Love Letters and Thirst Tonics (Moonvale Matches Book 1)

Epilogue

Later: Fiella

A book fell from the shelf on the far wall with a heavy thunk, startling me from my inventory notes. A small cloud of dust plumed in the air.

“Hey, knock it off, Pumpkin,” I shouted. The mischievous orange cat had been coming around the shop a lot lately. I liked to think of him as Sookie’s boyfriend, but I didn’t dare say that out loud in her presence.

Sookie was a strong, independent lady cat who didn’t need a man, and she made sure I remembered that.

As I glanced over my shoulder to glare at the troublemaking critter, I noticed that a piece of paper had fluttered to the floor and landed by my feet.

I smiled to myself. Another letter from my mate.

I snatched the paper off the rug and unfolded it, eagerly reading its contents before clutching it to my chest and letting out a deep, satisfied sigh. Redd sure had a way with words.

I gently tossed the letter onto the growing pile I kept in a basket under my worktable. Redd and I had continued our handwritten correspondence, and every time I found one of his letters, my entire body flushed with warmth and my soul glowed with love. Nothing made me happier. Well… almost nothing. I supposed the letters could be topped by the vampire who wrote them.

I absentmindedly tucked my freshly colored blue hair behind my ear. I had grown fond of the color and had convinced Kizzi to brew me a bluebell tonic so I could keep the tint in my strands. This time, my nails had also turned blue, the color creeping up my fingertips. I wasn’t upset about it.

Redd strolled in the door, two steaming mugs and a pastry pouch in hand. The scent of herbs and sugar filled the air, followed by mint and sandalwood.

“Oh, thank the gods,” I called out, reaching toward the mug with both hands.

“Hello to you, too,” he answered, holding the bounty out of my reach while he dropped a kiss onto my forehead. I tilted my head back, catching his lips in a quick kiss.

“I mean–hello, mate. I am thrilled to see you, as always. Thank you.” I smiled.

“Much better,” he teased. He finally placed the tea in my hands and the pouch of pastries on the counter.

Pumpkin rubbed against Redd’s ankles, purring. Redd knelt down and scratched the cat’s chin. He noticed the book on the floor, his letter on top of my pile. “That’s a good boy, Pumpkin. Nicely done,” he cooed.

“Meowwww!”

Redd straightened to his full height, brushing his knees off. “We’ve been working on that one for days now.”

I rolled my eyes. “You trained the cat to deliver your letters for you? Unbelievable.”

He grinned. “You’re just mad that you didn’t think of it first.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Laughing to myself, I turned back to my inventory notes. I had been working relentlessly, traveling to other towns to purchase knick knacks and getting everything in order for the Fiella’s Finds grand re-opening. I needed it to be perfect. My parents had helped, as did Redd’s family. We were splitting time between organizing my shop and refurbishing Redd’s new warehouse.

The work never ended.

Though Redd and I both stayed busy, we always found time for each other.

I had been in desperate need of a boost when Redd appeared–he probably sensed my growing discomfort.

“So.” Redd leaned against the work counter. “If I’m seeing this right, it looks like you’re about done. Which means that you’re ready for the shop re-opening tomorrow.”

I sighed heavily. It felt as though there was still so much to do. My mental list was never ending. “Maybe.”

“Relax. Breathe. You’re ready. You can do this.” He stepped behind me to massage the tension from my shoulders. “Now, eat your pastries and drink your tea. I’ll help you finish up your inventory, and then let’s get out of here.”

I smiled. I would never grow tired of this. Of having my favorite person by my side. Forever.

“Deal.”

My hands shook violently and a drop of sweat slid down my forehead as I stood at my counter in Fiella’s Finds, preparing to officially open for the first time in months. There was an impressive crowd of folk gathering in the town square. I took slow, deep breaths.

Inhale, hold.

Exhale, hold.

I was nervous. Annoyingly, disgustingly nervous. I fought off the claws of panic as hard as I could, shoving them away with as much force as I could muster.

Redd sidled up next to me, gripping my hand and squeezing it tightly. “Breathe, Fi. You’re ready. You know you’re ready.”

I exhaled harshly, clinging to his hand like a lifeline. “I am. I am ready. I don’t know why I’m so scared. I’ve run this shop for years; this should be a breeze.”

Redd nodded encouragingly. “You’ll slip back into the rhythm. It will be as easy as breathing. I believe in you.”

I squeezed his hand gratefully before letting go and stepping back. I fluffed my hair, straightened my overalls with a tug, and plastered what I hoped was a convincing smile onto my face. “Okay. Let’s do this. You can let them in.”

Redd smiled gently. “Yes, ma’am.” He walked to the front door, turned the lock, and tossed it open wide. He held his arms out in a come on in gesture.

“Hey, move! Move! Me first!” I heard a voice shouting from a distance. My panicked smile morphed into a real one, my eyes pinching at the corners. Kizzi. My best friend was elbowing through the crowd, shoving past folk twice her size until she made it to the very front. She grinned at me as she strolled into Fiella’s Finds, huffing and puffing. “Hey, Fi. Fancy seeing you here.”

I laughed, rolling my eyes. “You didn’t have to pummel my other customers, Kiz. There are plenty of trinkets to go around.”

“I know, I know, but I wanted to be the first customer to shop in the new and improved Fiella’s Finds. I deserve it, after all.” She grabbed the first thing she could reach off the nearest shelf. It was a small, glossy black sphere on a wooden stand. She hardly glanced at it.

Kizzi strolled to the counter, bounty in hand, as other customers began to flood into the shop. Oohs and aahs could be heard from all around.

“I’ll take this… thing, please. Whatever it is,” Kizzi declared. She stuck her hand out, dropping two silver coins onto the countertop. I shoved them back at her immediately.

“I don’t want your silvers! Just take it. Consider it my payment for your witchy services or consider it a thank you gift. I don’t care. Just take it,” I begged.

“Nope! You pay for your tonics; I pay for my trinkets. That’s how it works. We support each other.” She stepped back before I could reach out and shove the coins down the front of her smock.

“Fine,” I grumbled, already making plans for how I would pay her back for all she had done for me. “You know I love you, right?”

“Of course!” she chirped before whirling around and slipping out the front door. “Moons!”

“Suns!” I shouted, though I wasn’t sure she could hear me through the murmur of the crowd.

A line formed at the counter, folk excitedly purchasing their wares. A mild scuffle broke out in the sculpture section of the shop. A witch used her magic to pull the last wooden critter from a mothman’s grasp. It landed delicately in her waiting hands. She chuckled, shrugging with false innocence. The mothman grumbled angrily but moved on, consoling himself with an ancient tome. A tall vampire with a broken fang watched the spectacle, his eyebrows raised and his jaw dropped in astonishment. Redd’s Pa. I chuckled to myself.

It seemed that the folk of Moonvale had missed their trinkets.

Slowly but surely, the crowd worked its way through the shop, everyone finding a trinket that suited their fancy.

Redd’s parents purchased a flowing tapestry that depicted a snowy landscape.

Velline found a painted stone bowl, so large she needed help to carry it back to Moonvale Medical.

Lunette bought a tall, gorgeous vase, enchanted to keep flowers alive for weeks instead of days.

My Ma found herself a small bracelet that was delicately hand-carved with swirls and sigils.

Pa grabbed a pair of teacups. They were made with steel instead of pottery so they would never break during travel.

Tandor purchased a collection of colorful, stained-glass tonic bottles.

Everyonepurchased something. And everyone smiled as they left. My shelves were half empty by the time the last customer walked out the door.

All day, Redd stood in the corner, arms crossed over his chest, a slight smile lifting the corner of his mouth.

As evening fell, I sat at Ginger’s pub with Kizzi and Redd, each of us with a cider in hand. Lavender blueberry, of course. My pouch of silvers sat heavily against my hip.

“Well, I’d say this day deserves a toast,” Kizzi declared, lifting her goblet out in front of her. “To success, and happiness. And to my badass businesswoman best friend.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Redd said warmly, clinking his goblet against Kizzi’s. The two shared a smile before both taking a gulp.

I rolled my eyes, holding my own goblet out. “And to you two, because the gods know I wouldn’t be here without you.”

“Hells, I’ll drink to that too!” Redd laughed. We all took another swallow.

“So,” Kizzi mused. “How does it feel being mated? Think I’m cut out for the mate life?”

I laughed, glancing fondly at Redd before turning back to the witch. “It’s better than I could possibly explain. Hells yeah, you’re cut out for it. Everyone deserves to feel this happy. You just need to find someone who can handle you.”

Kizzi scoffed in fake outrage. “Handle me? Handle me? Excuse you, Fi. That’s rude.”

I nudged her shoulder. “You know exactly what I meant. You need someone you won’t squash like a bug.”

“I suppose that is true…”

I was exhausted, and my cheeks ached from too many smiles, but my heart was fuller than it had ever been. I could feel the echoes of my mate’s pride, his joy, his contentedness deep within my own chest. I glanced around at Ginger’s Pub, at the familiar patrons, at the comforting atmosphere, at my two favorite people sitting next to me, and I finally felt whole. Completely, entirely whole.

All it took was a few anonymous letters and a mishap with thirst tonics.

Ani, the oldest witch in Moonvale, sat on a bench in the town square, shimmering magic swirling around her fingertips and coiling up her wrists. She had a handwritten sign clutched in her grasp and a self-satisfied smile on her face. Three cats sat perched beside her feet–one grey, one orange, and one striped. She leaned down and whispered to the critters, pausing to listen as they meowed back. She straightened, nodding.

Ani waited patiently, lingering on the bench until every folk was out of sight. When the coast was clear, she stood and approached the stone mailbox, humming a magical tune to herself as she did so.

Slowly, quietly, the magic in Moonvale was growing stronger.