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THE NIGHT WAS THE LONGEST in recorded history. Okay, so it was the same length as any other night. But waiting nervously for Melinda to awaken was driving them all mad, more so than any of them, William.
Her body, for all intents and purposes, was dead. She had died. And there was always the off chance that something might go wrong, and the vampire venom might not take. How sickeningly ironic that would be—to accidentally turn two vampires in his life, and at last, purposely mean to and fail.
They kept busy to pass the many long hours of that night.
They called Josh and had him help clean up the backyard from the fountain explosion, and he made plans to rebuild in the spring. With winter coming soon, starting any outside project would be silly so it would have to wait.
They'd also discovered Stricker, in his cell, dead. They couldn't be sure, but they guessed the demons had decided to off the Feyk themselves as he no longer served any purpose. Or perhaps it was revenge, seeing as he'd involuntarily given up the info that it was demons targeting witches. Whatever the reason, Stricker was no longer a problem they needed to worry about.
It was a bittersweet ending. Sweet, in that the Feyk had finally met his end. Bitter, in that the deeds he'd committed could not be undone. There was no bringing back the people he'd stolen from their lives.
But it was also a grave concern that even with their extensive knowledge of magic and considering the protections they had on their property, the enemy had still managed to reach Stricker. Mathew promised to work on improving some of his potions to keep that from happening again. There had to be a way to keep demons from getting on the grounds.
Although, after some debate, they decided their estate was possibly the most demon unfriendly territory on the earth after tonight. Being that everyone now had the ability to destroy demons, they wouldn’t be so bold again anytime soon.
As the night progressed and more and more coffee was downed, lots of plans developed. Alethea and Daegal stuck around for a time, to offer advice, as well as an idea they'd been mulling over.
A school.
A combination magic school, and a school for new members of the Garudian bloodline. A safe space for them to learn about their new gifts, if needed. At the least, to learn more about the world of Guardians and Demons, because it was time for their secrets to be secrets no more.
Basically, the school would serve as a base of operations that would also serve as a liaison between the human and Guardian world.
Mathew and Lucas had shown excitement for the idea which thrilled the Guardian elders because they were hoping Mathew and Lucas would help run this school and be the actual liaisons between the two worlds.
This was the job they'd had in mind and the two could not have been more thrilled about it.
A minute later Lizzy blurted out, "Use the manor. It's perfect. You could still spend time on the Isle!" And after a quick debate in which they found no fault in the plan, everyone agreed that the Deane Manor would become a magic school. Lizzy was dying to be a teacher, and at last, she would. And since it was on the Isle, Lucas and Mathew would still be around. And having a magic school on the Isle would be perfect since it was already a magical hub. Their own children could attend, too.
It caught their attention, though, after Alethea and Daegal departed, that they hadn't passed this plan by Riley, who'd thought it was a good idea as well and said as much. But it was still his home. Lucas nodded, understanding, though, as Riley had already explained he and Rae planned on leaving.
"I guess it's as good a time as any to tell you all," Riley said.
But it was Rae who took over when Riley nodded her direction.
"I've asked Riley to join me in a quest of sorts. We dealt a blow to the demons, they'll need time to recover. And time in their world does not work the same as the human world. I do not think they will come back with a plan of war again soon. That said, I'm not going to sit around and wait. I've got demons to hunt."
"And I'm going with her." Riley gave her a confident smile.
Lucas grinned, proud and happy for his brother. But they did not expect anyone else to pipe in.
"I'm going as well," Courtney surprised them by announcing. There were a few gasps of shock and concern. Was the vampire ready for such a change? "Rae came to me a few days ago and asked me, and I said I'd think about it." She turned to Rae. "I guess this is me saying yes."
"Are you sure you're ready, Courtney?" asked Charlie.
"Mostly," she answered honestly. "But I asked someone else to tag along to make sure I don't mess up." Her eyes slid reluctantly to Annie.
"That would be me."
Rae grinned. "I like this plan. Two demon slayers and two kick-ass vamps."
Life, moving forward. But it would be strange not to have them around the Isle as often.
"Should we be out on the hunt?" Charlie asked a minute later. He didn't particularly like the idea, preferring to be at home on his island.
"That's my job," insisted Rae. "Yours is to protect the Power Source, and this island, and the people who live here. You just have more tools at your disposal to do that now."
"Plus, I'm going to be a teacher," gleamed Lizzy. "And there's a whole new school to build and protect."
"I can run the school library," Emily suggested.
"That's a great idea," Michael agreed. "I don't know anyone better qualified."
"You know," started Annie. "If it was safe to do so, we could permanently reopen the portal between Sorcier and the Isle. There are many there who'd be willing and able to teach or help in some way. Or be students."
That got Mathew to thinking. "Perhaps, if done right, we could have more portals open to link other supernatural communities as well."
Charlie thought about that for a minute and agreed. Seeing how the Grand Coven had worked in their favor only proved the supernatural community needed to work together more often. There was something freeing about it, embracing others into their world. If they'd learned one thing recently, it was that they did not need to work and fight alone.
"Well, however it all works out," said Lizzy to all those who planned on leaving, "you are all welcome to return here anytime you like. Actually, if you wanted to, we could add a secret base of operations for you in the manor as well."
"I like how you think," said Rae.
"It would give us an excuse to visit," Riley agreed. Which would be nice now that his brother was remaining on the Isle as part of his future job.
All in all, it was once again life moving forward. The Howards would remain protectors of the Power Source and The Demon Isle, but also now have the gift of killing demons, which they would pass down to their own generations. And once their human lives ended, they'd become Guardians, alongside William, in watching over these generations.
But all would not be right and perfect until Melinda opened her eyes and took her first steps in her own new world...