Xavier was back.
The tourists were cheering, waving canes, taking pictures with their phones, and whistling. The stoic guy pushed through to the front of the crowd. He was staring at me like he had something to say, but I didn’t know who he was, and I didn’t care.
“You’re not trying to kill him,” the man said. “And you’re out in sunlight. But you’re a—”
“Clyde.” Xavier went stiff beside me. “What are you doing here?”
“Came to see what spell got cast on you,” he said. “Not the one I expected.”
“This territory is mine,” Xavier growled.
Clyde put his hands up in defense. “Looks like what you said is true.”
And then it hit me. This was the guy who had been texting Xavier—the vampire hunter.
“I know who you are. You can leave Forbidden on your own,” I said. “Or you can leave in a body bag.”
Marla and Grayson stood beside me, arms crossed.
“Whoa, whoa,” Clyde said. “I’ve seen. Now I’ll go. You bloodsuckers aren’t killing humans, you aren’t my problem.”
He nodded to Xavier then turned and left.
Xavier, with a satisfied, grim look on his face, watched Clyde go.
In the new calm, I had one big question. Tugging on Xavier’s hand, I whispered, “Where’d the demon go?”
“It left entirely,” he said. “You banished it, didn’t you? One second it was ripping through my mind, making me do horrible things...and the next, it was screaming and fading away.”
“Yes, I did banish it,” I said, giving him a little bite on his lower lip because, what can I say, I like biting.
“You saved me.” He gazed at me with his warm, loving green eyes, and touched my cheek. “I always thought I had to be the one who saves you, but it was you who saved me. With true love’s kiss.”
“Wuv,” I said, quoting our favorite movie. “Twuuuu wuv.”
Xavier laughed. “Is it too soon to ask you about mawwiage?”
I couldn’t help the grin forming on my face. “I don’t think it’s too soon at all.”
“Be my mate,” he said. “Be my wife.”
“Are you asking me? Or are you telling me?”
He laughed and got down on one knee. “Kelly, I love you. I love your strength just as much as I love your submission. I love your snark and your wit, and your soap operas with the cats. Most of all, I love your soul. Will you marry me? Be my mate and my wife?”
Tears filled my eyes. “Yes, you bossy shifter. I’m yours. I’ll marry you.”
Marla and Grayson herded away the cheering tourists, while Xavier and I kissed again, and again, and again.
EPILOGUE
XAVIER
A few weeks had passed since Kelly had banished the Opposite Demon. When I wasn’t busy working on setting up my new business, I spent every moment I could with Kelly.
Kelly, my beautiful, vampire fiancée, shoved my shoulders, pushing me back against the brick wall of the alley. I growled at her ferocity, loving it. Then I lifted her up, pinning her hands over her head. She wrapped her legs around my waist and kissed me hard, with a nip at my lip, not hard enough to draw blood, but hard enough to tell me she wanted to.
I ran my fingers down her arm, and laced them in her hair. I would never take the ability to control my own body for granted again. I would never get enough of these little stolen moments.
With so many people living in Kelly’s building, it wasn’t easy to get her all to myself. When I did, I didn’t bother holding back.
We had a cat audience—His Lordship King Snugglebumpkins and Snowball sat together taking turns staring at us and then licking each other. It hurt the mood, but also, we were never alone, and it could be worse.
A high-pitched scream came from inside the building.
I froze.
“Sounds like Peter,” Kelly said with a roll of her eyes. “I swear he snatched the spiky alien dildo during the demon commotion. It’s been missing since. And I don’t want to think about what he’s doing with it.”
“You think that’s why he’s screaming?”
Kelly shrugged. “You should ignore him...that’s what I do.”
I kissed her jaw, slowly making my way down her neck. She pulled at her arms, wanting to tear at my clothes, but I held her still.
“You’re not supposed to be here!” Peter’s voice grew higher, louder.
We shared a look. With what had happened to Marla and Grayson before, we knew Kelly’s sire could come at any time for them. I let go of Kelly’s hands and lowered her to the ground. So much for our short reprieve.
She pulled the knife from my belt and gestured with her head for me to follow. She slipped silently through the back door. I shut it carefully so it wouldn’t make noise.
“Peter Michael Doystovich, open the door this instant, or I’ll tell everyone your secret.” It was a woman who spoke, but not Marla.
Kelly lowered the blade to her side and hurried toward the stairwell. “Aubrey?”
At the top of the stairs, Marla and a woman with deep brown skin and blue hair, who I assumed was Aubrey, stood by Peter’s door.
“It’s not fair that you know everything,” Peter whined.
“And I’ll tell them what you’ve been doing with Marla’s—”
The door flew open.
“What?” Marla grabbed Peter and dragged him into the hall.
Peter pouted.
Kelly ran up and hugged Aubrey. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
“It’s time,” Aubrey said.
“Time for what?” Kelly asked.
Aubrey didn’t answer. She turned to Peter. “You are meant to live in the basement.”
“There’s a basement here?” His eyes glowed with interest, much like a nocturnal creature caught in light.
Aubrey nodded. Marla
