“Pretty much.”
“That is depressing.”
“Very depressing,” I agreed.
Galen picked that moment to sidle over and join us. He looked relaxed — we’d both slept for ten hours, not climbing out of bed until Wesley woke us to say he was taking May to his ranch for the weekend. He looked embarrassed to interrupt us, but promised he and May would come up with a schedule that allowed Galen and me privacy at the lighthouse. I was so relieved that I didn’t even admonish him for waking us ... even when he gave Galen a dirty look because he was in my bed.
“Hello, ladies,” he drawled, slinging an arm around my shoulders as he regarded us. “Is everything okay here?”
“Everything is fine,” Lilac replied hurriedly. “We were just talking. Have you managed to capture all of Taurus’s followers?”
“Not yet. I believe there’s still a handful missing. I’m guessing they won’t put up much of a fight when we find them, though. I’m also willing to place a rather large bet that they claim he forced them to follow his teachings.”
“How will you handle that?” I asked.
“I’m not sure yet. I’ll have to talk to the prosecutor. I refuse to let them off without any form of punishment — they did try to kill us, after all — but I’m not exactly eager to ruin their lives. I think they’ve all probably paid a heavy price for their involvement with Barry.”
“That’s good.” I rested my head against his shoulder. “So ... that’s basically it. What happens now that we don’t have a reaper?”
“Cormack says that they’re sending one to serve on an interim basis. Apparently the post is so sought after there’s a lot of in-fighting going on. It’s not entirely settled yet.”
“We do live in paradise.”
“Yeah.” His smile was flirty. “Paradise is definitely the word I would use.”
“Ugh. You guys are schmaltzy and gross.” Lilac made a face as she grabbed her tray. “I’m going to see about drinks. I’ll catch you guys later.”
I watched her go, worry briefly bubbling up. When I realized Galen was watching me, I forced a smile. “What?”
“She’s fine. There’s no need to be upset. In a few days, it will be like nothing happened.”
That’s exactly what worried me, but I kept it to myself. It was a concern for another time. “So ... it’s back to being quiet again. That’s exactly how I like it.”
“Not exactly,” he hedged. “Aisling and Griffin are still here for a few days.”
“Yes, but they’re gooey and in love. They’ll spend most of their time together.”
“She insists we take her to the cemetery tonight. She wants to see the zombies.”
It had been almost two weeks since I’d taken a moment to visit them, my brief sojourn with Aisling notwithstanding. When I first found out, I visited every night. It was strange, but now the zombies seemed like old news. I didn’t know how to explain it. “Well, we can take them for a brief visit.”
“You don’t want to stay?”
“No. That’s the past, and there’s nothing I can do about it. I want to look forward to the future.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
I beamed as I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “I thought you might like that.”
“Have I told you the things I see in our future?”
“No, but I bet they’re dirty.”
“Oh, you have no idea.”
Maybe, but I was looking forward to finding out.
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About the Author
I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read my novels. I have a particular brand of humor that isn’t for everyone – and I know that.
If you liked the book, please take a few minutes and leave a review. An independent author does it all on their own, and the reviews are helpful. I understand that my characters aren’t for everyone, though. There’s a lot of snark and sarcasm in my world – and I know some people don’t like that.
Special thanks go out to Heidi Bitsoli and Phil VanHulle for correcting the (numerous) errors that creep into a work of fiction.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
For more information:
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Books by Amanda M. Lee
An Avery Shaw Mystery
Who, What, Where, When, Die
If it Bleeds, it Leads
Buried Leads
Shot Off The Presses
The Preditorial Page
Misquoted & Demoted
Headlines & Deadlines
Misprints & Mistakes
Bylines & Skylines
Off the Record
Unwritten & Underwater
Extra! Extra! Dead All About It
On Deadline & Under Fire
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery
Any Witch Way You Can
Every Witch Way But Wicked
Witching You Were Here
Witching on a Star
Something to Witch About
Witch Me Luck
Life’s a Witch
Charms & Witchdemeanors
The Trouble With Witches
Murder Most Witchy
A Witch Before Dying
A Breath of Witchy Air
Witch, Interrupted
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short
Careful What You Witch For
Wicked Brew
On a Witch and a Prayer
You Only Witch Once
The Christmas Witch
Bewitched
A Solstice Celebration
Witchdependence Day
Happy Witchgiving
Merry Witchmas
Four-Leaf Clover
Thistle While You Work
Landon Calling
I Dream of Twila
How Aunt Tillie Stole Christmas
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Fantasy
Witchy Tales
A Witch In Time
Make A Witch
A Witchmas Carol
All My Witches
Close Encounters of the Witchy Kind
An Aisling Grimlock Mystery
Grim Tidings
Grim Offerings
Grim Discovery
Grim Reunion
Grim Expectations
Grim Holiday
Grim Rising
Grim Tempest
Grim Vows
Grimlock Family Shorts
Grim Like Me
Grim & The City
Now & Grim
Grim & Bear It
Grim & The Dead
Death Gate Grim Reapers
Only the Lonely
A Mystic Caravan Mystery
Freaky Days
Freaky Lies
Freaky Hearts
Freaky Games
Freaky Places
Freaky Rites
A Charlie Rhodes Cozy Mystery
The Bigfoot Blunder
The Chupacabra Catastrophe
The Werewolf Whoops
The Megalodon Mix-Up
A Moonstone Bay Cozy Mystery
Witchin’ USA
Witch Out of Water
A Spell’s Angels Cozy Mystery
Bad to the Crone
Covenant College
Awakening
Whispering
Conjuring
Waxing & Waning
Graduating
Living Covenant Trilogy
Rising Covenant
D
ark Covenant
Eternal Covenant
Dying Covenant Trilogy
Haunted Covenant
Desperate Covenant
Everlasting Covenant
2019 Shorts
Wolf on the Job
Elemental Witches of Eternal Springs
Bat Out Of Spell
Spell on Earth
Hotter Than Spell
Spell or High Water