Epilogue #2
The bell above the door jingled as Lienna and I entered. A welcoming mix of conversation and laughter rolled over us as we stepped into the dimly lit pub. Guild members occupied half the tables, drinks and plates of food mixed with a few laptops and notepads.
“The prodigal pair returns!”
Tori’s shout cut through the other noise, and all heads turned.
A cheer went up, and I laughed as I waved.
Linking hands, Lienna and I moved to the bar and leaned against it as Tori slid a drink to Zora.
The petite badass winked at us before striding over to the table where Felix, Tabitha, and Sabrina sat.
Tori regarded me, but before she could speak, I pointed at the wall behind the bar. “When are you going to take that down?”
Arching her eyebrows, she studied the poster tacked to the wood-paneled wall beside the chalkboard menu. A photo of my face stared back at her, topped with a very large number in red text. The other details of my former bounty filled the rest of the oversized printout.
“Why would I take it down?” she asked, turning back to me with a smirk. “We celebrate people’s accomplishments here.”
I narrowed my eyes, and she narrowed hers.
“Tell you what,” she said benevolently. “I’ll take it down for a ten percent cut of the bounty.”
“Ten percent.” I looked at the poster. “Of twenty-five million.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“How much money do you think I make?” I turned to implore Lienna for support, only to find her in a deep discussion with Robin, who’d taken the stool on her other side.
Tori propped her chin on her palm. “You two look good—and you’ve got a tan. Was Panama fun?”
“Who said we were in Panama?”
“Oh please. There are no secrets here.” Straightening, she plonked two glasses on the bar top. “Want a drink?”
“Hook me up with a Dr. Malibu.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Is that another Kit special?”
“It’s a Dr. Pepper with Malibu rum, and speaking of Kit specials, I made this amazing—”
“Morris! Shen!”
Lienna and I spun to face Aaron as he stopped three feet away, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Kai and Ezra flanked him, equally stone-faced.
I grinned. “I love the Charlie’s Angels pose, fellas, but which of you is Farrah Fawcett?”
“You both missed the last two monthly meetings,” Aaron said. “You’d better be here this Saturday.”
“This Saturday?” I shook my head. “We already have plans—dinner at Lienna’s parents’ new place.”
“My dad makes a mean duck,” Lienna added.
“The monthly meetings are mandatory for all guild members,” Kai pointed out. “Including you two.”
“And there are repercussions for missing them without leave,” Ezra said. “Dire repercussions.”
“What, are you going to feed us to Zylas?”
“Of course not. He’s a vegetarian.”
I sighed. “But Lienna’s dad wants to watch the Lions season opener together.”
“I’m sure Captain Shen will understand,” Aaron said dryly. “Did you have fun in Panama?”
Lienna frowned. “How do you know we were in Panama?”
“Everyone knows,” I muttered to her.
“Your bounty hunting license was approved,” Kai told her. “How long will you be in town? I’m putting a team together for a bounty that just came up.”
“We need to get it done before the Pandora Knights,” Aaron added. He slanted a glance at me. “You sure you don’t want to apply for a license, Kit?”
“Nah.” I gestured at my wanted poster. “One bounty is enough for me.”
“Honestly,” Aaron said. “I don’t know how you lasted as long as you did.”
“You should have let us turn you in for that bounty,” Ezra deadpanned. “Do you know how expensive housing is in this city? We could have bought a nice townhouse—one with a garage.”
I shrugged. “I guess you’re stuck with your faery roommate.”
Lienna linked her arm with mine. “We should go upstairs now.”
“Right.”
“Don’t sneak off,” Tori said as she slid me my drink. “Zak and Saber are bringing the twins later.”
“Half the guild is showing up to see them,” Robin added. “I think Amalia might even make it.”
I grabbed my Dr. Malibu. “Wouldn’t miss it for a double date with Humphrey and Lauren.”
Leaving her, Robin, and the mages at the bar, Lienna and I climbed the stairs. On the third floor, we stopped in front of the familiar meeting room where we’d once stockpiled all our evidence against the Consilium.
I tapped on the door and, at the sound of Darius’s voice, headed on in.
The guild master sat on one side of the table, his salt-and-pepper hair neatly combed and his vest and dress shirt combo as dashing as always.
Leaning her hip on the table next to him was Blythe. Her blond waves were tied back in a ponytail, and instead of a pantsuit, she looked moderately more comfortable in a blouse and tailored khakis.
As Lienna and I took the seats across from them, one of my eyebrows crept upward. Was it my imagination, or was Darius’s hair not so neatly combed? And was his collar a little crooked?
That man had leaped onto a speeding train and battled assassins without disturbing the crispness of his attire. There was no way it was crooked.
I squinted. It was definitely crooked.
I turned my squint onto Blythe—and got a double eyeball-full of her laser-beam glower.
“We’re back,” Lienna said, covering for my awkwardness. “And our mission was a success.”
“Any complications?” Blythe asked.
“Everything went according to plan,” Lienna answered. “We confirmed that the cartel was the one referenced in Griva’s documents. We collected all the evidence and delivered it to the Anti-Corruption Joint Task Force.”
“Excellent work.” Darius considered me. “And were you able to make use of your magical abilities on this mission?”
“No magic needed,” I replied, swirling the ice in my Dr. Malibu. “We completed all objectives with our charm and daring.”
Lienna rolled her eyes.
Blythe rolled her eyes.
Darius didn’t blink.
Blythe reached for the only items on the long table—a truly massive stack of file folders. “Your next mission—”
“—should we choose to accept,” I said in a dramatic hush.
“No, Kit. You don’t get to choose.”
“But you chose to be our handler.”
“And you decided to become contracted special agents. Do we have to do this every time?”
I swiveled my attention to the man beside her. “Darius, as our guild master, do you think we should have more say in our missions?”
“As your guild master, I have no knowledge of any missions.” He rolled his chair back from the table. “The two of you wanted to be part of the ongoing identification and uprooting of the Consilium’s network.”
I grinned. “And you wanted to snoop into all our missions from the sidelines.”
“Merely looking out for my guildeds.” Rising, he headed for the door. “I’ll leave you to your briefing.”
As Blythe slid a folder to me and one to Lienna, Darius paused in the doorway.
“And don’t forget,” he said over his shoulder. “Guild meetings are mandatory. I’ll see you both on Saturday.”
Finding Lienna’s hand under the table, I entwined our fingers.
Guild meetings, friends, family, drinks, and secret globetrotting missions to scour evil from mythic society with the woman I loved at my side. Kit Morris had finally found his place in the world.
Cue music.
Roll credits.