“It seems that way,” Mae said wearily. “I thought Ezra might change his mind when he saw her, but… It’s alright, though. I already have a plan.”

“What’s that?”

“Australia,” Mae smiled at me. “I’ve never been. Vampires don’t like it there because it’s warm, but it’s comfortable enough, and there’s plenty of uninhabited outback for us to hide away. There’s active blood banks in places like Sydney, though, so with a drive, we can get stocked up.”

“So, the two of you are gonna spend the rest of existence hiding out in the outback?” I raised an eyebrow. I had always wanted to go there, but it just seemed like a horrible scenario for this.

“For awhile.” Mae nodded and went back to staring at her bundle of joy. “But we won’t be alone, at least not at first. Peter is going with us.”

“Peter?” I hadn’t realized that Peter really wanted that much to do with Mae, but then again, he did like running away from me and suicidal missions, like caring for a child vampire.

“He offered a few days ago,” Mae said. “We’ll be okay, love. Don’t you worry about us.”

She might’ve been talking to me, but she was looking at Daisy, and I think that was all meant for her. The second she got Daisy, the rest of us really ceased to exist for her. I watched her for a moment longer, fawning over the child, but I had somewhere to be.

When I went upstairs, Jack was already taking a hot shower. I was desperate for one myself, so I got undressed and climbed in with him. He smiled at me, but I just wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed my head against his chest. There was nothing sexual about it. I just loved being that close to him, his bare skin on mine, his heart beating in my ear.

He kissed the top of my head and held me to him. After everything the night had brought, I couldn’t help but cry. Out of sadness and exhaustion and relief. I had never seen anything as brutal as what I witnessed tonight, and I hoped to never see it again.

“It’s going to be okay, Alice,” Jack assured me, rubbing my back gently.

“How can you say that? After what happened tonight?” I looked up at him. His soft blue eyes were full of nothing but love and optimism, and he smiled at me.

“Because you’re here with me,” Jack said. “Any night that ends with that can’t be that bad.”

“I can’t argue with that logic,” I admitted, and he laughed, sending delighted tingles all through me. I held onto him tighter, pressing my head against his chest, and relished the feel of his arms around me. There was no place in the world I’d rather be.