Epilogue

MARNIE

S panish moss hung from the branches of an ancient oak tree. I leaned against the rough trunk, enjoying the shade as sultry notes of a distant trumpet wove through the warm, humid air.

Watching Levi command the stage, I couldn't help but marvel at his presence. Every gesture, every word, was imbued with a charisma that captivated the children of all ages who watched. He wasn't just performing magic when he pulled the dove from his top hat. He was weaving a spell that left his audience enchanted.

As he wrapped up his act, I pushed off the tree and slowly approached.

I’d finally made it to Crescent City, thanks to Levi’s traveling act. Now that I was here, I was glad I hadn’t found the time to come sooner. There was a new layer of magic to discover in every aspect of life when he was with me.

“For my final feat, who would like a piece of candy?” Levi asked.

The crowd cheered in its biggest round of applause so far as Levi tossed candy into the air.

As the children scattered to gather their treats, Levi slipped through the crowd and put his arm around me.

“That was impressive,” I told him.

“I’m glad you enjoyed the show.”

“Do you happen to have any candy left to share with me?”

“Sadly, only a single butterscotch, and I know how you feel about those.”

I did a half shrug as I leaned into him. “At least it’s not candy corn.”

He chuckled and made the candy appear in his palm.

I unwrapped it and popped it into my mouth.

With Greta working at the shelter, I didn’t feel a single ounce of guilt about taking this time for myself, for us.

“What’s next?” I asked.

“We’ll go anywhere you’d like,” Levi said. “But there’s something I’d like to show you first.”

“Sure.” I’d go anywhere with him, so our destination didn’t really matter.

He led me into a tiny shop filled with candles, old books, and way too much velvet. And we stopped behind a box marked sold.

“What’s this?” I asked.

He grinned and pulled off the lid. “A present.”

I peeked inside and found a one-eyed taxidermied fox dressed in reading glasses and a lab coat. It was the same fox that had first led me to the midnight market, the fox that had forever tied me to my mate.

“What do you think?” Levi asked.

This wasn't just any present. It was a symbol of our connection, and I felt a surge of love so strong, it could carry me for the rest of my life.

I saw his reflection in the fox’s eye.

“The glass eye is the window to the soul.” I grabbed Levi’s collar and I kissed him on the cheek with every ounce of joy and adoration he’d given me. I kissed him on the chin with my belief that neither of us had to be perfect, only perfect for one another. I kissed him on the nose with a promise that whatever weirdness life threw at us next, I was grateful to face it together with him.

NOODLES

“Release me. Release me now or you’ll rue the day?—”

With the flick of my wrist, I pulled upward on the magical handcuff that bound Finnian’s magic. As that cuff was affixed to his neck, his words blissfully died on a gagging breath.

“You’ll shut your trap or you’ll be the one ruing,” I told him.

He coughed and gagged and pinned his yellow fox ears back, his beady black eyes filled with hate.

When he didn’t protest, I released the cuff, allowing Finnian to fall back into my duffle bag.

The forest was filled with too many trees. It was filled with too many thorny vines, too. They kept getting caught on my tights and scratching my ankles.

That was all well enough, as I’d reached my destination—a tiny stone well in the middle of nowhere.

I was pretty sure there was something I was supposed to remember to do before using it, but when I searched my memory for what that something was, I came up blank.

Oh well.

Ha. Well well . Hilarious.

“Why are you laughing?”

“I told you to shut it.” I shook Finnian’s bag.

The hateful little monster growled.

“You’ve brought this on yourself,” I told him. “You’ve been bad, and naughty boys must be punished.”

He chuckled. “Is that a promise? I would much enjoy a spanking from you, Serrap?—”

I snatched him around his middle and bopped him on the nose. “I told you, my name is Noodles McDoodles Butterbelly now. I’m brand new. Good.”

“You don’t have a single good bone in your body Ser?—”

Well, that was certainly enough of that. I threw Finnian at the well’s opening.

A massive, furry tentacle shot out of the well and caught the naughty fox mid-air. It wrapped so tightly around him that I heard at least a few bones crunch.

Ah, that’s what I was supposed to remember.

It was important to bring a slab of meat to throw in the well before entering the portal to reach The Library, to ensure safe entry.

The tentacle shot back down into the magical depths.

I’d intended to deliver the naughty fox to The Library for his punishment. That’s exactly what I’d done, minus a hiccup or two.

I smacked my hands together.

Job well done. Everyone will agree: Noodles is good.