Origins of eternity, p.33
Origins of Eternity,
p.33
“You love me. Got it.”
Iro laughed and said, “More every day.”
“I know things are calming down, with the vampires on her list actually listening to you, but do you think we’ll have to kill again?” Arwen asked.
“Five out of a hundred and three isn’t a bad percentage when you think about it. I was able to convince ten others, and it seems to have stuck this time. I think we’re okay. I’ll still be keeping an eye on everyone, and we will address things as we have to in order to protect ourselves and humans.”
“We should go. It’s getting late, and the cemetery is technically closed now, so we could get in trouble.” Arwen stood up and looked down at her parents. “I love you both, and I’ll be back for a visit as soon as I can. I hope you know that I’m happy; that I’m still madly in love with the woman I’m going to spend eternity with.” When Iro stood as well and took her hand, Arwen asked, “Do you think there’s a heaven for real? Not just some fairy tale to make us all feel better about what happens when we die?”
“I don’t know,” Iro replied.
“I hope so. And I hope they’re there, but it also makes me sad sometimes that I’ll never see them again if I live forever. If it’s real, maybe you reunite with the people you love.”
“I like to think that my own mother is up there, watching over me,” Iro said. “She’s been disappointed in me and angry with me at times, but her love was unconditional. She’s been proud of me, too. My sisters are up there, watching me. Mary is, too, I think.”
“She is.” Arwen turned to her wife. “She is, babe.”
“I don’t care where my father is, but the rest of them are okay. I can feel it; they’re still with me. Your parents are with you now, too, and they always will be.”
“We should go. We have to stop by Florence to have a wedding. Then, it’s off to our new home.”
They walked down the concrete path toward the waiting car.
“How did Zara, the woman who wouldn’t even tell you how she felt after years of pining, end up snagging not one but two beautiful women?” Iro said with a chuckle.
Arwen laughed and replied, “No idea. But she’s happy, so that’s all we care about.”
“And so are we,” Iro added and brought Arwen’s hand up to her lips to kiss.
Iro
“I can’t believe they’re moving to Chile,” Arwen said when they arrived at their new home, a cottage that was just large enough for the two of them and maybe a dog, should they decide to get one. “The list of Cassia’s properties was extensive. They had options.”
“It’s a massive home in the mountains, isolated. I’d say it’s a good decision for the next fifteen years or so. Every so often, we just have to disappear, which is what we’re doing.”
She moved behind Arwen, wrapping her up in her arms.
“You didn’t want to stay in one of Cassia’s homes that she left you?”
“No. I never want to stay in one of those houses. Zara, Alexia, and Sarah can have them as long as they want them, and I gave them the villa in Florence as a wedding gift. Why would I want any of those places?”
“She left them to you.”
“In a will that she had a vampire friend write up one day decades ago, when I was trying to leave again. She wanted me to stay. That time, we were arguing about her hubris and how she took risks she shouldn’t have taken because she wasn’t afraid of dying. She responded by writing a will, saying that if she really thought she couldn’t die, why would she do that? It meant nothing. I’d sell them all, but they’re good for Zara and her wives to have. If they ever want to own them all, I’ll sign them over to them right away.”
“I kind of think they like that they’re Cassia’s houses; or, at least, that’s still how they see them. They’re getting revenge on her or something by using them.” Arwen laughed.
“We have our own homes around the world, including this one. I’d like to maybe christen it if my wife is interested.”
“Oh, yeah?” Arwen teased. “We just got here. I haven’t even seen the place in person. You’re not going to give me a tour first?”
Iro walked her over to the small eat-in kitchen while still behind her and said, “This is the kitchen and dining room. Over there is the living room with the fireplace that I will be lighting soon to read you poetry by the firelight. Our bedroom is through there.” She pointed and kissed Arwen’s neck. “There’s also a surprise for you, if you want to see that first.”
“Is it the tight T-shirt I was promised?”
“No.” She laughed. “Come on.” She pulled Arwen by the hand toward a closed door next to the bedroom. “Open it.” Arwen pulled open the door, and Iro added, “I told you that this was a one-bedroom, but it’s actually two. I thought you could use this as your office and continue running your own law practice from here, if you wanted. Completely remote, but still making an impact.”
“Iro, thank you,” Arwen replied as she took in the room that Iro had left empty for her, wanting Arwen to be able to pick her own furniture.
“It’s smaller than it could have been; sorry. I wanted us to still have a hidden room, so I asked a contractor I trust to build us one in the closet and then told him to forget all about it. It seemed inconsequential to tell him to forget that he built it, after paying him a lot of money for it, but I have to keep practicing with my ability in case we really need it later.”
“What does he think he got paid for?”
“Chimney repairs. Very expensive chimney repairs.”
“It’s perfect, Iro. The whole house. I don’t need much,” Arwen said and turned around to face her. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“How can I repay you for this gift?” Arwen asked with a lifted eyebrow as she unbuttoned and unzipped Iro’s jeans.
“Oh, I think you know what I like by now.”
“Yeah, I definitely know what you like.” Arwen leaned in, connected their lips for a second, and pulled back. “Me on our bed on all fours.”
“Oh, God,” Iro let out.
“You…” Arwen slid her hand inside her jeans. “Behind me. Taking what you want.”
“I thought we would go slow first, but I’m not going to argue with you,” Iro said.
Arwen smiled into their kiss.
◆◆◆
Weeks later, they were walking along the cliffs, holding hands. The weather had been cooperating as much as it ever did in Scotland, and Iro nodded toward another cottage that had smoke billowing from the chimney.
“I have another surprise for you.”
“You do?” Arwen asked.
“Do you remember how a long time ago, you asked me if I had any relatives still alive? Descendants?”
“Yes. You avoided the question, so I thought it might be a bad one to bring back up. Then, we got busy hunting vampires who wanted to be the next Cassia. Why?”
“Over there.” Iro nodded again. “That house.”
“What about it?”
A man walked out with a young girl and a boy.
“It’s owned by a family that comes here every year for a few weeks at a time.”
A woman walked out behind them, carrying a big bag, and the man hefted his small daughter before helping her into the car that they had in the gravel driveway.
“That family is my family.”
“What?” Arwen asked.
“My sisters had children. Some of them survived to have children of their own and so on. The woman is my great great great great great–”
“Yeah, I got the idea,” Arwen said, laughing.
“Niece,” Iro finished. “So are her kids, obviously. They are the only ones left of my direct family line, but they are my blood. It’s one of the reasons I bought the cottage. I check in on them every so often, and I knew that they come here this time of year. I thought maybe we could introduce ourselves one day while they’re here and have them over for dinner or something.” She turned to Arwen. “You could meet my family.”
“Oh, baby,” Arwen said and cupped her cheek. “Yes. Absolutely.” She leaned in and added, “I love you so much.”
Iro nodded, kissed her on the nose, and said, “Want to head back now? I can start a fire.”
“I think we’re out of wood. You’ll have to chop some.”
“You have got to stop throwing what I do chop back into the woods to make me chop more.” Iro laughed.
“No, I don’t,” Arwen replied with a smirk and took off in the direction of their cottage.
“Oh, you’re in trouble!” Iro laughed some more and ran after her, seeing the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen: her Arwen, completely free and happy.
And in her over three hundred years on this planet, Iro knew she had never been happier or felt freer than she had since she saw the beautiful woman with hazel eyes walk into a bar over ten years ago.
Afterword
To contact the author or for any additional information, visit the author's official website: nicolepyland.com
Subscribe to the reader’s Newsletter to be the first to receive updates about upcoming books and various bonus content.
Please refer to Reading Order page to better navigate all existing books when it comes to what order it is best to read them in.
Follow for news on social media and Amazon:
• Amazon Author Page
• Goodreads Author Page
• Facebook Author Page
• Instagram Author Page
• Threads Author Page
• Bluesky Author Page
By the Author
Chicago Series:
• Introduction – Fresh Start
• Book #1 – The Best Lines
• Book #2 – Just Tell Her
• Book #3 – Love Walked into The Lantern
• Series Finale – What Happened After
San Francisco Series:
• Book #1 – Checking the Right Box
• Book #2 – Macon’s Heart
• Book #3 – This Above All
• Series Finale – What Happened After
Tahoe Series:
• Book #1 – Keep Tahoe Blue
• Book #2 – Time of Day
• Book #3 – The Perfect View
• Book #4 – Begin Again
• Series Finale – What Happened After
Boston Series:
• Book #1 – Let Go
• Book #2 – The Right Fit
• Book #3 – All Good Plans
• Book #4 – Around the World
• Series Finale – What Happened After
Sports Series:
• Book #1 – Always More
• Book #2 – A Shot at Gold
• Book #3 – The Unexpected Dream
• Book #4 – Finding a Keeper
• Book #5 – Making It Count
• Book #6 – Side by Side
• Book #7 – Crashing into Love
• Book #8 – Spin Serve
Celebrities Series:
• Book #1 – No After You
• Book #2 – All the Love Songs
• Book #3 – Midnight Tradition
• Book #4 – Path Forward
• Series Finale – What Happened After
Holiday Series:
• Book #1 – The Writing on the Wall
• Book #2 – The Block Party
• Book #3 – The Fireworks
• Book #4 – The Sweet Escape
• Book #5 – The Misperception
• Book #6 – The Wait is Over
• Series Finale – What Happened After
Fire Universe:
• Book #1 – The Fire
• Book #2 – The Disappeared
• Book #3 – The Kidnapped
• Book #4 – The System
Stand-alone books:
• Reality Check
• The Show Must Go On
• Future Wife
• Echoes
• Timeless
Young Adult / New Adult:
• The Moments
• Love Forged
• Pride Festival
Anthology:
• The Meet Cute Café
(a collection of 8 interconnected love stories featuring couples of different ages and backgrounds)
Erotica:
• Once a Month
• Voyeur
Royalty Series:
• Book #1 – Ascending
• Book #2 – Appointing
• Book #3 – Arriving
• Book #4 – Awaiting
TruLove Universe:
• SoulMatch
• TruLove
New Orleans Series:
• Book #01 – January
• Book #02 – February
• Book #03 – March
• Book #04 – April
• Book #05 – May
• Book #06 – June
• Book #07 – July
• Book #08 – August
• Book #09 – September
• Book #10 – October
• Book #11 – November
• Book #12 – December
About The Author
Nicole Pyland
Nicole Pyland is a bestselling author of lesbian romance stand-alone novels and series like Chicago Series, Holiday Series, Royalty Series, Sports Series, and more. Since 2017, she’s published over 60 novels (not including her What Happened After shorts), and more books are on their way.
Nicole grew up in Indiana, studying English & Film and then getting a MS in Behavior Analysis and moving to California, working by day as a Head of Training at a startup. She lives with her wife and their opinionated cat, who spends his evenings helping her write stories by occupying half the chair.
Nicole Pyland, Origins of Eternity
