"They made it. And they went on to live long and apparently happy lives."

"And… Kerry?"

"She made it as well. There's a note here that Tremayne and Roxanne also raised a foster daughter- who grew up to mate with a man of power." He shook his head slightly. "Two women born in Atlantis, and both of them were able to rise above what they'd been taught, and what they had experienced themselves."

Serena slowly closed the book she had been reading. "You know, I'm not quite so nervous now about that call to Chicago. Why don't you go ahead and make it?"

Merlin came around the desk to her. He framed her face in both his hands, and gazed at her seriously. "No matter what happens," he told her, "no matter what we find out, we're going to be together, Serena. I love you."

"I love you too."

He kissed her. "Thank you."

She was surprised. "For what? For loving you?"

"For that. And for teaching me how to love." He smiled at her, his wonderful black eyes liquid with tenderness. "Come on. Let's go make that call."

EPILOGUE

Chicago, 1993

The late fall day was chilly and blustery, providing a taste of the coming winter, but inside the large study, a blazing fire in the hearth warmed the room.

"We're finally going to meet the Apprentice of Richard's he's talked so much about," Eric Merlin said in a tone of satisfaction as he hung up the phone.

"It's about time."

"I know. Though I suppose it's been for the best, her training taking place out in Seattle without interference or distractions. God knows it's difficult enough for any wizard to learn the art, but it's particularly difficult for someone like Serena."

"Because she was born to powerless parents?"

He nodded. "We lose so many, you know, the ones who have no real understanding of what they are and what they're capable of. It's a genuine tragedy. The Council tries to find the ones with power before they're lost to us, but it's a big world. Thank God a few like Serena have the instincts to go out and find a Master to teach them before their powers are drained or corrupted by the distrust of powerless people or a simple lack of understanding. Richard believes she has the potential to be a seventh-degree Master."

"Good. And… what else?"

He smiled. "I've been told by others that she's beautiful. And spirited. I'll bet she's made life very interesting for him. Richard didn't say, but it was fairly obvious from his tone how he feels about her."

"That's even better. He needs a woman who's strong enough to understand him."

"Yes, I agree."

"So they're coming to Chicago?"

"Tonight, in fact, and they'll stay for the weekend." Then he frowned. "It's odd…"

"What?"

"Well, when I reminded Richard that you always kept his room ready for whenever he wanted to visit, he seemed almost surprised to hear it. No, that word isn't strong enough. He seemed… almost dazed."

"He was probably pulling your leg, darling."

"Catherine, I know my son."

"Yes, but for all you know, Serena may have come into the room just then wearing nothing but a smile."

He chuckled. "True. Anyway, he said to give you his love, and that he'd see us tonight."

"Wonderful." She smiled at him, then rose from her chair and came to the desk, a beautiful woman who was still slender and graceful and elegant, her face still un-lined and her hair still untouched by silver, though she had turned sixty on her last birthday. She bent to kiss him, but he pulled her down into his lap instead, a gleam in his black eyes.

"Eric…"

"Catherine?"

"I have to go and check with cook about dinner tonight, and then I have to make sure Richard's room is ready for them-"

"All you have to do, sweetheart, is kiss your husband."

"Yes, Your Honor." And she did, delighted by the knowledge that it kept getting better even after forty years. A benefit of loving and being loved by a wizard, she supposed, threading her fingers through his silky black hair. One of the many benefits.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KAY HOOPER, who has more than four million copies of her books in print worldwide, has won numerous awards and high praise for her novels. Kay lives in North Carolina, where she is currently working on her next novel.