Only the Lost

  Cormack’s eyes turned to his sleeping daughter and her lightly-snoring husband. “It might be longer than that.”

  Braden snickered. “I have a feeling we’ll all be spoiling her … even me. I wasn’t sure I would ever see her again. I didn’t like the feeling.”

  “I knew I would see her again,” Cormack volunteered. “I just didn’t know about the rest of you.” His eyes were glassy. “I didn’t get a chance to thank you, Izzy. What you did … .”

  “Was the only thing to do,” I finished, discomfort washing over me. “It always had to be me because … it’s my job.”

  “Crossing the gate isn’t your job. Monitoring the gate is your job. You risked your life for my child.”

  “No, I risked my life for our future. I’m talking everybody’s future here. We all needed her back … and I needed answers. I needed to see, to know. More than one thing propelled me through the gate, and I don’t regret it.”

  “It was a risk.” Cormack refused to back down. “You might not have come back. That would’ve hurt our family … even if you don’t yet realize that.”

  “I knew it would be hard for all of you, but I also knew that I had to try. Losing you would’ve crushed your family more than losing me.”

  Braden stirred. “I would rather not qualify my feelings for either of you. Trading one for the other … either of you for Aisling … it’s an impossible choice. It’s done. We all survived. Can we please not dwell on it?”

  I patted his arm. “Sorry, but I blame your father.”

  “I blame him, too.” Braden snuggled closer to me, his face disappearing into my hair. “Let’s talk about something else. Believe it or not, I preferred talking about how spoiled Aisling is.”

  Cormack chuckled. “We don’t have to talk about any of that. Your sister is home. She’s right over there. In twenty minutes I’ll wake her and watch her overload on ridiculous amounts of food and sugar. Two hours from now, Griffin will chase her upstairs.

  “They’ll make a big show of flirting,” he continued. “They’ll gladly hand over baby duty to me – and I’ll gladly take it because I wasn’t sure I would ever see Lily again either – and then they’ll disappear into her bedroom.

  “Once on the other side of that door, any façade they’re hiding behind will crumble. They’ll give in to the emotions they’ve been running from for the better part of the day. They’ll cry … and hold each other … and pass out from sheer exhaustion.”

  I watched him for a moment, expecting him to continue. When he didn’t, I had to laugh. “Is that personal insight or what you want to happen so you don’t have to imagine the other way they might celebrate?”

  He cracked a smile. “Personal insight. They held it together all day. They’ll hold it together for dinner. Then they’ll fall apart behind closed doors. It’s okay. They’ve earned it.”

  “And you?” I was genuinely curious. “What have you earned?”

  “I … .”

  He didn’t get a chance to finish because there was a flurry of movement by the door. Jerry stumbled into view. It looked as if he’d been crying for the better part of two days. Aidan trailed behind him, looking sheepish as Jerry raced toward the settee.

  “One little problem,” Aidan said. “I forgot to call Jerry right after Aisling walked through the gate … and then I was distracted by a fight for our lives … and then there was the gross cleanup. He just found out thirty minutes ago that she’s fine.”

  “Oh, no.” I leaned forward, ready to offer Jerry solace, but he didn’t as much as look in my direction.

  Instead of waking Aisling, instead of picking up the baby and cuddling her, he shoved Aisling until she was practically on top of Griffin and then he rolled in behind her, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

  I expected her to wake and start complaining. I thought for sure Griffin would make a fuss about his wife being crushed between him and her best friend. Instead, they continued to sleep as Jerry pressed his face to her back.

  “That’s kind of sweet,” Braden said finally. “Do you think we can leave them out here so dinner is quiet?”

  Cormack shook his head. “Your sister needs her food.”

  “You need my sister to have her food,” Braden corrected.

  “Either way, she’s getting her prime rib … and chili fries.”

  Aisling stirred. “And ice cream bar.” Her voice was thick. “Did you get the other thing I asked for?”

  “The beignets?” Cormack nodded. “They’re not really for you. I thought we would surprise Izzy with them after dinner. She earned them, after all.”

  “Okay.” Aisling’s eyes were still squeezed shut. “Just give us ten more minutes.”

  “No problem, kid.”

  I didn’t realize there was a lump in my throat until Cormack turned to me.

  “I had to get your beignets on the fly,” he explained. “I hope you like them.”

  I seriously thought I might start bawling. “You didn’t have to get them,” I argued. “This is Aisling’s night.”

  “No, this is a family night,” he corrected. “You’re our family … and today you’re our hero. You get whatever you want, too.”

  “Yay!” Braden clapped his hands, causing me to jolt. “What? That means I get whatever I want because we’re together. I want some pie.”

  Cormack sighed. “Sometimes I wish I didn’t have children,” he lamented.

  I didn’t believe him for a second. “I think you might miss them.”

  “That’s the sad thing. I know I would.”

  It was quiet after that. For once, Grimlock Manor wasn’t burbling with noise. Love was another story.

  We still had an enemy to contend with, but for one night at least, we could rest. With that in mind, I slid my eyes to Braden and leaned in close to whisper. “I love you, too.”

  Emotion stormed his eyes and I thought he might start crying, but he held it together. “We’re not alone and you said it.”

  “I felt it. That’s all that matters.”

  “Yeah.” He rested his forehead against mine. “Just remember who said it first.”

  Ah, yes, there was that Grimlock competitive streak. That was still going to take some getting used to. Thankfully, we had plenty of time.

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  About the Author

  I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read my novels. I have a particular brand of humor that isn’t for everyone – and I know that.

  If you liked the book, please take a few minutes and leave a review. An independent author does it all on their own, and the reviews are helpful. I understand that my characters aren’t for everyone, though. There’s a lot of snark and sarcasm in my world – and I know some people don’t like that.

  Special thanks go out to Heidi Bitsoli and Phil VanHulle for correcting the (numerous) errors that creep into a work of fiction.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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  Books by Amanda M. Lee

  An Avery Shaw Mystery

  Who, What, Where, When, Die

  If it Bleeds, it Leads

  Buried Leads

  Shot Off The Presses

  The Preditorial Page

  Misquoted & Demoted

  Headlines & Deadlines

  Misprints & Mistakes

  Bylines & Skylines

  Off the Record

  Unwritten & Underwater

  Extra! Extra! Dead All About
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  On Deadline & Under Fire

  Above the Fold & Below the Belt

  Oracles & Obituaries

  A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery

  Any Witch Way You Can

  Every Witch Way But Wicked

  Witching You Were Here

  Witching on a Star

  Something to Witch About

  Witch Me Luck

  Life’s a Witch

  Charms & Witchdemeanors

  The Trouble With Witches

  Murder Most Witchy

  A Witch Before Dying

  A Breath of Witchy Air

  Witch, Interrupted

  Flip the Witch Switch

  A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short

  Careful What You Witch For

  Wicked Brew

  On a Witch and a Prayer

  You Only Witch Once

  The Christmas Witch

  Bewitched

  A Solstice Celebration

  Witchdependence Day

  Happy Witchgiving

  Merry Witchmas

  Four-Leaf Clover

  Thistle While You Work

  Landon Calling

  I Dream of Twila

  How Aunt Tillie Stole Christmas

  A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Fantasy

  Witchy Tales

  A Witch In Time

  Make A Witch

  A Witchmas Carol

  All My Witches

  Close Encounters of the Witchy Kind

  An Aisling Grimlock Mystery

  Grim Tidings

  Grim Offerings

  Grim Discovery

  Grim Reunion

  Grim Expectations

  Grim Holiday

  Grim Rising

  Grim Tempest

  Grim Vows

  Grimlock Family Shorts

  Grim Like Me

  Grim & The City

  Now & Grim

  Grim & Bear It

  Grim & The Dead

  Death Gate Grim Reapers

  Only the Lonely

  Only the Quiet

  A Mystic Caravan Mystery

  Freaky Days

  Freaky Lies

  Freaky Hearts

  Freaky Games

  Freaky Places

  Freaky Rites

  Freaky Witches

  Freaky Reapers

  A Charlie Rhodes Cozy Mystery

  The Bigfoot Blunder

  The Chupacabra Catastrophe

  The Werewolf Whoops

  The Megalodon Mix-Up

  The Undead Uproar

  A Moonstone Bay Cozy Mystery

  Witchin’ USA

  Witch Out of Water

  Freaky Deaky Tiki

  To Spell With It

  A Spell’s Angels Cozy Mystery

  Bad to the Crone

  No Crones About It

  Covenant College

  Awakening

  Whispering

  Conjuring

  Waxing & Waning

  Graduating

  Living Covenant Trilogy

  Rising Covenant

  Dark Covenant

  Eternal Covenant

  Dying Covenant Trilogy

  Haunted Covenant

  Desperate Covenant

  Everlasting Covenant

  2019 Shorts

  Wolf on the Job

  Luke on the Loose

  Cupid in Crisis

  Millie on a Mission

  Elemental Witches of Eternal Springs

  Bat Out Of Spell

  Spell on Earth

  Hotter Than Spell

  Spell or High Water