My name’s called. Slate’s name, too. And then the others are crowding us. When they spot Slate’s bare finger, their mouths part.
“How?” Gaëlle touches the base of her neck as though seeking out the comfort of her scarf. “How did you get it off?”
“It just slid off,” Slate explains.
“Without killing you . . .” Bastian marvels, his eyes so red and puffy they almost touch his glass lenses.
Adrien stares at the cursed ring smudging the snow. “You think it came off because we locked the leaves into their cradles, Rainier?”
Papa’s palms drift off the snowmobile’s handles and perch on his lap. “Why, yes.” His forehead smooths. “That must be the reason.” His relief is so strong it’s palpable.
I grin at him, then at Slate, who’s watching Papa again. “You’re going to live.” I tow Slate’s face down. “You’re going to live!”
His eyes lock on mine, and their camber grows. “Hear that, de Morel? I’m going to live.”
“I heard.”
Adrien releases a rigid sigh. “We need to grab the ring before anyone else does.”
“It won’t adhere to anyone’s fingers but ours. And none of us will be putting it back on, right?” Gaëlle levels a pointed stare at Slate.
He raises his palms in the air. “Fuck no.”
“We still can’t leave it here.” Adrien leans over and fishes it out of the snow. After he pockets it, he rubs his palms on his pants as though to rid his fingers of any residual, sordid magic.
I press my lips against Slate’s before whispering, “You’re alive,” because I can still hardly believe it.
“I am. And you know what? I think I’m going to stick around.” He scoops me up so suddenly I let out a shrill squeal.
Or maybe Alma does. She’s grinning from ear to ear while Bastian keeps weeping. The poor guy’s probably in shock.
I hook an arm around Slate’s neck as he walks me back to the clinic.
“Even though I like the outfit, princess, it’s highly unsuitable for wintertime in Brume.”
My wet cheeks ache from smiling. “You’re really staying?”
He leans over until the milky cloud of his exhales warms my lips. “I really am.”
Ready for the sequel? Get OF TAINTED HEART here.
Afterword
The Quatrefoil crew will be back in . . .
For news about future releases, sales, or giveaways by Katie Hayoz or/and Olivia Wildenstein, make sure to sign up to their newsletters HERE.
Acknowledgments
Katie:
I am extremely lucky to have some of the most amazing writing friends on the planet—the best critique partners, the best book buddies, the best friends all around. I want to thank each and every one of you, for caring enough to be honest even when it hurt and for never allowing me to give up.
But when it comes to Of Wicked Blood, the person I want to thank most is my co-author, Olivia: Thank you for having faith in me and my writing. Thank you for your patience and understanding when I slowed things down. Thank you for always bringing enthusiasm to this project, even at its most muddled moments. Thank you for never once making me feel I wasn’t up to the job. Thank you for making writing feel like an adventure again. It was wild, messy, and crazy. But so much fun. I am honored to have my name next to yours on this book. I am so ready do it again!
Olivia:
I love reaching this part in a book, because it means I’ve accomplished what I set out to do: complete a new novel.
I have many people to thank for helping me get the job done. First our fabulous editor, Krystal, who is nitpicky to the trillionth degree—we love you for it, I promise. Second our talented cover designer Monika, whose design of a quatrefoil spurred our witchy tale. Third, Karen Thompson from my Facebook reader group (Olivia’s Darling Readers), who came up with the name for our quaint, mist-cloaked town, BRUME (in French, the word translates as “mist,” which made it perfect for our story setting).
However, there is one person who deserves my entire gratitude, and that is none other than my extraordinary co-author and dear friend, Katie.
Thank you for putting up with me and my OCE (Obsessive Compulsive Editing).
Thank you for writing scenes that made me laugh so hard my computer screen blurred.
Thank you for our endless, and I really do mean endless, brainstorming sessions that led to all those twists you, dear reader, might not have seen coming, because we, authors, definitely didn’t.
OF WICKED BLOOD was such a fun project thanks to you, and hopefully, the first of many together.
Dear reader, thank you for tagging along with our ragtag Quatrefoil crew. I hope you’ve enjoyed their wild adventures as much as we’ve enjoyed concocting them.
Want to talk more about Slate and Cadence? Join our shared Facebook reader group: The O. K. Crew.
By popular demand, we’ve decided to share the process of co-writing. Without further ado, the making of OF WICKED BLOOD . . .
THE MAKING OF . . .
STEP 1: Discuss haircuts in order to avoid inconsistencies in character development.
STEP 2: Illustrate! And be as accurate as possible.
STEP 3: Word searches. They’re not only fun, or for kids.
STEP 4: Pat each other on the back during the process and toss in words that don’t exist but really should. (I mean, hookier…).
OTHER WORKS BY THESE AUTHORS
KATIE HAYOZ
The Clockwork Siren series
IMMERSED
SUBMERGED
SURFACED
ENSNARED (spinoff novella)
The Devil of Roanoke series
THE CURSE THAT BINDS US
The Quatrefoil Chronicles series
OF WICKED BLOOD
OF TAINTED HEART
Standalone
UNTETHERED
OLIVIA WILDENSTEIN
The Lost Clan series
ROSE PETAL GRAVES
ROWAN WOOD LEGENDS
RISING SILVER MIST
RAGING RIVAL HEARTS
RECKLESS CRUEL HEIRS
The Boulder Wolves series
A PACK OF BLOOD AND LIES
A PACK OF VOWS AND TEARS
A PACK OF LOVE AND HATE
A PACK OF STORMS AND STARS
Angels of Elysium series
FEATHER
CELESTIAL
STARLIGHT
The Quatrefoil Chronicles series
OF WICKED BLOOD
OF TAINTED HEART
Standalones
GHOSTBOY, CHAMELEON & THE DUKE OF GRAFFITI
NOT ANOTHER LOVE SONG
Cold Little Games series
COLD LITTLE LIES
COLD LITTLE GAMES
COLD LITTLE HEARTS
Of Wicked Blood: A Slow Burn Romantic Urban Fantasy (The Quatrefoil Chronicles Book 1) Page 41