"It sounds like a wonderful trip." Denise's voice filled the kitchen, slightly tinny from being on speakerphone. "We can't wait to see you tomorrow and hear all about it."

"Is there anything we can bring over? Maybe dessert or wine?" said Alice, half of her attention on splitting the row of shortcakes that had been cooling on the counter since morning. The strawberries were already ready.

"Just yourselves." Then her stepmother's voice lowered to a more confidential tone. "You know, your father and I both thought you two left on a secret honeymoon and would come back unveiling wedding rings. You're not about to, are you?"

"No," said Alice, trying not to laugh at her stepmother's excitement. After all they had been through, proving their commitment to each other was the furthest thing from her mind. "I needed to get away and clear my head about some things, and I did."

"Honey, I'm so glad. I'll just say one final thing on the subject: your father would never admit it, but he's fine with the idea of you two marrying. He's working from home today. Do you want to say hi?"

"Sure." They hadn't spoken since she and Colton had started the hunt. The usual anxiety wormed into her heart as she waited, but less so than before. She wasn't sure she'd ever be comfortable with her father, but in a strange way, the things she had learned about her mother helped steady her view of him as well.

When his voice came through, it still held the flatness of his professional tone. "Alice."

She took the speakerphone off. Even though she was alone in the house, it somehow felt more private. "Hi, Dad. How are you?"

"Well enough. What about you? You sound tired. Six weeks is a long time away."

"I know, but I needed it. I feel much better about some things, and ready to move on from others."

"That's good." There was a brief silence before he said, "We're looking forward to seeing you tomorrow, although I told Denise you should have a few more days to recover."

"I'm fine, really. In fact, Colton's coming home after lunch so we can take a long drive. There's just one more thing I want to see before we're done traveling for awhile."

"Is it about your mother?" Her surprised silence must have been answer enough, because he then added, "The anniversary of her disappearance was yesterday. It's not hard to make the connection."

Alice hesitated, unsure of whether to tell her father what she had remembered. Unsure of how much could be understood by someone who had never seen that dark, furtive world hiding in the shadows of his own. "What made you move forward, Dad? After Mom disappeared, I mean."

Her father sighed. "I knew I had to keep life as normal as possible for you. I'm not saying I succeeded. Just that I tried."

She bit her lip, hearing the same pain in his voice that she had heard in the memory of her mother at her bedside. It rubbed her heart raw to realize the cold behavior that had once made her fear him stemmed in part from his own fears. She didn't know what to think, much less what to say. "I'm fine now. Really. I realized that... that she didn't leave because she hated me."

There was a long pause, long enough that she thought she'd made a mistake in opening up. But then her father cleared his throat. "I'm glad. There was never any reason to blame yourself. She loved you, but she was also sick."

Alice closed her eyes, aware that it was as close to the truth as he would get, or would possibly even want. "Thanks, Dad."

For a moment, he almost sounded reassuring. "Get some rest. We'll see you tomorrow."

"Can't wait," she said, and felt surprised by how much she meant it.

She had just finished whipping the cream when the rumble of Colton's truck reached her. She looked out the window in time to catch him walking up the driveway. The smells of sawdust and tree sap mingled with his own clean musk, already brimming with impatience and lust. Excitement filled her own scent as she waved.

She filled one of the shortcakes while he unlocked the front door, and had it ready on a plate by the time he appeared in the kitchen doorway. Even now, she grew breathless beneath the weight of his gaze. "Hungry?"

"Starving," he said, pushing the plate out of the way before she could offer it to him. Then his mouth was on hers, tongue flicking at the roof of her mouth while his hips pinned hers against the counter. Playful and savage, teasing and perverse. She managed a laugh as he ripped her sweater open with one jerk of his hand, and then all thought disappeared under the delicious heat of his attention.

She found herself bent over while he took her from behind, each thrust hard enough to raise her on tiptoe. She panted, breasts hanging out from her ruined sweater and hair falling into her face. Already desperate, she pushed a hand between her legs and found her clit, her fingers as unrelenting as his cock.

"I love you," she whispered, feeling herself shiver from the truth of it.

His rhythm didn't falter, but in the next moment, his hand joined hers, twining their fingers together until the pressure against her clit made her feel ready to melt.

"Words," he murmured into her ear. The rasp in his voice sounded almost tender.

Then his teeth caught her neck, right where her pulse pounded hard and fast. His next thrust went in so deep she cried out, shuddering against their clasped hands.

Afterwards, she curled against him while they shared one of the shortcakes. She had only a few bites, nerves stealing away her usual just-fucked appetite.

He noticed. "Sure you want to do this?"

Despite her uncertainty, she smiled at him. "I'm sure. It's just... I haven't been to that place since she left me there. I don't know what to expect, or see, or even feel."

She absently glanced down at the empty plate before adding, "I want to move on, but it feels strange, too. I spent so much of my life obsessed with my mother. I'm scared of seeing how much space is left behind."

His nose brushed hers, coaxing her to look up again. His eyes were still dark and relaxed from their hard fuck, their color reminding her of the forest outside. "What's your favorite coffee?"

"Any light roast with chocolate notes." Then she laughed a little, understanding the implications behind his question. Any empty space could be filled. Sometimes slowly and painfully, but it would happen.

She didn't talk much on the drive to the Eldorado National Forest, not at first. When she turned on the radio, she was greeted by the oily voices of the local shock jocks.

"Come on, Rattles. You're screwing with me. I've never heard of that."

"It's true. If you had extra nipples, you'd be burned for witchcraft."

"Who has extra nipples? No one has more than two except for the three-boobed lady from Total Recall."

"That's because we burned everybody who did."

"So, you're saying witches have three boobs?"

"I'm saying we killed off a genetic mutation, man, and it was one of the good ones."

With a sigh, Alice turned the radio off again. "I think I already understand why vargr stop paying attention to people."

Still, it had been weirdly reassuring to glimpse the rest of the world and its oblivious spinning, and she began talking to him about the memories she had remembered from the night before. Little, meaningless ones, but he listened intently, his hand occasionally squeezing her thigh. The landscape around them shifted into oak trees surrounded by scrubby wild grass.

Amazing, how easy it was to direct him off the highway and to the right area of the national park. Picking apart her feelings proved impossible, especially when she realized how much had remained unchanged. Gravel-covered ground served as an informal parking lot for those who wished to weave through the oaks and manzanita on their own rather than use one of the hiking trails. It wasn't an official entrance, but most people looked the other way whenever cars were there.

There still weren't any fences blocking the way. Her mother had driven further in, much further. The small car had struggled against the uneven ground; Colton's truck wouldn't. Yet Alice found herself wanting to walk that last 100 or so yards. Wanting the chance to absorb what she had missed as an unknowing child.

Her hand clutched his while they walked, but her mind felt surprisingly clear. Some of the wild grass had already turned yellow, dry as straw and just as pleasant-smelling. She also caught traces of deer, raccoons, and even a cougar. The hot asphalt and acrid gasoline of the highway faded to nothing as they traveled further into the wilderness. The powdery, red earth clung to their feet.

And then...

"We're here," she murmured, looking at the two trees that leaned into each other in a natural arch.

For awhile, she simply sat on a nearby rock and stared at the surrounding forest. It had changed with time. The trees were taller, bearing scars from bad weather. The rock she had looked at as a child whenever the endless leaves had started to overwhelm her sense of up and down was now surrounded by poison oak. There was no hint of the tire marks from her mother's car. The land, too, had moved on.

A certain calm came over her as she got to her feet again. Then she looked at Colton, who lingered nearby. Her eyes burned for reasons she couldn't name. "There's nothing waiting for me here. It's just a forest."

As they began the drive home, she held his hand with both of hers, feeling as raw and relieved as the night she had left Magdalene's body in the morgue. She remembered every word of the conversation she'd had with him afterward, their bodies steaming the cramped confines of her car. How her hope had outweighed any fear of damning herself by continuing to want him.

Her life felt as changed now as it had then, as enormous with possibilities and as unnerving with having to rebuild herself.

When she kissed the rough calluses on his hand, he glanced over. "Thinking of that night?"

She laughed. "Were you?"

He nodded. "You were scared, but not of me. I couldn't believe it."

"Well, I couldn't believe you wanted to stay. I thought you'd leave since I was only human again."

"Never. But you weren't ready to hear that."

She nodded. Her heart had still been constricted by Magdalene's grip, had still hardly believed it had escaped. Any promise would have terrified her. She softly repeated what he had said instead. "'Until we tire of each other.' What would you say today?"

At that, he looked over at her. Most would have called him expressionless, but his intent gaze promised things that only a beast could give: savage passion, and moonlit hunts, and a tongue tender against any wounds life might deliver. "Forever."

As the forest behind them disappeared from view, she found herself smiling. Her heart was her own... and still so full.

_ _ _ _ _ _

And that's the end, folks! Thank you so, so much for all your votes, comments, reads, and support. This was a hard novel to write, one that really pushed me to see what I could do, and I wouldn't have gotten this far without your encouragement!!