Page 61

Rory is standing on the shore of the lake when Kane finds him. The sun has set. The heavy thing in his chest is gone. He is numb. Hollow. Lost.

“She’s gone,” says Kane. He hops closer, feet leaving prints in the mud. “You should come—”

“It took her.” Rory tears his gaze and looks down at Kane. “Ittookher.”

“I know.”

And then suddenly, Rory moves. He walks quickly back to the house, taking the steps to the porch two at a time. He bangs the door open, heedless of the wall or the glass or the house at all. The lights flicker, but don’t stop. On and off, strobing until several bulbs pop and burst with the surge of energy. The windows rattle and more than a few paintings crash down to the floor.

The house looks like how Rory feels. Disheveled. Chaotic. Angry.

He moves quickly through the house, up the stairs, and barges into the library, which is in a worse state than downstairs. The walls are shaking up here and the books are falling off the shelves, tumbling down to the floor.

Kane flies after him and lands on the table, onlyto flutter out of the way as Rory tosses a book in his direction.

“What are you looking for?” Kane hops away as Rory tosses another book on the table.

Rory doesn’t answer Kane’s question. Instead, he says, “We’re going to get her.”

“How? Where?”

Rory picks up another book and pauses. Rare Beasts. He opens it, flips through to the back page. “Broom Hollow.” He points toward the photo of Phillipa Ledbetter and then to the address below her bio:

Last Horse Publishers

Broom Hollow, TX

Rory leaves the library.

Kane flies after him, wings beating furiously to avoid a sconce that’s been shaken loose from the wall. Rory is already at the door and Kane lands on his shoulder, talons clutching desperately for purchase as he hops down the front steps.

“What about the house?” Kane asks.

“The house will be—” Rory looks over his shoulder. Where previously a bright red door sat against the stone facade, there is now a solid wall. “The house can take care of itself,” he tells Kane. And then, quieter, aimed at the house, he adds, “I’ll get her back.”

He slides into the car, and Kane flutters awkwardly to the passenger seat.

Rory fishes his keys out of his pocket. “You don’thave to come with—fuck.” He looks down at his finger where Kane has nipped him. A small bead of blood wells up even as his healing abilities kick in.

“Don’t be foolish.” Kane’s nails poke into the fabric of the seat as he settles in. “Of course, I’m coming with you.”

Rory starts the car.

29

Epilogue

Fire travels up her arm, spreads through her chest. She hadn’t realized it was possible to feel warmer. Is she sweating? Can vampires sweat? Is she still a vampire or is she a fire? She’s certainly not a witch. Her mind reaches for the Ether but finds nothing. Hun cries in her veins. Whatever she is, she is burning away at the earth. She will eat it all up, the trees, the lakes, the buildings, the people.

She is on the back of a horse and each step sends a jarring pain up her arm. Her teeth hurt. Her chest aches with the absence of something, though she can’t remember what that something is.

The world tips, and she’s no longer on the horse. Her fingers curl into fists and the crannies of her nails are filled with soft sand. The air smells of salt and sea.A familiar set of cowboy boots swirl into focus in front of her, the black leather stark against the crisp white sand. A waft of smoke is blown in her face and the cloying fragrance clings to the back of her throat.

Maddox Grey smiles down at his wife. “Hey there, Cal.”

There is a shadow beside him. Calliope lifts her head, blinking against the bright sky. So blue it consumes her. The woman is vaguely familiar. A heart-shaped face with no love in the apples of her cheeks. Cold red eyes. The woman smiles, revealing tapered teeth. Canines and incisors.

“Is that what you were looking for, Mr. Grey?” asks the woman.

“Sure is, Madam Mayor.” He stands and shakes hands with the woman. “Pleasure doing business with you, Aisling.”