Page 121 of Twilight Destiny

“An extra deposit of your blood and that of the master vampire would be a most appropriate thank you the next time you visit New Orleans.”

With a snort of his own, Kincaid ended the call.

Their first stop was at theNevado del Ruizvolcano in Colombia.

“Izabela hexed the box so that no one will be able to open it once Luca is inside,” Kincaid remarked.

With a nod, Saintcrow said, “Let’s hope that spell works for a thousand years.”

Kincaid dug a hole fifteen feet deep at the base of the volcano. He had been tempted to toss the box into the lava, but feared that once the box disintegrated, Luca’s spirit might somehow escape. And while it was unlikely the necromancer would find another host in this Godforsaken place, he wasn’t willing to take the risk.

Since Rhinehart had suffered the most damage from the necromancer, Saintcrow decided they should let him drop the soul catcher into the makeshift grave. Kincaid filled it in, and Saintcrow worked a little vampire magic that would effectively repel anyone from going near the place.

The second stop was to return Paul Rhinehart to his wife and kids. They didn’t wait around to watch the happy reunion.

The third was atThe Crimson Rosewhere they split a bottle of wine.

“Rhinehart’s got quite a tale to tell,” Kincaid remarked. “Assuming he remembers any of it.”

“If he does, I wonder how much he’ll tell his wife,” Saintcrow mused. “And how much she’ll believe.”

“That’s his problem, not ours.”

“If I never see him again, it’ll be too soon,” Saintcrow remarked. “So, how’s it going with Rosa?”

Kincaid smiled at the mere thought of her. “I’ll be forever grateful that you introduced us.”

Saintcrow grinned as he refilled their glasses. “That’s me, vampire matchmaker extraordinaire. But don’t tell anybody. I’ve got a bad boy reputation to uphold.”

“Yeah, right, you old softie.” Kincaid held up his hands in surrender as the master vampire’s power rolled over him.

Saintcrow swirled the wine in his glass. “Been a hell of a night. I think I’ll go home and make love to my wife.”

“Best idea I’ve heard all day,” Kincaid said, and vanished from the nightclub.

“Newlyweds,” Saintcrow muttered with a grin. “No self-control.”

But a moment later, he too, was gone.

Rosa was lying on the sofa, asleep, her cheeks stained with tears, when Kincaid reached home. For a moment, he stood there, just looking at her, thinking how she had changed his life. He didn’t know how he had survived so long without her, but as he carried her to bed, he vowed she would never be sorry for marrying him.

She stirred as he placed her gently on the mattress and eased her out of her clothes.

“Jake?”

“Hi.”

“Thank you, Lord,” she murmured. “What happened?”

“I’ll tell you all about it in the morning.” Removing his boots and shedding his clothes, he slid into bed beside her. “Suffice it to say Luca will never bother anyone again and Rhinehart is home in the bosom of his family.” He grinned as he lightly nipped her breast. “And I’m in the bosom of mine.”

Epilogue

It was Sunday evening and the Ravenwood family had gathered for dinner. Everyone was there. Rosa could hear their laughter as she and Jake climbed the stairs to the front porch.

“I don’t know why I’m so nervous,” she said, clinging to Jake’s hand. “I know they love me.”

“Not as much as I do. Come on, let’s get this over with.”