Epilogue

Magnolia, 3 months later

R une, Oliver, and Danika operate their empire from the Garden District. New Orleans is a magical place to live and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t believe, now that my eyes have been opened to possibilities, that magic is real. It is alive inside me as much as the love I have for my new family.

I don’t know what unseen force is looking out for me, but the first time my men tried to get me pregnant all those months ago, it didn’t work out. Looking back, it was for the better.

But the second time they got me inside the Golden Key Society they knocked me up. I settle a hand over my abdomen. I can’t wait to watch it grow with the tiny life inside me. Rune and Oliver have already taken to recording daily videos. They promise to make me a beautiful video documenting every single day of my pregnancy from the day we found out I am expecting until the day we bring home our beautiful baby.

Rune reaches for me, and I slide my fingers through his as he follows me into Madam Celeste’s shop. I did what Raja said and read the name on the back of the pendant he gave me. To this day he refuses to tell me how he got it or why he wants me to find a woman in the back of a tarot shop, but here I am. I have no idea what to expect, but Raja is a friend and promises me the woman here can help me get answers as to where I came from and why I feel a deep pull to New Orleans.

“There you are, child. I knew you wouldn’t take long before you found me.” A beautiful black woman with an array of colorful dreadlocks settled over her shoulder steps from a curtain of beads. Love radiates from her and gives authenticity to her friendly smile.

“I think we are in the right place,” Rune says.

“For sure.

The energy around her lures me deeper into her tarot shop. Shelves of crystals, incense, and books are carefully placed around the room. Silk cloths hang above those shelves. Some feature colorful displays of the third eye. Others have the Universe.

Kind eyes find my hand settled over my tiny baby bump.

“Madam Celeste?”

“Hmhm” she hums. “Come in, child, I’ve been waiting for you to arrive. Give me a hug. I just need to make sure you are real. It’s been forever since I’ve had a Lafleur in my shop and I’ve missed your energy, baby girl. I see everything worked out with you and your men.”

Missed my energy? I swallow thickly. “I, huh…I’m not sure how, but yes. A friend says we have you to thank for that.”

Madam Celeste picks up the pendant from around my neck and nods her head as if the emerald is speaking to her. “Hmhm,” she offers again.

“We’ve come to give this back to you. I don’t know how any of this works, but I think this protected me. I think it worked. Thank you.” I’m rambling, but I’m at a loss as to what I should say.

“Child, I know it worked. Or you wouldn’t be standing here today. “She presses the pendant into my hands. “That is for you to keep. That belongs to you. I was only the keeper for a short time until you came back to N’awlins, sweet child.”

Madam Celeste looks at Rune and takes in his braid and the protective hand he has around my middle.

“I saw three shadows around you. Protective energy. This man is one of them. Where are the other two?”

“That is a good question. They scooted out early this morning and no one will tell me where they got off to.”

Madam Celeste drops her chin to her chest and closes her eyes. And I swear I see the magic around her swirl and glitter a moment before she raises her head and looks Rune in the eye.

“She’s going to love the surprise. You best get her home.”

His smile beams with pride. “Thank you, Madam Celeste.”

The tiny bell rings over the door and I turn to see a woman walk in with similar colored hair to mine.

“Detective Lafleur?” Madam Celeste walks to the front of the shop and I look at Rune.

“Lafleur,” I repeat. “What is our case detective doing here?” I never really thought of the detective investigating Einar Weston’s death as odd. There are millions of people with the same last name as mine. Just a curious detail I shrugged off.

“Right on time.” Madam Celeste greets the detective with a quick hug like she gave me.

“You know the detective, too?” I get a soft smile from the detective.

Madam Celeste holds a hand out to me and I take it. “Detective Lafleur? Yes, and you do too, baby girl.”

“Yes, we’ve met. Hi Detective.”

“Magnolia. Everything okay with you?”

When I first arrived in New Orleans I did the same thing here that I did in Seattle. I got a detective on my side and told them if I went missing there was only one person responsible.

“Yes, thanks to you. Madam Celeste, the detective is overseeing the case where my former guardian tried to kill me. How odd we are all here at the same time.”

Madam Celeste clucks her tongue while shaking her head. “Not odd at all, baby girl, given you both have known each other since you were born.”

My eyes widen and my heart squeezes from the sudden surprise thrown at me. “Excuse me?”

“Miss Magnolia Lafleur, meet your sister Miss Mia Lafleur. You were both born by these hands.” Madam Celeste holds her hand up. “Fate and an evil curse separated you. But now you are both where you belong. Together. Finally together.”

Cold washes over me. I have family? Rune’s arm around me keeps me from sinking into the floor. My heart clenches and releases. My chest expands and I don’t know what I want to do first—cry, scream, or faint.

Oh, my God, I have a sister! All those nights I spent wanting a family, praying for one and wishing someone was listening has finally come true.

Rune takes my weight when my knees finally give out. “Easy, petals. I’ve got you. We’ll figure this out.” His love surrounds me, and I hold onto that energy as he steadies me.

Mia looks as excited and scared as I do. She has the same color of eyes as me, the same jawline, and slight frame.

“Sister?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I’ve known Madam Celeste my whole life.”

“You two girls were your mother’s joy. I hate what happened to her.”

I pluck out one of the million questions swirling in my head and give it a voice. “ My mom. Is she still alive? Where is she? And my dad? What happened? Why were we separated?”

“Madam Celeste?” Mia looks to the older woman with a load of her own questions. “Why didn’t you tell me I had a sister?”

Madam Celeste pulls us both over to a low table and we all take a seat. “Baby girl, I made a promise to your mother. She couldn’t afford a doctor and she couldn’t risk your father finding her.” Memories cloud the eyes of my mother’s old friend. Her voice becomes quiet and the way she stares out over my shoulder tells me what we are about to hear will leave scars on our hearts.

“I knew when she came to me the birth of you girls would leave her body too weak. I saw it in a vision. I tried to tell her but she wouldn’t hear any of it. She refused to let me take her to the hospital. She wouldn’t have it.”

Madam Celeste takes a deep breath, the pain in her words affecting the energy in the room. “She was in labor for hours. Hours. But I swear it was the stress and fear of your father finding her that took its final toll on her. You both came fast, like your little souls knew you didn’t have long to be with her.”

Another pause. Another deep breath.

I reach across the table and take the other woman’s hand while my sister does the same. All three of us sit there for a long moment absorbing and lending each other the strength it seems we all need.

“She held you close. Both of you. And while she cried over your little heads she made me promise to keep you hidden. I was young and I just couldn’t take care of one baby much less two so I put you in a foster home. I wanted to keep you together, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”

“It wasn’t up to you, Madam Celeste.” Mia pats the lady’s hand, offering comfort.

“No, you’re right. But still.”

Dark brown eyes turn to me, pleading for forgiveness. Why I don’t know. It wasn’t her fault our mother died on her birthing bed.

“I’m sorry, baby girl. I couldn’t protect you. I cried and cried for days but my tears did nothing for you.” She grabs my hand tightly. “I feel the pain you suffered through the years. It runs through you like the blood in your veins.”

Rune’s arm comes around me protectively. “She’s no longer alone. She has people around her now. No one will hurt her again.”

“Hmhm. You’re right. Thank the gods for that.”

I push up from the table and wonder how rude it would be to go out for some fresh air. Mia must be thinking the same because she is standing and moving toward the front of the tarot shop.

When I think she’s going to leave, the woman who shares the same colored eyes as me and the same shape of lips turns and throws her arms around me. I do the same and we just stand there for a long moment breathing each other in. Madam Celeste’s words don’t sink in right away but when they do, I turn around and have to ask a burning question. “Are we twins?”

“Hmhm, child you were born thirty-five seconds apart. You were both racing to be the first. Your sweet momma was in tears the whole time.”

“And our father?”

I don’t know if it is instinct or habit, but Mia places her hand on her weapon before she asks, “And our father? Why did our mother fear him?”

“He was a bad card, baby girl. A bad card. He loved violence as much as he loved drinkin’ and drugin’.”

“Where is he now?” Rune has vengeance on the brain and I can already see the wheel of a murder plot coming to life in the calculating look he shoots Madam Celeste.

“Dead last I heard. He met his end at the mouth of a hungry gator.”

The way Madam Celeste runs her hands over the table in front of her working out invisible wrinkles says she might have more information on that particular event than she’s letting on.

“Good.” I say, and mean it.

I turn to Rune who hasn’t left his place at the table. “I have a sister. I’m from here. How can that be? I have so many questions.” A million actually and they are all burning to be asked.

His lips press against the top of my head. “Go to them and take all the time you need. I’ll be right here. Always.”

“Thank you for loving me so deeply,” I say to him, my love swelling and growing to encompass more people in my world.

His forehead rests on mine, “It’s me, Oliver, and Danika who thank every god known to man we have a chance to love and protect you. Now go, talk with your sister. I'm going to sit right here and protect you while you reconnect with your family.”

Magic exists. It does. You only have to believe. At first I couldn’t, but I am thankful love taught me to believe in the unseen and trust my heart. That is where the magic starts.

First there was a gilded key and then gilded lies. Now I have a golden opportunity to have a real family.

M agnolia Lafleur isn’t going anywhere! She is the head of the Morning After Society and now has a new family to reconnect with. You’ll see her, Danika, Oliver, and Rune throughout the rest of this series, and in the coming series, Gilded Crowns.

M any secrets were revealed and many more are to come inside the coming releases. Sapphire’s reimagined happily ever after is next and you can pre-order your copy by tapping here .

? ? ???????????? ??????.

???? ?????????????? ???????????? ??????????????.

???????? ?????? ???????? ?????????????? ?????? ???????????????? ???????? ??????????.

Behind its gilded doors, the promise of unlocking the most hidden of desires reigns.

Tarnished men, ruled by violence, seek redemption in the innocent women who dare to love them. But can love grow in darkness?

“One night,” he promises. “One night and you can walk away from us.”

The dark glimmer in his eyes says otherwise.

“Liar.”

My secret lover slips me their gilded key. “Only one way to find out,” he teases with a heated kiss meant to unlock my secrets and tie my heart to him.

“?????????????? ???? ?????? ???????????? ?????? ??????????????.”