Epilogue
The rose gardens behind the Kingsley Castle, one month later…
Everyone was relaxing underneath an enormous shady arbor, because the sun was beating down full force and the Nevada days were as scorching as the nights were chilly. Everyone, that is, except for Orion, who was in dragon form, flying overhead with his four dragonlings – two ice and two fire. They were only two years old, and he flew beneath them in case any of them took a tumble. Every time they flew directly over the group below, it stirred up a nice cooling breeze that ruffled Kelly’s hair.
Tabitha and Emerson were sitting on an ornate iron bench, watching the dragonlings fly and sipping mimosas.
“Kelly Kingsley. Kelly Kingsley,” Kelly repeated, trying to get used to the sound of it as she stroked the huge sparkler on her finger.
“Try saying that five times fast,” Teresa observed wryly. “You probably should have married someone with a last name like Smith.”
“Ha. Teresa Higginbotham. Your last name will sound like bottom,” Kelly crowed triumphantly. Terribly immature of her, but hey, it had been so long since she’d felt like she could affectionately tease her sister that she wanted to seize the opportunity.
“Wait, do you know something?” Teresa demanded.
Kelly coughed behind her hand and looked away. Gabriel shook his head at her chidingly. “Just couldn’t keep a secret, could you?” His eyes gleamed with amusement.
“Spill it. Now,” Teresa ordered her.
“It’ll spoil the surprise,” Kelly protested. Damn it, her and her big mouth.
“I hate surprises.”
That was true; borderline OCD Teresa believed that surprises were as evil as unmade beds, dirty dishes, or daily planners with blank spaces in them.
Kelly let out a sigh. “It is possible that yesterday, when I was hanging out with Gabriel at the jewelry store, Winthrop might maybe possibly have been ring shopping.”
“Ohmigod ohmigod ohimigod. What did it look like?” Teresa’s eyes bugged open so wide Kelly was almost afraid they’d fall out of her head. “Was it bigger than yours?” she added hopefully.
“Yes, Teresa, it was bigger than mine, and that’s all I’m telling you,” Kelly informed her firmly. “Now go be nice to Winthrop and act like you don’t know anything.”
Kelly had actually advised Winthrop on what to choose, and told him it had to be bigger than hers. She didn’t have any need to compete, and she knew it would make Teresa happy.
Teresa scampered over to Winthrop, who was trimming a rose bush. He didn’t have to. Since saving Gabriel’s life, he and his family were no longer duty-bound to work for the Kingsleys, much to everyone’s relief. He just couldn’t help himself. But when he saw her coming, he actually set the clippers back down in his gardener’s bag and let Teresa lead him away by the hand, and they disappeared behind an enormous rose bush.
Teresa was staying in Winthrop’s chambers while Gabriel paid to have his house rebuilt. Once he and Teresa were married, she would have to wean him away from trying to organize the Kingsleys’ chaotic lives. Since he’d never be happy if he wasn’t organizingsomeone’slife, they were talking about opening a wedding-planning service.
“I still can’t believe we’re married,” Kelly said to Cadence as a maid approached with a tray of drinks.
“You’d better believe it,” Gabriel said with mock hurt. Then he flashed her a devilish grin. “But just in case, I’ll have to work extra hard to prove it to you tonight.”
“I could say that I hate saying I told you so, but that would be a lie. Tooooold…youoooo…so…” Cadence glanced at Kelly as she plucked a drink from the tray, and her face fell. “You just picked a mimosa. Not pregnant yet.”
“Jeez, I’ve been married a week. I will definitely be hitting you up for dragonling-raising tips. Give it time.” She stroked Gabriel’s arm. “We’re still in the honeymoon phase.”
“That we are,” Gabriel said. He threw his arm around her shoulders, and she leaned in to him contentedly.
Her arrival in dragon territory had started like a nightmare and ended like a fairytale.
It turned out that the Rossi family wouldn’t get the Dragonsblood Ruby back after all, after a joint human-dragon council had decided that the mere existence of such a dangerous jewel was too much of a threat. The jewel had been destroyed, and it had turned out that a clause in the Allied Insurance contract meant that the agency was not on the hook for “government-sanctioned destruction”.
Kelly’s mother realized too late how much she needed Kelly working for her agency, and sent her several hundred emails and texts that alternately wheedled and threatened, until Kelly finally sent her a cease and desist letter and blocked her from contacting her again.
Alexandra was fully recovered, and slowly regaining weight on her painfully thin frame. Evangeline shone like the sun now, all traces of the sullen teenager gone. Principe Teague had never been able to conclusively prove that she was behind the attacks on the Maplethorpes, and since they were no longer alive to press charges, the matter ended there.
And Calder…Calder had been there when they’d really needed him, on the day of the fiery showdown with Marvin and the Maplethorpes. It turned out that he had been following the Maplethorpes, because he thought that they were trying to frame his family. The day of the attack, he’d followed them right to Winthrop’s house.
Now he was walking across the field towards them.
