind.

The moment I have two feet on the tarmac, my mother pulls me into a hug and kisses my cheek. "You have no idea how worried I've been."

Something tightens in the back of my throat even as the tightness in my chest continues to ease as I hold her, feeling like I'm just a young boy again. "I missed you." I squeeze her, holding her tighter.

"I missed you every second, my love."

My father clears his throat. As I pull away from my mother, I take her hands in mine.

"It's good to have you home, Jonas," he says.

I nod to him. "Thank you, Father."

My mother shifts her gaze to Iris. "Congratulations by the way."

With Iris's dress sleeveless, her marriage Mark on her right arm is prominent. "I suppose the whole Society knows?"

"Of course."

"Are they"—I pause, searching for the words—"here to protest my return?"

"Jonas." My father places his hand on my shoulder. "They're here because they support you."

I look out over the Society. They accepted Iris as Expired, but I didn't ever really believe they would accept someone who had defied his Expiration Date as their leader.

My sister comes forward, Alastair at her side. "Khaleedi." She offers me her hand.

"Khaleedessa." I go to take her hand to shake it when I notice the silver band on the ring finger of her other hand.

"Gwen." Colton's voice coming from behind me makes me jolt. "Is there something you'd like to tell me?" Vienna stands just slightly behind him.

Our sister rolls her eyes and tucks her arm, somewhat aggressively, through Alastair's. His face purses, and his eyebrows draw together as he glances out the corners of his eyes. He'd clearly rather be anywhere else than with me and my brother.

"We're engaged," she says. "It was evident choice for us. We can't all have grand love stories." At her words, Alastair's face pinches.

"Khaleedeesa?" I never expected but I hoped that the day my sister announced her engagement to me she would be bubbling over with happiness. Not this well-let's-just-get-this-over-with attitude.

She shrugs one shoulder. "This is what we wanted."

Colton threads his arm through Vienna's, pulling her forward. "If we're sharing news, Vienna and I are engaged."

Gwen snorts. "That's not news."

I look back at the ship, squinting at the setting sun behind it. To the left of the stairs, Andrew and Basile speak with a man and woman who I recognize as Andrew's parents. My cousin and his husband will take a plane to France tonight. Percy, Elisana, and Ean descend the stairs, and when they reach the tarmac, they make their way over to us. Surprise flickers across Alastair's face. He was informed that Elisana would be here, but Ean wanted to surprise my Eta, so no one knew he was coming.

Elisana curtsies to Gwen while Ean bows. "Tresais," they both say.

The rest of my Order comes forward, Riley at the lead.

"Ean?" Something like wariness crosses Riley's face. "Is that you?"

Ean stiffens, gaze locked on my Eta. "Uhh . . . hello."

"What are you doing on Earth?"

"Oh, well—"

"He tried to assassinate Jonas and Iris but failed so now he's hiding out with us to avoid his family's wrath."

I massage my nose. "Colton . . . That really isn't the whole story."

"Really? Well I don't seem to recall having left any parts out."

"He was really bad at his job," Iris adds as if her remark bordering on an insult and a compliment is supposed to make it better. And it wasn't that he was bad at being an assassin. He just wasn't good enough. Not everyone's wife grew up being trained by rebels.

"I just want to make sure he's not left alone," Colton says. "Maybe he was never an assassin but a spy. You have to admit it makes sense."

Ean scrubs harshly at his face. I feel bad for him—despite everything. It's his first time being on Earth since he was adopted by his father, and he can't even soak the moment in.

Taking hold of Riley's arm, Iris drags him closer to Ean. "Riley, you'll watch him, won't you?"

"Uhh, will I?"

Iris raises her eyebrows, waiting.

"Sure. I mean, yes. If my Preeminence is ordering it." He looks at me, and I hold in my sigh. He's acting like they haven't been long distance friends/pen pals for years. And I know they've video chatted, so it isn't like they haven't spoken face to face.

"I am."

My Eta bows. As he rises, Colton adds, "And make sure he doesn't stab anyone in their sleep. It would be dreadfully messy to clean up. And we'll make you do it."

Riley ignores that comment and looks at Ean. "Come on. I'll help with your things."

Ean nods and follows after my cousin, even though he boarded the ship without any luggage.

Still holding onto Alastair, Gwen takes a step back, starting to turn away. "Dinner is waiting for us at the Estate, and I'm quite ready to have the Preeminence, Beta, and Iota dine with the Society again." With that she heads for a black limo where it waits in front of the crowd, Alastair in tow.

My parents, Colton, Vienna, Percy, and Elisana follow, but I call my cousin back.

"We should set a meeting," I say after he's circled around to me.

He tilts his head. "For what?"

"To iron out how Elleany will participate in the Olympics. That is, if you want to help with it."

A bit of light sparks in his brown eyes. "Just tell me when."

"Two days. One o'clock. Your office?"

"I look forward to it."

He starts for the limo, leaving Iris and me to face the Society, who have been silently—and honestly kind of eerily—staring at us. Heart hammering, I walk toward them.

"I'm sure you have many questions."

Murmurs trickle out from the crowd but no one addresses me directly.

"And I probably don't have answers to all of them. I cannot answer why I'm Expired, or how I am. I was given, like all of you, a Date at birth. But I lived past that Date." I hold out my left arm and begin to roll up my sleeve. Though there are Amoris in the crowd, I feel no burn, but I do feel the weight of every eye upon me. With my sleeve now up to my elbow, I let them see the damaged Mark. "Not knowing when I'm going to die is terrifying. But it's nothing compared to the dread I felt every day that passed that put me closer to my Expiration Date. It's a dread I know all of you have felt at least at some point." I take Iris's hand, and she looks at me, not at the Society. She nods, giving me the courage I need to continue. "That is why newborns will no longer be Marked. Having a Mark will be the bearer's choice." Voices come at me, fast and jumbled, but no one yells. No one cries out in rage. Even so, I have to raise my voice to be heard. "It will be their decision to know their death."

Silence falls over the crowd as immediate as a light being switched off. In my mind, though, I hear my words over and over again.

None of my family has yet entered the limo. They stand outside of it, and those who were not on the ship with me wear expressions that vary between confusion and shock.

"Not all of you want this. I know that. But I have seen too much hurt come from Marks to allow them to be forced upon anyone any longer. I am not making this decision for you. I'm making it for your children. And their children. As the Preeminence of Elleany, I will no longer allow the Society to rule by fear."

With a tremendous weight now off my chest, I lead my wife to the limo, my family moving aside wordlessly. I help her into the limo before sliding in after her. Before my sister or brother or anyone can enter, I stick my arm out and reach for the handle. Flashing an apologetic smile, I shut the door in their faces.

Placing her palms on my thigh, Iris stretches up and kisses me on the cheek. "Somehow I love you even more than I did two minutes ago."

"Remind me to make even more speeches in front of you then. I do have quite a lot stored up."

Iris rests her head on my shoulder. "Oh yes, you know how your lectures drive me absolutely wild."

I pretend to not know she's teasing. "As they should."

Through the rearview mirror, the driver meets my eyes. "Where to, Preeminence?"

I drape my arm over Iris's shoulders and settle into the seat. "Take us home."

About 120,000 words later, we're almost at the end. Just one more chapter and now I'm going to have to think about a really good chapter title. Thank you for reading this far. I mean, this is Book 4! Thank you for caring about these characters. Thank you for loving them like I do. I hope the ending will leave you smiling like it left me.