“We’re going to have a good life,” I murmured.
“The best,” he agreed.
Chapter 32
Two Weeks Later
Bec
Elena set a glass of bright red iced tea down in front of me. Agua de Jamaica was my new favorite drink. Last time I’d visited she’d sent me home with a jug of it. I noticed an extra container in her fridge and hoped that was for me.
Danzig and Marduk were in her front yard with Hugo, letting him sniff all around her garden. I could feel their happiness through our bond, and it made me smile.
“I finished yesterday,” Elena said, taking a seat across from me.
Two days after the confrontation with Lomis we’d brought all the things Gale had been storing to Elena. It took some time because we found three houses with items. Now it was two weeks later and we were visiting Elena again.
The bruja had looked angry when she’d seen it all. She said that as long as we paid for the extra materials she needed for her magic, she wouldn’t charge for her work.
She also demanded I not ask what she was doing to the people involved.
I agreed to everything.
The bulk herbs and pots she’d asked for hadn’t cost that much, and I felt an intense sense of relief to find out that she was done. It was as if a task that had been weighing on me was over.
“I can’t thank you enough, Elena,” I said.
She shook her head. “There’s no need to thank me. It felt good to create balance.”
“Do I need to figure out what to do with all the exotic animal parts?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No, they all dissolved and became part of the spell. The animals were eager for retribution. I can feel that the void is content because there is balance in the magic again.”
Her words reinforced that we'd done the right thing.
Marduk and Danzig came into the house with Hugo right on their heels. All three of them were wearing matching shirts. They’d surprised me with them this morning. The trio were adorable and hilarious.
“I love the style,” Elena said with a chuckle.
“It was my idea,” Marduk said.
Danzig tugged the front of his shirt. “But I found the shirts.”
“I'm impressed you managed to find shirts with pugs on them,” Elena said, making Danzig’s smile even wider.
I took a sip of my drink as the guys settled into seats at the table with us. Cheddar, the orange cat, appeared and laid at Marduk’s feet.
Hugo stared at her, as if trying to figure out if she was friend or foe.
“She won't hurt the dog,” Elena said. “If she's not having fun, she'll simply leave.”
Marduk set Hugo down next to the cat. He sniffed a circle around her, then let out a massive yawn. As we watched, he flopped over next to the cat. Cheddar was bigger than Hugo and rolled over to be the big spoon.
“Welp, that's adorable,” I muttered. Did I need to get a cat now?
“I’m going to warn you that Cheddar might start showing up at your home,” Elena said. “She doesn’t like many dogs, but when she decides to like one, she basically adopts them too.”
I felt the twins' amusement through our bond even before Marduk spoke. “Should I put out cat food for her?”
