“Very stinking cool.”
“And how stinking smart are you to have put me in charge of your reader street team?” Tanya demanded.
“Um, very stinking smart?” Sierra said.
“Damn right.”
“It’s too bad that treasure story didn’t work out. That would have made great PR,” Tanya said.
Sierra and Ronan had agreed to keep the truth limited to Damon and Zoe, who had also vowed not to reveal any information about the gems. They’d gradually pieced together how Gregori returned only recently to the house when he was losing his memory and his mind. The séance at Zoe’s house was the catalyst to his arrival. It got his attention because of his link to Mother and the circus along with the house. They suspected that Hal’s diamonds had been left by Gregori in the attic by mistake and found by the gangster, who’d temporarily hidden them in the bathroom figuring he’d come back to retrieve them later. But then Johnny had shot him on the spiral staircase in the passageway. Hal had yanked Johnny down with him. The young man died of a broken neck.
Sierra had learned that last part of the story in a dream the night after Ruby crossed over to the afterlife. She knew in her heart that it had been a message from Ruby, wanting to fill in the blanks for Sierra.
“Listen, I’ve got to run,” Tanya said. “I’ve got a live chat coming up.”
Sierra turned to walk toward her house when she almost bumped into Daniella, who said, “Today was the big day, right? You got the papers for the house?”
“Yes.” Sierra waved the manila envelope in the air. “They’re all in here. I plan on living here a very long time.”
“We all plan on staying in Vamptown a long time,” Daniella said, before giving Sierra a big hug and a box of cupcakes. “I gave you a selection of our regulars plus the specials of the day—salted caramel, banana walnut, and raspberry coconut.”
“Did you send that order to my publicist and my editor in New York City?” Sierra asked. “Red velvet, mocha, devil’s food, cookies and cream.”
“They went out last night overnight express special delivery.”
“Which means what?” Sierra asked. “That Zoe used her magic to put them on Katie’s and Lily’s desks in the middle of the night?”
Daniella grinned. “Bingo. The same for your agent Annelise. All three got their box of cupcakes. Sorry I can’t stay. I’ve got to get back to the shop. We’re working on a big special order.”
Sierra had made it to the front porch when Zoe called out her name and waved. Zoe had turned out to be a fantastic friend. Not only had she returned the yard to its original state shortly after Ronan dug it all up, she’d also helped Sierra adapt to living among vampires as well as her newfound version of immortality. And now she had cupcake delivery to add to the list.
There were still a lot of things for Sierra to process. Living with magic and demons and vampires and witches and talking cats took some getting used to.
She was sad that the impressive Russian mural in the Vamptown tunnel entering her house had faded and disappeared within minutes of its discovery. Sierra had taken a photo with her smartphone before it disappeared but nothing showed up.
“Mystical things aren’t meant to be photographed,” Ronan had told her.
“Does that mean I can’t photograph you?”
“I’m real, not mystical,” he’d said.
Sierra was still coming to terms with her new reality and surroundings. The house was shaping up nicely. All the walls had been repainted. The sideboard was back in its original place but the photograph of Ronan’s sister on it was new. The kitchen had been redone and now housed new appliances, cherrywood cabinets, and a black countertop to go with her Keurig. She even had a new set of twelve mugs with a SWEET HOME CHICAGO logo courtesy of Bruce as a housewarming gift. They were unbreakable courtesy of Zoe’s grandmother.
“I’m home,” Sierra called out as she entered through the front door and found a naked Ronan standing there.
No matter how long she lived, she’d never grow tired of seeing him this way. He was crazy gorgeous to her. When she’d once told him so, he’d told her that he had a bump in his nose from breaking it as a teenager. She’d waved his words away. He was perfect to her. Unless he pissed her off. But even then she was still hot for him. She hadn’t told him she loved him. He hadn’t said he loved her. At least not in words spoken aloud. But they’d shared their feelings in other ways. Not just by making love but through their mingled thoughts. The mind-reading thing still worked when they wanted it to. It was working right now. I love you, Ronan.