Reckoning (39 page)

Now, the battle was over and my life could begin.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE: THE BEGINNING

New Orleans had never looked so beautiful.

As we flew in just before dawn, I couldn’t stop the lump that grew in my throat.

“
Are you all right,” Eran called out next to me, sensing my swell of emotions.

I nodded, not trusting myself that I wouldn’t break in to tears if I spoke, struggling against them until we reached the back door to our house.

Inside, it actually felt like it was welcoming us. The rooms were as we’d left them, mine being the exception. Apparently, Ms. Barrett and her guards hadn’t bothered to put anything back in place when they went in search of the book of dossiers. But it really didn’t matter in the whole scheme of things.

My mother and father had followed us back and were given the spare bedroom next to Rufus. Felix made a quip about Rufus’s snoring rattling the walls which started a fight between the two. My parents took it in stride, proving they would fit in nicely here for as long as they chose to stay.

We’d left London a few days following the final battle, staying until the Alterums had dissolved their celebrations. And as they scattered back to the lives they’d left to join the fight, forever changed but retaining their wise confidence, the rest of us thought we should follow their lead.

A few days after our return, we all sat at the kitchen table in the small house we called home, Ms. Beedinwigg, Mr. Hamilton, and Alfred included. And we discussed what our future would hold, coming to the realization there were a few loose ends we needed to clear up and a day later I was headed back to the school where I was certain I was no longer accepted.

The Academy of the Immaculate Heart looked oddly the same. I wondered, with the Fallen Ones and Elsics gone and our lives free to be lived out as we wished, whether it might appear larger, or smaller. But no, the U-shaped brick building was still old; the ivy still draped over the face of it; and the grassy quad was still speckled with benches and shady, towering trees.

While the surface of it had remained unaltered, there
was
something new about the school.

It’s owner.

When Eran and I arrived, we did as we always had, on my beloved, rumbling Harley Davidson motorcycle. Directly behind us rolled in Ms. Beedinwigg’s Knight XV SUV. We parked next to each other and met at the head of the quad.

“
Ready?” Ms. Beedinwigg asked, directing her question at the only person who really mattered in this case, Mr. Hamilton.

It wasn’t imperative that Eran and I were here for what was about to go down, but we sure wanted to be.

School was already in session and from the looks of the parking lot, there were no absences. None but us. Of course, we probably were no longer considered truant. Eran and I were likely marked with “Suspended” on our records while Ms. Beedinwigg had been unceremoniously terminated, considering we hadn’t set foot here in several weeks and we’d left without so much as a note.

Still, we marched through the doors and entered the main hall, each with our own confident stride.

I’d never seen Mr. Hamilton on school grounds before but he was leading the way and doing a fine job. Clearly, he’d researched his latest investment and memorized the layout of the building because he knew the route to Mr. Warden’s office. In fact, he didn’t even pause in front of our principal’s office door before heading in.

The office was quiet so we caused a bit of a stir coming through unannounced.

Ms. Saggy Arms, or Mr. Warden’s secretary, stood immediately, a frown already on her stiff face before we’d even entered. It remained there when she spoke to us.

“
Do you have an appointment?” she demanded.

“
No,” replied Mr. Hamilton flatly, without bothering to address her with his attention. He was already heading around her desk, towards the warden’s door.

Touché for Mr. Hamilton.

She tried to stop him, block his path, but she was too slow and Mr. Hamilton was already at the door before she could get her legs freely around her chair.

Glaring, she watched the rest of us march by her as well. ‘

“
Mr. Warden…Mr. Warden!” she yelled in warning.

He was standing by the time Mr. Hamilton entered.

“
What is the meaning of this?” he barked. Then he caught sight of me and snarled, “Why am I not surprised?”

Without missing a beat, he then saw Ms. Beedinwigg and launched in to a tirade. “You have no right to be here. None of you do. You, Ms. Beedinwigg, have been fired.” He smiled maliciously when making this announcement and then continued on, sneering when using our names. “And you two, Eran and Maggie, are no longer students at this school. And you, sir, are trespassing.”

He reached down and picked up his cell phone.

“
I’m calling security. They’ll be escorting you off the premises shortly.” As he declared this with unwavering confidence, Mr. Hamilton withdrew an envelope from inside his jacket.

“
Before you make that phone call, you’ll want to see this…” suggested Mr. Hamilton. He wasn’t snide about it, coy, or snobbish. It was a matter-of-fact statement, one that must have broken through the warden’s self-absorbed importance because he took the envelope from Mr. Hamilton with a yank.

Opening the envelope, he pulled out the documents inside…and then we waited.

The office was so silent a fly buzzing in the corner sounded like a freight train.

The Warden’s face twitched as his eyes scanned the first page. It fell entirely on the third.

“
What…You can’t…” he stuttered. “No…”

“
Yes,” stated Mr. Hamilton. “I now own this school and I’ll be making a few changes today. The first is starting with you.”

By this point, we could hear that someone had answered on the other end. But, unbeknownst to Mr. Warden, the school’s security company which he was now calling had already been introduced to its new owner.

In fact, they were waiting for his call.

Still in shock, Mr. Warden didn’t fight Mr. Hamilton as the phone was taken from his hand.

Mr. Hamilton placed it to his ear and said, “Roy, you may come in now. Mr. Warden is prepared to be escorted from school grounds.”

At that, the warden’s jaw fell.

Ms. Saggy Arms was standing in the doorway, listening, but she made her presence known with a gasp.

Mr. Hamilton turned to her. “You’ll want to collect your personal items, too.”

The overbearing woman of a minute ago had swiftly turned frail, drained of her venom. Still, she managed to return to her desk and begin shuffling through her drawers.

“
But…she’s fired…” muttered the warden, pointing at Ms. Beedinwigg. “And…and those two are expelled.”

“
Not anymore,” replied Mr. Hamilton coolly. “Maggie and Eran will resume classes without a mark on their records and Ms. Beedinwigg…well, Ms. Beedinwigg? Would you like to try out the warden’s chair?”

The warden didn’t miss a beat, sucking in a harsh breath at the very hint that Ms. Beedinwigg would be commandeering his position. He exhaled it only after she replied, confirming the new arrangement.

“
I believe I’ll wait for the new office furniture to arrive.”

With that, the warden literally caved in. His shoulders hunched forward, nearly coming together. His head dipped down so that his chin rested on chest. There was no resistance whatsoever when Roy and his men came to escort the warden away.

Eran, who had been quietly watching all this from the back of the room, stepped forward to shake Mr. Hamilton’s hand.

With unquestionable sincerity, his English accent delivered the words the rest of us would soon follow with.

“
Thank you.”

“
You are welcome. But expect no easy path. I know Ms. Beedinwigg to be a hard teacher.”

I scoffed. That was the pinnacle of all understatements.

Ms. Beedinwigg followed with a reassurance to that statement. “Rest up. When you start again on Monday, two days from now, you won’t have much free time. Take advantage of it now.”

“
Two days…” I murmured. “What will we do with them?”

Eran looked down at me and with his glorious signature smirk said, “I have a few ideas in mind…”

He refused to tell me, insisting that I be patient, which for me was equivalent to telling water not to move. I did learn of it but first I had to endure Felix’s celebration dinner of salamander steak frites, pickled fruit tart, and blackened seaweed fresh from the Gulf as well as separate sleeping arrangements – making it clear that Ezra was back to her antagonizing maternal role. Of course, I vowed to test those limits she set but first I’d give her a break. She deserved it.

To Eran’s credit, he came up with another solution, a less antagonistic one. I just wasn’t aware of it until the next morning…

EPILOGUE

Before I even opened my eyes, I knew something was different. First, I heard an owl hooting and there were none of those in New Orleans proper. Second, the bed sheets enveloping me were made of silk. I didn’t own silk, at all. Third, a warm, muscular body was lying next to me, covering every inch of my back and legs.

“
Good morning, Mrs. Talor,” Eran charming accent whispered in my ear, tickling my skin with his soft breath.

I groaned and purposefully stretched so that I could more fluidly roll towards him. The silk drifted across my skin with the delicate touch of a cloud.

My eyes snapped open then. “I’m…I’m not wearing any clothes.”

Eran grinned mischievously. “You are a deep sleeper.”

I was. In fact, so much so that I was now undressed and lying in a different bed which was located somewhere outside the city limits of where I’d been the night before.

I sat up, pulling the sheets to my chest because I didn’t trust them to remain against my skin.

To our left was an expansive kitchen with bay windows overlooking a forest of towering pine trees and the latest model appliances. To our far right was a vast great room with windows that presented the evergreen forest beyond as if it were a painting. It was decorated with a high beam ceiling, a state-of-the-art entertainment system, plush leather couches and chairs, and bookcases that ran the length of one wall from floor to ceiling. Directly next to this room was a bathroom that, while had only a narrow door, boasted a stunning marble sink, enormous claw-footed bathtub, and what appeared to be a walk-in closet already filled with clothes.

None of this looked familiar.

“
Did we break in to someone’s home?” I asked, wide-eyed.

Eran tossed his head back and laughed vigorously, shaking the king-sized bed. “Take a closer look,” he suggested when he was able to draw a breath.

My eyes surveyed the room again realizing I hadn’t noticed the fireplace. It was one I recognized instantly. How could I not? It was nearly the only thing left from the night Eran and I first made love.

I inhaled quickly. “This…is our cabin.”

Eran was still grinning when he said, “Well, a portion of it anyways. I took out a wall here, a window there.”

“
But when? When did you have the time?”

He shrugged. “I didn’t. Before we even left for London, a crew came in and remodeled. One that Mr. Hamilton suggested. The same ones who turned their basement in to a training room.” He ducked his head coyly. “I’ve been planning this for a while.”

I could see that. In fact, I was speechless, which didn’t happen often.

“
The refrigerator is stocked, the boat is docked for fishing, and…well, we have two days to decide which we’ll tackle first.”

I bit my lip, trying to compose myself, a challenge considering the butterflies batting around in my stomach.

“
Of course,” Eran went on. “There’s always the other option…”

“
Which is?” I asked.

“
The one in which we stay right here, in this bed, leaving only when our bodies have exhausted themselves.”

The butterflies batted harder.

He smirked. “I think you like that one the best…”

I giggled. It was impossible to keep any feelings hidden from him.

He reached out and placed his hand against my face, cupping my cheek. “That was my choice too,” he whispered softly.

When he kissed me it was slow, patient, tender. He drew me in.

Then his lips parted and he said, “I love you, Magdalene.”

In response, my own lips lifted in a smile. “I love
you
, Eran.”

We drew breaths at the same time, our chests pressing against each other, our bodies warming with anticipation.

Then we spoke the words together. “For all eternity, my love.”

Which started right about then.

The End

Brief Biography

Laury Falter graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine University and a Master’s degree from Michigan State University. She lives with her husband and two stray dogs in Las Vegas. She has been secretly writing for most of her life and only released her first novel, Fallen, after the insistence of her sister, Babs.