Page 162 of Kick the Candle (Knight Games 2)
She nodded.
"I ask that the Book of Flesh and Bone be bound here forever, unable to be reached by anyone who might use it for evil."
Soleil nodded her head and then clapped her hands in front of her chest. A ripple coursed out from those joined palms, passing through me and echoing off the walls before plowing back into her like a strong wind.
"It is done. Be forewarned, the results will only last for my lifetime."
"Would it be rude for me to ask how long your kind typically live?"
"A few thousand years."
"And you are..."
"A few months from my nine hundredth birthday."
I smiled. "Good enough."
Digging through my bags, I pulled out a small package I'd wrapped for the occasion and presented it to her. "It's a few days early but Merry Christmas."
"You shouldn't have." Her actions didn't match her words as she ripped into the plaid paper.
She laughed when she saw what was inside. "Sunglasses?"
"I thought they might be a cool accessory for you to wear when you're a bridesmaid at my wedding?" I raised an eyebrow in question.
She gasped, then reached forward and drew me into a hug. "You do have everything you want."
I nodded.
"And yes, I would be happy to be your attendant. Rick must be so happy."
Lifting my packages, I smiled and moved for the door. "You know, I think he is."
avor
I woke in the circle of Rick's arms to a loud buzz that I assumed was his alarm. It wasn't. He was snoring. Snoring! I decided to enjoy it while it lasted. It might be the last time I ever got to see him sleep. With a contortion of my body that would put a ninja to shame, I disentangled myself from his limbs and climbed out of bed. I dressed quietly, retrieving Nightshade from the bathroom. Still, I was surprised to find him asleep when I returned. He didn't even flinch when I kissed him goodbye on the cheek.
I left a note on the counter and left for home. Shit. Could I still call it my home? As I walked up my driveway, dead nekomata stained the snow to my left and right, signs of Rick's bloody battle apparent all around me. A gaping hole had replaced my front door. What did I expect? Kai, or the nightmare controlling his body, and Naill were certainly not going to close up shop before they kidnapped me. I trudged over the mound of snow that had collected on my threshold, and had a second to consider what the wet stuff was doing to my hardwood floors. My phone, still parked in its charger next to the stove, began to ring. U2's Mysterious Ways and Dad's picture blasted at me from the screen. I stepped over the bodies piled at the bottom of the stairs, grimaced at Seraphina's half shifted form at the base of my kitchen island, and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Grateful! Finally. Are you still avoiding my calls? I know you're angry but-" Dad's voice sounded raw and gritty, like maybe he was getting sick.
"No. Just needed a good night's sleep and turned the ringer off. Listen Dad, I'm sorry I was so hard on you before. I was just disappointed about losing the house."
"Grateful, something terrible has happened."
The sound of a footstep in my foyer brought my attention to the hole in my wall. Silas Flynn, dressed in a brown suit and tie, stepped over one of the bodies and met my eyes.
I nodded my hello.
He gestured toward my driveway and two monstrous men came inside. They had broad foreheads and biceps the size of tree trunks. Although they looked human, something inside me was hiccupping 'ogre.' One smiled a mouthful of razor sharp teeth in my direction. Yep, ogres.
"A Detective Silas Flynn called me this morning," my father said, voice breaking. I placed a hand over my mouth. Dad was crying. "Seraphina and her uncle Kai were killed in a car accident last night. She had my information in her purse..." His voice trailed off.
"I'm so sorry," I said. For more than I could safely say.
"How could this happen, Grateful? One day here, the next day gone. Life is... fleeting. She was... I didn't love her, but I could have. We had something."
