Where Winter Finds You (Black Dagger Brotherhood #18)- J.R Ward Page 0,109

been waiting for the group’s attention, beneficent illumination emanated from the heavenly messenger’s body, the great, warm, healing light, enveloping them all. Then the angel started to laugh.

“Hot damn, it worked!” he said, clapping his hands and then boom!’ing his hips. “This is my first frickin’ miracle, and I rocked the shit out of it! High fives all around for me.” He smacked the air with his palms over his head. “I mean, I wasn’t sure whether it was going to work. After Selena died, I delivered her soul to those nice people’s house in Michigan. I left her on the doorstep in a bassinet—I mean, come on, who doesn’t love a young in a basket on the doorstep at Christmas!” He swooned as if he was admiring a piece of art. “And then, after some difficulty—because, come on, even in my world, there was to be a little balance—everything works out! It’s perfect! I mean, seriously—I impressed even myself.”

Walking over to Trez, he put his palm out, and Trez slowly raised his own. The angel made the clap happen, and then he very gingerly did the same with Therese.

“High fives,” he whispered to her.

Then he stepped back. “Now. I gotta go ’cuz Home Alone is about to start. It’s a marathon for eight hours, but if you miss the pizza scene in the beginning you really can’t get Kevin’s motivation right. Plus, hello, Fuller’s a bed-wetter, so you get why Kevin has to go to the attic—”

The angel stopped and looked around at all the dumbfounded faces.

“Are you guys keeping up here?” When there was no collective response, he pshaw’d them all. “S’okay, I know you’re in awe of my greatness. I get it. Happens all the time. Anyway, you guys talk amongst yourselves, but she’s going to be fine and he’s going to be fine, and Merry fucking Christmas. Just call me Lassi-claus!” Turning away, he made like he was going to walk through the wall to disappear, but then he turned back and lifted his forefinger. “Yeeeeeeah, so one thing. I’m afraid we’re going to have to forget about this little behind-the-scenes revelation just now, m’kay? The rules say I have to tidy up after myself, so none of you can technically know about the particulars. I’ll just stipulate that you’re so grateful, you can’t contain yourself, and listen—if you feel the need to buy me really expensive gifts for under the tree? Don’t fight it. I like animal prints, the color pink—I’m a forty-four long in pants and you can forget shirts ’cuz I work out.”

Abruptly, he grew serious as he looked at Trez and Therese. Then he smiled, wistfully. “I’m a sucker for true love, what can I say. I only wish I could fix everyone’s problems like this.”

With a fetching wink and sashay, he abruptly disapp—

EPILOGUE

New Year’s Eve, Two Weeks Later

Upstairs, in the little Cape Cod house, Therese stepped out of the shower—and stopped. On the counter, by the toothpaste she shared with Trez, there was a small wrapped gift. It was nothing big in terms of size—which mean it had to be jewelry.

She immediately looked to the open doorway. “I thought we agreed,” she called out. “No presents!”

When she didn’t get an answer, she rolled her eyes and smiled. Wrapping a towel around herself, she picked up the little box with its bow. There was a tag on it that read, “Open Me Now.”

Laughing, she held the present to her heart. Took a deep breath. And counted her blessings.

After the fire at the rooming house, thanks to Trez’s blood and the Brotherhood’s excellent medical care, she had bounced back to health within a week. Which, even being fully fed by her mate, and having a vampire’s incredible healing capabilities, had been faster than anyone could have expected, given the seriousness of her injuries.

They’d been so extensive. And the recovery had been very painful.

Also, if it wasn’t for the fact that vampires healed without scars as long as they weren’t exposed to salt, she would have been permanently disfigured.

So, yes, it was the longest seven days of her life, and she was still going to physical therapy, but dear God, it could have been so much worse.

And Trez, along with her father and her brother—and her mahmen in spirit from her own hospital stay—had been there the whole time. Or rather Rosen and Gareth had gone back and forth between the two clinics, ferried by Fritz, the Perfect Butler, as she had taken to