Page 108 of To the Grave

Cat sat in a patch of sun by the glass doors, licking his paws like he’d won the lottery, which he kind of had. Jace adored him, feeding him the most expensive food and refusing to give him a collar because he “needed to be free.”

“You!” I said, looking at all of them.

“What did we do?” Jace looked worried as he straightened to look at me.

“You contactedDecorabout the house!”

“I hope it’s okay,” Wolf said.

“Okay? It’s amazing!”

“So you’re happy?” Otis asked.

“Happy? I can’t believe it! They want to send a photographer out and everything,” I said, pulling a bottle of water from the fridge.

“You deserve it,” Jace said. “This place is incredible. You did an amazing job.”

I couldn’t disagree. The old wood floors were polished to a shine, the moldings intact, the ceilings dripping with chandeliers and period lighting. The Mercer family antiques had pride of place among more modern furnishings, all of it coming together exactly like I’d imagined it.

But I hadn’t done it alone.

“Wedid an amazing job,” I said, reaching for Jace’s hand.

He winced and tried to cover it with a smile, but I’d already noticed the bandage on his finger.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Nothing.”

I’d gotten good at knowing when he was lying, which thankfully was only about little stuff now, like whether he’d made Cat scrambled eggs or yelled at a contractor, not whether he was really dead.

I tipped my head, which was all it took for him to sigh and start removing the bandage on his ring finger.

When he’d removed the gauze, I saw that there was a dark ring around his finger. It took me a second to realize it was a tattoo.

“I don’t get it,” I said, picking up his hand. “What’s this?”

“It’s a ring,” Jace said. “A tattoo. Wolf and Otis have them too.”

I looked at Wolf and Otis and sure enough, they had bandages around their ring fingers.

“I’m still confused.”

Jace stepped toward me. “We know things are still complicated with Ruth and your dad, but we love you.” He swallowed hard. “Ilove you.”

“And we love you,” Otis said. “All of us. Not just Jace.”

Jace sighed. “I said that. But princess…” He looked into my eyes. “I need you to know thatI love you.”

I smiled up at him. “I love you too.”

“You do?”

I laughed even though tears stung my eyes. “I do.”

I didn’t know Jace could beam with happiness, but right then, he was pretty close.

“We need you to know something else too,” he said. “We’re here for good.”

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