But I was good. I was fine. I was better than fine. I was here.
I kissed him. I planned to keep on kissing him until someone made me stop. He kissed me back the same way.
Someone cleared their throat. I ignored it until they did it again. We parted. From the corner of my eye I could see Bobby and Raye parting too.
“Don’t ever do that again,” Owen said.
“No problem.”
“I’ve called in help.” Franklin shoved his cell phone into his pocket then gazed at the wolves still gathered around what had once been a police chief. “The rest of you should clear out. I’ll wait for the cleanup crew.”
“Cleanup crew?” I repeated.
“The Jäger-Suchers have a whole division to make stuff like this go away,” Cassandra said.
“What about Owen’s mom?” Franklin asked.
“What about my mom?”
Everyone exchanged glances.
“He doesn’t know?” I asked.
“Know?” Owen echoed.
I tightened my fingers around his. “Come with me.”
Mary lay where she’d fallen, at the edge of the trees, the long, mossy grass all around. Considering what had been going on near the cliff, I understood why Owen hadn’t seen her.
“I’m sorry.”
He picked up the butcher knife that lay a few feet away from her outstretched hand.
“I think she was trying to save me. She was definitely trying to kill Deb.”
Owen went to his knees and took her hand. “She never meant to kill a witch. She was after the witch hunters.”
“I think so.”
“She was on our side.”
Our side. His. Mine. Us.
“Yes.”
“Maybe she’s finally at peace.”
I hadn’t seen her in that gloomy room. I’d like to believe she’d already gone into the light. Why wouldn’t she? If Henry hadn’t been there waiting for me, I would have.
“Raye?”
My sister, who had been whispering sweet nothings to her fiancé, looked up.
I indicated Mary. “Is she … around?”
Raye’s gaze swept the clearing, then she shook her head. Owen’s shoulders sagged, and I set my hand on one of them.
“Owen?” Franklin was there. “What do you want me to do about your mom?”
“What are my choices?”
“I could have her taken elsewhere and found, then you could move on from there with a service and burial.”
“Or?”
“She could disappear.”
Owen remained silent another moment, then he patted his mother’s arm and stood. “Make her disappear.”
“You’re sure?” I asked. “What if you want a place to visit?”
“She wouldn’t be there any more than she was here my whole life.” He lifted a hand. “I know she couldn’t help it. She was sick. But it’ll be easier all around if she’s just … gone.”
“Got it.” Franklin returned to the others, who waited near Bobby’s car.
There was one more person here than there should be—a man all in black, with his hand on the head of the sleek dark wolf.
I could see Henry.
I hurried over, Owen in my wake, just in time to hear Henry demand, “What did you do?”
“I summoned you,” Raye said. “But Becca came too. She healed herself. All’s well.”
“Not exactly. Show me what you did.”
Raye led him to the candles, spread her hands.
“What about the sage?” he asked.
Leaning down, Raye picked up the green stick that lay in the center of the star.
“You didn’t light it.”
Raye stilled. “Shit.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Burning the sage keeps evil spirits from getting out too,” Henry answered.
I remembered Henry with his hands around Roland’s neck, my hand around Henry’s arm.
And Roland’s smile.
“Where is Roland?” I asked.
“Wait a second.” Raye glanced back and forth between Henry and me. “You can hear him?”
“See him too. Must have been when I was you and you were me and—” I flapped my hand. “More importantly, Roland. Where?”
Henry shook his head. “Haven’t got a clue.”
“How?” Raye asked. “He needed worthy believers.”
“He had them,” I said. “They chanted, skyclad, beneath the moon, which was freakishly up in the daylight.”
“He didn’t get out the last time.”
“Last time there wasn’t a sacrifice. You didn’t die. I did.”
“Are you sure he’s out?” Raye asked.
From the direction of Three Harbors a siren wailed. Pru began to howl. We went to the edge of the cliff and peered west. There was one helluva fire in town.
Henry, Raye, and I exchanged glances.
“He’s out,” I said.
Epilogue
Edward’s minions made it look like my clinic went up in flames because of a gas leak. The man has amazing minions. They came, they saw, they explained away every damn thing.
We arrived in time to see that the fire had been started from a pile of wood around a single wooden stake. A pyre built just the way the Venatores Mali liked them.