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I reached blindly for the nightstand. My annoyance vanished when I read the name: Mrs. Langton. I answered immediately.

"Mrs. Langton? Is everything okay?"

Her delighted laugh spilled through the speaker. "Oh, sweetheart, everything's more than okay."

I sat upright so fast the blankets pooled around my waist. "What happened?"

"Harriet."

My breath caught. "She's up."

I looked at Azaren. He was watching me, utterly still.

"She got out of bed before sunrise," Mrs. Langton continued, sounding positively giddy. "Marched herself downstairs, complained the kettle wasn't boiling fast enough, and has already baked two dozen blueberry muffins."

A laugh escaped me, half sob, half relief. "Oh my God."

"I figured you'd want to know."

"I really, really did."

"And tell your handsome demon that Harriet says thank you."

I turned toward Azaren. His expression softened. "What?"

I grinned. "Mrs. Wilton's making blueberry muffins."

For a heartbeat he simply stared. Then... slowly... wonderingly... the corners of his mouth lifted. Not the small smirks I'd learned to coax from him. Not amused. Not teasing. A real smile. Quiet. Content. Beautiful. I don't think he'd ever smiled like that before.

My heart melted all over again.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"You are looking at me strangely."

"I was just thinking..."

"What?"

"I think this is my favorite miracle."

His smile grew just a little wider. I leaned over and kissed him. Outside, birds welcomed the sunrise. Somewhere across town, Mrs. Wilton was undoubtedly fussing over muffins, Reggie was already meowing from downstairs, demanding breakfast with both bright green eyes intact, and Screaming Woods had finally fallen silent.

Not lonely. Not haunted. Simply... home.

Epilogue

The first time we walked into town together... well... it was memorable. I hadn't really thought about it. I'd gotten so used to Azaren towering beside me that somewhere between saving the world, falling hopelessly in love, and discovering he gave spectacular piggyback rides through the sky, I'd forgotten one tiny detail.

He was a six-foot-tall infernal hunter with black wings, curling horns, glowing gold eyes, and enough raw power to make the air shimmer around him.

To everyone else... he was still a demon.

We had barely reached Main Street when every conversation stopped. Mrs. Jenkins froze halfway through watering the flower boxes outside the post office.

Mayor Henderson nearly dropped the pumpkin he'd been carrying.