I looked between them, my heart swelling. "Okay. So what's the plan? What do you want me to do?"
Darius turned another page in the ledger, revealing a detailed business proposal. The header read:Moonlit Trinkets & Crafts — A Boutique Online Retail Establishment.
"An Etsy store," I said flatly. "You want me to run an Etsy store."
"A front," Selene corrected, her emerald eyes sparkling. "A legitimate business that sells handmade crafts, enchanted trinkets, and artisanal goods. But behind the scenes, we'll use it to launder money from our less legitimate operations. Inflated sales numbers. Ghost inventory. The usual tricks, but wrapped in something charming and utterly unsuspicious."
I stared at the proposal, my mind churning. It was absurd. It was ridiculous. It wasperfect.
"You want me to be the face of your money-laundering Etsy empire," I said slowly. "Selling crocheted cat plushies and enchanted candles while funneling illicit funds through the backend."
"Essentially, yes." Darius's silver eyes held mine. "You would be the owner and operator on paper. Selene would provide enchanted items—candles, crystals, small magical trinkets that are harmless but appealing to humans. Azrael would contribute designs and handle the more... esoteric aspects of the inventory. Lucien would manage security and ensure our shipments aren't tampered with. And I would oversee the financial arrangements."
"And me? What would I actuallydo?"
"Everything else." Selene leaned forward, her expression earnest. "Photography. Product descriptions. Social media. Customer service. You'd be the public face of Moonlit Trinkets. The charming, chaotic human who makes beautiful things and sells them to people who have no idea they're participating in a supernatural money-laundering scheme."
I laughed. I couldn't help it. The absurdity of it all—the werewolf, the vampire, the demon, and the witch, sitting in a Gothic manor, pitching me an Etsy store as a front for their criminal empire—was so perfectly, delightfullythem.
"Okay," I said, still grinning. "I'm in. But I have conditions."
Darius's eyebrow rose. "Conditions."
"One: I want creative control. If I'm going to be the face of this operation, I need to believe in the products. Two: a portion of the legitimate profits goes to charity. Something wholesome. Animal shelters, maybe. It'll make the whole thing more convincing. And three—" I looked at each of them in turn."—I want to be a real partner. Not just an employee. I want a voice in the family business. All of it."
Silence stretched. Lucien's amber eyes flickered with something that might have been pride. Azrael's lips curved in that devastating almost-smile. Selene beamed. And Darius—
Darius rose from his chair, crossed to where I sat, and extended his hand. "Welcome to the family, Lizzie Saltz. Officially."
I took his hand, and he pulled me to my feet. Then, before I could react, he cupped my face in his hands and kissed me—soft, tender, a promise sealed with lips instead of ink.
When he pulled back, his silver eyes were warm. "Partner."
"Partner," I agreed, my voice slightly breathless.
The rest of the day passed in a blur of planning and laughter and the kind of chaotic creativity that seemed to follow me wherever I went. Selene and I raided her workshop for materials—crystals and candles and small, harmless enchanted items that would appeal to human customers. Azrael produced a sketchbook filled with intricate designs: celestial patterns, botanical illustrations, abstract symbols that hummed with subtle power. Lucien grumbled about "arts and crafts" but ended up helping me arrange products for photographs, his rough hands surprisingly gentle with the delicate items.
And Darius watched from the doorway, his silver eyes soft with something that looked almost like happiness.
By evening, we had a rough plan: product lines, pricing strategies, a social media schedule, and a name that made me smile every time I saw it.Moonlit Trinkets & Crafts — Whimsical Wonders for the Modern Mystic.
"This is insane," I said, surveying the chaos of Selene's workshop. Every surface was covered with crystals and candlesand half-finished crafts. "We're actually doing this. We're building a money-laundering Etsy empire."
"The best kind of empire," Selene agreed, handing me a cup of tea. "Now, about your first product launch. I was thinking we start with the enchanted candles. They're simple, appealing, and the magic is subtle enough that humans won't notice anything unusual. Just a sense of calm, maybe a touch of good luck."
"Perfect." I made a note in the leather journal Darius had given me—my official "business ledger," he'd called it, though I suspected it was mostly for show. "And the crystals?"
"Azrael can imbue them with minor protective properties. Nothing dramatic. Just enough to make the owner feel... safer. More grounded."
I looked at Azrael, who was carefully arranging a display of amethyst clusters. He caught my gaze and smiled—that soft, reverent smile that made my heart flutter.
"This suits you," I said. "The crafting. The creativity."
"It suitsus," he corrected gently. "All of us, working together. Building something that's ours."
The words settled over me like a warm blanket.Ours.Not just the manor, not just the criminal empire, but this—this strange, wonderful, chaotic thing we were creating together. A legitimate business built on illegitimate funds, wrapped in whimsy and magic and love.
Lucien appeared in the doorway, his arms full of packing materials. "Where do you want these?"
