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She glanced at their clasped hands. But Braden…
We’ll sort things out. Right now, damn, we’re going to celebrate. The witch is dead.
During a lull in the howls, Braden shouted at the top of his lungs, “Veyda is dead!”
A renewed cheering and howling commenced. Maeve joined in, a sound that sent joy piercing Braden’s heart. He understood everything now and he saw his future as clearly as any path he’d ever taken.
The wolves lifted him up onto their shoulders then Maeve. They were fortunate the ceiling was so tall.
More howling, then Greg led the party outside.
After ordering two of his men to take care of Veyda’s remains, Greg shouted for the rest to light the bonfires.
Once on their feet, Braden took Maeve’s hand again and didn’t let go. He wanted her to know he was with her, no matter what.
She had one of her assistants inform Carmen of the good news then to beg for platters of raw meat and buckets of ice cold beer. Greg was already firing up the grills.
He felt Maeve squeeze his hand. He glanced at her and saw that though tears once more touched her eyes, she was smiling.
We did it, Maeve. We did it together.
She nodded. Yes, we did.
~ ~ ~
Maeve celebrated with the wolves and all the residents of the Landing. Chef and her staff kept preparing food and sending it to the communal outdoor area. Nearly everyone in the complex, including Kiara, now bundled up in a wheelchair, enjoyed the fires that lit up the large patio.
The space had expanded over the months. Maeve had bought up more property from her booming candle business to accommodate how the shifters enjoyed celebrating life. Their enthusiasm was infectious. Even the somber vampires could be caught smiling and laughing.
More than once, the wolves hoisted her on their shoulders and spun her around. She might have used levitation to keep from falling more than once since a lot of beer was being imbibed. But she loved it.
As soon as they would put her down, they’d pick up Braden again. She’d never seen him look so happy.
Knowing that Veyda could never hurt anyone again, kept her spirits floating. She felt tremendous relief that the woman who’d killed Frank and Laura was now dead.
Her gaze often went to Braden. He stuck close to the wolves and howled until he was hoarse. She was surrounded by many of her rescues who shouted often, no matter the alter species. The demise of such an evil force in Five Bridges would be long remembered.
Braden broke away from the pack often just to come to her. He even kissed her a few times, which made her think either he was drunk and had forgotten the terrible thing she’d done, or somewhere in the past hour or so, he’d forgiven her.
She wasn’t counting on the latter. She fully expected him to come down from the high of victory, and remember the truth. He’d promised vengeance on everyone involved in his wife’s murder.
She saw Kiara sitting quietly apart from the group near the low stone sitting wall. Alfonso was nearby in case Kiara needed him.
The recent victim of Veyda’s vile torture had
a peaceful smile on her lips. With Braden howling anew near the grills, she joined her friend and mentor.
She leaned down and kissed Kiara on the cheek, then sat on the wide stone edge of the low wall, near her mentor’s wheelchair. She told Alfonso she’d see to Kiara and to take a few minutes to enjoy himself.
When he joined the others, Maeve extended her hand to Kiara. She took it readily and gave a squeeze. “Your wolves are ecstatic.”
“No less so than myself. She’s dead, Kiara. The woman who tortured you can’t hurt you or anyone else ever again.”
“I know and my heart is so full of joy and we owe it all to your vigilance and dedication. You’ve accomplished many good things here, Maeve. Amazing things. From the time you arrived in Five Bridges, you’ve done nothing but make our world a better place. Thank you.”
Maeve felt her cheeks warm up. She didn’t know how to respond to the sincere compliment. She hadn’t set out to be a world-changer. She’d only done what needed doing. She was practical in that way. “I suppose I could say ‘you’re welcome’, but it doesn’t seem right somehow.”
“You’re not one for compliments.”
