When Gabriel finally loosened his hold, it was to tell her it was time to go home.
Mira glanced at Emmit, then back at Gabriel. “I’m not sure my leg is all the way healed.”
“It’ll heal back home. Emmit’s offered to help us out until you’re better.”
“You’re okay with that?” Mira asked.
“As long as we’re back in our own world, I can handle anything, even living with Harker.”
When they walked through the charred surroundings, Jean took the lead. The realization that her children were closer to her than they’d been for over a week had taken hold of her.
Mira and Gabriel walked together with Emmit close by. They paused once or twice to silently watch the city burn.
***
Barney was once again the lookout that helped them find their way back to their own reality.
Mira wasn’t surprised to see Mr. Singer there as well. He didn’t seem inclined to bring it up being shunned, but Mira decided to avoid him all the same.
The thing that did shock Mira was the high pitch squeal that rang out when Emmit stepped through, instantly retaking his normal form.
A woman with dark hair and a pink dress flung herself at Emmit and began asking a barrage of questions. Mira couldn’t follow the litany, but she took note of Emmit’s relieved smile, along with slight embarrassment that they were the center of attention.
Emmit stemmed the rapid fire interrogation and, along with the woman, joined Mira and Gabriel.
“Mira, Gabriel, I’d like you to meet my sister, Anastacia.”
“Anya,” his sister corrected with a smile. “Or you can call me Bunny.”
Although Mira would never admit it, she had expected any of Emmit’s relatives to be rigid and uptight. She had also thought a certain level of arrogance, after all, she was Emmit’s sister.
“Anya, this is Mira and Gabriel, they’re… they’ve been assisting me while in the city.” Mira noted the name Bunny never passed Emmit’s lips.
“We’re his friends,” Mira amended.
Emmit appeared to appreciate the correction.
They shook hands with Bunny and Mira noticed that as they spoke, Emmit’s sister seemed to drift towards Gabriel, much like Emmit always appeared to do—unless the two men were arguing.
It didn’t take long before Renfield’s men to have the group rounded up and on their way. Jean opted to go with Mr. Singer, who assured her she would be taken to her children immediately.
Mira felt jittery on the car ride, and even though she wanted to, she couldn’t sleep on the way to the apartment. It was a relief to see that Gabriel didn’t have the same issue. He had done so much in the Ether, that she figured he’d sleep for a week.
When they reached the apartment, she was immediately proven wrong. Emmit and Gabriel excused themselves to talk with some of Renfield’s men. Bunny mentioned dinner and disappeared into the labyrinth of an apartment.
Mira went straight to her bedroom, which Emmit intended for her to continue to use. She peeled off her clothes, shoved them in the trashcan in the bathroom and then took the hottest shower she could manage.
It felt wonderful to get the Ether scrubbed off of herself. Seeing that her leg still wasn’t fully healed was a little disturbing, but the coloring was almost back to normal. Before long, she figured it would look like any other cut or bruise.
At least she hoped that would be the case. In an effort to get it healed as fast as possible, she took her time and cleaned it and wrapped it.
When she stepped back into her room, Gabriel was waiting for her. It looked as though he had already showered as well and was wearing a sweat suit that must have belonged to one of Renfield’s men.
“That was fast,” Mira said, glad that she had put on a robe before entering the room. “I thought you and Emmit had things to talk about.”
“The less I know about what he’s doing, the better,” Gabriel said.
“Why’s that?”
“Emmit thinks it will be neater all around if the case gets closed. I can’t say I disagree.”
Mira sat on the edge of her bed. “How will you close the case?”
Gabriel looked uncomfortable. “We, uh, brought back evidence from the Ether.”
“What? How? I thought Emmit was adamant that your work had to stay in this world.”
“It still does, but we needed John here. Or, at least enough to identify him.”
Mira scrunched up her nose, not liking the sound of the idea.
“Don’t worry about it,” Gabriel said. “Renfield’s men know what they’re doing. Not that that makes me any happier about the issue. We brought them what they need to make it happen. How are you feeling?”
Mira latched on to the change of subject. “Tired. How about you?”
“Same. Harker has a room they’re setting up for me.”
Mira smiled. “I’m glad you’ll be here.”
He returned the smile. “Me too.”
Mira patted the bed next to her and Gabriel sat down, putting an arm around her. It didn’t take long for them to fall asleep, wrapped in each other’s arms.
Hours later, Mira woke when she heard Gabriel talking softly with someone.
Moments later Gabriel slipped back into bed. Mira slid over to him, and he put his arms around her and pulled her close. When they kissed, they were interrupted by Oracle jumping on Gabriel and Alchemy curling up close behind Mira, wedging her in.
Happy as she was, she wouldn’t have moved for anything.
***
Writing the last book in the series was so difficult! It was hard to leave the characters. The last few chapters were redone more times than I care to admit, but with some wonderful feedback, I think we have a satisfactory amount of detail and our heroine is with the man she loves. I’m not saying I’ll never return to these characters, but I don’t expect to see them for a while.
If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review on the site where you made the purchase. Leaving a review helps the reader and author in many ways. Your support is appreciated!
Thank you for reading!
Amanda Booloodian
***
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Back to Box Set Table of Contents
***
Complete works by Amanda Booloodian:
AIR Series on Amazon (In Reading Order)
Stonecoat: Novella 0.5 (AIR Series Book 0.5)
Shattered Soul (AIR Series Book 1)
Redcap (AIR Series Book 1.5)
Broken Paths (AIR Series Book 2)
Stolen Sight (AIR Series Book 3)
Fenrisúlfr: Novella 3.5 (AIR Series 3.5)
Fractured Worlds (AIR Series Book 4)
AIR Series Box Set on Amazon
AIR Series: Books 1-4 with AIR Case Files (AIR Series Box Set)
Spellbound Murder Series on Amazon
Oath Bound (Spellbound Murder Series Book 1)
Grim Magic (Spellbound Murder Series Book 2)
Grim Magic (Spellbound Murder Book 3)
Spellbound Murder Box Set on Amazon
Spellbound Murder Complete Trilogy
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Acknowledgements
I find myself really lucky to have as much support for my writing as I have. My friends and family are always cheering me on from the sidelines, or even getting involved. I’m grateful for everyone’s support.
JD Book Services went out of their way to provide me extra feedback for this novel. This was the first completed series I’ve finished and I appreciated their feedback on the book.
Deranged Doctor Design has done another amazing job with this series! They’ve provided the books with wonderful covers. I love their work and their flexibility.
For all the people who gave reviews online, you are amazing! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review.
About the Author
Amanda Booloodian lives in Missouri with her loving, and often times peculiar, husband. In 2006, she took part in Great Beginnings and was awarded first place in the Mystery/Thriller category. Amanda has been passionate about the written word throughout her life. Now, much of her spare time is spent at the computer, delving into worlds accessible only through vivid imagination. In warm weather, when she isn’t pounding on the keyboard, she can often be found wandering through the wilderness. Occasionally she gets it into her head to SCUBA dive or to sit back at home and make wine, which can have interesting results and inspire her writing.
You can find out more about Amanda and her writing, including upcoming releases, on www.Booloodian.com. You can also find her on Facebook: Amanda Booloodian - Author, Twitter: @ajbooloodian, and Instagram: AJBooloodian.
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Spellbound Murder Complete Trilogy (Spellbound Murder Box Set Book 1) Page 78
