At first, there was dead silence on the other end of the line. Naomi closed her eyes, fearing that Emma would hang up. Instead, Emma calmly said, “OK.”
“OK?” Naomi repeated in disbelief.
“Trust me, I’m floored. Absolutely floored. But . . . I believe you. In a weird way, it all makes sense. I always knew something was off about you—no offense. You’re probably going to have to explain this all to me a million times. And I have a ton of questions, of course. I want to know what the movies and books got right about witches and vampires.”
With those words, Naomi knew her friendship with Emma was sealed. Emma didn’t think she was crazy, and she believed her. The relief that flowed through her was so great she had to blink back tears.
Emma vowed to keep what Naomi told her to herself.
“Not that anyone would believe me,” she added wryly.
Now, as Naomi led Emma inside the estate, she shook her head in wonder. “No wonder you don’t want to leave. I’d want to live here too.”
Naomi and Alaric had decided the estate would be their home base when not on assignment for the Alliance. She had taken a liking to it; not because of its grandeur, but because it was here that she fell in love with Alaric. After years of wandering and living in temporary apartments, she felt like she had a home.
Naomi led Emma into one of the drawing rooms, where Alaric, Elias, and Casimir were gathered. They all politely got to their feet. Emma stilled at the sight of them.
“You mentioned they were beautiful,” Emma whispered, for Naomi’s ears only, “but . . . hot damn.”
“We can hear you. Vampires have advanced hearing,” Elias said with a wink, and Emma went beet red.
Naomi chuckled as she introduced them; Emma’s face remained flushed.
As they sat down in the dining room for lunch, Madalena and Fiona joined them. Naomi sat back with an amused smile as they patiently answered Emma’s flurry of questions. Alaric held her hand beneath the table, and a contentment she’d never experienced before flowed through her.
After the meal, Alaric left to show Emma to her guest room, while Fiona pulled Naomi aside.
“I wanted you to know I’m leaving tomorrow. I’m going to Alaric’s home in Ireland,” she said. When Naomi started to protest, Fiona shook her head. “This is your home now. Your and Alaric’s. I can’t tell you how elated I am that you found each other. I’ve never seen him so happy.”
“We’re not going back to London for a couple more weeks,” Naomi said. They would meet with other Alliance members and plan their next moves. “Why don’t you stay ‘til then?”
Fiona’s eyes shadowed; Naomi suspected she was thinking of Casimir.
“There’s nothing for me here. Trust me, I’ll visit you all the time. You’ll get sick of me,” she said, stepping forward to embrace her.
Casimir was noticeably deflated after Fiona’s departure; Alaric told her he didn’t think things were over between the two of them. Not by a long shot.
“I know how difficult it is to deny your feelings for someone,” he said, reaching out to stroke her face.
During the next few days of Emma’s visit, Naomi showed her some spells she’d learned, which left Emma agape. She gave Emma more details of her confrontation in Greece; it was still traumatizing, but it helped to talk about it. Emma told her about her life in New York; she’d broken up with her boyfriend and started a job at a new museum.
“Not as exciting as magic,” she said, giving Naomi a playful wink.
When Emma left, they embraced for a long time. This time, when they made promises to keep in touch, Naomi knew she would keep to it.
That night, she and Alaric made love, the moonlight filtering in through the windows illuminating their bodies as they moved together. Naomi’s eyes locked with his; since they returned from Greece, she’d seen a change in him. He was more relaxed, more open; ripples of joy fluttered through her whenever his eyes lit up at the sight of her, and when he whispered words of love into her hear. She would never grow tired of hearing the words, or saying them.
“I love you, Alaric,” she whispered afterward, as they lay entwined in the center of his bed.
“And I you,” he said, fervent. His eyes filled with emotion as he pulled her towards him. “Always.”
They came to her later that night.
Gentle incantations that rose from faint hints of sound to full unintelligible whispers.
Naomi sat up with a gasp, dread coiling around her body. Alaric sat up as well, reaching for her.
“Naomi?”
“Whispers,” Naomi said, her throat dry. “I heard more whispers. But they were different than the ones before. Darker. Alaric . . . someone’s found or created another Stone.”
THE END
of
SHADOW DESCENDANT
Naomi and Alaric’s story continues in Book 2, Marked Descendant, available for preorder now.
A Message from the Author
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Marked Descendant
Alaric and Naomi’s story continues in MARKED DESCENDANT, available for preorder now.
About the Author
L.D. Goffigan writes paranormal romance, paranormal fantasy and thriller novels. She studied film and dramatic writing at New York University. She grew up on the East Coast but now resides in a large city by the sea on the West Coast. When not writing, she enjoys traveling and dreaming of new fantastical tales to tell.
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Also by L.D. Goffigan
THE DESCENDANTS SERIES
Marked Descendant
THE MINA MURRAY SERIES
The Beast of London
Fortress of Blood
Realm of Night
Mina Murray Series Bundle: Books 1-3
Shadow Descendant (Descendants Book 1) Page 19