Read kate storm 04 - witches dont back down Online
Authors: meredith allen conner
kate storm 04 - witches dont back down (25 page)
Al's tiny body shuddered.
Oh shit.
We weren't all safe.
"Al." I pressed my lips onto the top of his head. "I'm so sorry."
I knew words wouldn't help, but they were all I had.
"Hell and damnation!" Lucifer yelled. He lifted my aunt into his arms and moved to the other side of Ash.
I didn't need to ask what startled him. I could see it.
Nina Georgette's body was moving.
We all gasped. Could it be possible? She'd died well before Morgause. Could she come back after such a length of time?
The more I watched. The more it seemed impossible.
Nina wasn't starting to breathe and stretch her arms and legs. Her body was contorting.
Jerking and lurching and seeming to fold into itself.
Al made a harsh sound and I put my hand over his bulging eyes.
If this was how a nymph fully passed, he didn't need to see it.
Seconds later, we all gasped again.
Nina's clothes lay on the floor. In a tiny lump.
The lump started to move. Lifting up. And appearing to stretch.
Al scrabbled frantically at my fingers, the moment I moved them, he leapt to the ground and raced over to the bundle of clothes.
He gripped the shirt in his teeth and yanked.
I was afraid Nina's death and body vanishing act might have finally pushed him over the edge when I saw white curls.
I had the slightly disgusting thought Nina had taken everything but her hair with her and then the white curls moved.
Sweet Spirits. What was this?
Al growled and yipped and wiggled and then moved to the side. Sitting next to Al, blinking sleepy violet eyes was a white-blonde, curly haired Chihuahua.
34. Happily-Ever-After
We all ended up back at
Got Fangs?.
Except for my aunt and Lucifer.
She claimed she was exhausted. The look in Lucifer's eyes claimed something else.
I called Désirée Norma-Sue and Phil on the way. They had a table saved by the time we arrived.
We had a lot to celebrate. 1) Morgan was able to extract her revenge and lose the last of the shadows in her eyes. 2) Al had his very own love interest. And she was both furry and canine.
Although Nina thought she was a French Poodle instead of a Chihuahua.
Al said she was beautiful no matter what.
I didn't say anything and I elbowed Ash when he tried to. If Nina thought she was a French Poodle and both she and Al were happy I wasn't going to argue.
And I wasn't going to let anyone else argue either.
3) Ash was free of hell. Turns out he actually did hold to his promise to bring me to Morgause when we showed up at Love Required
.
He may not have known he was doing so and would have cut off his own arm and suffered a thousand deaths over and over again rather than subject me to what took place–his words, not mine–but technically he held true to his word. Black magic and blood oaths don't look at the nuances.
4) I hadn't lost my magic. The nothing I'd felt when I'd tried to search my business for traps hadn't been the result of my magic deserting me. It was part and parcel of Morgause. Her emptiness had grown so vast it extended to the area around her. She'd moved around in a total dead zone.
5) I survived. That still shocked me. I wouldn't have believed it if someone had told me yesterday, but I had managed to survive. And the curse was broken. It died with Morgause. My Aunt Tabitha and I were free to fall in love and stay in love. And as a total added bonus, I was no longer mortal.
Actually both my aunt and I were now immortal.
Our mortality was part of the curse. When Morgause had died and the curse was broken, we’d lost our mortality and gained immortality.
I was now a member of the HC.
No longer cursed, immortal, or a half-breed.
I wasn't sure how I felt about it.
I'd spent so long on the outside, I wasn't sure I wanted to be on the inside. Although since I was still a half-breed, part witch and part human, I wasn't one hundred percent part of the in group.
I was definitely good with that.
I was good with the whole me.
My less had become a lot more. A whole lot more.
Enough so I barely protested when Morgan dragged me up for karaoke.
Apparently, she'd told Lolly to save our spot in line when we'd left earlier.
I actually thought our version of "The Monster Mash" was pretty good. And if anyone wanted to say anything about my jello lumps, well, I have a pretty amazing UDBF and a fabulous redneck secretary and my aunt has plenty of tomatoes.
"Want to dance?" Ash whispered in my ear.
I smiled up at him. My very own soon-to-be ex Demon King and motorcycle repair man.
"Hey, Chicky!"
Ash and I paused next to Morgan.
"Look over there!"
I squinted in the direction Morgan pointed at. The dim lighting in
Got Fangs?
made it hard to see far. I might be immortal, but my senses were still those of a half-breed.
The crowd parted and I saw . . . No. It couldn't be.
"But I thought he died!" I waved hello over the crowded bar.
A decaying hand waved back.
Morgan picked up her martini glass and tilted it in toast. "So did I. Zombies." She laughed. "Who knew?"
"Sugah, do you mind if I come in late tomorrow?" Désirée Norma-Sue drawled. "I was hoping to sleep in with my Honey Bear." She leaned into Phil, her head nestled on his chest.
I smiled at her. "I think we should both take the full weekend off, Désirée."
Désirée ordered another round as Ash and I walked onto the dance floor.
Ash wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in close. He hadn't stopped touching me since I'd come back from the dead.
He leaned down and touched his forehead to mine. "I love you, Kate."
I moved my hand to his sin, tangling my fingers in the lines that responded only to me. Our special magic. I caressed his shoulder, then pressed my hand over the scars on his cheek. I stared up into his molten amber eyes.
"I love you, too."
Orange sparkles floated next to us. I turned to catch a glimpse of the lucky couple and realized the sparkles weren't next to us. They were trailing us. Every where we moved.
The fairy glitter of our own True Love.
I pressed my head into Ash's chest.
I had my Happily-Ever-After.
****
"
The alpha Chihuahua is easily recognized by his bold markings."
I recognized that voice. Deep and husky with a sexy undertone.
"These markings, along with body posture and dominance, set the alpha Chihuahua apart."
I started to lift Ash's arm. I was still groggy. A lot of hot love-making and very little sleep fogged my mind.
He pulled me back into the warmth of his chest. "What are you doing?"
"I think Al left the TV on." I yawned. "I was going to turn it off."
"Chihuahuas can bring down any animal."
I frowned. Was that a giggle?
Ash rolled me under him. "It's not the TV." He kissed my neck.
"It's not?" I tilted my head, giving him better access. My interest in turning off the TV was starting to wane.
"No. It's Al getting in touch with his animal side."
This time the giggle was very loud.
Oh. Sweet. Spirits.
"I don't think I can listen to this." I moaned.
Maybe I could cast a spell?
"Don't worry, Kate. I'll distract you." Ash licked my neck.
Scarlet tipped blue flames sprung to life over his shoulders.
Ash kissed me hard. "Cast a spell, Kate."
I cast my spell.
The End.
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Table of Contents
4. Redneck Secretaries and a Nemesis.
11. Demons, Chihuahuas and Motorcycles.
17. Self-Defense Tactics and Break-Ins.
23. The Things We Do For Those We Love.
