He pulled her to him. “Then let’s compromise and skip the reception?”
As much as she wanted to say yes, she knew they couldn’t. “We don’t need to stay long.” She tugged lose from him. “Just—oh.” She stumbled over the little wrapped box. “Sorino’s present.”
She scooped it up. Jorick stopped her from opening it. “It’s probably a bomb.”
“I doubt that.” She ripped off the paper and stared at the small glass box. Inside was a lump of something like beef jerky that had been cut down the middle. A neatly written label said: The Heart of the Raven, Goddess of Night.
An envelope was taped to the top, containing a certificate and a letter. Jorick unfolded it and read:
Jorick,
As you were entrusted with the fake for so long, it seems only fitting you should finally acquire the real thing. I plucked this from Lilith’s chest myself before joining you in the van. I’ve had it painstakingly certified, though I’m sure that won’t mean as much to you as it should. Still, enjoy it as the priceless artifact it is—however, not so priceless that, should your bride find herself widowed and in need of funds, I could not facilitate a sale.
Best wishes,
Sorino
“Master’s quest is now revealed, though in the end the joke meant more than the prize.” That was why Sorino had gone along, paid for vehicles, and provided weapons. He wasn’t just after loot, but the biggest score of all: Lilith’s real heart. In the end, as Kai said, the joke of giving it to Jorick was worth more to him than keeping it.
Yet he still got it certified…
The certificate authenticating the item was signed by half a dozen names she didn’t recognize, and stamped with a heavy gold seal.
“Lilith’s heart,” she muttered. “What do you suppose he meant about my being widowed?”
“Wishful thinking on his part,” Jorick muttered. “I imagine he thinks I’ll eventually die in one war or another, then he could have his laugh and get it back. I should take that upstairs and—”
“And you’ll never return. I’ll get Loren to run it up. If I have to go through the reception, so do you.”
He sighed. “It wouldn’t be so bad, but we have to go through this again in a few months.”
“Then it won’t be us on the deck. We get to sit back and watch Mom and Brad take center stage.”
Jorick studied her. “You’re all right with her marrying him? Even with the age difference?”
Katelina sighed. “Yes and no. It’s…He loves her. I mean, he actually loves her. I’ve felt it. And she loves him.”
“And now that she’s a vampire and he’s still human, you’re hoping he’ll catch up to her a little before she turns him?” Jorick suggested.
“It wouldn’t hurt.”
Oren joined them. “Are you coming to the reception, or should we move the guests back here?”
“We’re coming. Unfortunately,” Jorick added.
“The greetings took longer than the wedding,” Oren said with some annoyance. “Not that I objected to the short wedding. It was better than a long one.” He shot Jorick an accusing look, as though his last wedding had been one of those.
His last wedding.
Katelina touched the necklace through her bodice. She thought about what Torina said, that even if Velnya was alive they’d be split up by now. “He was quitting the Executioners. How long do you think they could have stood one another with no distractions?”
The question bubbled out before she could stop it. “Do you think you’ll be able to stand me forever without distractions?”
Jorick cocked an eyebrow. “It’s a little late to wonder that, but yes. Why wouldn’t I?”
“I don’t know. Now that there aren’t any wars to fight, or people to kill, or evil masters to kidnap me, how long before you get bored?”
“I’d welcome the peace.”
Verchiel’s words came back to her, “He says he wants peace and quiet, but he had it. Look what he did with it. He joined Oren’s war…”
“I don’t think you do. I think you get bored when it gets quiet. As Verchiel said—”
Jorick took the box away from her, so he could wrap her hands in his. “Perhaps I got bored after holding out for more than a hundred years, but there was something drastically different then.”
She thought of a thousand things; he’d been mourning Velnya, his fledgling was in a war, he lived alone, on and on, but she refused to offer any. “What was that?”
He moved close, so that she could feel the heat from his body. “I didn’t have you.”
Before she could reply, he swept her to him, claiming her mouth in a kiss that quelled any further doubts. No matter what the future held, they would be together.
Eternal. Unfading. Forever.
WHAT’S NEXT?
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About the Author:
Joleene Naylor is the author of the glitter-less Amaranthine series, a world where vampires aren’t for children. As a compliment to the novel series, she has also written several short story collections and the Amaranthine Files encyclopedia.
In what little time is left she watches anime and updates her blogs, all from a crooked Victorian house in Villisca, Iowa. Between her husband and her pets, she is never lonely, and should she ever disappear one might look for her on a beach in Tahiti, sipping a tropical drink and wearing a disguise.
Ramblings from the Darkness at www.JoleeneNaylor.com
You never know what you’ll find in the shadows…..
Acknowledgments:
I’d like to thank the following people:
My husband, for giving up his NCIS time with only marginal complaining.
My mother, for her enthusiasm and beta reading, and my brother, Chris, for his twisted ideas. He’s the real psycho in the family, I just leech from his imagination.
Sharon Stogner, Penny Shortt, Donna Yates, Barbara Tarn, Steve Evans, Amy Wilson, Sherry Hamby, and Carolyn Cason for their beta reading and editing. Because of them, this book kind of makes sense.
Teresa Todd, my awesome PA who gallantly took on the street team duties, as well as all the street team members. You’re all awesome.
The Cool Kids and Fan Girl chats for listening to me vent (you know who you are.) Also Book Born for welcoming me and making me feel at home. It really is one of the most awesome book groups on Facebook.
To anyone who prodded me or left kind words of encouragement on Facebook, Twitter, email, or my blog. Those messages are like coffee, and we know how important coffee is.
To anyone who posted links, recommended the books to their friends and family, left a review, or shared one of my posts. You know who you are and it would take a page to list you all. You are the awesomest of the awesome. I really have the coolest, most interesting fans in the world.
Lastly, a special thanks to God for life, the universe, and everything, including towels.
Connect with Joleene Naylor:
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Goddess of Night (Amaranthine Book 9) Page 44