I thought of my old headmistress at the orphanage, Mrs. Rankle, and how she’d bought her place with her retirement money. I also remembered the prince welcoming my landlady’s thoughts—he was going to get an earful.
Peter nodded. “It’s about time things changed—in a lot of ways. My chief, McCray, is all about reforming the police department. She, Inspector Bon, and I are heading up a task force to root out corruption.” He waggled his brows at me. “And we’re starting an initiative to get more shifters on the force.” He nudged me with his elbow.
Will frowned as he looked between us. “What is this?”
I shook my head. “Peter wants me to be a cop.”
Will nearly choked.
Peter lifted his chin. “You’ve got great instincts, a keen mind, and are great at getting people to talk.”
Will sniffed. “Pushing their buttons, he means.”
I shrugged. “That too.”
Peter nodded. “Couple that with your ability to speak to animals and you’d be invaluable.”
I turned and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.” I shook my head and turned back to my friends. “For now, I plan to keep consulting with Peter and Daisy.” I’d originally taken the job out of desperation for rent money, but it’d turned out to be pretty fun—and life changing.
I held up my chopsticks. “But I’ve also decided I’m going to open up my own practice.” I grinned. “Since I basically live at Peter’s now—”
He beamed at me.
“—I’m going to base it out of my old apartment. That way, it’ll be accessible to people here in the Darkmoon District.” I gave a firm nod. “I’ve still got my license, and I’m hoping attitudes toward shifter lawyers are changing. Besides, with the prince and princess making changes to laws and ordinances, they’re going to need some legal input.” I waggled my brows.
Will nodded. “Smart.”
I thought so. I’d realized how important it was to me to feel like I was making a difference. I wanted to see justice done, and by working with Peter and Daisy and taking up law again, I’d certainly be doing a lot of that. It was basically the best of both worlds.
“Ooh! Did you guys see about the bakers?” Heidi beamed at me.
I nodded, smiling. When we’d brought Ludolf to the jail last night, Mimi Moulin had been waiting for us with a sample of her sourdough starter. She said she’d heard about us capturing Ludolf and trusted me.
I’d been surprised—not only by her gesture, but also at how fast news of Ludolf’s capture had spread through the Darkmoon. I probably shouldn’t have been surprised though—for all its grittiness and poverty, it was a pretty tight-knit community.
Peter spoke around his mouthful of noodles. “Mimi Moulin let us test her sourdough starter—it proved that Polly Pierre had stolen her recipe all those years ago. Her daughters were disqualified.”
I snorted. “I mean—Elin was already in jail for accidentally murdering her mother instead of her sister.”
Will shrugged. “Easy mistake to make.”
I smirked. “Yeah, quite the family. I doubt Tonya was going to carry the team to victory anyway, but it was some redemption for Mimi.”
“Plus, now she’s the new royal baker!” Heidi grinned. “That’s so exciting, right? A shifter as head of the palace bakery? That’s a big deal.”
I nodded. It was a big deal… and big progress.
I leaned over and grabbed my beaker of cider from where it sat on the linoleum beside me and raised it in the air. “A toast.”
Peter reached forward and grabbed his own beaker off the coffee table, and Heidi and Will raised their boiling flasks of cider (the clinic was short on cups).
I smiled at all of them, even down at Daisy. “To being free—finally.”
Will nodded and held his drink up. “And to maturing.”
Heidi beamed around the room. “And to friendship!”
Peter looked me over, his eyes shining. “To love.”
We leaned in and clinked our makeshift glasses, then spent the rest of the night eating, laughing, and drinking together. Life was good, and as I thought of the future, it only looked better and better.
Thank you for reading The Big Fang Theory. I hope you enjoyed it, and the entire Magic Market series!
Have you read my other series,
Spells & Caramels?
Imogen Banks is struggling to make it as a baker and a new witch on the mysterious and magical island of Bijou Mer. With a princely beau, a snarky baking flame and a baker’s dozen of hilarious, misfit friends, she’ll need all the help she can get when the murder mysteries start piling up.
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A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
I’ve always dreamed of being a full-time author, and now here I am! And it’s all thanks to you— my awesome, supportive readers.
I am so grateful to you for reading this book (and any others of mine you’ve picked up) and truly hope you enjoyed it.
If so, please check out more of my Magic Market Mysteries or the Spells & Caramels series.
Happy Reading,
Erin
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A native of Arizona, Erin loves her new home in the Pacific Northwest! She writes paranormal cozy mystery novels. These stories are mysterious, magical, and will hopefully make you laugh.
When not writing, she’s hiking, napping with her dogs, and losing at trivia night.
You can find Erin on Facebook and BookBub, or email her at [email protected]. She loves to hear from readers!
Copyright © 2020 by Erin Johnson
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