Year 3044
Aiden stood in the gallery—not the original one in Manhattan, but the one they'd built on Mars. Because yes, vampires had made it to space colonization.
"Hard to believe it's been a thousand years since you turned me," he said to Kieran, who appeared beside him with vampire speed.
"Two thousand years since I was turned. A thousand since I found you again as Aiden Luxury." Kieran wrapped his arms around his husband. "And it's been a good thousand years."
It had been. After that first decade of building their family, they'd continued—raising human children, turning those who wanted immortality, creating a supernatural-human community that finally, officially, publicly coexisted.
The Great Revelation had happened in 2156—vampires, witches, shifters, and other supernatural beings revealed themselves to humanity. It had been chaotic, frightening, but ultimately successful. And Kieran and Aiden had been at the forefront, proof that coexistence was possible.
Luna had chosen to be turned at thirty-five, after living a full human life, having children of her own (who were now vampires too). River and Sky had made the same choice at twenty-five. Their family had grown exponentially—children, grandchildren (both biological and adoptive), a network of love that spanned the solar system.
"Luna's ship arrives tomorrow," Aiden said, pulling up a holographic display. "She's bringing the great-great-grandkids. All fifty of them."
"Fifty." Kieran shook his head in amazement. "We've created quite the dynasty."
"We've created quite the family." Aiden turned in his arms. "Do you ever regret it? The thousand years you spent alone before finding me?"
"Not for a second. Because those thousand years made these two thousand years possible." Kieran kissed him softly. "Every moment of pain was worth this."
Around them, the Mars gallery displayed art from across two millennia—some painted by Aiden in various lifetimes, some by their children, some by artists they'd supported over the centuries. A legacy of beauty born from love.
"What do you think happens next?" Aiden asked. "We have eternity. What do we do with it?"
"We keep loving. Keep building. Keep proving that love—in all its forms—is the most powerful force in existence."
"Sounds perfect."
That night, as their massive family gathered for a reunion spanning three planets and a moon colony, as human and vampire children played together without fear or separation, as the future they'd fought for became the present they lived in, Kieran and Aiden stood together.
Two souls. One bond. A thousand years of longing transformed into eternity of love.
"Forever?" Aiden asked, smiling.
"Forever," Kieran confirmed.
And somewhere, in the space between stars, in the magic that connected all living things, their bond glowed golden—eternal, unbreakable, perfect.
A thousand years of longing had become forever of love.
And it was worth every moment.