Novel 543
Chapter 52
After a long moment of silence, I turn back to this utterly bizarre and beautiful little family I now have.
"Okay," I say, forcefully wiping tears away from my eyes. "Now we have to head back to the bar so the community can say their goodbyes to Tilly and Joe the Irish way." "Here, here," AJ says, taking a swig from the bottle of Powers.
I pass Zev the baby and walk over to Darius, who's still standing at the cliff's edge, his gaze lost in the horizon.
I slip a hand into his and he squeezes it. "She was an incredible woman," he says, referring to Nanny.
"Yes, she was."
He looks down at me. "She was so proud of you."
That means more than he'll ever know, or maybe he does know, I realize, as I feel a swell of love for him.
"It's time to go," I say softly. "But I can't show up to the bar glowing."
His nostrils flare and eyes dilate as I tilt my neck.
As his teeth sink into my flesh, I close my eyes and wrap my arms around him.
He holds me up as my legs wobble, and he takes just enough to ease the magic building up in me. The pleasure and pain spiral in me and I wish we were alone, because there's so much more I want to do with this man. But that will have to wait.
We have time now.
We have my whole life, it would seem.
There's a line outside Morgan's when we return. I keep the star tucked in my pocket, with a small hole so it can stay in contact with my skin. It's not an elegant solution, but it works well enough for now.
Zev shifts into wolf form before we enter, since that's how he's known here. Though he complains about it, I think he secretly enjoys not having to talk to anyone.
We go in through the back so I can unlock the front door from the inside.
Rune and AJ get in place behind the bar. Zev stays at my side wherever I am--a gesture that now carries added weight given our relationship, and Darius takes the baby so I have free hands to hug and greet people.
I unlock the door and folks I've known my whole life pour in. That night, everyone shares stories about my grandmother, from her younger days to more recent years. She touched so many lives. There are many toasts and many tears, but also so much laughter. And Joe's spot at the bar is kept empty, with his favorite beer in front of it. We toast to him, to the man who would wake in the middle of the night to help a friend, no questions asked.
Rain is passed around as everyone greets her. Zev sniffs each person who touches her and makes sure they know if they hurt her they will regret that choice.
For one night, I forget about the looming war with three powerful kingdoms and just focus on this moment, being surrounded by friends and family, celebrating two lives that were well-lived and will be well-remembered.
My eyes are red-rimmed and my face hurts from laughing as we close up and let the last patron out.
When I finally lock the door I'm ready to pass out for a few days straight, but Darius halts that plan as he approaches with a box.
"What's all this?" I ask.
"Some personal effects of your grandparents we found when we upgraded your living environment. I thought you might like to look through them. Maybe they can bring you some comfort."
I walk over to him and peek into the box. I've seen it before. There are pictures, letters, newspaper clippings and cards spanning almost half a century. Nanny and I spent many nights pouring over the contents.
Darius sets it on one of the tables, and I sit and begin removing items one by one to show them to the others. The Sexies all sit with me, while AJ, who has seen the box before, goes upstairs to put Rain to bed.
I smile at the picture on the top of
the pile. "This was their wedding day," I say. They were just teenagers with a lifetime ahead of them. I wonder if they could have imagined what their lives became. Can anyone ever truly know what path they will ultimately end up traveling?
There are newspaper clippings from weddings, funerals and births in the family. And love letters my grandparents sent back and forth during the war. One of these days I will curl up with a glass of wine in front of the fire and read these. Nanny always said I should. My hand drifts over another letter, and I freeze.
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My name is scrawled across the envelope.
The handwriting is familiar.
"My grandfather must have written
this... but I never received it," I say, opening the envelope and pulling out the letterwithin. The paper looks fairly new, and the writing seems to be scribbled hastily in black iŋk. My throat tightens as I read the letter, my hands shaking.
My sweet Bernie. If you are reading this, then I am dead. More than that, my life was taken by forces more powerful than you can imagine, alk so that you will return to Rowley Bernie, you need to leave. Forget about Morgan's. Save yourself and my grandchild. I wish I could have been there for her birth. know Nanny does as well.
Please heed my warning. You are not safe. Go to Budapest. There you will find a man named Timothy Trendle. Tell him I sent you. Tell him... tell him you are his daughter. He will help you.
I drop the letter, and it floats to the floor as tears begin to sting my eyes.
"What's wrong?" asks Darius, as Rune takes my hand, and Zev meets my gaze.
"My grandfather says he was murdered, and that my father..." I say, my voice cracking. "My father is alive."
THE END