AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Epilogue
Ven
I open the front door of the villa and squeal.
Rowan rushes in for a hug, Xander standing behind her with much more stoicism. I cling to my bestie for several moments while Xander and Ryder do the sideways dude hug and clap each other on the back.
“You were supposed to help my fiancé’s best friend solve a crime, not steal her away,” Xander says in a mock chastising tone, elbowing Ryder in the ribs.
“Can you blame him?” Rowan says with a laugh.
“Good point.” Xander chuckles and shoots me a smile.
“I guess I still owe you big time,” Ryder says to Xander. “For sending this witch my way.” He pulls me up against him and dusts a kiss over my lips.
“We’re being rude, leaving you on the doorstep,” I say. “Come in, come in!”
I lead the way to the living room, which is a massive expanse of floor-to-ceiling glass perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean. A set of steep stone steps winds down to the beach below the house. Rowan and Xander take a seat and I get everyone a round of cocktails.
“This view is incredible!” Rowan says. “Wow.”
“You are welcome here anytime,” Ryder says. “We love company.”
“Though people still come by looking for the orgy and we have to turn them away,” I add with a giggle.
Xander actually lets out a bark of laughter, which is rare coming from the uber serious dragon shifter.
“You two are absolutely adorable,” Rowan says. “I’m so happy. And amazing work on the first official case of the Raven Society!”
“Yeah, it ended up being a lot bigger of a case than we thought! Stumbling upon one of the biggest bads in the supernatural underworld—Darkness herself?” I shiver.
Xander’s expression grows serious. “I don’t think we’ve heard the last of the Night Guild. I’ve been putting out feelers with my Order. This is just the tip of the iceberg.”
“I’ve been checking with contacts, too,” Ryder says. “I don’t think anyone really knew who was running the Night Guild.”
“And we’re still not entirely sure,” I say. “I mean, we know of Darkness, but she’s not the only one. Who is her brother?”
An uncomfortable silence falls over the four of us as we each ponder the implications of what we’ve discovered.
“Have you heard from Luciana’s sister? How’s she doing?” Rowan asks, breaking the quiet.
“Tamsin, yes,” I say. “She texted me earlier, actually. Since we escaped the lab a couple weeks ago, she’s been feverishly working on the neutralizer, trying to synthesize something that will be a complete cure. So far, no luck. But Luciana is holding stable. There’s still hope.”
Rowan reaches out and squeezes my hand. “I’m glad. That’s better than it could have been, if you and Ryder hadn’t shown up. Much better.”
“Thanks.” I can feel my cheeks blush. “Tamsin says they just arrived in Scotland this morning. Apparently, their ancestral home is there, and she’s hoping the natural magic of the place will help Luciana’s recovery. She mentioned something about a clan of warlock dire wolves that may be able to help, too.”
“A warlock dire wolf?” Rowan’s brow furrows.
“The Blackstock Clan,” Xander says. “They use magic to shift, unlike a werewolf or shifter. They’re well renowned. I’ve met a few of them, I have a long history in Scotland myself.”
“Yes, like three hundred years ago,” Rowan says with a laugh. “Old man.”
Xander’s golden eyes glow for a moment. “I’m robbing the cradle for sure. How does it feel to be marrying someone nearly ten times your age?”
Rowan reaches out and brushes her fingertips along his cheek. “I couldn’t be more thrilled.”
She turns to me abruptly. “Speaking of getting married… I have an ulterior motive for coming to visit.”
