"You know, we could just forget about going out and spend the rest of the day in bed," he murmured, and kissed the side of my neck, even as his hands slid down to the buttons on my suit jacket.
"As tempting as that is, you know we have someplace to be," I replied, running my hands across his broad shoulders. "Unfortunately, this is an appointment that I just can't miss, no matter how tempting your proposition may be."
Owen drew back, his eyes shimmering with heat. "Rain check, then? Tonight at my place? If you feel up to it, of course."
I arched an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge, Grayson? Because you know how much I love those - and showing you just how up to it I am."
He grinned and lowered his mouth to mine. We kissed again, long, soft, and slow, teasing each other with promises of tonight, before finally breaking apart. Owen held me tight for a moment before finally dropping his hands from my waist.
"Come on," he said. "If you're still determined to do this, then we need to go. We wouldn't want to be late."
I snorted. "Oh, no. We definitely wouldn't want to be late for this."
We walked downstairs, where the others were waiting in the den of Fletcher Lane's house - my house now. Finnegan Lane, my foster brother, had his arm slung around the shoulders of Detective Bria Coolidge, my baby sister, no doubt murmuring sweet nothings into her ear, since Roslyn Phillips was looking at them both with an amused grin. Jolene "Jo-Jo" Deveraux was sitting on the plaid sofa, flipping through a beauty magazine, while her sister, Sophia, was looking at the rune drawings that were propped up on the mantel: a snowflake, an ivy vine, a primrose, and the neon pig sign outside the Pork Pit. All symbols of people I'd loved and lost over the years.
My friends and family were all dressed in somber, serious black, just like Owen and I were. Finn wore one of his many Fiona Fine designer suits, while Bria sported a jacket and white silk blouse over a skirt. Roslyn also wore a black jacket and skirt, both of which highlighted her gorgeous curves. Jo-Jo had on a dress topped by her usual strand of pearls. A small black hat sporting a white lily perched on the side of the dwarf's head, pinned to her white-blond curls.
For once, we all matched Sophia's usual dark clothes. The Goth dwarf wore a pantsuit similar to mine, although she'd accessorized hers with heavy boots and a black leather collar around her neck. Black lipstick covered her lips, and pale gray glitter glistened in her hair.
I cleared my throat, and everyone turned to look at me. "Well," I said. "I guess this is it."
"It's about time," Finn groused. "We've been waiting down here forever."
Bria glanced at the clock on the wall. "Yes, if by 'forever' you mean five minutes."
Finn smiled at her, a sly look in his green eyes. "Time is money, cupcake, especially when it comes to my time, what I do with it, and particularly who I do it with."
He leaned over and whispered something in her ear, which made Bria stiffen and caused her cheeks to explode in a fiery blush. They were a new couple, having hooked up shortly before Mab's death, and Finn still had the ability to shock my sister. Still, despite her blush, her features softened into a smile as she looked at him. Finn gave her a slow, shameless, saucy wink. He liked teasing her.
It was nice to see my sister smile, something she hadn't done much of lately. I wasn't the only one who'd suffered at Mab's hands. Despite my efforts to keep her safe, a bounty hunter had kidnapped Bria and delivered her to Mab's mansion, where the Fire elemental had spent a long, long night using her magic to torture my sister. Burning Bria with her cruel, cruel Fire.
Finn and the others had rescued Bria while I battled Mab, and Jo-Jo had used her Air magic to heal all of Bria's wounds, but the damage had still been done. My sister had been quiet and withdrawn these past few weeks. I knew she was still trying to come to terms with that horrible night and all the fresh, painful scars it had left on the inside, just like I was - scars that no amount of magic could ever heal. My guilt over Bria's capture and torture was like a knife in my stomach, one that twisted in a little deeper every time I saw the dark memories in her eyes. I wanted to make it up to my sister, wanted to ease her pain, but I just didn't know how.
"It's time to go," Owen said again.
Sophia turned and left the room. Finn and Bria followed her, along with Roslyn and Owen. That left just me and Jo-Jo in the den. The middle-aged dwarf got to her feet and walked over to me, her black heels clacking on the floor.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Jo-Jo asked in her slow Southern drawl. "It might be harder than you think it's going to be."
I nodded. "I know, but today's the day, and I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
Jo-Jo reached out and grabbed my hand, gently squeezing my fingers with hers. I breathed in, and her perfume tickled my nose with its sweet scent.
"Don't worry, darling," she said. "It'll be fine. You'll see."
Chapter Two
I looked at the dwarf, wondering if she was using her Air elemental magic to peer into the future, but her colorless eyes were clear of the milky white clouds that sometimes wisped through her gaze.
"I know it will be fine," I said in what I hoped was a strong voice. "Mab is dead. She can't hurt me anymore. She can't hurt anyone anymore."
Jo-Jo cocked her head to the side, making the lily nestled in her hair bob up and down with the motion. "The dead can hurt us just as much as the living can. Sometimes even more so. You should know that by now, Gin."
The dwarf squeezed my hand again and walked out of the den. Somehow, I held back the shiver that threatened to sweep through my body at her ominous words and followed her.
Thirty minutes later, Owen stopped his car behind a long line of other vehicles that were parked on the side of the narrow, winding road. In the passenger's-side mirror, I saw Sophia steer her classic convertible into the spot behind us, and there were more cars behind hers that were pulling over as well.
"Are you sure you can't get any closer?" Finn asked from the backseat.
"No, I can't get any closer," Owen said. "Do you not see all the other vehicles here? Besides, it won't kill you to walk, you know."
Finn sniffed and pulled down his jacket. "No, but it will kill my new suit. I don't want to get grass and pollen all over it. That will ruin the fabric, not to mention make me sneeze for hours."
I looked at Owen and rolled my eyes. My lover winked at me. He always found Finn's grandiose statements and put-upon airs much more amusing than I did.