“I’m the last person she needs.” Surely they all had to see that. If not for her, Tory wouldn’t be in this mess. She’d brought her here, right into the hands of the psycho.
Adriana rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips, the edge still in her voice. “Oh, for God’s sake. Somebody slap that woman up alongside the head. You’re the one person she absolutely needs, so stop feeling sorry for yourself. If you love her, and I’m pretty damn sure you do, then get to thinking. Where the hell could she be?”
They were all looking at her and panic started to well in her chest. She didn’t know. If God really had her back, he would give her something. “I don’t…”
A thought occurred to her, as out there as in Out There. Still, maybe? “The tombs,” she said hesitantly. “She could be in one of the tombs.” As she said the words out loud her suggestion jelled. Maybe God was still on her side.
Colin’s brow furrowed and he turned to look in the room adjacent to where they stood. “You think?”
Honestly, she didn’t know for sure. It was a gut feeling. Even though she was far from certain, in a weird way it made sense. Dark, silent, hidden. Pretty much the perfect description of a stone prison.
“Yeah, I think.” She felt more confident now, a little hopeful.
“Well.” He looked around. “What are we waiting for? Divide and conquer?”
Absolutely. Then she had another thought. “Look for a broken seal. If he was able to open a top and get her inside, the seal beneath the cover will show cracks. It should speed up the search.”
They all nodded and turned in different directions. Ten minutes later, she found it. Her heart was racing as she saw the hairline cracks in the mortar that had been applied on the day the elaborate tomb was sealed with a body inside.
“I found it,” she yelled at the same time she put all her strength into pushing the cover out of the way. It moved by inches. This was it. Tory had to be inside. Her heart started racing. “Help!” she screamed.
Colin and Nathan were the first to make it to her side, followed by Riah and Adriana. Ivy came tearing around the corner a minute behind the rest. With the help of the men, they were able to slide the cover over far enough to see inside.
The smell of old decay and dust wafted up as the interior was revealed. So did the smell of fresh blood. As the overhead light illuminated the interior of the tomb, Tory’s pale face came into view.
“About time you got here,” she said in a hoarse whisper.
Naomi burst into tears. Her hands were shaking so badly, Nathan reached around her to pull the stake from Tory’s chest. He threw it across the room and got out of her way so she could gather Tory up in her arms. Holding her close, she carried Tory out of the crypt.
Epilogue
Colin held Ivy’s hand as they walked together across the lush green grass. A full moon hung in the star-studded sky above, sending a warm, buttery light down on the headstones. It was a clear, beautiful night, perfect for a lovers’ walk, except lovers didn’t usually stroll through a cemetery—unless it was time to meet the parents.
“This is my family,” Colin told her. “My mom, my dad, my sister.”
The pressure in his chest and the sorrow in his heart that had been his constant companion since the loss of his family weren’t present tonight. He would always feel a deep regret that they’d been sacrificed because of him, but he also knew he wasn’t responsible. Monsignor was.
Colin had wanted to kill him, to hurt Monsignor as he had hurt him, yet somewhere between the time Naomi had revealed the truth to him and now, that murderous desire had faded. Too many people had died, and he didn’t want to be responsible for one more, even if that one deserved it.
He thought about his parents and how they had tried to raise him in the short years they’d had together. He pictured his bright and beautiful sister, thought about his friends, and most of all, he thought about Ivy. Before her, he’d been little better than a monster himself, one that hid behind righteousness and justified his actions as acts of war. He didn’t want to be that man anymore.
He wanted to be free from the past because the future held so much more. If he killed Monsignor the past would be forever carved on his soul. Escape would be impossible. He might not have believed it a year ago, but he did now: he was better than that.
Funny how he’d considered himself a loner who would never depend on another for anything. From the day he lost his family that had been his mantra. No one but him was responsible for his happiness. But life just didn’t work that way.
Ha. He’d been one stupid son of a bitch. Or maybe embracing the loneliness was a good thing—it had made him ready when Ivy rocked his world. She made him happy. She made him feel alive. Without her, he was only half a man. With her, he was everything.
Ivy placed the roses she’d insisted on bringing along at the base of headstones. Red for his parents, pink for his sister. In the moonlight, they looked beautiful. Leave it to Ivy to know exactly what to do.
He gathered her close and kissed her. “Thank you for coming with me.” He swore he could feel his mother’s smile as he held Ivy in his arms. Mom would have been thrilled by Ivy. His sister would have adored her. Dad would have whistled and given Colin the thumbs-up. She would have found a place in the hearts of his near and dear, just as she filled his now.
She smiled up into his face, her dark eyes intense. “Thank you for letting me.”
“I just…”
She laid a finger against his lips. “You don’t have to explain. I know.”
And she did. Only one of the reasons he loved her.
*
Naomi thought she was dreaming and it was one awesome dream. Her body was warm and relaxed as fingers stroked feather-light across her breasts and her stomach. Her eyes flickered open and suddenly she realized it wasn’t a dream.
She knew that touch and it made her smile. “Oh,” she breathed. “I thought you were sleeping.”
Tory rolled on top of her and smiled down. Her long hair was loose and brushed against Naomi’s bare breasts. The whisper touch of Tory’s silky hair made her nipples grow taut and hard.
“Plenty of time to sleep, preacher girl, and besides, I’m not tired.” She leaned down and kissed her.
Naomi returned the kiss, sliding her tongue between Tory’s lips. She stroked Tory’s back, lower and lower, until she held her lovely rounded ass. Would she ever grow tired of the taste and touch of this woman? No. No. No.
Tory’s head dropped and she took a nipple into her mouth. Naomi arched into her. God, it all felt so incredible. When Tory’s hand slipped between her legs, Naomi thought she might come right then, but Tory wouldn’t let her. With exquisitely slow movements she made Naomi tingle from head to toe. She’d take her to the peak and bring her back. It was sweet torture. She cried out when she came, Tory trailing kisses up her body, stopping at her lips for one long, tasty kiss.
When she caught her breath, she flipped Tory over onto her back and returned the very lovely favor. Tory’s body arched now, and she cried out. Naomi smiled. Yeah, love was a gift she’d never, ever take for granted.
She lay next to Tory, her body covered in sweat, listening as Tory’s breathing started to return to normal. They were in their own special place, wrapped together in passion, love, and contentment.
It was time. She’d been thinking about this since yesterday when Riah had put it out there. That woman was incredible—beautiful, smart, and sneaky—and she sure knew when and where to strike.
Naomi didn’t reach her decision lightly and wondered what Tory would think. Then again, she wasn’t the only one who had a zillion things to think about, decisions to make.
Seeming to sense the direction of her thoughts, Tory lightly touched her bare breast and asked, “What have you decided?”
She loved the feel of Tory’s light caress and the slow, wonderful arousal it evoked. Surprised how quickly she’d come to depend on her, how important she was in her life, she said, “I think w
e should go.”
Tory raised herself up on one arm. Her expression was soft and maybe even a little excited. “Really?”
“Yeah, really.” She gave a wry smile. “Really.”
After Naomi had taken Tory back to the house and attended to her wounds, they’d all listened as Tory told them of her encounter with Roland. It was the stuff of a pretty good B-movie. After it was all said and done, Riah had surprised both of them with a proposition: come to Spokane with her, Adriana, Ivy, and Colin. Join the Spiritus Group and fight evil.
The spark in Tory’s eyes when Riah had first suggested the move wasn’t lost on Naomi. She got the distinct impression that Tory was ready for a change. Still, she hesitated.
Born and raised in this area, she considered moving across the country a huge deal. And then there was her family, her twin. Could she leave Nathan? Tory had traveled all over the world, but this was home for Naomi. Even when she was a hunter, she’d always come back to DC. Was she really ready to move to the other Washington?
After Roland’s graphic demise, the city roiled a little longer and then peace once more began to settle. The relationship between humans and preternaturals had suffered a setback, though Naomi was confident that, given time, the wounds would heal. The city would once more find a rhythm that allowed both factions to live harmoniously.
The church wasn’t as much a concern to Naomi. As she’d turned the mob on Roland, she realized her life belonged not to the church but somewhere else. At that moment, she hadn’t exactly been sure what that meant. Until now. Slowly, it dawned on her that God was working in mysterious ways in her life. Not only had she been given a second chance at love, but her way in the world had been revealed too.
She didn’t know what the future held for her, but she did know two things: she was moving to Washington state, and she was going to spend the rest of her life loving Tory.
About the Author
Sheri Lewis Wohl grew up in northeast Washington state, and though she always thought she’d move away, she never has. Despite traveling throughout the United States, Sheri always finds her way back home. And so she lives, plays, and writes amidst mountains, evergreens, and abundant wildlife. When not working the day job in federal finance, she writes stories that typically include a bit of the strange and unusual and always a touch of romance. She works to carve out time to run, swim, and bike so she can participate in local triathlons. Sheri is also a member of a local K9 search and rescue team.
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