Page 140 of Demon's Bane

She stares at the Veil, eyes wide and mouth open on a gasp, lines of worry framing her face as she watches her twin disappear into the settling ether.

I touch Rhett’s shoulder where he’s standing next to me, talking to Alva and Allie. “I’ll be right back.”

He nods, and that tether between us keeps me anchored to him even when I cross the clearing to talk to Soleil.

Back to its usual lazy swirl, the soft white light of the Veil casts her lovely features in a ghostly glow.

“Do you know where she’s headed?”

I shake my head. “With thirteen realms to choose from, your guess is as good as mine.”

“She’s going to wind up in so much trouble one of these days,” Soleil whispers.

It’s not… out of the realm of possibility. But it’s also not going to make Soleil feel any better to hear me say that, so instead I give her a small smile and try for some reassurance.

“Seren’s smart. And gifted.”

“And reckless.”

“And reckless,” I agree wryly. “But if I’d trust anyone to hold her own in another realm, it would be her.”

Soleil is quiet for a few moments. When she speaks again, there’s a note of bitterness and resignation in her voice.

“I don’t understand why she feels like she has to. All of this is so, so… idiotic.”

I don’t know what to say to that.

Seren’s been incredibly tight-lipped about where she’s going and what she’s been up to, but there’s been something a bit… wilder about her lately. Unsettled. I haven’t known what to make of it, and trying to get in a word of caution with her has never been very productive.

Which her twin sister probably knows better than I do.

Soleil shakes her head and glances over at me. “Sorry. I don’t need to be dredging all this up tonight. Especially with the… bride? Mate?”

This does feel like a wedding reception, but I’m not sure ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ are strong enough words to describe what Rhett and I are to one another.

“I think ‘mate’ works,” I say gamely, glancing over my shoulder at where Rhett is still speaking to Alva and Allie.

His eyes meet mine, and a pulse of bone-deep awareness runs through me. Along with a pulse of heat as his gaze darkens and the corners of his lips turn up in a knowing smile as he feels everything I do.

Soleil follows my gaze. “I’ll stop being such a bummer and let you enjoy the rest of your night. Congratulations, Joan. Truly.”

With a parting smile, she heads away from the Veil, back toward the coven hall, and I only have a couple of unsettled seconds more to watch her go before I’m back in my mate’s arms.

It’s not the last goodbye of the night.

With a cascade of witchlight falling down around us like a thousand fireflies and calls of congratulations from our friends and family, Rhett and I make our grand exit a little while later.

Although, maybe not so grand in the scheme of things as he portals us home to Beech Bay.

We’ve got plans to travel soon, a little more saving to do for a swanky resort somewhere warm and tropical here in this realm, and so many more places Rhett wants to show me in the demon realm. But I’ve got to open the shop tomorrow, and Rhett’s expected back in a couple of days to help negotiate a new trade agreement between Gales Harbor and the coven.

Life goes on, and we knew we didn’t want to wait any longer than we had to for this night.

The first night of the rest of our lives.

So while it might not be all that grand to be here, now, with no fanfare or fireworks, it feels like the greatest luxury to have him swing me into his arms and carry me upstairs. It feels like the answer to every wish I never knew to make to have our bond burning brightly between us and the peace and quiet of our little life to greet us as we step inside.

“My mate,” Rhett murmurs as he carries me to the bedroom and sets me gently on my feet. “Are you happy?”

I laugh out loud with the pure joy of it all.

“‘Happy’ doesn’t even begin to cover it,” I tell him, leaning up to capture his mouth with mine. “But it sounds like a pretty good place to start.”

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