“And Agent Rose?”
“Gone too. Before dawn. Her friend with her.”
I nodded.
Harper gave me a little wave, gathered up her things, then slipped out the door.
Lionheart crossed the room and sat down on my bedside. He took my hand.
“When did you get here?” I asked.
“Yesterday.”
“Yesterday? How long have I been out?”
“Two days. Harper sent a messenger to London to let me know you’d been injured. Apparently, Mister Reeves took everyone in after whatever mess occurred in the ruins ended.”
“What about the packs?”
“The Templars have reminded everyone that we are still in charge. The Red Capes are busy cleaning up the Dark Districts; Shadow Watch is helping. Everything is settled. Except for the fact that you’ve been unconscious and are sporting a fresh batch of stitches,” he said, pointing to my face.
So distracted by the ache in my head, I hadn’t even noticed the smarting pain just above my good eye.
“Wonderful. At least I’ll be symmetrical. But I’m alive. And I got the artifact back. Harper has it.”
“Except that,” Lionheart said, pointing to my neck. I looked down to see I was still wearing the faerie gemstone.
“Ahh. Yes. That requires a conversation with Her Majesty.”
“Which can wait until you’re recovered, no matter if you’re the new director of the Red Capes or not. Mister Reeves said you can stay here and rest as long as you like.”
“That’s very kind of him—wait, how do you know I’m the new director?”
“Grand-mère told me.”
“Grand-mère?”
Lionheart chuckled. “You don’t think I’d let her sit at home worrying about you. I brought her with me.”
“You brought Grand-mère here?”
“Yes.”
“As in, you drove her all the way out here?”
“So I did.”
I laughed, but the sound of my own voice made me wince, my head banging. “Oh, Richard. I don’t know what to say.”
“No matter. I have been given some specific advice on what I should be saying and doing. I say, Clemeny, if the Red Capes are in need of an interrogator, you need look no further than your grandmother. I felt almost undone when she was finished with me.”
I laughed. “And what did Grand-mère decide you should be saying and doing?”
Lionheart smirked. “That is between Grand-mère and me.”
The door to the bedroom banged wide open. The noise was so loud that I suppressed a shudder.
“Clemeny!” Jericho yelled, rushing to me. Pushing Lionheart aside, the boy wrapped his arms around me. “Agent Harper said you were awake.”
“Easy, Jericho. Clemeny is still in pain.”
“It’s all right,” I said, hugging the boy to me. The feel of his little body in my arms filled me with a sense of peace. I sighed.
Jericho let me go. “They said you passed out. That’s a terrible cut on your eye. Did a werewolf do that?”
I shook my head. “A faerie.”
Jericho scrunched up his face as he thought it over. “Where is this faerie?” he asked then, his voice sounding decidedly dark and wolf-like.
“Dealt with,” I replied. “So you don’t need to worry.” I turned to Richard. “And just wait until I tell you how.”
Richard raised an eyebrow at me.
“Oh my Clemeny, my Clemeny. Oranges and lemons, every time you go off to work, I worry I’ll find you like this. And here you are all battered and bruised again,” Grand-mère began before she even entered the room. Her face was a mix of sincere worry and annoyance. But she stopped in the doorway.
“Grand-mère,” I said softly, smiling at her.
Grand-mère looked from Richard, to Jericho, to me. The expression on her face softened, and she smiled serenely.
“Well, my girl,” she said. I was surprised to see her eyes looking watery.
“Grand-mère?”
She smiled then wiped a stray tear from her eye. “I’ll ring for tea,” she said then turned and headed back down the hallway.
Jericho kissed me on the cheek then jumped up. “May I ask Grand-mère to bring biscuits too?”
I nodded. “Go tell her.”
Jericho placed one more quick kiss on my cheek then ran off behind Grand-mère.
Richard took his place on my bedside once more. He stared at me for a long time then pulled me into a deep embrace.
“I love you,” he whispered in my ear.
“I love you too.”
Despite all the odds, I had fallen madly, deeply in love with the big bad wolf.
And he was everything to me.
* * *
Two days later, once I was back on my feet, I met Mister Reeves to say goodbye once more. Grand-mère was chatting with Jericho as the pair climbed into the back seat of the steamauto. I hadn’t heard what the boy had said, but Grand-mère laughed loudly, the sound of her happy voice echoing across the gardens.
“I hope we meet again very soon,” Mister Reeves told me, reaching out to shake my hand. “But under better circumstances next time.”
I nodded. “Thank you for your hospitality once more.”
“Of course.”
“The bags are settled. I gave the rest to Agent Harper to take with her on the airship. Otherwise, I believe we’re ready,” Lionheart told me.
I inclined my head to Mister Reeves then turned to get into the steamauto. I paused one last time to look out at the ruins. It was early morning. The sunrise cast shades of pink and gold on the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey. The vision was lovely, but the longer I looked, the more the image began to waver. Once more, I spotted the standing stones in Avalon, a place of legend.
Clemeny.
Clemeny Louvel.
I shook my head. “Not today,” I answered the voice on the wind. “Not yet.” Maybe never. I turned my gaze away from the stones and back to this world. Opening the door of the auto, I smiled at the little lycan sitting in the back seat. “Have everything you need?” I asked him.
Grinning, Jericho nodded. “Biscuits. Grand-mère. Sir Richard. You. Yes, I have everything I need.”
I chuckled then slid inside. When I closed the door, I caught Richard’s reflection in the mirror. “So do I,” I whispered softly. “So do I.”
Thank You
Thank you for reading the Steampunk Red Riding Hood series. I hope you enjoyed Clemeny’s adventures. Our beloved Little Red has whispered that she does have a few more stories to tell, but we’ll see what the future holds. For now, Clemeny’s arc is complete, and her future path is clear. And it’s a happy one. I think that’s a great place to pause.
Thank you for taking this journey with us.
If you enjoyed this novel, would you mind leaving me a review? Reader reviews mean a lot to potential customers, and they help a book become more visible on Amazon. If you have a moment, I would really appreciate your help.
All my best,
Melanie
Acknowledgements
With Special Thanks To:
Becky Stephens for helping me shape my words, riding the highs and lows with me, and always being there to pull my ass out of the fire. If it weren’t for you, I’d be perpetually covered in hives. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Erin Hayes for helping me make my paperbacks beautiful.
Lindsay Galloway for her sharp eyes.
Karri Klawiter for the beautiful covers.