A Werewolf, A Vampire, and A Fae Walk Into A Bar (Book 1 of The Last Witch Series) novel Chapter 51

I finally take Rune’s hand and we join the others, then move as a group to the cliff’s edge. Below us waves crash against the rocky coast, spraying sea mist into the air and creating a steady rhythm with the intervals of the break.

It’s been a little over a week since I saved Rain from my mother. Since I became overwhelmed with magical powers that cause my skin to glow and silver streaks to run through my hair. Since I brought Darius back to life with my blood. Since my Nanny died. We’ve kept the bar closed in mourning, just as we did after my grandfather passed. But patrons have taken to slipping envelopes of cash under our door, with notes and cards. I’ve also found a casserole or dessert on the porch leading to my apartment nearly every day. My community has come together to take care of me and Morgan’s Pub while I process my Nanny’s death.

Now we stand at the cliff my mother leapt from, back when she was still good, before dark magic warped her perception of right and wrong. A tear rolls down my cheek as I think of how much her heart must have hurt, how broken she must have been to decide that the best thing for her child would be for her to take her own life.

But we’re here for Tilly. As much as I hated losing my mother twice, saying goodbye to my Nanny is just as hard. I plant a kiss on the top of Rain’s head, her cute little body strapped tightly against mine in her carrier. She won’t have any memories of her great grandmother, but I’ll see Nanny in everything my baby girl does, and Rain will have no question about where she inherited her greatness.

We stand a few feet back from the precipice, wind whipping through our hair, a steady stream of light coming from the moon. Hard to call this a funeral, but I feel it’s the right service to honor Tilly and everything she meant to me.

Darius and Zev flank me and Rune stands just behind, his hands resting on my waist. Supported on all sides. It’s so strange to stand with these princes and have an aura of calm about us. The Order members who posed a threat not that long ago are now just grateful the baby is alive and that I’m protected. Betty came to see me after I regained consciousness and made clear the misguided intentions were my mother’s alone. After my final moments with Tilly and the magical stand off with my mom, I know she’s telling the truth.

So now I have a moment to reflect and feel safe. And yet there’s still an anxious knot in my stomach. I can’t place the cause, but the feeling won’t go away.

“I’m here! I got it!”

Our little ceremony has been waiting on one last guest, and we all turn to watch AJ bounding through the grass.

“I had to look through like six boxes before I found it,” she says, handing me the final item we needed before this ceremony could get underway.

“That’s fine, thank you so much for going back,” I say. “I can’t believe I forgot it.”

“Yeah, it’s not like you’ve got anything else on your mind,” AJ jokes. “Vampire wound, killed your mom, skin freaking glows all the time.”