by Mindy Klasky
His brows knit, and I could see he still didn’t understand. I pressed my hand over his heart. I leaned in until I caught his gaze. “I drank your blood, and now I’m bound here. I’m part of the Eastern Empire forever.”
A look of horror crossed his face. I kissed him before he could pull away.
“I’m bound here,” I repeated. “And I can’t imagine anyplace else I’d ever want to be.”
He kissed me back. And even though the lips that pressed against mine belonged to a gargoyle, I knew I’d recognize Jonathan Weaver any place, anywhere, any time, forever.
23
A few minutes later, or an hour, or a lifetime, Jonathan helped me to my feet. His hands were firm upon my waist as I gained my balance. He shifted his weight to keep me from looking beyond him.
To keep me from staring at the corpse of Oberon Blackthorne.
But I wasn’t about to avoid the ruined body on the chapel floor. I was a fae princess. I could handle my responsibility.
The Unseelie Prince’s throat was ripped open, his flesh torn clear to the bone. Blood had pooled beneath him, a burgundy pillow for his uneasy head. His mouth was stretched in horror. His eyes stared up at the ceiling.
“How did he know we’d be here?” I asked.
Jonathan shrugged. “Abigail was front page news for a week after we rescued her. Every article talked about the wedding, about how she was a runaway bride who came to her senses. It wouldn’t take much for him to connect the dots.”
I glanced at the doorway. I could hear laughter and the clink of metal spoons on glasses. “Do you think anyone heard us?”
“If they had, we’d be surrounded by cops.” He toed Oberon’s body. “The real question is what we’re going to do with the body.”
A breeze blew through the dogwoods outside, whispering against my newly grounded senses. “Wait,” I said.
“We don’t—”
I held up a hand to cut off his protest. I turned my face to the door. The breeze drifted down the path. It was almost there. Almost… There…
A breath of air swirled over the doorway. It caught the ends of my hair, and it rippled across Jonathan’s shirt. It skipped across the flagstones of the church aisle.
And when it touched the body of Oberon Blackthorne, it reduced the Unseelie Prince to a pile of autumn leaves. Dead and brown and curling, the fae and his clothing and the pool of his blood skittered away, into the corners of the church.
I blinked, and Jonathan swore, and we both gaped at the empty aisle.
Another flurry of laughter rose from the crowd outside. Jonathan shook his head and gave me a lopsided smile. “That priest is going to be back here, wondering what the hell we’ve been doing in his church.”
“No reason to give the wedding guests anything to talk about,” I said.
I reached for his wrist and refreshed his gargoyle glamour—just a precaution before we stepped into the blinding light of a mid-day sun. At the same time, I used my powers to disguise a couple of ruddy bloodstains that remained on his sleeve.
I brushed a similar glamour over myself, hiding away the dark bloom of blood on my green blouse. When I was convinced we wouldn’t raise suspicion, I led the way to the church’s door.
A crowd had gathered at the curb. With the help of a uniformed driver, Abigail and Matthew were climbing into a horse-drawn carriage. People tossed birdseed high into the air, and friends shouted one last chorus of good wishes.
Jonathan and I made our way down the steps and took our places at the back of the crowd. The happy couple faced everyone, laughing and waving and promising to be in touch soon.
The driver climbed onto his seat, and he collected the reins in one hand. Abigail called out, though, before he could drive away. As we watched, she turned her back to all of us. She leaned forward, and then she threw her arms up, and everyone cried out as a bouquet of asters and gentians and tiny blue lobelias tumbled through the air.
She must have been energized by the excitement of the day, because her toss was long, almost beyond the edge of the crowd. Or maybe she’d planned her motion perfectly.
I could feel the path of the flowers the instant they left her hand. I knew exactly how they’d arc through the air, exactly where they would land. I raised my hand, the right one, the one Jonathan wasn’t grasping, and I closed my fingers around the ribbon-wrapped stems.
Everyone applauded as they saw who caught the bridal bouquet. Then Jonathan Weaver held me in his perfect arms and kissed me until I saw stars.
Thank You
I can’t thank you enough for choosing Fae’s Anatomy from among all the cozy paranormal books out there! Without readers like you, I would never have my writing career.
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More Magical Washington
Titania and Jonathan have found their Happily Ever After, but there are more magical adventures afoot in Washington DC. Check out these other books in the Magical Washington universe!
Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft
Jane Madison has a problem. Or two. Or three. She’s working as a librarian, trapped in a job that can’t pay what she’s worth. She has a desperate crush on her Imaginary Boyfriend. Her grandmother wants to reunite her with her long-absent mother. And then, she finds out she’s a witch! Will magic solve Jane’s problems? Or only bring her more disasters?
Buy Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft today!
The Library, the Witch, and the Warder
David Montrose has a problem. Or two. Or three. Fired from protecting Washington’s witches, he’s stuck in a dead-end clerical job. His father says he's disgraced the family name. And instead of sympathizing, his best friend is dragging him into an all-out supernatural war. When David is summoned back to warder status, he must figure out how to juggle work, warfare, and warding—or all of magical Washington will pay the price!
Buy The Library, the Witch, and the Warder today!
Fright Court
Sarah Anderson found her dream job: Clerk of Court for the District of Columbia Night Court. But after she’s attacked by a supernatural defendant, she’s forced to take self-defense lessons from her boss, the enigmatic vampire James Morton. When a deceptively easy-going reporter starts to ask questions, Sarah wonders just what answers she’s supposed to give. Will Sarah be able to create order in the court?
Buy Fright Court today!
Also by Mindy Klasky
You can always find an up-to-date list of Mindy’s books on her website.
A Mindy Klasky Sampler (a free sampler containing the first chapters of 24 books)
The Washington Witches Series (Magical Washington)
Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft
Sorcery and the Single Girl
Magic and the Modern Girl
The Washington Witches Series, Volumes 1-3 (a boxed set containing Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft, Sorcery and the Single Girl, and Magic and the Modern Girl)
Capitol Magic (a cross-over with the Washington Vampires Series)
Single Witch’s Survival Guide
Joy of Witchcraft
“Dreaming of a Witch Christmas” (a Yule short story
)
Nice Witches Don’t Swear (a crossover with the Magic and Mayhem Universe)
The Washington Vampires Series (Magical Washington)
Fright Court
Law and Murder
Capitol Magic (a cross-over with the Washington Witches Series)
“Stake Me Out to the Ball Game”
The Washington Warders Series (Magical Washington)
The Library, the Witch, and the Warder
The Washington Medical Series (Magical Washington)
The Witch Doctor Is In
Fae’s Anatomy
The As You Wish Series
“Wishful Thinking”
Act One, Wish One
Wishing in the Wings
Wish Upon a Star
The As You Wish Series (a boxed set containing Act One, Wish One, Wishing in the Wings, and Wish Upon a Star)
The Harmony Springs Series
Harmony Christmas
Harmony Hearts
Harmony Hero
Three Part Harmony (a boxed set containing Harmony Christmas, Harmony Hearts, and Harmony Hero)
The Diamond Brides Series
Perfect Pitch
Catching Hell
Reaching First
Triple Play I (a boxed set containing Perfect Pitch, Catching Hell, and Reaching First)
Second Thoughts
Third Degree
Stopping Short
Triple Play II (a boxed set containing Second Thoughts, Third Degree, and Stopping Short)
From Left Field
Center Stage
Always Right
Triple Play III (a boxed set containing From Left Field, Center Stage, Always Right)
Grand Slam (a boxed set containing the complete Diamond Brides Series)
Harlequin Special Editions
The Daddy Dance
The Mogul’s Maybe Marriage
The Glasswrights Series
The Glasswrights’ Apprentice
The Glasswrights’ Progress
The Glasswrights’ Journeyman
The Glasswrights’ Test
The Glasswrights’ Master
The Glasswrights Series (a boxed set containing The Glasswrights’ Apprentice, The Glasswrights’ Progress, The Glasswrights’ Journeyman, The Glasswrights’ Test, and The Glasswrights’ Master)
The Darkbeast Chronicles
Rebel Flight
Rebel Lost
Stand-Alone Book
Season of Sacrifice
Non-Fiction
The Rational Writer: Nuts and Bolts
The Rational Writer: A to Z
Edited by Mindy Klasky
Nevertheless, She Persisted
About the Author
Mindy Klasky learned to read when her parents shoved a book in her hands and told her she could travel anywhere in the world through stories. She never forgot that advice.
Mindy’s travels took her through multiple careers—from litigator to librarian to full-time writer. Mindy’s travels have also taken her through various literary genres, including cozy paranormal, hot contemporary romance, and traditional fantasy. She is a USA Today bestselling author, and she has received the Career Achievement Award from the Washington Romance Writers.
In her spare time, Mindy knits, quilts, and tries to tame her endless to-be-read shelf. Her husband and cats do their best to fill the left-over minutes.
About Love Spells
Do you like to laugh out loud while reading your favorite paranormal romances? Then you’re going to love Love Spells. Each Love Spells series is written by one of today’s bestselling paranormal romance authors and comes with the promise of humor to go with your happily-ever-afters. So get ready to giggle your way through your next romance—featuring all your favorite paranormal beings. Witches, shifters, and vampires, oh my!
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Copyright © 2018 by Mindy Klasky
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover design by Renée George
Published by Rabbit Hole Press
P.O. Box 1624, Cedar Crest, NM 87008-1624
Discover other titles by Mindy Klasky at www.mindyklasky.com
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