I blinked rapidly as I regained consciousness. My face was pressed hard against the ground, and I pushed myself up to a sitting position. Pushed with my very human (vampire) hands and sitting on my very human (vampire) butt!
Success! I even still wore the same clothes I had on in Paris, including my handbag over my shoulder and the brand new hot pink heels encasing my feet.
I looked up to find that Monique was gone, and so was Alicia. Only Thierry and I were left on the patio of the bed and breakfast. He offered me his hand, which I took immediately, and he pulled me to my feet.
“Thierry, what the hell—”
But he didn’t let me finish. He took my face between his hands and pressed his mouth against mine, kissing me deeply—so deeply my knees buckled. And it wasn’t only because I was still getting used to having knees again.
“No more witches,” I whispered against his lips.
“Agreed,” he whispered back. “When I couldn’t find you, I was so worried.”
“I know.” I leaned back and searched his face. “I was pretty worried, myself.”
He threaded his fingers into my hair and his lips quirked.
“What?” I asked.
“Your fur as a bat was the exact same color as your hair.”
“Boring brown?” I offered.
“Stunning, divine, beautiful chestnut.”
I couldn’t help but grin. “You do have a way with words, Monsieur de Bennicoeur.”
“Only speaking the truth.”
“Where’s Alicia?” I had to ask.
“Gone. But I’m not worried. I believe Alicia is harmless without the influence of Damon. Franklin will find her and deal with her. None of this will be a surprise to him. We really only confirmed what he suspected all along.”
I nodded, sighing with relief. “So it’s over.”
“It’s over,” he agreed.
“This feels like the longest day ever.”
“It certainly does. And now, I know you said you desire a vacation.”
My ears perked up at that. “I sure do. Anything in mind?”
Thierry nodded toward the bed and breakfast. “Perhaps you’d like to stay in this town for a couple more days.”
I gave him a look of shock. “You’re still rehearsing that funny bone of yours, aren’t you?”
“How am I doing?”
I laughed. “Not bad, really. But I wouldn’t take the stage at a comedy club quite yet.”
“Fair enough.” Thierry took my hand in his. “Then let’s depart this town one and for all, shall we?”
I grinned up at him. “Say it. Just say it one more time for me. Please?”
He raised a brow. “Assjacket.”
My grin widened. “There it is.”
We headed for the car without another moment of hesitation, and I heard my phone buzz. I pulled it out of my bag, surprised but happy that it seemed to be working again. The caller ID surprised me. I held the phone to my ear as I slid into the passenger seat.
“Hello? I said.
“Sarah, I’m so glad you picked up.” It was Amy, her voice choked with emotion.
I sat up straighter. “Amy, what’s wrong? You sound like you’ve been crying.”
“I have been! I’ve been crying all day thinking of our fight yesterday. I hate how it ended, Sarah. Listen to me. You are my best friend, okay? My best friend ever in my life—my weird, stupid, crazy immortal life. Got it? And I’m not going to let a few months of misunderstandings get between us.”
My throat thickened. “I feel the exact same way.”
“Good. So let’s forget all of that garbage and start fresh. You and me, Sarah and Amy, friends forever. And I don’t care how much you travel and how little I get to see you in real life; I’m going to jam up your phone with messages every single day. Agreed?”
“Agreed.” I couldn’t help but smile as a happy tear slipped down my cheek.
When we ended the call, I was smiling so widely my cheeks hurt.
Thierry pulled the car onto the road, headed out of Assjacket. “I’m very glad you made up with your friend,” he said.
“Me too.” I let out a shuddery sigh. “So, that vacation you mentioned.”
“Yes?”
“I understand if it’s not a great time right now, but maybe we can—”
“I was thinking Hawaii,” Thierry said. “For at least two weeks. We’ll celebrate your birthday there, on the beach. I know you like beaches. And Tequila Sunrises.”
“Love them,” I agreed. “So very much.”
“Then it’s decided.”
Yes, it seemed to be. I loved decisions like this. We’d survived another head-on challenge that threatened to shake us at our very core, but we stood strong. Together. I’d made up with Amy. I’d helped to defeat an evil warlock. And I’d survived being a tiny little bat…who could fly! Well, for a minute, anyway. It still counted.
I guess it was time for a new adventure. I mean, after our vacation, of course.
I glanced down at the slightly magical high heels Alicia had bought for me in Paris at a little shop called Rags to Riches. More like Rags to Witches, if you asked me. It was a place that I wouldn’t be returning to any time soon, even if its resident evil warlock was gone forever.
Still. I was totally keeping the shoes.