“I’ll try.” Lily really had no great motivation to stop the cat from peeing on the gnomes. Maybe her familiar sensed how annoying she found the little statues. What a good little kitty cat. Lily pointed toward the closed door. “She’s in there.”
Polly went to the door. “Pickle, I’m coming in.”
If she wasn’t mistaken, it sounded like a dresser was being slid in front of the door as a blockade.
Polly knocked. “Open the door, pickle.”
“Polly, I need you to make sure her vessel door thing stays closed,” Lily instructed. “We’re counting on you.”
Polly nodded. “As easy as canning a cucumber. I’m on it.”
Lily felt more than saw Nolan behind her. She didn’t say anything as she walked into his bedroom and waited by the window. Dante was lying in the yard surrounded by gnomes, who were also tipped over onto their backs. She could see her brother talking though no other person was around. She really hoped that the knocker’s aura-contamination-whatever didn’t last too long, so she could have her snarky brother back.
Hearing Nolan come in, she moved to sit on the bed. Their eyes met, and she knew in that moment everything she needed to. It was the same way she knew Mara just needed a little time, family love, a couple of binding potions... and maybe some therapy. In all honesty, it was better to keep her newly found sister where she could see her. It’s not like Lily could send her back out to the mining camp to get turned into a ghost hotel again.
“Tell me,” she said to Nolan now they were alone. “Tell me and I’ll believe you.”
“The council asked me to write up the citations before you came. They also asked me to help nudge you out of town. I said yes.” Nolan’s eyes turned toward the floor. “It was before you arrived. I thought Goodes coming to Lucky Valley was a bad thing. I—”
“Pickle, I will break down this door,” Polly warned.
Nolan again tried to speak and was cut off. “I—”
“Open up and take your medicine like a good girl,” Polly ordered.
“One second.” Lily lifted her hand and gently tried to close Nolan’s door using magic. The wood slammed hard, and the frame cracked. She jumped in surprise. “Oops.”
“A little less next time, dear,” Polly yelled, “but good effort.”
“I can fix that,” Nolan said.
“You were saying.” Lily gestured that he should continue.
I thought it was my duty to do what the council asked of me. But then I met you, and in that first moment, everything changed. I wanted you to stay. I wanted—”
“You wanted what?” She stood, needing him to finish what he was saying.
“I wanted you, Lily. From the first moment I saw you laugh in the lawyer’s office at one of your brother’s jokes. The sound filled me, and I honestly thought you were casting a spell.”
“I didn’t have my powers then.” She took a step toward him.
“I know that now.” His eyes again lifted, the soulful dark gaze drawing her in as it always did.
“And I now know that it was Mara trying to scare us, not you. I know you don’t like her, but she’s my sister. She needs her family. She needs to be around someone who understands what it was like to have a mother like we had.”
“It’s not that I don’t like her. I just sensed her intentions weren’t completely honorable when we met her.” Nolan closed some of the distance between them. “Call it my werewolf sixth sense.”
“As annoying as it is, I also kind of like you trying to protect me.” She closed the distance between them. “I always want there to be complete honesty between us, so I have a confession.”
“What?” He looked worried.
“I wasn’t sad to see wolf-Nolan tear up that teal couch. It was ugly.” Lily pressed her lips together and tried not to laugh.
“I’d planned on giving you a citation for too many garden gnomes,” he answered. “I’m pretty sure you can’t have a gnomery in city limits without a special permit.”
“You can try but Polly will only invite more out of defiance.” Lily felt joy erupting through her very being. She knew in that instant she had finally found a home. “When you move in here permanently, that couch is not coming with you.”
“What do you mean, when I move in?” He lifted a hand to touch her cheek.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you an important part of my plan.” She batted her lashes at him.
“What part is that?” He glanced at her mouth, leaning ever so slightly forward.
“The part where I say I love you, and I want you to move in here with me and my crazy family, and we get Jesse to come help open a bed and breakfast named after chubby statues.” Lily lifted up on her toes so her lips brushed his.
“I didn’t hear anything past ‘I love you,’” he whispered. “I love you, too, Lily.”
Their lips met, and she felt her powers swirling around them, encasing them with love and protection. Nolan lifted her off the floor and carried her toward the bed. As he gently laid her down, she knew that this was everything she could ever want. Forever.
The End
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Want more of the lovable Polly?
She appeared in these Happily Everlasting Series Books:
Fooled Around and Spelled in Love
by Michelle M. Pillow
Curses and Cupcakes
by Michelle M. Pillow
Once Hunted, Twice Shy
by Mandy M. Roth
Total Eclipse of The Hunt
by Mandy M. Roth
Magick, Mischief, & Kilts!
If you enjoyed this book by Michelle M. Pillow, check out the magically mischievous, modern-day Scottish, paranormal romance series:
Warlocks MacGregor
Love Potions
Spellbound
Stirring Up Trouble
Cauldrons and Confession
Spirits and Spells
More Coming Soon
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Michelle loves to travel and try new things, whether it's a paranormal investigation of an old Vaudeville Theatre or climbing Mayan temples in Belize. She's addicted to movies and used to drive her mother crazy while quoting random scenes with her brother. Though it has yet to happen, her dream is to be a zombie in a horror movie. For the most part she can be found writing in her office with a cup of coffee while wearing pajama pants.
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Better Haunts and Garden Gnomes
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Fooled Around and Spelled in Love
A Happily Everlasting Series Novel
Welcome to Everlasting, Maine, where there’s no such thing as normal.
Anna Crawford is well aware her town is filled with supernaturals, but she isn’t exactly willing to embrace her paranormal gifts. Her aunt says she’s a witch-in-denial. All Anna wants is to live a quiet “normal” life and run her business, Witch’s Brew Coffee Shop and Bakery. But everything is about to be turned upside down the moment Jackson Argent walks into her life.
Jackson isn’t sure why he agreed to come back to his boyhood home of Everlasting. It’s like a spell was cast and he couldn�
�t say no. Covering the Cranberry Festival isn’t exactly the hard-hitting news this reporter is used to. But when a local death is ruled an accident, and the police aren’t interested in investigating, he takes it upon himself to get to the bottom of the mystery. To do that, he’ll need to enlist the help of the beautiful coffee shop owner.
It soon becomes apparent things are not what they seem and more than coffee is brewing in Everlasting.
Fooled Around and Spelled in Love
by Michelle M. Pillow
Curses and Cupcakes
A Happily Everlasting Series Novel
Welcome to Everlasting, Maine, where there’s no such thing as normal.
Marcy Lewis is cursed (honestly and truly) which makes dating very interesting. With a string of loser boyfriends behind her, she's done looking for love in all the wrong places. That is until the new firefighter arrives in the sleepy seaside town of Everlasting. Nicholas Logan is unlike any other man she's ever had in her life. When someone starts sending her photographs that raise a red flag it soon becomes apparent that she's not just cursed, she's in serious danger.
Nicholas doesn't know what to make of the charismatic young woman managing the local coffee shop. As a string of mysterious fires begin popping up around town, the two unite in search of clues as to who or what is responsible, discovering along the way that things are very rarely what they seem to be.
Curses and Cupcakes
by Michelle M. Pillow
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Love Potions
Spellbound
Stirring Up Trouble
Cauldrons and Confession
Spirits and Spells
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Perfect Prince
Dark Prince
Warrior Prince
His Highness The Duke
The Stubborn Lord
The Reluctant Lord
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To learn more about the Dragon Lords World series of books and to stay up to date on the latest book list visit www.MichellePillow.com