“Such a sweet thing,” the Oracle cooed with that knowing smile on her face. Her eyes sparkled as she regarded the two of us. “I told you it would work out.”
Then she left, disappearing into the crowd just as the celebrations began. People brought out food and drink, and the pack crowded around to meet the newest member and congratulate Sam and me.
Liv flung her arms around me when she forced her way through the crowd. She was another person who had met Isaac on several occasions, but that didn’t dampen the force of her hug or lower the pitch of her squeal.
“I’m so happy for you!” She gushed. “God, though, work has been so boring without you there.”
“I’d say sorry, but I’m thrilled I don’t work there anymore,” I said. I had quit the store a month ago, finally fed up enough with Jenson that I decided I wasn’t going to take his bullshit any longer. The look on his face when I strolled out with a wave had been priceless. I noticed he wasn’t one of the faces in the crowd.
“I don’t blame you,” Liv said. “But if you ever need a full-time babysitter, I’m happy to bite that bullet.”
I laughed. “Very subtle,” I said. “We’ll keep that in mind.”
Liv gave me another hug and then stepped away so we could greet the next rush of people. After what felt like hours of this, though, I needed a break. Sam, as if reading my mind, cracked a grin and plucked Isaac from my arms.
“Go get yourself something to eat,” he said. “I’ll handle this for a while.”
I let out a deep breath. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
“You could stand to say it more frequently,” he retorted. At my eyeroll, he barked out a laugh and bent to kiss me before turning to talk to another well-wisher.
Emma was standing by a table laden with food, snacking as she watched the festivities. She saw me and grinned.
“Exhausted yet?” she teased.
“Absolutely.”
With a laugh, she turned to the table and handed me a slice of cake, which I nearly snatched from her hands as I started devouring the cake.
“How are you feeling?” I asked Emma through mouthfuls.
Emma bobbed her head back and forth, her brow wrinkling. “Still have nightmares every so often,” she admitted. “But I’ve been worse. And I’ll get over it.”
I nodded, poking at some leftover icing as I debated how to bring up the next point. I went with the blunt option.
“You know it’s going to come back,” I said.
“Oh, I’m well aware,” Emma confirmed, with an unmistakable growl reverberating in her throat.
“I was thinking that we should practice together,” I said. “Try and find a way to fight as a team. It would give us both practice and give us a better chance against the wraith when we face it again.”
Emma’s eyes sparkled. “I was actually going to say the same thing. I’ve been thinking about it for weeks, but wanted to wait until after Isaac was born and you and Sam got settled. Together, I think we’ve got a chance at ending things for good.”
I blinked, surprised even though I probably shouldn’t have been, not with Emma. “Really?”
“Of course! Fire and water? I couldn’t think of a better match. It’s as though it was fate.”
I nodded, a feral smile spreading across my face. I wasn’t through with the wraith. He and I had a score to settle, and I wasn’t about to let him get away, not after everything he had put us through. What he had put my town through.
“It won’t get away next time,” I said.
“Damn straight,” Emma answered. “Not if we have anything to say about it. And we’re going to have alotto say.”
I laughed, some of the anxiety that had been plaguing me ebbing away. Just having a plan made things seem less dim, lessfrightening. It actually felt like we could do this. We could end the wraith for good. And that was exactly what I intended to happen.
***
The party dragged on into the night and was still going when Isaac’s bedtime came around, and we had to say our goodbyes.
