to know our neighbors? And the cost doesn’t matter. There will be buckets of starstones in our future when the grove starts producing.”
“I have to pay my father’s debts off first. But according to Amelia, that could be as soon as a month from now. Her magic must be incredibly powerful to grow those trees so fast.”
“Her magic is very powerful and nothing short of amazing.” He slipped his hand under hers, and she interlaced her fingers with his.
Then she sighed a happy little noise. “Life is good.”
“Yes, it is.” Suddenly, movement caught his eye near the edge of the balcony. He sat up. “Pepper?”
The little black cat sauntered over and sat near the chaise, giving Robin a look that clearly said dinner had better be forthcoming.
He looked at Theo, then back at the cat, then at Theo again, frowning.
She sat up, too. “What?”
“You can’t be in two places at once, right? I just want to make sure.”
She coughed out a barely suppressed laugh. “You thought I was the cat? Sneaking up here to spy on you?” She gave the cat a wink. “Nice job, Pepper.”
“So you weren’t? Aren’t?”
“No. That would be sort of devious.” Her smile was sly and mischievous. “But I love that you thought I’d do something like that. I mean, it keeps you on your toes, doesn’t it?”
“Yes. Wait. Hold up. The second time I talked about having a cat visitor, you knew Pepper’s name without me telling you. How do you explain that?”
“I’m sure you mentioned it.”
“I didn’t.”
Her mouth bunched to one side, and she tipped her head coyly. “A good guess?”
He narrowed his eyes, so amused with her he could hardly stand it. “Theodora.”
“Okay!” She bit her bottom lip. “I might have been the raven in the tree.”
He snorted. “Oh, I see. Cat is devious. Raven is fine.” He chuckled. “I didn’t know what the rules were.”
“I was just checking on you. To see if you needed company.”
He pulled her close, pushing them both back against the cushion. “I always need your company.”
“I don’t know. You were pretty busy scratching Pepper and rubbing his belly.”
“Jealous, huh?”
She giggled.
Pepper meowed, clearly less amused by their banter.
Robin sat up again. “I think someone wants some dinner. Hey.” He looked over his shoulder at her. “How do you feel about adopting this stray and spoiling him silly? I’m talking about moving him into the house. Getting him his own bed. That sort of thing.”
She sat up, looped her arm through his, and studied the little animal. “I think he’d be a welcome addition. Would you like that, Pepper?”
The cat jumped up onto the end of the chaise, turned around once, then lay down. He lifted his head and meowed at them.
Robin slanted his eyes at Theo. “I think that’s a yes.”
She shook her head. “I think that’s a reminder that he still wants his dinner.”
“I’ll ring for Elswood.”
“I’m glad Marken told us that Vesta confessed that she didn’t have any spies in Shadowvale, but do you think Elswood and Mrs. Baton will ever get used to the idea of my father and me living here?”
“Yes. In fact, I think they’ve already softened a little since they’ve seen how happy you make me. Really though, they just need something new to be cranky about.”
“Well, in that case, Pepper is a perfect addition.”
Robin laughed. “Yeah, they aren’t going to like having a cat in the house at all.”
Theo leaned toward the cat and gave him a scratch on the head. “You just became my new favorite resident of Gallow House, little one.”
“Thrown over for a cat. That didn’t take long,” he teased.
She chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’m still going to marry you.”
He sighed in mock relief. “I’m glad to hear that.” He dug into his pocket for the ring he’d been planning to give her over dinner tomorrow. “I’d hate to have to return this.”
She gasped. “Oh, Robin. Is that real? It’s stunning. Huge. But stunning all the same.”
He smiled. “You’d better believe it’s real.”
“That might be the biggest starstone I’ve ever seen outside of the royal jewels. And are those emeralds surrounding it?”
He nodded. “I thought that would be a nice tribute to your mother. She’s the reason we’re here, after all.” He slipped the ring on her finger.
She held her hand out, turning it slightly to let the gems catch the light. “How thoughtful. I love that. And I love you. Thank you, Your Highness.”
“You’re welcome, Moody.”
Pepper meowed, a much more plaintive cry this time.
Robin swung his feet to the floor and stood. “I’d better get his tuna.”
Theo caught his hand. “I could go for another slice of that cake Mrs. Applestock made for last night’s dinner.”
He shook his head in amusement. “With ice cream?”
“Is there any other way?”
“On it.” He looked down at Theo and Pepper, his new little family, and thought about his mom and Welten off in their own rooms and realized that he’d gone from feeling like the loneliest man in the world to one of the luckiest.
Gone were the thoughts of regret, revenge, and loss. His mind was filled with happy plans for the future now. His life had completely changed, and the bouts of dark rage he’d once fought against had vanished.
Moody had tamed the beast.
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About the Author
USA Today Best Selling author Kristen Painter is a little obsessed with cats, books, chocolate, and shoes. It’s a healthy mix. She loves to entertain her readers with interesting twists and unforgettable characters. She currently writes the best-selling paranormal romance series, Nocturne Falls, and the cozy mystery spin off series, Jayne Frost. The former college English teacher can often be found all over social media where she loves to interact with readers.
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Other Books by Kristen Painter
PARANORMAL ROMANCE
Nocturne Falls series:
The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride
The Werewolf Meets His Match
The Gargoyle Gets His Girl
The Professor Woos the Witch
The Witch’s Halloween Hero – short story
The Werewolf’s Christmas Wish – short story
The Vampire’s Fake Fiancée
The Vampire’s Valentine Surprise – short story
The Shifter Romances the Writer
The Vampire’s True Love Trials – short story
The Dragon Finds Forever
The Vampire’s Accidental Wife
The Reaper Rescues the Genie
The Detective Wins the Witch
The Vampire’s Priceless Treasure
The Werewolf Dates the Deputy
Can’t get enough Nocturne Falls?
Try the Nocturne Falls Universe books. (http://kristenpainter.com/nocturne-falls-universe/)
New stories, new authors, same Nocturne Falls world!
Shadowvale series:
The Trouble with Witches
The Vampire’s Cursed Kiss
The Forgettable Miss French
Moody and the Beast
Sin City Collectors series:
Queen of Hearts
Dead Man’s Hand
Double or Nothing
Box set
Standalone Paranormal Romance:
Dark Kiss of the Reaper
Heart of Fire
Recipe for Magic
Miss Bramble and the Leviathan
COZY PARANORMAL MYSTERY
Jayne Frost series:
Miss Frost Solves a Cold Case – A Nocturne Falls Mystery
Miss Frost Ices the Imp – A Nocturne Falls Mystery
Miss Frost Saves the Sandman – A Nocturne Falls Mystery
Miss Frost Cracks a Caper – A Nocturne Falls Mystery
When Birdie Babysat Spider – A Jayne Frost short
Miss Frost Braves the Blizzard – A Nocturne Falls Mystery
Miss Frost Chills the Cheater – A Nocturne Falls Mystery
Miss Frost Says I Do – A Nocturne Falls Mystery
Happily Everlasting series:
Witchful Thinking
URBAN FANTASY
The House of Comarré series:
Forbidden Blood
Blood Rights
Flesh and Blood
Bad Blood
Out for Blood
Last Blood
The Crescent City series:
House of the Rising Sun
City of Eternal Night
Garden of Dreams and Desires
PARANORMAL WOMEN’S FICTION:
The First Fangs Club Series:
Sucks to Be Me
Suck It Up, Buttercup
Sucker Punch
Nothing is completed without an amazing team.
Many thanks to:
Design & derivative cover art: Janet Holmes using images under license from Shutterstock.com
Interior formatting: Author E.M.S
Editor: Joyce Lamb
Copyedits/proofs: Chris Kridler/Lisa Bateman