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Back at Midnight Castle, Tessa put on the biggest, best party the universe had ever seen. There were balloon animals for the kids, cocktails for the adults, and—my favorite—food. So much food that I was sure I’d be spending the next month recovering from the dessert-ecstasy-induced-coma that was sure to follow.

Nero was back in his own body. He was so happy about it that he was giving Sierra wild piggyback rides all around the throne room, right in front of all his dignified, disciplined Vanguard soldiers. Well, except for Alec. Alec and dignified didn’t even fit into the same sentence. He was totally going to cause waves at the Vanguard.

“Nero looks so happy,” Cadence commented as she joined me at one of the cookie tables.

One of four. Yes, Tessa had put out four tables solely devoted to the divine magic that was cookies. Sierra and Eira had helped make the cookies—and lick the batter from the bowls.

“Of course Nero’s happy,” I said. “We just defeated the bad guys.”

“Bye-bye, bad guys!” Sierra called out as she piggybacked past us, squealing with delight.

Eira jumped up onto Nero’s back too, joining in the fun.

“This is about much more than just winning the battle, Leda,” Cadence said. “Nero is happy that his family is safe. Finally, after all those years of worrying about you, it’s over. It’s finally over. It’s like…”

“A weight being lifted from your chest.” I nodded. “Yeah, I feel it too.”

“It’s a good feeling.” Cadence set her hand on mine.

“Yeah,” I agreed, exhaling. And for the first time in forever, it didn’t feel like I was breathing through a straitjacket. I felt free.

“Oh, by the way, Damiel and I found the perfect spot for our retirement,” Cadence told me.

“Where?”

“The Guardians’ castle.”

“It’s perfect, you say?” I asked, amused.

“Absolutely.”

“What about the gigantic hole in the middle of the entrance hall?”

“Perhaps Cadence should have worded that differently,” Damiel said, joining us. “The castle will be the perfect spot to enjoy our retirementafterwe’ve cleared out all the debris and repaired all the battle damage. I’ve already found a very suitable location for the new kitchen. All I have to do is knock down a few walls and extend the building by a bit…”

“Extend the building?” I gasped. “Damiel, it’s a castle! It’s already so big!”

“Not big enough. We’re angels, Leda,” he said seriously. “We need space to fly.”

“And space for a library,” Cadence added.

Damiel nodded. “And space to cook.”

My stomach grumbled. I was so craving Damiel’s pancakes right now. There was no better way to celebrate an epic victorythan with a mountain of delicious pancakes. And lots and lots of whipped cream.

“We should also extend the castle’s dining room,” Cadence said to Damiel. “The current one isn’t nearly large enough for a proper family dinner.”

Yeah, I’d have to extend my dining room too if I was going to start hosting family dinners. Calli’s house was way too small for our ever-growing family. Especially when my siblings started having kids…

“I’d also like to extend the armory,” Damiel said.

“The armory?” I laughed. “I thought you were heading off to apeacefulretirement.”

“And a well-stocked armory will ensure our retirement is peaceful,” he replied.

“Yeah, I guess it takes a special kind of idiot to attack a castle armed with fifty turrets and protected by an energy shield.”

Something we’d just done—and even lived to tell the tale.