by H. M. Gooden
Vanessa was shaking her head, still in awe of the events that had unfolded.
"Now what? Do we just go home?" said Jake, asking a question for the first time, startling the girls who'd almost forgotten he was there and making Robin grin.
"A question from the gentleman! Excellent and to the point. I like you." Robin nodded approvingly. "Yes. Now you go home. I shall open the door back to Valleyview and you will go about your lives until the next time you are called."
Mai looked at him, doubt shining in her eyes. "The next time? When's that going to be?"
Robin smiled and his eyes twinkled with mischief. "The next time is the next time. Do not worry, you will not miss it."
And with that final, typically cryptic sentence, Robin gave Evelyn a quick, intense kiss and vanished, leaving the doorway open to the tree in Valleyview.
The girls hugged fiercely before they left. Vanessa promised she'd text when they got to their parent's house and then back to San Francisco safely, while Cat and Evelyn promised them the same. Zahara couldn't help crying, as she wouldn't see anyone for who knew how long, but brightened when Vanessa pointed out she literally had backyard access to the States and could probably visit on weekends if she really wanted to.
After their goodbyes were said, Vanessa, Mai and Jake walked back through the grandfather tree. Cat watched as they rapidly became small then disappeared completely from sight. She turned to look her remaining friends. Zahara still looked devastated, although she was trying to compose herself, but Evelyn was calm.
"Are you ready? Our plane leaves in the morning and we should make sure we're back in time."
Cat nodded, then followed Evelyn and Zahara out of the fairy glade into the real world garden. So much had happened, she wasn't sure how long it would take to process it. Poor Zahara looked awful. She'd likely never thought a simple job would take so much of her soul, but give her so much back in return. Luckily, they hadn't been gone more than a few hours when they returned to the Khan's house. While they didn't have enough time to sleep, they had plenty of time to say goodbye before driving to the airport. Once again, tears were spilled and promises exchanged, then Cat and Evelyn waved one last time as they passed through security to the lonely, solitary figure of Zahara.
WHILE WAITING TO BOARD, Cat mentally reviewed the trip. Several weeks of reading and learning more about magic and the other world around them, strong friendships and alliances built, at least one force of darkness finished off, along with a multitude of lesser dark beings. Pretty productive, if she did say so herself. Then if you added in that she had a friend who'd turned out to be an African goddess, well, it was a trip that would stay with her forever.
No wonder people said that travel broadens your horizons.
Cat smiled at the window before looking over at Evelyn. It was still weird, knowing she wasn't exactly human. Cat felt almost like she wasn't important enough to be Evelyn's friend anymore, but was embarrassed and didn't know how to explain her sense of discomfort, even to herself. Evelyn caught her staring, then watched as Cat's usual brilliant red blush began to climb up her neck.
"Sorry," Cat mumbled, hating how awkward she felt around a girl who'd been her best friend the week before.
Evelyn sighed, looking at her intently for a moment before speaking.
"I'm the same person I was before all this. I just know more about myself now, that's all."
"I know, I know. It's just an...adjustment. It's like, one minute we're superhero buds and now you're some ancient, powerful goddess. It's possible I'm in awe. A little, anyway."
Cat screwed up her face, wrinkling her nose in self-deprecation, which made Evelyn burst out laughing. And just like that, Cat relaxed. Everything was okay again. Evelyn saw the change go through her friend and her shoulders relaxed.
"Friends?" she asked, slightly pleadingly.
And Cat saw that it really was her, just Evelyn, her buddy, and knew it was important to her that Cat would still be her friend, even with all the changes. Cat nodded.
"Friends forever."
ALSO BY H. M. GOODEN
The Rise of the Light Series
Dream of Darkness, Book 1
The Stone Dragon, Book 2
The Phoenix and the Witch, Book 3
Dragons are forever, Book 4 (prequel to a spin-off series, expected 2019)
The Raven and The Witch Hunter, Book 5
Zahara's Quest, Book 6, coming 2019
Evolution of Evelyn, Book 7, coming 2019
The Cradle of Dreams, Book 8, coming 2019
THE RAVEN AND THE WITCH Hunter series
The Raven and The Witch Hunter
The Raven and The Witch Hunter: Volume 2 The Spirit of Big Bear
The Raven and The Witch Hunter: Volume 3 The Wedding
The Raven and The Witch Hunter: Volume 4 Honeymoon and Full Moon Blues, coming December 2018
SHORT STORIES IN THE Rise of the light series
Mai’s first date
Fiona’s gift
PUBLISHED IN ANTHOLOGIES
Sweet Candy Delights- Cat's Halloween surprise, Love at first Fight
A Hauntingly Romantic Winter- A Winters Tale
WATCH FOR MORE NEWS on upcoming adventures on H. M. Gooden's site, https://www.hmgoodenauthor.com, or any of her other social media sites.
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
2018 by H. M. Gooden
Cover design by AM Designs
Edits by Simon Rose @ simon-rose.com
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, business establishments, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any forms or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior express written permission of the publisher and the copyright owner except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be resold. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic or paper editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of author's rights is much appreciated. Published in Canada by H. M. Gooden.
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Did you love The Phoenix and the Witch? Then you should read Dragons are Forever by H. M. Gooden!
Mai has everything. Friends, a job, and a loving man in her life. But just when she thinks she has it all, Jake pops the question.
Suddenly, everything changes.
The minute Jake declares his undying love, their journey begins. Swept up in a sea of adventure, Mai will travel to Norway to meet the most dreaded of all creatures-
The Inlaws.
Along the way, Mai and Jake will battle all manner of supernatural creatures to get to the altar, only to find out that this is just th
e beginning.
Life as they know it will never be the same.
Read more at H. M. Gooden’s site.
About the Author
H. M. Gooden has always loved the world of books, but over the last few years a new story has begged to be told, and as a result, this series was born.
In between dealing with children and work, the majority of the actual writing happens between four and six am and involves multiple cups of coffee for inspiration.
You can always find me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bookbub and Goodreads.
I always love to hear from readers!
Read more at H. M. Gooden’s site.
