Chapter 26
Six months later…
“Ace, look out!”
I turn just in time to duck, narrowly avoiding getting hit in the shoulder with a knife. Oh, hell no. I tried being nice. I tried talking and reasoning, but there’s no getting through to a vampire. Especially one that hasn’t fed in days.
“That’s it,” I say, and conjure a fireball.
“Wait,” Thomas yells, jumping down from a broken second-story window, brandishing a dangerously sharp wooden stake. “We need to follow him into the nest!”
“Then you can blow shit up,” Gilbert says, coming up behind me. “And you know I like to watch you blow shit up.”
“That I do,” I say, tossing the fireball up into the air. I catch it as it comes back down and put it out. “So let’s go.”
We’re on the outskirts of town not too far from the house, which is no coincidence, I’m sure. Ever since I quit my job as a detective to go full time into this witch business, demons and dark magic have been coming out of the woodwork. Which is fine, though we’ve been busy.
“There’s a root cellar on the north side of the barn. I’m sure the vamp went in there,” Thomas says as we silently move through the barn. It’s dark in here, and while I’m squinting and trying to see what’s in front of me, Thomas rushes forward, still able to see in the dark.
Gilbert takes my hand, guiding me through the dark barn. Along with the ability to see in the dark, they’ve retained their strength. Hasan still has his wings, and he doesn’t mind using the concealment charm to hide them in public.
Jacques dug deep into the magic, trying to figure out why things ended the way they did, and he thinks the magic is still there in everyone, even himself.
For Hasan, it was battle power, and he retained his ability to fly and fight. Tom and Gil like being human but are still stronger than ordinary men and have what I call “super senses.” And Jacques…he never wanted power, not in any sense. His senses are higher than most humans, though.
Including me.
But I have the fire power, and right now I’m more than ready to use it, kill these vamps, and head to the office before we can finally go home, change, and hit the town. It’s Friday night and we’re going out to dinner.
Cold winter wind hits me as soon as I step out of the barn, making me want to summon up a fire just to keep warm. Snow crunches under our feet and our breath clouds around me.
“Where’s this root cellar?” I ask, sticking my hands into my coat pockets. Gloves and throwing fire don’t mix.
“This way,” Thomas says, pointing. Suddenly he stops, holding out his hand. “I see him.”
I narrow my eyes, unable to see more than a few feet in front of me. “Is he going in?”
“Yeah.”
Gil raises his arm, tightening his grip on the wooden stake. “And he’s getting his friends.”
I raise both hands, conjuring the fire. “Ready, boys?”
Tom and Gil stand by my side, holding up their stakes. “Hell, yes.”
“Hey, babe.” I cross the office, stopping behind the desk. “Busy today?” I slide my hands down Hasan’s broad shoulders. He closes his laptop and spins the chair around, grabbing my ass and pulling me to him.
“Is this blood?” Hasan asks, pushing my hair back.
“Ugh.” I wrinkle my nose. “Yeah, but it’s not mine.”
He chuckles. “So you got the vamps?”
“Five of them.”
“Wow,” he says, sounding a little disappointed.
“Sorry you missed out?” I ask with a laugh.
“Maybe. Okay, yes. I don’t know how Jac does this all the time. He misses all the action.”
“He prefers it that way.” Normally, Jacques is sitting at the desk, being the behind-the-scenes guy who keeps us all going. But he’s been working on another project the last few days and Hasan had to fill in the admin role.
I wrap my arms around his neck and lean in. “Am I too gross to kiss?”
“You’re never too gross to kiss.” His lips crash into mine. “Or to fuck.”
“Prove it.”
With a swift movement he picks me up and puts me on the desk. I part my legs and welcome him between them, feeling his cock through his jeans. No sooner than we get started does the phone ring. Sighing, Hasan breaks away to answer.
“Templar Investigations,” he says, and I can’t help but smile.
He was made for this job, and we’re doing pretty damn well for ourselves.
Word of mouth has a weird way of spreading, and along with our normal cases, we get a handful of people calling and asking us to look into “strange things” that have happened.
Most are just that—strange—but several have led to demons.
I slide off the desk and walk over to the window. We’re in the office that used to be Trent’s, but this place has a totally different feel. We help people now.
Using the hidden staircase, I go up to the penthouse, which no one is currently living in, but we still use it from time to time. I wash up and change my clothes, meeting Hasan downstairs just in time to close up shop for the night.
“You look amazing,” he says, picking me up and kissing me. “How much time do we have?”
I raise my eyebrows. “Not much, but you’ve always been able to get me off with impressive speed.”
He lets out a guttural growl and lays me down on the desk. He’s going to impress me now.
The sound of chimes rings out, echoing through the store. The smell of incense fills the air and a feeling of peace washes over me like it does almost every time I step foot into the magic store.
“Hey!” Gemma says, looking up from behind the counter where she’s restocking little crystal charms. “You look good, Ace. I think I’ve only seen you with your hair curled like three times.”
I laugh. “Yeah, I’m usually pretty lazy. But tonight is a special occasion!” I run my eyes up and down her. “And damn, girl. Look at you!”
She smooths her hands over her dress. “Is it too much?”
“Not at all,” I assure her. “It goes with that flashy ring on your finger.”
A huge smile breaks out on her face and she holds up her hand. “I still can’t believe it.”
“I can. You’re a catch and I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner.”
Gemma blushes and turns back to the crystals.
Nick and Gemma started dating after everything went down with Trent.
He was having a hard time taking it all in, and then he just happened to be over when Trent’s anti-aging potion finally wore off and he melted into a puddle of ashy goo.
Instead of running away and threatening to expose me as a witch to the entire police force, he stuck with us and still helps when we need him to.
And he proposed to Gemma last night.
“Where’s Jac?” I ask as Hasan, Tom, Gil, and I move into the store. Lyra followed through with moving to Florida, and we took over the lease on the building. Gemma runs the store now, helping educate the Wiccan community. Jared works part time on weekends, as much as his parents hate that.
“In the back with Rachel.”
“How’s she doing?” I unzip my coat and set my purse on the counter.
Gemma makes a face. “She’s struggling and was asking for her powers to be bound again.”
I shake my head. “Did Jac make any progress?”
“I don’t think so. He talks about you too much, if you ask me.”
I laugh and go into the back room, finding Jacques standing by a dry erase board, looking all hot and sexy like a college professor I’m secretly lusting after during class.
Rachel is sitting at a table, writing down notes. Since she’s an adult, she obviously didn’t get placed in foster care or with family like the rest of the kids Trent kidnapped. She seemed to do all right in the shelter setup, but then everything came crashing down.
She stayed with us for a while, and now is living in Gemma’s old house. She works at the store and is training to go out with me, using her powers and killing demons. But she has moments where the things Trent made her do get to her, and she wants to get rid of her magic forever.
“Hey, guys,” I say. “Done with the lesson for tonight?”
“Yes,” Rachel says, a little too enthusiastically. “No offense, Jac.”
He smiles. “None taken.”
“I have a date tonight,” she tells us, and gets up. “He’s completely normal and I’m so excited about it.”
I walk her out, making sure she gets to her car safely before heading back in. Nick is in the store, arms around Gemma. Jacques turns the OPEN sign off and locks the front door.
“How was your night?” Nick asks me as I put my coat back on.
“Successful,” I say with a smile. “Killed a few vampires.”
He shakes his head. “I’ll never get used to this.”
“Hang around us long enough and you will.” I hook my purse on my shoulder and take Jacques’s hand.
“Shall we?” Thomas asks, opening the door. “I’m starving.”
“You’re always hungry,” I tease. “But yes, let’s go. I’m starving too.” I look around at everyone and smile. There’ll be more demons tomorrow. Evil to fight and innocent people to save.
But I have my friends. My family.
And for the first time, my life finally feels complete.
THE END
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