I grinned triumphantly down at Dimitri. His cheeks were flushed, and he was out of breath, his hair sticking to his temples.

"Who's the big man?" I taunted with a grin.

"I am, you just got lucky," Dimitri breathed, lifting his hips up to knock me over. We grappled as we rolled, each of us fighting for control. It took a few moments before I retained the upper hand, my legs wrapped around his neck as I lay on my back. Dimitri grunted and tried to pry my legs from his neck, but I flexed them tighter.

"Say it," I sang.

"You're the big man," Dimitri grunted, and I let him go, his head resting against my calf after he collapsed.

"You fought dirty," Dimitri panted, turning his head to look at me.

"I sacked the first Strigoi I ever fought; I have to fight dirty. I'm upping the ante," I said with a shrug. Dimitri barked a laugh and rolled so his face was right in front of mine, pressing a chaste kiss to my lips. We were both out of breath, our breath washing over each other's faces.

"Yes, and if you followed Dhampir traditions, your neck would have seven molinja marks instead of one," Dimitri said as he pushed himself to his feet. I grinned up at him and took his hand as I pulled myself up.

"Yeah. I've thought about it, but I don't want to dodge the questions all the time," I said as we walked to the bench that we had set our things on. I picked up my water bottle and took a long drink, gasping for breath when I pulled the bottle away.

"That is also true," Dimitri chuckled as he took a drink, "But I think it'd look hot."

I smirked at him and wrapped my arms around his neck. "You think I look hot with ink?"

Dimitri grinned and gripped my hips gently. "I think you look hot, period."

I hummed with a smile and kissed his jaw and pulled away, tucking my bottle into my bag. I picked up my engagement ring off the wood and slid it onto my finger, smiling at Dimitri as I did so.

"Then you're going to die when you see me in my dress," I snickered as I lifted my bag.

"Oh I'll just about keel over," Dimitri said dramatically as we headed for the stairs, swatting my ass as I climbed in front of him.

I just graduated from my program a few months ago with honours. I was a little surprised that I did that well, considering I hated high school, but I really loved university. Dimitri proposed during my third year, surprising me when we went to Russia to visit his family. We wanted to wait until after I graduated to get married. We only had three months to go until the big day.

I glanced over my shoulder at him when we reached the top of the stairs, pressing my finger playfully against his nose.

"Good workout?" Ivan asked with a grin.

"Great workout, put the man on his ass," I grinned as I swiped an apple off the counter.

"That was because you wrapped your legs around my head. What exactly am I supposed to do?" Dimitri grumbled, pinching my ass. I shrieked and turned, smacking his chest.

Ivan laughed at our antics and shook his head. "Well, can I borrow the not-so 'big man' for a few minutes?"

I nodded and took another bite from my apple as Dimitri kissed my cheek. I walked towards Alberta's office and plopped down in the plushy chair, my legs dangling over the arm.

Alberta glanced up at me as she graded papers, a grimace on her face.

"You stink," she said dryly.

I took another bite of my apple and mumbled at her. "So? It's not the worst thing you've smelled."

Alberta sighed and shook her head, but I could see the ghost of a smile on her lips. I chuckled and rested my head back with a sigh, closing my eyes.

"Are you ready for your bridal party tomorrow?" Alberta asked with a small smile.

I nodded. "Yep. I have to pick up my dress from the drycleaners, but other than that, everything is ready to go. I think you're forgetting who is planning it," I said with a chuckle. Lissa was all too excited when I asked her to be my maid of honour. She had spent every waking moment compiling ideas for me and Dimitri to go over. But I guess that was one way she used her immortality.

Lissa let Christian change her earlier this year. It helped a lot with her memory lapses. Even though her brain had healed, she went through periods where she would have a hard time remembering things. She carried a notebook with her, religiously writing things down, and putting reminders on her phone. Once she turned, her memory was perfect again.

"Oh, I am well aware of who is planning your wedding," Alberta chuckled, "She's like a warden with this bridal shower."

I snorted a laugh around my mouthful of apple. "Oh, don't I know it."

Alberta chuckled as she set the stack of papers to the side. "You know, I don't think I can do history anymore. I was thinking about switching to physical education. What do you think?"

I swallowed and nodded. "I think you'd be an amazing P.E. teacher, Bertie," I said with a smile. Alberta nodded and pushed the papers away from her.

"I need a break. Want to go down the street and get one of those booster things?" Alberta asked as she ran her hand through her hair.

I snickered to myself quietly. I had told her fifteen times this month that it's called 'Booster Juice' but I couldn't help but leave her be now. It was funny and she always gave me a side eye when I did it.

"Sure. Ivan stole my fiancée from me to talk about who knows what. Let's go," I said standing up, and tossing my apple core in the trash can. Alberta grabbed her purse and shouldered it, resting her hand on my back as we walked. Dimitri and Ivan weren't in the kitchen anymore, but I sent off a mental message to Dimitri that I was going down the street with Alberta. Dimitri didn't respond but I shrugged it off, he was probably giving Ivan his undivided attention.

"So, figured out what you're doing for your bachelorette party?" Alberta asked as she wrapped her arm around my shoulder.

"Nope. Nobody will tell me anything!"

Alberta chuckled. "You'll have lots of fun, trust me."

"You know!?"

"Of course I do," she chuckled, opening the door to the store. I stepped in and crossed my arms over my chest as I looked at the menu. I already knew what I wanted, but I figured I'd grab on for Dimitri too. If I didn't, he'd just keep taking sips of mine.

"Do you know what you want?" I asked Alberta.

"Um. The one I got last time," she said with a grin. She also never remembered the name of the drink she liked. Not like she didn't have it once a week. I stepped up to the counter and ordered. Two health nut drinks and my chunky monkey, handing some bills to the cashier.

"You should really learn the name of the drink, Alberta. Some day I may not be here to tell you what to order," I said with raised brows.

Alberta shrugged. "Oh well. I guess I'll just be forced to try something new," she said plainly. I rolled my eyes and picked up Dimitri and I's drinks, sticking straws into our drinks. I took a big gulp of mine as we walked, zipping up my swiper to cover my bare stomach from the cold air.

"How are you doing? I know that today is Mason's anniversary," Alberta asked softly. I swallowed and gave her a sad smile.

"I'm okay. It's just really hard to think that he's been dead for three years. It feels like less," I admitted. Alberta looked at me sympathetically and squeezed my shoulders. After the funeral, I didn't cope well with his death. I felt that it was my fault. No matter what everyone else said, I couldn't get passed it.

I was a mess for a while. I was depressed and Dimitri was worried. I was numb like I was when we had separated, except, he couldn't feel me. I had unknowingly blocked him out. He tried to pull away some of my pain, but nothing worked.

It took a long time to get out of my funk, and it wasn't until Mason's older sister, Sissy, came by the house. I was having another day of being curled up under my blankets when I felt them lift and someone slide under the blanket beside me. I had expected it to be Lissa, but when I rolled over, I was met with Mason's eyes.

Sissy lay under the uncovers with me, holding my hand. She whispered over and over that I wasn't at fault, that he wouldn't blame me, that he didn't blame me and neither did their family.

"But he went back for me," I whispered.

"You would have gone back for him. He did it because that is who he is. Don't beat yourself up. He knew the risks, and he weighed them. Don't let his memory die because of your guilt."

"But it's better now? The anxiety of it all?" Alberta probed.

I nodded and took another sip of my drink, taking Dimitri's drink back from Alberta.

"It's much better," I said quietly.

I sighed as I laid back on our bed, hitting send on yet another application. I had the ability to work in a handful of fields, but finding one that was the right fit was hard. I wanted to use my degree, but everyone wanted five-plus years of experience. Not much help for a new graduate.

I rubbed my socked feet together as I filled out another application, smiling when Dimitri walked into the room.

"I come barring gifts," Dimitri said softly, setting a plastic bag on the bed.

"Oh? What did I do to deserve gifts?" I asked as I set my laptop to the side, reaching for the bag. I opened it and spied the things inside the bag and looked up at it.

"This looks like a 'my fiancee is a monster on her period' emergency package," I said with a smirk.

Dimitri shrugged. "Just want to be prepared for the morning," he said as he sat on the end of the bed, untying his shoes. I groaned my eyes and laid back on the bed.

"It's sort of creepy that you can smell when I'm going to get my period," I grumbled. Dimitri made a noise of agreeance and climbed up the bed, carefully moving my laptop again.

"I agree, but it sort of works in our favour. You'll never be surprised," he said kissing my cheek.

I chuckled and pulled the jumbo bag of Reece's pieces out and ripped the top off, setting the bag beside me on the bed as I picked up my laptop again. Dimitri kissed my cheek again and got comfortable beside me, picking up the book he left on his nightstand. I continued to type but cast glances over at him every once in a while, smiling to myself as I gazed at my mate.

The award piece I sketched my first year was almost identical to the view in front of me. Dimitri reclined back, arm bent behind his head, eyes trained on the pages as his wrist rested on his stomach. The only thing different from the sketch was that Dimitri was wearing a shirt now.

"What?" Dimitri murmured, not taking his eyes off the book as he turned the pages with his thumb.

"Am I not allowed to admire how handsome you are?" I asked. Dimitri blinked and looked at me with a soft smile.

"You are. I can't say no because I admire how beautiful you are every time I see you. Especially when you're asleep. So beautiful," he whispered. I blushed and closed my laptop and set it on the little footrest I had beside the bed. I moved my chocolate too and curled up on my side, resting my head on Dimitri's chest.

"Thank you. And I have an odd question that I thought about earlier."

"Okay?"

"Can I have a baby as an Ekon? Or would I have to be human still?"

Dimitri's brows quirked and he set his bookmark between the pages. He set it down and wrapped his arms around me.

"You can have children when you're an Ekon. Why do you ask?"

I shrugged. "I wasn't sure how that all worked, is all."

"Ekons are similar to humans. We still breathe, we still bleed. The only difference is that we breathe out of habit and don't require food and water to survive. But everything else is the same, especially in that aspect of things," Dimitri said leadingly with a smirk. I chuckled quietly to myself. I didn't need reminding of that. Once we started living together, our sex life took on a life of its own. It was thrilling to have my senses taken from me, only to watch through his eyes instead.

It was probably one of my favourite things to do. It was a huge thrill for Dimitri too because we fed off each other's emotions.

"Yes, I know that that area is the same," I giggled as he pressed a kiss to my neck, "But I don't have to be human."

"No. But what brought this on? You've never voiced wanting kids before," Dimitri said.

I shrugged and shifted around on the bed. "Karolina just had another child. I thought it was odd that she could have one as an Ekon, which is why I asked. I wasn't sure if a human counterpart was needed."

Dimitri shook his head. "No. But, since we're on the topic…"

I smirked at him. "Baby factory is not open for business. Yet," I said with a smirk.

Dimitri made a face of intrigue. "Yet?"

I pulled away and shrugged as I unzipped my sweater, gathering some clothes to take with me to the bathroom.

"Yet. But you know, you got to work up to the grand opening," I said with a smirk. Dimitri made a quiet growl in the back of his through and got up, wrapping his arms around me and lifting me off my feet.

"Work up to the grand opening?" Dimitri questioned; brows raised. I snickered and nodded my head, pressing a long kiss to his mouth.

"Yeah. Maybe in the next, oh I don't know, six or seven months?" I said with a grin. I wasn't against children, I had just never really had much experience with them. But after the last four years with Dimitri's family and all the little ones, it made me stop and think about it.

And I wasn't opposed to the idea of a little Dimitri running around. I thought seeing a little boy or girl with her smile would be sweet.

"I think we could work things out for the next six to seven months. Practice makes perfect, right?" Dimitri asked. I squealed when he lifted me over his shoulder, arm clamped around my hips as he walked towards the bathroom.

I rolled my shoulders back and smiled at Lissa, but I knew that the eyes with the smile screamed crazy.

"Why is she here?" I asked through my clenched smile, not wanting to type anyone else off. "When I said to invite the women from the hub, I thought it was obvious that she wasn't included in that."

"I'm sorry, I thought I made it clear to the others not to mention it, but someone must have slipped up!" Lissa apologized quietly, "Do you want me to make her leave?"

I relaxed my face and sighed. "No. Everyone has already seen her and I know that she'll cause a scene. Just, make sure she doesn't fuck this up?" I said quietly, "I can't guarantee my mother won't maim her."

Lissa nodded and whispered another apology. "Okay. I really am sorry!"

"I know, Lissa. It was a minor mistake," I said after a moment, taking a deep breath. "Sorry. I'm crabby. I'm on a period from hell. And thankfully, I had time to mentally prepare."

Lissa raised her brows at me. "Creepy fiancée alert?"

"Yep," I said gulping down my glass of mimosa.

"Yeah, I don't miss that with Christian," Lissa said sympathetically, flagging down a waitress to get me another drink.

"Do you need anything? Pain killer? Emergency pad? I mean, that dress is tight and white!"

"I'm fine, I took the painkillers my doctor gave me earlier today," I said softly, "I'm really sorry for snapping at you."

Lissa nodded and rubbed my arms gently. "It's okay, I get it. You're stressed out, you're hormonal, and Trasha showed up."

"I think it's funny that you call her that, considering that you're bound to Christian."

Lissa shrugged and took my hand gently, leading me back to the main party. I smoothed my hands over my dress, blowing out a calming breath. I was all up in knots today and couldn't figure out why. It didn't help that I felt like someone was trying to pull my uterus out from my belly button.

I sat down at the table beside my mother and smiled at everyone, but she could see through the smile.

"Are you okay?"

I gave her a forced smile. "Mmmhmm. Just had a small meltdown and now I'm fine," I said with a slight laugh. Mom nodded and absently fixed a piece of hair that lay on my shoulder and slid her drink toward me.

"I thought I was just having a rough go of it today. Apparently, it's your fault," she said with a smirk as she pushed her drink toward me. I took it with a smirk.

I used to tell her that when I was a teenager when I got a bad period, blaming it on the fact that I synced up with her. Hearing her throw that back at me made me feel marginally better. Now I just needed to get through this party without gouging Tasha's eyes out.

Here you go! The final installment of the Eternal Trilogy!

Let me know what you think!