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Mariana fussed with the alignment of the tablecloth for what might have been the tenth time or the fiftieth, she couldn’t even count anymore.

Tilly watched her silently for several seconds and then reached out to cover her hand. “It’s just as straight as it has been the whole time.”

The table in the sitting room was set for high tea for four. She’d moved every cup and saucer and spoon around a dozen times already. Willow sat in one chair reading the book in their lap.

When Tilly spoke, the sphinx looked up. “Perhaps we should call Pris after all? She would be a much better choice for this particular task.”

Mari shook her head. “Absolutely not. It’s her day off. She deserves to enjoy her time with Emil without being bothered by my insecurities.”

“And the last time we called for something while she was there, he gave us an earful of exactly how much she enjoys that time.” Tilly ruffled her blue feathers. “Not in a hurry to hear that again. Made me regret my life choices. Why can’t I find a mermaid who will make me squeal like that?”

Mari cleared her throat. “What she means is that you’re a fine choice. All that’s really needed here is someone to carry the conversation if it seems like I’m flailing.”

“Do we need a safe word?” Willow asked without any hint of a smile. They wore an elegant shift dress in green with a gold ankh necklace encrusted with emeralds.

“I don’t think that will be necessary. I’m more concerned that I won’t be able to come up with anything to talk about that isn’t accusations of abandoning me when I needed her most.” While Mari understood that there was more to the situation than she’d known, that pain was still there, waiting to detonate inside her at the slightest provocation.

“Ahh,” Willow murmured. “I’m familiar with the difficulties of maternal relationships, though of course I have no mother in the traditional sense.”

“Can I ask more about that, or is it considered rude?”

“Not rude. A new sphinx can only be born when one of us dies. Each newborn is given into the care of a seraphim to raise. Phoenixes are much the same, only sometimes they come right back.”

Willow was so calm when they offered the information that it took Mari a few moments to understand what they weren’t saying. “Vincent.”

The sphinx nodded with mouth pinched tight. “He was my parent, if I can be said to have had one.”

Mari’s heart broke. She understood exactly what it meant to have been raised by a man like that. “Oh, Willow. I’m so sorry.”

The revelation also brought a whole new world of hatred for the angel she’d killed, knowing that he had been entrusted with Willow’s life—and he’d offered no comfort and only torment.

Willow shook their head, pausing to wipe at one eye. “I only wish I could have done more to impede his agenda.”

“It wasn’t your responsibility to stop him. I’ve had to come to terms with the same thing.” She straightened her back and offered what she hoped was a supportive smile. “All you can do now is try to help the people he hurt find a way to navigate the fallout.”

“You’re right. The regret doesn’t serve anyone, least of all those he hurt.”

“Which includes you.”

Willow stared at her, dumbstruck, as tears gathered in their dark eyes. They bowed their head, quiet for a long moment before they continued, “It’s easy to forget that, isn’t it?”

“All too easy.” Mari sighed. “But you’re one of his victims too, so the grace and aid you would offer them extends to you too.”

“Can I hug you?” Willow said after a pause.

Mari smiled. “Always.” She waited for the sphinx to make the first move with her arms open and clutched her friend tight once they closed the distance.

Tilly sniffled loudly. “Listen, we can’t all be crying our eyes out when she gets here. What’s she going to think?”

Mari tilted a glance the harpy’s way while still hugging Willow. “That we all have a lot of mourning to catch up on, which I’m sure she’ll understand.”

It was Tilly’s turn to unnecessarily straighten the tablecloth. “Fine, point taken. When are they getting here, anyway?”

Willow stepped away, moving back to their seat. “Supposed to have been five minutes ago,” they said without checking the time anywhere.

“I’m sure there’s a good reason they’re late,” Mari said, hoping that it wasn’t that her mother had no desire to see her. She caught the whiff of brimstone just before the gout of blue flame announced Ashdei’s teleportation.

The wards flexed around Mari as they detected someone new, and she reached up to adjust them automatically before the klaxons started. She was busy with that task for a moment, so she didn’t notice them standing in front of her until her mother nearly lost her footing.

Ashdei grabbed Serena’s elbow to steady her. “Easy, it can be a little disorienting.”

Her mother looked very much the same as her memory—a beautiful woman with warm brown skin and dark hair drawn back into a bun behind her head. The only difference was that her hair was just starting to be touched with gray at the hairline.

Serena let out a cough but managed to hold on to the contents of her stomach. “That’s an understatement. I’m taking a plane home.” She caught sight of Mari as she scanned the room. “My God, you’re beautiful.”

Mari didn’t have any kind of response for that, so she just said, “Hi Mama.”

Serena took a few steps toward her and then stopped. “Your partner didn’t offer many details beyond that Las Vegas was now safe, and given that he helped me escape in the first place, I decided to trust him. How did all of this happen?”

Mari took a deep breath and gestured to the table. “It’s a really long story, so why don’t we sit down.”

“Of course,” Serena said, and moved to take the seat opposite Mari’s.

Ashdei moved in a flash to push in Mari’s seat for her. “Do you need me to stay?”

She smiled up at him. “I don’t think so. We’re just going to have some tea and talk. Nothing dangerous.”

He set a hand on the back of her neck and showed his fangs. “Everything about you is dangerous, beloved.” He leaned to kiss her.

Mari laughed as he straightened. “Really, we’ll be fine. Go ahead and tell the others that she’s here.”

I’m only a thought away if you need me , he said into her head.

I know.

He used the door as he exited for once, and when the room was eerily quiet around her, Mari thought that maybe she should have had him stay.

“Who killed Basilio?” her mother asked, getting right to the point.

Willow exhaled a breath and stood, reaching for the teapot.

Mari watched the sphinx pour the tea for a moment. “Cisco. I never asked for the details.”

“That makes sense. He was always the one Basilio trusted most.” She nodded her thanks to Willow, who was now serving sandwiches to all of them.

“The Old One is also dead.”

Serena looked at her. “I assumed as much when Ashdei said it was safe.” She lifted her cup to take a sip. “And how much do you remember?”

“The goddess and I are reconciled, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Her mother nodded slowly. “So, you remember everything she said to me?”

“She knew you were never coming back when she sent you away, though she never told me that. I had no idea what had happened to you until a few weeks ago.”

Serena frowned. “I’m sorry for the pain that must have caused you. I can’t imagine how difficult it was for you to deal with all of that.”

“I thought you had abandoned me when I needed you most.” Well, she’d managed to run headfirst right into the conversation she most didn’t want to have. She supposed there was nothing for it. “I get it now, but I lived with that truth for a long time.”

Tilly sent a lopsided smile her way and sipped her tea without offering any rescue.

“I understand.” Serena sat very still, considering what to say next. “I honestly wasn’t in any state to be the mother you needed at that moment.”

Mari had lost her appetite, but she made a show of nibbling on a sandwich because Willow was looking over her with a disapproving frown. “None of us could have done anything at the time. We were just talking about how we all need to remember that and give ourselves a little grace.”

Serena searched her face for a moment that drew out long. “You got very wise somewhere along the way.” Her mother sighed. “I counted on the goddess being right about what would happen at the ritual, but when Ashdei never came back for me, I knew that it hadn’t. And then I didn’t know what to do.”

“The goddess didn’t understand the extent of the magic separating us. It took freeing the dragon to make it possible.”

Serena set down her cup with a clatter. “He’s free? And you’re all still alive?” She glanced around as if she suddenly thought Las Vegas was the most dangerous place she could possibly be, and there was a time when she would have been right.

Mari chuckled into her tea. “He only threatened to wipe the city off the face of the Earth a few times. He’s settled down since then.”

Tilly snorted. “She’s not taking enough credit. She tamed him. Same as she did with the demon.”

Serena’s eyes went wide. “He’s one of your partners?”

Mari nodded. “Along with Cisco and Rio and the hottest unicorn in the world, Dante. I assume they’ll all be along in a minute. They’re probably right down the hall trying to figure out how much time to give us, now that Ashdei has told them you’re here.”

Serena paused to dab at her lips with her napkin. “Five? Dios mío, you’re full of surprises.”

Mari settled back in her chair, deciding to give the mountain of news about Las Vegas a few minutes of rest. “Where are you living now?”

“I’ve been in New Orleans for a while. There’s a group of sex witches there living in a coven-slash-polycule. It’s a quiet life, but I like it.”

“Oh, that’s good to hear.” Mari smiled. “I’m glad you haven’t had things too hard since gaining your freedom.”

“Now that Las Vegas is safe, I’d like to spend more time here, if that’s okay with you. Maybe start the process of mending what’s broken between us.”

“I’d like that.” She wasn’t quite ready to drop the ”you’re going to be an abuelita" bomb just yet, but she had a while to work up to it before the situation got dire. “I don’t run the day-to-day business stuff, so I should have time to spend getting to know you again.”

Willow laughed. “Especially now that we’ve run out of unfathomable ancient beings who hate us.”

“Beings? Plural?” her mother asked, clearly on the edge of panic.

Mari waved a hand. “It was too much for the quick summary. The important thing is we’re safe now. Only the most mundane of enemies in our future—mob bosses and real estate moguls, maybe the occasional vampire. The guards can definitely handle it.”

Willow offered a comforting nod. “We’re under the protection of the feathered serpent, so threats from the other realms should cease.”

Serena looked around the table in shock. “He’s back too? What has been happening here?”

“So much, Mama.” Mari said with a sigh. “I promise we’ll get to it, but right now I can feel them all hovering outside the door, and if I don’t tell them they can come in soon they are probably going to bring the house down around us.”

“Five monsters…waiting right outside the door.” Her mother raised a hand to her throat.

“Yes, but they’re my monsters,” Mari said with pride shining in her voice. She let them know it was safe to come in and prepared for the whirlwind they were no doubt about to cause.

Rio came first, because they had known that a familiar face would help ease things. He wrapped Serena up in a warm hug the likes of which only he could deliver. She laughed and mentioned how handsome he’d grown.

The puma shifter stepped aside and made room for Cisco, who bowed his head in greeting and looked embarrassed when Serena thanked him profusely for ending Basilio.

Dante came next, charming and lovely as always. He politely dipped his head and then asked if she was a hugger before engulfing her in his sweet-smelling embrace that lingered until she sighed. She giggled whenever she looked at him after that, because that was the effect he had on everyone.

Serena gave Dohal a long appraising look when he moved up to stand before her. Fear tightened her expression, but there was something else as well. “You’re the dragon,” she said in a low voice, and waited for his nod of confirmation. “I’m sorry for what they did to you. I wished so many times that I could help you.”

Dohal surprised everyone in the room, but Mari most of all, when he lowered his head to plant a kiss on Serena’s cheek. “You did help me.” He smiled, his eyes drifting to Mari. “She set me free and gave me a reason to live, and none of that would have been possible without you.”

Ashdei ambled up last and leaned to kiss her forehead. “I’m glad I could reunite you two, since I was the one who separated you. I know it was for the best, but the idea that I caused Mari that much pain haunts me even now.”

Mari gestured him toward her and pulled him into a hug. “She’s alive. You did that too.” Saints, she was going to start bawling any second if she didn’t change the subject. “Did you guys bring Luis too, like I asked?”

They made way for Luis to come to the front, though by his face he didn’t understand what he was doing at this occasion.

Mari took his hand and squeezed it. “Mama, this is Luis. He’s the one who salvaged the shard of the goddess that moved from mother to daughter through the centuries and ended up sheltered by you. He was her mate, and he’s the reason all of this was possible.”

Luis blushed and shook his head. “It is the women of your line who made this possible. Your fortitude. None of it would have come to anything if you hadn’t survived. I chose the first vessel, that much is true, but all of you kept her safe.”

Serena wrapped her arms around both of them and hugged them close. “Thank you for giving us the strength we needed when we needed it most,” she whispered through her tears. “And thank you, Mari, for being that strength.”

Mariana clutched her mother tight and finally let the tears she’d been holding onto fall.

This story, of Mariana and her monster boyfriends taking over the paranormal underworld of the city of Las Vegas, is over. That doesn't mean this world is coming to an end. There will be LOTS more from Sin City in the coming months. I have so many yummy things planned. Up first is the story of Emil and Pris, called Taste of the Briny Deep , available in October 2025.