by Kate Sweeney
“Get her inside,” she heard Megan say in a frantic voice.
Grayson looked into Megan’s worried blue eyes while Megan pressed her hand on the oozing wound. “I’m okay.”
Megan smiled and bit at her bottom lip. “Shut up.”
Suddenly, she was in Sebastian’s arms. Grayson chuckled and winced. “Not one word,” Sebastian said as she carried her. Grayson thought she saw a ghost of a smile from the brooding vampire.
“You have done well, mortal,” Elinora said. “My work is done.”
It was the last thing Grayson remembered.
Epilogue
Corky sat at the desk, shaking his head as he closed the book. He was exhausted and frankly very sad. To think that Neala all along was Phelan’s daughter was shocking, to say the least. When he saw the despondent look on Grayson’s face that night, it broke his heart. He tiredly walked over to the window and looked out at the sunny morning.
Grayson was sitting in the courtyard alone. Her right arm heavily bandaged, she struggled to pull her jacket around her. She looked pale; she looked lonely.
“Grayson was lucky you remembered Neala looking through your book.”
Corky looked up to see Sebastian standing in the far corner. She slowly walked up to him.
“I don’t know what made me remember. Divine intervention?” He then remembered the dream he had of Maeve. Liar’s moon will be in your hands soon, sweetie.
“Sheer dumb luck?” Sebastian offered. “So Neala found the same glamour you gave Kendra to guard her lab back in London in the catacombs while she did the same research for the serum.”
“Yes. It’s why Grayson never got anything when she touched Neala. Why you couldn’t read her mind. When I found the spell to reverse and unlock the glamour, Grayson could see. You all could see Neala for what she really was. I’m sure Grayson preferred not knowing. I think she was beginning to fall in love with Neala.”
“That was not part of her destiny. Just as it wasn’t for me to interfere. Though I desperately wanted to rip her throat out.”
Corky agreed and looked out the window again. “I’m sure Inspector Gaffney wanted to unload her revolver, as well. I still can’t believe it was Neala all along. She had everyone fooled.”
“Everyone but Elinora.”
“I wish she would have said something.”
“She couldn’t. Elinora had to do what they told her to do. At one point, I doubted her. But I remembered her from long ago when she vowed never to allow her emotions to distract her from her duty. They knew she would do what was expected and preserve Grayson’s destiny.”
“Speaking of destinies, once Grayson heals, we’ll need to get on with the translation of Tatiana’s book. So we can see what the connection is between your world and Grayson’s.”
Sebastian nodded. “Tatiana said I would know what our people were like before the dawn. But we have time. Grayson needs to heal her body and soul.”
Sebastian looked down at Grayson, sitting alone in the courtyard. Corky looked on, as well. Suddenly, Megan Gaffney appeared. She stood in front of Grayson with her hands on her hips, wagging a finger in her direction. Grayson reached up with her good hand and roughly pulled her on the bench next to her. Megan gently pulled the jacket around Grayson’s shoulder. They watched as Grayson held Megan’s hand as Megan leaned in and kissed Grayson on the forehead.
“Ah, darlin’, our little girl is growing up.” Corky let out a wistful sigh as he glanced at Sebastian.
“And we won’t have another,” Sebastian assured him with a scowl.
Corky laughed as he threw the window open so they could hear the gentle voices of love in bloom.
“Don’t play the injured card with me, Grayson MacCarthaigh. I don’t care if you’re an immortal freak or whatever you are. You’re going to tell me everything you know or I’ll…”
Corky quickly closed the window. “I think it’s the beginning of a beautiful relationship.”
About the author
Kate Sweeney, a 2010 Alice B. Medal winner, was the 2007 recipient of the Golden Crown Literary Society award for Debut Author for She Waits, the first in the Kate Ryan Mystery series. The series also includes A Nice Clean Murder, The Trouble with Murder, a 2008 Golden Crown Award Winner for Mystery, Who’ll Be Dead for Christmas? a 2009 Golden Crown Award winner for Mystery, and Of Course It’s Murder.
Other novels include Away from the Dawn, Survive the Dawn, Residual Moon, a 2008 Golden Crown Award Winner for Speculative Fiction, The O’Malley Legacy, Winds of Heaven, and Sea of Grass.
Born in Chicago, Kate recently moved to Louisiana and this Yankee doubts she’ll ever get used to saying y’all. Humor is deeply embedded in Kate’s DNA. She sincerely hopes you will see this when you read her novels, short stories, and other works by visiting her Web site at www.katesweeneyonline.com. E-mail Kate at [email protected].