“Who the Hell are you?” I demand.
The angel ignores me, glides over to the staked wendigo, and injects him with a different needle. Then, he unstakes the wendigo’s arms, leaving the one in its ribs, and places cuffs on that one too.
“Excuse me?” I demand, torn between helping Diego and getting answers.
“I’m fine,” Diego says. “The teeth just grazed me. Unless… Angel dude, do they have poison in their teeth or something?”
“You’ll survive,” the angel says as if bored.
“You didn’t even look at the wound,” I snap.
With a sigh, the angel glides back over. “You’ll survive,” he says in that same flat tone.
“You are…”
“I’m a paranormal hunter,” he says, “and you don’t need to worry about the wendigos. We’ll bring them right to Magical Prison.”
“Magical Prison,” I mumble. “There’s a prison specifically for magical creatures?”
“Of course. How don’t you know this?” he asks suspiciously.
“I’ll be twenty-eight on Halloween. I’ve only known that vamps are real since my last birthday.”
“But you’re…”
“Yeah, that came as a surprise too.” I give him a lopsided grin. “It’s amazing the wakeup call all of that was.”
The angel shifts his gaze to Diego. “He’s human.”
"Yes, and he's not to be touched or handled or have his memories wiped or any of that. I've already claimed him." I lift my chin boldly, staring the angel down. I don't know if there is such a thing as claiming, but Diego’s mine. I will fight the angel if I have to in order to keep Diego.
“Very well, but this is highly unusual,” the angel says.
“Yeah, well, what exactly is your job?” I snap. “Is it to keep the peace? To prevent humans from learning about us? Because if that’s the case, then you all have failed the city of Bethlehem again and again. I had to deal with vamps, Amarok, sirens… Demons came and tried to take over the world and make Hell on Earth. Did you all know about that?”
“Yes, well—”
“Well, what?” I spit out.
“You handled everything so beautifully.”
I gape at him. “Where were you and your people when it came to Blake Damon?”
The angel at least has the decency to wince. “Blake was a human like, ah, Diego here, and we allowed him to do what he felt was necessary.”
“Because he served a purpose. You used him, abused him, let him take out as many evil vampires as he could before they proved to be too much for him. Why? Why couldn’t you have stepped in? Why couldn’t you have saved him?”
“Sometimes, not everyone can be saved,” the angel says softly, “but you did manage to save one person’s life.”
“What?” I ask, confused.
“If you mean the wendigos,” Diego says, “I would feel much safer if they were killed instead of locked up.”
“I understand that, but that is not your call,” the angel says stiffly. “The wendigos never should have been here. They came down from Canada and—”
“They never said, ‘eh,’” Diego says.
The angel stares him down.
“Most angels don’t have a sense of humor,” I inform Diego.
“So I’m gathering,” he mumbles.
“The wendigos eluded us for the time being, but we have them now, and—”
I glower at the angel. “I’m supposed to be happy that you showed up in time to stop us from doing what needs to be done! I don’t think so! They killed three campers—”
“Two,” the angel says calmly.
Just then, another angel flies over and lays an unconscious man at my feet.
“Ryo?” I murmur.
The newcomer nods. “You saved his life.”
“Where was he?” I demand.
“The wendigos made a small nest.”
“Where?”
“It’s been destroyed,” he adds. “You helped us by stopping them.”
“We weren’t trying to help you,” I say. “We wanted to protect Bethlehem.”
“You can continue to save and worry about your city,” the first angel says stiffly. “We have the entire world to worry about, not just one spot. You have a great deal of power, Clarissa Tempest. You could help us.”
“No. Bethlehem needs me.”
“Very well.”
I clear my throat. “Paranormal hunter you said. What do you do? Go around hunting evil paranormal creatures to throw them into Magical Prison.”
“That is precisely what we do,” the second angel says.
He’s nicer than the first one, so I focus on him. “Do you have a means of determining whether or not they should go to prison or be killed? What about all of the ones I’ve killed?”
“We’ve been allowing you to have some measure of freedom,” the first angel says. “You are… an unusual being.”
“I’m a person,” I say dryly.
The angel rolls his eyes.
“Yes, we have a system, and yes, sometimes we do kill the evil ones,” the second angel says. “Well, we don’t since we’re hunters. The paranormal slayers or executioners do the killings.”
“You’re basically a freelance paranormal executioner without a paygrade,” the first angel says. “And you do need to be a bit more judicious with who knows higher up the food chain. We do have members in high places, but not the very top.”
“The White House,” I murmur.
“Now, we would love to stay and chat more, but we must fly off now before we’re seen.”
I narrow my eyes at the first angel whose sarcasm I don’t appreciate and watch as the angels pick up the wendigos as if they weighed no more than five pounds.
Before they could fly off, I grumble, “If there’s a huge threat, I mean, huge, I will be willing to help.”
“You may be called on in the future. After all, Lucifer is always an issue from time to time, and he has allies, even if we’ve killed as many as we can over the years.”
I nod, and they fly off.
“That’s… That’s insane,” Diego says. “There’s so much we don’t know yet.”
“So much I’m not sure I want to know. I enjoy my freedom.”
“Is freedom really free?”
“No, but in a way, it does make me feel better to know there is an agency out there that is policing the paranormal creatures.”
“Outside of us, you mean,” Diego points out.
I laugh. “Yes, outside of us. Let’s get Ryo to the hospital. At least when the wendigos preyed, they didn’t get to enjoy all of their meals.”
Chapter Six
My heart beats so hard in my chest that I think I’m ready to fall over. The wedding gown I’m wearing was the one my mom wore to marry Dad. I had it altered a bit. I’m a bit curvier than Mom was in the hips, my waist a little smaller, but the overall design is unaltered, although I did add a light blue ribbon around the waist.
Samantha fusses with my hair, rearranging baby's breath. She did my hair. Honestly, I would've rather just leave it down and loose, but she insisted.
“Clarissa, you’re basically getting eloped,” she told me yesterday when I protested. “Wear the gown. Wear a veil. Let me do your hair and Henrietta your makeup. Angelo’s going to video it for Diego’s family members who couldn’t make it in time, and Leo’s photographer friend is taking pictures. We have it covered. You can do this.”
It’s crazy. Blake dying had been the kick in the pants I needed to propose to Diego, but the wendigo biting him is the kick in the pants we both need to settle on a date.
The date is July sixth. We’ll have Saturday to spend together as a happy couple before Blake’s funeral on Sunday. Yes, we’re getting married on a Friday. No, it’s not conventional, but then again, nothing about me is. The thought of Diego dying… I want us wed, and he agreed. In fact, he wanted to get married the day after the wendigo mess, but I wanted to wait until Ryo was dis
charged from the hospital. I just wanted to make sure that chapter was shut.
Another way the wedding is unusual is the location. Yes, I’m having it at the cemetery where my parents are buried. Yes, I realize that my parents can look down on me from Heaven, that it doesn’t have to be here, but this place holds so much meaning to me. It’s special.
Henrietta, of course, was all for it. The others came around or at least are pretending to.
“Are you all ready?” Henrietta asks after she finishes powdering my nose.
I nod, and the three of us climb into a hearse. Henrietta’s doing, naturally.
***
“About time,” the lieutenant grumbles. “I thought you were getting cold feet.”
I lean over and kiss his cheek. “Thank you for doing this.”
“Yes, well…” he mumbles, but his face is entirely red, and I know he’s pleased even if he won’t admit it out loud. “Let’s just get you down the aisle already, okay?”
“Yes, sir!”
Beautiful music plays, and Henrietta walks first and then Samantha. Both of them look beautiful in tasteful red dresses that both honestly should be able to wear again. I don't understand the point of ugly bridesmaid dresses that no one wants to wear even once.
My breathing comes easier the moment the lieutenant and I move into position, and I can spy Diego. His white tux makes his skin look even darker than normal, and he’s the very definition of tall, dark, and handsome. A dream come true, one I didn’t even know I had been dreaming.
I glance up at the lieutenant. We’ve fought before. He’s practically fired me, demoted me, suspended me, but we’ve always had each other’s backs.
“Thank you for everything,” I murmur.
“Thank you for giving me this honor,” he says in a gruff tone.
I grin. He’s trying to hide his emotions, but he can’t full me. He’s a teddy bear, and he cried when he married Kat, the nurse who helped him recover after a terrifying ordeal with a paranormal being. Kat herself had a narrowing experience too. Everything’s all worked out, though, and I’m more than ready to take this next step with Diego.
The music switches over to the Wedding March, and we make our way down the line between the rows of chairs. I can’t believe how quickly everything fell into place, but not getting married on a Saturday is a boon. Everything’s cheaper on an “off” day.
I'm all smiles at everyone, but halfway toward him, I can't look away from Diego. He's clean-shaven instead of the five o'clock shadow he typically sports, and I want to cup his face, to draw him close.
The lieutenant places my hand in Diego’s. “Take good care,” he grunts.
“I will,” Diego promises.
“I was talking to her.” The lieutenant winks at me and then concedes, “Take good care of each other.”
He takes his place beside Kat in the audience, and the pastor begins to talk about how love can be all-consuming, how it can start as tiny as a mustard seed, how it can move mountains, and that’s true. All of it. There’s a power that many don’t know about. The world has magic. The closest an ordinary human will ever get to that power and magic is through love.
Diego squeezes my hand throughout, and we share tender glances. I pay him far more attention than I do the pastor, and I have to be prompted to say my vows.
“Diego, from the first time I met you, I wondered how in the world you were ever made a cop.”
People laugh.
“That’s a lie. I always thought you were a great cop. I just didn’t care that you were such a flirt. You went after so many girls that I couldn’t take you seriously when you started to flirt with me. I didn’t make it easy on you, forced you to prove yourself time and again. I… When my parents died, I lost my innocence, and I put up walls. You had to bring out the big guns to bring them down, and I’m so glad you didn’t give up on me. I know I won’t ever give up on you, Diego. I’ll never betray or hurt you in any way. We might fight. Don’t get me wrong.”
More laughter.
“But I know we can survive anything and everything. I love you, Diego.”
The crowd claps, and Diego’s grin takes my breath away.
“Why didn’t I go first?” he complains to everyone’s amusement. “You’re right, Clarissa.”
“You can stop right there,” I cut in. “Perfect vows!”
It takes the crowd a good minute to stop laughing at that.
“Yes, yes,” Diego says good-naturedly. “You’re right, mi amor. You made me fight for you, and I won’t ever stop fighting. We’re stronger together than we are apart. You were alone for so much, and you sometimes prefer to fight battles alone. You don’t have to anymore, and you better not anymore. I don’t know what the future has in store for us as far as tomorrow or the next day. However long we have, I want to spend my days and my nights with you.”
My heart melts, and I reach for a kiss.
"Not yet," the pastor cuts in. "First, the rings."
We do the rings, there’s a blessing, and finally, there is that kiss, and it’s a sweet, tender kiss that turns a bit more passionate than Mom or Dad probably would care for.
“I now present to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Garcia!”
***
As wonderful as the small party after the wedding and the first day as Mrs. Garcia is, it’s time for Blake’s funeral.
And everyone is looking at me, waiting for me to make a speech. There aren't too many people here—those of us in SIU and Gracie and Mason. Henrietta. Samantha but no Leo. Samantha is pregnant, by the way. She had to have bloodwork done because she's so early along that the pee stick gave her a negative that I knew was wrong. She's about four weeks pregnant now.
I step forward and speak from the heart. “Blake was a great man who sacrificed his entire life to save us from vampires. He wanted to save the world. Took it all on his shoulders. He was a survivor, and he’s a hero. He deserves eternal rest, eternal peace.”
One by one, the others leave after paying their respects. I glance at Diego, who nods and whispers for me to take my time.
Now, only I and the couple remain.
Without looking away from the burial plot, I ask, “You killed three vampires?”
“I did,” Gracie says.
“And you?” I ask Mason.
“I didn’t count.”
I nod slowly. “Going back home now?”
“Actually, I don’t know.”
Gracie purses her perfect lips in an adorable pout. “Just tell her.”
Mason shrugs. After a slight pause, he finally says, “We want to take up the cause.”
“Blake’s cause,” Gracie clarifies.
“It’s not heroic,” I warn, “and you’ll have to train.”
“We already know about the dangers,” Mason says.
“All right then. Let’s start now and head to the shooting range. It’s going to take you a long while before you can claim to be vampire hunters.”
I lead them away and then hesitates, looking back at the grave.
“Guess you two are his legacy.”
Mason grins. “That’s works for me.”
I grin and call up Diego. “Meet us at the shooting range.”
“Anything for mi esposa, as always, but after maybe we can talk about our honeymoon?”
“Yes, Diego.” I wave for the couple to climb into my car. No sense in taking over two vehicles.
“Do you want to go to Puerto Rico? Or do you want to go somewhere else so that we can have some time to relax? Somewhere else would be best. Mi familia will never give us a moment of rest otherwise.”
“Sam suggested Europe.”
“Spain! Or do you want to go to Italy? I know you love their cuisine. Or—”
“We can talk tonight.”
“Yes, and not just about the honeymoon. I want to talk about the future.”
“As far as?”
“As far as our legacy.”
A delightful shiver runs dow
n my spine. Blake’s legacy is in the car, but what about mine?
“We can,” I say slowly.
"You mean we can talk about it, or you want to have children with me?"
I burst out laughing. “A child. Let’s start with one. See how that goes.”
“But what if we can’t—”
“There’s always adoption,” I point out.
“Very true. Dios mío, te amo.”
“I love you too. See you at the range.” I hang up and glance at the couple in the backseat. “I’m sorry about that.”
“Your husband?” Gracie asks.
“Yes.”
“I know we just met you, but…” Gracie glances at Mason.
He nods. “We would love for you and your husband to come to our wedding.”
“We would be honored.”
I grin as I drove us off. The future is looking very bright indeed. Despite the deaths of friends and loved ones, the fight will always continue on, and our legacy is what will prevail for all time.
Where to Find More of Nicole Zoltack
Website
Twitter
Newsletter
Bookbub
FB Author Page
More Books from Nicole Zoltack:
Bedlam in Bethlehem
Magical Hunters Academy
Blood Haven
Magical Prison
Rebel, Supernatural Bounty Hunter
Once Upon A Darkened Night
Magic Incarnate
The Queenmaker
Heroes of Falledge
Age of Dragons
About Nicole Zoltack
Nicole Zoltack is a USA Today bestselling author who loves to write romances. Of course. She did marry her first kiss, after all!
When she’s not writing about knights, superheroes, or witches, she enjoys spending time with her loving husband, three energetic young boys, and precious baby girl. She enjoys riding horses (pretending they’re unicorns, of course!) and going to the PA Renaissance Faire dressed in garb. She’ll also read anything she can get her hands on. Her current favorite TV shows are The Witcher and Stranger Things.
A Cursed All Hallows' Eve Page 134