Chapter 32

I summonedMalcolm as Ronan and I were leaving Northbourne and found out Sean wasn't at his house, but at our new farmhouse. My ghost was horrified at my appearance, then ecstatic to discover I was rid of both the sorcerer power and the death magic I'd picked up in the Underworld.

He hadn't yet checked in with Liam, so he zipped off to let Sean know I was on my way before heading out to the bordello. I hoped he and Liam could patch things up.

I settled in for the ride home on the back of the Vampire Court's biggest, baddest Harley, with my arms around Ronan's waist and Esme in my backpack. Ronan followed the directions on the GPS on the Harley's dash, letting me ride quietly and adjust. The drive from Northbourne to our new house only took about twenty-five minutes, but I could have sworn it took longer than the train ride to Edis.

My little corner of the world was just as I'd left it, but it felt different somehow. Seeing Northbourne in all its glory and full of people was surprisingly jarring, as was the amount of traffic on the roads at two in the morning. I found myself watching the roadsides for strange creatures and unexpected dangers, and wondered how long I'd do that before it wasn't a habit anymore.

I was so happy to be home, I barely noticed how much my body ached. I was hungry, thirsty, and tired, but only in a normal way—not the gnawing feeling caused by the sorcerer magic.

So this is what you're like when you're happy,Ronan said in my head when we were about ten minutes away from the farmhouse. I like it.

Don't get fooled into thinking I'm all sunshine and rainbows,I warned him.

He snorted. You're all sunshine and rainbows tonight, woman, he told me. When I started to argue, he added, As well you should be, returning victorious from battle to the man you love. You slayed your enemies—now pour the wine.

I couldn't argue with that.

We made the final turn onto the road where the farmhouse was. My heart thudded in my ears, and I could barely breathe. I spotted lights up ahead in the darkness. Sean had installed a fence along the road, and a gate. It was open.

The long driveway was lined with small solar-powered lights. Several unfamiliar vehicles were parked off to the side of the driveway next to Sean's Maclin Security SUV. My eyes were on the man standing in the front yard watching us come up the drive.

Ronan slowed as we approached the house. I took off my helmet and handed it to him. Before he was even fully stopped, I jumped from the back of the Harley, left my backpack on the ground, and ran.

In a Pink Floyd T-shirt I'd bought him and jeans, Sean met me halfway across the yard. I would never forget the way he looked at me as long as I lived: worry, relief, happiness, love, and so much heat that I felt it all the way to my soul.

I leaped into his arms, wrapped my legs around his hips, and kissed him hard.

He held me with his hands under my butt and kissed me back, his mouth hungry and demanding. His stubble scoured the skin around my lips. He smelled like forest and wolf and wildness and home.

When we came up for air, his eyes were bright gold. "I love you."

I rested my forehead on his. "Love you too."

He squeezed my butt. "You're a mess, and you stink."

"Oh, God, I know." I let out a half-laugh, half-sob. "I'm sorry. I haven't showered since—"

I was silenced by his mouth on mine.

The next time we broke apart, I noticed the front door had opened and an unfamiliar older man and woman had appeared on the porch. We had an audience. I hadn't thought twice about jumping into Sean's arms in front of Ronan, but Sean had company.

I wiggled to let him know I wanted down. With obvious reluctance, he set me on my feet.

I turned to introduce Ronan, only to find the driveway empty. Esme sat next to my backpack, washing her paw.

Sean growled. Shifter magic prickled on my skin. "Where did he go?"

"Ronan?" I called.

Silence.

"Don't take off until we have a chance to talk, okay?" I added. "Or at least until I can say goodbye."

Still no answer. I sighed. "Well, maybe he'll come back at some point. He does this sort of thing a lot. It's complicated. I'll explain after I've showered and gotten something to eat. And some coffee."

Sean went to get my backpack. Esme hissed at him. He glanced back at me, brow furrowed. "Is this yours? Do we have a cat now?"

"That's Esme. Yes, she's my…uh, cat."

He put my bag on his shoulder, rejoined me, and took my hand. "Let me guess: that's complicated too."

"Super complicated," I confirmed.

"Does she need to come inside?"

"Nah, she'll be fine."

"There are coyotes around," he warned.

I smiled. "Trust me—she'll be fine."

Sean kissed the tip of my nose. "Come on, then. There are some people here I'd like you to meet."

I looked down at my bloody, filthy clothes. "Are you serious?" I demanded under my breath. "Can't I clean up first?"

"They've already seen you," he pointed out. "And you wouldn't want to give them the wrong impression by being all clean and dressed up, would you? Not when this is more like how you normally look."

I glared at him. He chuckled and squeezed my hand.

As we climbed the front steps, the older man held out his hand. "Want me to get that bag?"

I expected Sean to say no. Instead, he surprised me by handing it over. "Thanks, Dad."

I froze in mid-step.

Fighting back a grin, Sean slid his hand around my waist and pulled me up to the porch. "Mom, Dad, this is Alice. Alice, my parents, Les and Rita."

I would kill him. I would absolutely one hundred percent kill him. And Malcolm hadn't warned me either, that jerk. He was super dead.

Les and Rita were both in their late sixties and gray haired. Despite the hour, they were fully dressed, as if they'd stayed up to talk with their son. Like Sean, Les had crinkles at the corners of his eyes when he smiled, and Rita was checking me over for visible injuries. To my surprise, I instinctively liked them—a far cry from the abject terror I'd always felt at the prospect of finally meeting Sean's parents.

"Hello there, Alice," Les said warmly. "Sean told us you're a mage private investigator. This case you're working on must be a doozy." He held out his hand.

My hand was as dirty and bloody as the rest of me. I glanced at my palm dubiously, then at Les's outstretched hand.

"I'm not afraid of a little dirt and blood," Les said, his dark brown eyes twinkling. "I'm a farmer and our son's a werewolf."

I wiped my hand on my pants, but that made it more dirty, not less. I shook his calloused hand. "It's great to finally meet you," I managed to say.

Rita elbowed her husband. "Let the poor girl go inside and get cleaned up. She's got to be miserable." She held out her hand. "Hi, Alice. My goodness, you look like a warrior, back from the battlefield."

The scent of sea drifted past my nose. Ronan was lurking around somewhere and probably laughing his fine feathered ass off.

I hid my free hand behind my back and extended my middle finger. The sea scent swirled, then vanished.

Sean frowned. He must have caught Ronan's scent. Before he could say anything, another man appeared in the front doorway. He wore a plaid shirt, jeans, and hiking boots.

I stared. "Daniel?"

His bright gold eyes met mine, and he smiled just a little. "Welcome back," my father said.

My mouth opened and closed like a fish.

Sean finally took pity on me. "I think Alice needs a shower, some food, and a stiff drink."

"Not necessarily in that order," Les added with a smile. "Whisky, anyone?"

* * *

When we went inside, I found out Sean had sold his house and moved us into the farmhouse while I was gone. My house still needed to be sold, but he'd moved my furniture and combined it with his own to furnish the new place. He'd also painted the rooms the colors we'd picked out before I left and set up the downstairs office with two work areas: one for himself, and one for me.

And he'd done it all without knowing if I would ever come back, because he believed I would.

It was too much to process in front of the others. I scratched Rogue's head, let him sniff me, and then excused myself and took my backpack upstairs to the master suite. My clothes were so disgusting, the only appropriate thing to do was burn them. I stuffed everything into a black trash bag, shoved it into a corner in the bathroom, and got in the shower with the bottle of Charles's finest moonshine.

I shampooed my hair twice. Then I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed my body, washing away layers of blood, ash, dirt, grime, and goop. And in between soaping and rinsing, I took swigs of moonshine.

Already I felt as though the whole experience was some kind of nightmare. For crying out loud, thirty-six hours ago, I was fighting for my life in the Underworld. Two hours ago, I tore curses out of Valas and nearly died from death magic. Now I was home in the farmhouse I was going to share with Sean, and his parents and my father were downstairs, drinking whisky and chatting like old friends.

I slid down the wall, sat on the floor of the shower with the bottle, and pulled my knees up to my chest.

That was how Sean found me when he finally came looking for me. He left his clothes in a pile on the floor outside the shower and sat on the tile beside me.

"You smell better," he said, lacing his fingers through mine.

I rested my head on his shoulder.

"My parents went home," he told me. "They were going to stay over, but they figured we needed time to talk. Daniel's gone out to walk around the property. He's been staying here for about a week, in the guest room."

I had so many questions, not the least of which was why Daniel was here and why he'd changed his mind about staying with us, but that would have to wait.

"I'm sorry," I said.

He kissed the top of my head. "For what?"

"Everything." I raised my face to look at him, my tears mixing with the water from the shower spray. "Every fucking thing I've done that wasn't fair to you. Running off to do this job for Valas without telling you where I was going. Letting Charles mess with my head. Forcing you to work so hard to make this relationship work because I make everything so damn difficult. And a million other things I wish I could change about myself."

He cupped my face with his hand. "I know you feel that you owe me an apology, so I accept it, but please believe me when I say I don't need or want you to apologize for any of those things. And I don't want you to change one bit."

"But I have changed." I bit my lip. "The sorcerer power is gone. No more powerful dark magic. I'm just Alice again."

He brushed my cheek with his thumb. "You were never just Alice. You are wonderful, beautiful, powerful, perfect Alice."

I rolled my eyes. "You're laying it on a bit thick, aren't you?"

He smiled. The corners of his eyes crinkled. "I thought maybe if I played my cards right, I might get lucky later."

"Only if you feed me and make me coffee first."

He kissed me. "And after you tell me what happened when you went through the mirror."

I stilled.

"I read your letter the day you left." His expression hardened. "I had to know."

"You deserved to know. I'm glad you read it." I squeezed his hand. "I hadn't even gone through the mirror before I realized I'd made a huge mistake by not telling you the truth. I worried I wouldn't make it back so I could tell you that." I bumped his shoulder with mine. "Thank you for getting the house ready. I'm sorry you had to do it by yourself."

"I didn't," he said, surprising me. "The whole pack helped. All seventeen members."

"Seventeen?"

"Counting the Hayes brothers and the four provisional members you need to meet before we formally bring them into the pack." He kissed my knuckles. "We're going to be stronger than we've ever been."

"What about your sorcerer power?" I asked.

He smiled. "It's gone. Without yours to feed from, every time I shifted, it faded. And I'm glad it's gone. We don't need it."

"We don't," I agreed. I'd feared losing that power meant I would be vulnerable, but that was the black magic's influence talking. We were strong together, Sean and I, and we didn't need Mira?'s poisonous legacy.

He rose and pulled me to my feet. His warm hand slid down my side to rest on the curve of my hip. "Let's get dressed, go find Daniel, and have a meal. Then you get to choose: sleep, tell me about your trip, or make love for the first time in our new home. Or any combination of the above."

"Not for the first time," I pointed out, shutting off the spray and reaching for a towel. "There was that time on the floor in the living room, that time in the kitchen, that time in the backyard, that time in the front yard—"

He kissed me hard. "Point taken. The first time in our bed in our new home, then."

"Of those three choices, I like that option the best."

His smile warmed me all the way down to my toes. "Me too."

* * *

Sean dressed quickly and went downstairs to make us something to eat. As I combed and braided my hair, I tried talking to Daisy again, but she'd retreated into a dark corner of my mind and still didn't respond. I didn't sense anything wrong, so I gave her some space. I put on a T-shirt, yoga pants, and flip-flops and hurried to the main floor.

I found Rogue sprawled on his bed in the living room and Sean in the kitchen, putting a casserole in the oven. "Nan brought some of these," he told me as I slipped my arms around his waist from behind. "Handy for quick meals. Just heat and eat."

"She is an amazing person." I squeezed him. "Any more challengers since I left?"

"Two. They regretted it pretty quickly." He raised my hand to his mouth and kissed my knuckles. "I doubt there will be many more. The word's gotten out."

"And the Council?"

"Still pissed. I'm not worried about it."

"Yes you are."

He chuckled. "Maybe a little. I think they sense that attitudes among shifters are changing and certain members of the Council will always resist change. I don't mind being the pack that blazes new trails and makes pack culture better for more shifters. We have a lot of support among other packs in the area."

I leaned against the counter. "Why is Daniel here?"

He turned serious. "That is a conversation you'll need to have with him. You've got a lot to learn about each other."

"I read Cyro's file on him," I reminded him.

"There's a lot more to a man like Daniel than what's in a file. He's been a lone wolf for thirty years. I'm not sure he'll ever want to join any pack again, even ours, or stay with us long term, but he's here now." He squeezed my hand. "We've got a while before the casserole is ready. Let's go find him. He'll be out back somewhere."

"What's he watching for?"

"Anything and everything. He's restless."

"Even with you here?"

"Lone wolf physiology and psychology are different. An alpha's presence isn't the reassuring and calming influence it is for pack wolves. It's better if we give each other space." He laced our fingers together. "Come on. It's beautiful out there."

We went out the back door. Sean had gotten the deck repaired where Vlad had damaged it, and bought a new grill. The chaise lounges and table from my back porch were already set out. Esme was curled up on one of the lounges. She opened her eyes when we came outside and hissed at Sean, then went into the house in search of food or a more comfortable place to sleep.

"I'll let you choose our outdoor furniture," Sean said as we walked down the steps to the backyard. "I started looking, but there are a lot of options and I figured you had preferences."

"I'm looking forward to picking some out. We'll need a lot of outdoor seating for everyone."

Four in the morning in the country had its own scent: the chill of night, dew on the grass, and a hundred more smells not found in the city. The sky was clear and the breeze was warm.

Hand in hand, Sean and I wandered away from the house, across freshly mowed grass. In the distance, I saw the lights of a nearby house through the trees. I made a mental note to warn Esme not to eat the neighbors' pets or livestock. Or fly past their windows in dragon form.

Sean halted us and wrapped his arms around me, his face turned skyward. "I haven't slept well since you left. Sometimes I shifted and went running here or on the pack land. Other nights, I walked around, looking up at the stars and wondering if you saw the same ones where you were."

I looked up at the sky. "I honestly don't know if they were the same or not. I'd like to think they were."

His arms tightened around me. "What was that place like?"

"A lot like this one. Beautiful in many ways. Scary and dangerous too. Good people, bad people. All kinds of supernatural creatures everywhere. Not much air travel because of the dragons, obviously."

"Obviously," he said dryly.

I chuckled. "Also, there's a Charles over there. He owns a roadhouse called Hawthorne's. He wears jeans and T-shirts and smokes."

Sean blinked.

"And he drinks moonshine and domestic beer," I added.

He scoffed. "Now I know you're pulling my leg."

"I knew you wouldn't believe me, but it's true. Ronan will confirm it, if he turns up." I glanced around, but I didn't see any sign of him or smell the telltale scent of his magic.

Sean's chest rumbled. "Who is this Ronan?"

"A bounty hunter. He's good with a sword." I kissed his chest. "He was bummed I'm taken. And human."

He slid his hand down to rest on my butt. "And what is he?"

I made a face.

"Let me guess." He smiled. "It's super complicated."

"Not necessarily super complicated, but it's not my secret to tell."

He cupped my face with his hand and looked into my eyes. "I sense your wolf has retreated. Is she all right? Did she try to come out while you were over there?"

I laughed. He frowned.

"She came out, all right," I said when I stopped laughing. "And she stayed out for the entire time I was there. Her name's Daisy now, by the way." My smile faded. "She won't talk to me right now. I'm giving her time. She may just be upset that she's cooped up again. She got used to freedom."

He didn't reply for a long time. I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"What?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I'm still processing the fact you named your wolf Daisy."

"Don't blame me; Malcolm picked the name. She seems to like it, though." I glanced around. "So, where is Daniel?"

Sean nodded toward the far back corner of our property. "Back there, in human form. He saw us and is headed this way."

His sight was far better than mine. I couldn't see anything but darkness that far from the house lights. We'd stopped about fifty yards from the deck, in an area that had been tall grass before Sean had it mowed.

The back of my neck prickled. I shivered.

"Getting cold?" Sean asked. "We can wait for him inside."

I glanced down at our feet, looked back at the house, and stilled.

We were standing in the exact spot where Tura had told me I would die soon, where she'd said I would have to make a choice between my life or Sean's. But there was never a choice to be made, as far as I was concerned.

A sudden, perfect calm settled over me. I turned toward the trees that lined the back of our property, in the direction I thought someone was watching us.

Sean's eyes turned bright gold. "What's wrong?"

"I love you," I told him.

I struck him in the chest with my palms. Air magic flared bright white and sent him flying back a good twenty feet and hopefully out of danger. He snarled and flipped to his feet.

Something hit me in the upper chest with enough force to send me stumbling. The second shot punched another hole right next to the first. Blood and tissue sprayed across the grass. I took two staggering steps and fell.

Sean howled in rage. Somewhere in the distance, I heard another howl. Daniel.

I sensed frantic movement above me. Something pressed hard against my chest: Sean, compressing his wadded-up shirt to the bullet wounds.

I couldn't see anything, but I felt him nuzzle my face. My nose filled with the scent of blood and forest. "Alice. Look at me, damn it. Alice."

Heavy footsteps pounded up to us. "Give me your shirt!" Sean snapped.

Fabric tore. "Tell me what to do," Daniel snarled.

"Our room. My nightstand, top drawer. Black bag. Go."

Daniel ran in the direction of the house.

Ronan?I asked, hoping he would hear me. Hey, Wings, are you there?

No answer. Figures. Never a fallen angel with healing magic around when you needed one.

My torso raised. Sean put Daniel's shirt against the wounds in my back and compressed hard—so hard, I couldn't get a breath. Or maybe one or both bullets had punctured my lungs. Strangely, I felt no pain. Something told me that was bad, but I didn't want to hurt, so why was that bad?

"Alice, if you can hear me, summon Malcolm right now." Sean spoke directly into my left ear, his lips against my skin. "Do not die. Do you hear me? Do not fucking die."

I was having a difficult time thinking, but summoning Malcolm had become an instinctive action. Maybe that was why it worked. If I'd had to think about how to do it, I never could have done it. I found Malcolm's trace in the wolf tattoo on my belly and pulled him to me with the last bit of strength I had.

The voices around me became unintelligible. I recognized Malcolm's frantic tone, and Sean's snarls, and a voice that belonged to Daniel, who must have come back with whatever bag Sean wanted. I couldn't understand a word they said.

A familiar earth magic healing spell flared and rolled through me. Malcolm was trying to heal my wounds. Earth magic wouldn't be nearly strong enough. It would be like trying to use a garden hose to put out a forest fire.

Something cold touched my left shoulder. Alice, keep fighting, Malcolm said urgently in my head. Tura's full of shit, remember? Prophecies are never set in stone. I swear, if you die, I will find you in the afterlife and chew your ass out for eternity.

Strange magic surged in my chest and pulsed though my body in waves of red and gold: a powerful healing spell, but not one of mine. This one had golden shifter magic in it—magic I recognized as Sean's. Where the hell did Sean get a blood magic healing spell?

I wanted to tell them it was okay if I didn't make it; they'd done all they could. I'd made my choice not to sacrifice Sean to save myself. Tura might be full of shit, but not about this. Eventually, I was bound to run into a wall I couldn't kick down.

I took a breath that gurgled in my chest…which was weird, because just seconds ago, I hadn't been able to breathe at all. That one breath allowed me to speak.

"It's okay," I whispered, and slipped away into darkness.