Page 118 of Magic and Muffins

She sniffed disdainfully. “When recounting my deeds this day, don’t forget my efforts to right my wrongs.”

“Pretty sure your help doesn’t outweigh all your scheming,” I said.

She shot me a look, going full fae for a second, which reminded me of the scary fairy I saw in the veil.

“What about the portal?” I asked. “How do we close it?”

“Unless you are willing to part with your lovers, I would not suggest it,” Effora said. “The cost of closing the portal is the life of each ring bearer.”

“What will happen if the portal stays open?” Hugh asked.

“Not much. While anyone can enter the veil now, only fae can enter and exit the fae realm without a rune. The veil in between is harmless to humans.”

“Then we’ll let it be for now,” Hugh said. “Go home and get some rest. All of you. I’ll be in touch for your statements.”

Effora left without a backward glance.

I glanced at Vena and her grandparents and saw Anchor taking their bags from them and indicating they should join us. After giving Effora enough time to get through the gate, our group followed.

“See you in a few weeks at school!” Piper called as she dragged a body to a pile.

“See you!” Vena said, waving with her good arm.

As we walked out of the gate, I said, “I want this noted right now that I’ll never, ever set foot onto Sugarloaf Mountain again.” I glanced around at everyone, making sure they knew I was serious. “Never. Ever.”

Cross placed a kiss on my cheek. “You already got the best gift from the mountain anyway. There’s no reason to ever come back.”

“If you say that gift is yourself—” Shepard started.

“I was talking about a family reunion with the Hunters,” Cross said, then winked at me. “Although, I come in second place at the very least.”

I laughed, and it was the best feeling in the world. I carried it with me all the way to the parking lot.

Vena and Anchor stowed her grandparents’ packs in their car, and I gave her a hug.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” I said.

“You better. I want all the details. I seriously can’t believe I missed everything. Stupid pain meds.”

I promised her a lengthy discussion then waved as they headed to the complex on their own. When I turned to Cross, he was standing next to the SUV and held up my missing necklace.

“Found this,” he said. I hurried toward him and let him put it back on me before getting into the backseat with Shepard.

“Can I borrow a phone? I need to call my parents. They have to be worried sick.”

Cross pulled my phone from the center console. I saw they’d turned it on and I had over one hundred missed calls from my parents. Cringing, I called Mom. She answered after the second ring.

“Everly, we were so worried. Vena said you were missing.” She started to cry.

“Mom, I’m okay. Actually, everything is okay now.”

“We saw you on the news. What happened? What’s going on?”

I knew she wasn’t just asking about Shepard and Cross but everything.

“Well, there’s a lot I didn’t tell you, but basically, it’s what you heard on the news. The vampire population was growing, and their leader was trying to do some really bad things. I got sucked into that riptide. The men in the interview with me have been keeping me safe. You, Dad, and Grandma too. That’s why youwonthe cruise. To keep you all safe. They’re really nice, Mom.”

Her crying quieted after a moment.

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