Page 103 of Premonition of Peace

Had I made a mistake? Was this the result of playing with fate?

“Are you okay?” As soon as the words left my lips, I flinched. Of course she wasn’t okay. She was bent at the waist and gasping for breath. I gently rubbed her back, trying to soothe the pain I caused.

Slowly, Sasha straightened, and a real smile spread across her face. Something I wasn’t sure I’d ever truly seen. Tearsglazed over her eyes, and she pulled me into a hug, something she rarely did, and her voice was filled with emotion as she spoke.

“I’m free.”

epilogue i

SASHA

Five months later…

The May breeze fluttered through the trees, carrying with it the promise of summer and a hint of the flowers that bloomed along the sidewalk. I strolled down the street, letting the gentle wind tousle my hair. Today was one of those rare, perfect days when the world felt just right; when I’d woken up knowing I’d had no nightmares and there weren’t any specters hanging out in the corners of my vision.

Since being stuck in the veil and essentially dead, having my body snatched, my body actually dying, and then being resurrected all over again, life had been one hard thing after the other. But today was going to be a good day. I just knew it.

I was headed to grab a cup of coffee before meeting Piper for the conference with the faction leaders. The fallout from the death of the last black witch had left a gaping hole in the supernatural community that everyone seemed desperate to fill. It was a constant juggling act trying to keep everyone’s peace. But for now, a little caffeine was my only priority.

Lost in thought, I wandered into the coffee shop, my eyes fixed on my phone. My feet were moving forward without really paying attention to my surroundings and I didn’t see the guy walking in time to avoid the collision. My body crashed into a hard wall and strong hands grasped my arms, tingles exploding where the pads of his fingers touched my skin.

I looked up and into the most mesmerizing pair of hazel eyes I’d ever seen. They were warm and inviting, with flecks of brown and black that seemed to dance in the sunlight filtering through the shop’s window. The man’s face was chiseled, with a strong jawline and a hint of stubble that made him look ruggedly handsome. His dark brown hair was a tousled mess of tight curls.

He was fucking gorgeous.

Shit, I internally cursed after a suspended moment. I was definitely staring.

“Sorry about that,” I mumbled, trying to regain my composure.

He took a moment to rake his gaze over me, and I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks. There was something undeniably magnetic about him, something that made my heart race and my thoughts scatter. I had dropped my phone in my surprise, and he bent down to pick it up, his movements smooth and graceful. When he handed it back to me, our fingers brushed, and a jolt of electricity shot up my arm.

“No problem at all,” he said, his voice deep and rich. “I’m Finn.”

“Sasha,” I replied, still feeling a bit flustered. “Nice to meet you.”

He flashed a charming smile that made my knees weak. “Can I buy you a coffee, Sasha?”

I hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Sure.”

We walked to the counter together, and as we waited in line, I couldn’t help but notice the subtle aura of otherworldliness about him. His presence was magnetic, and I could tell he was some kind of supernatural, though I couldn’t quite place it.

“So, Sasha, what is it that you do?” he asked while they made our drinks.

“I work with Piper Fallon and Nathalie Le Fay,” I answered, momentarily wondering if that was going to be the end of our interactions. If hearing the names of the two most powerful people in the city would turn him off . . .

“I’ve met Nathalie a few times,” he said, nodding in appreciation. “Good lady. I really appreciate what she does for the city. What they both do, really.”

I smiled, and there was no way I could hide how happy it made me that he’d said that.

“What about you, Finn?” I asked. “What is it that you do?

“Construction,” he said, tilting his head side to side. “Well, acquisitions and construction, if I’m being entirely honest.”

“Oh? What does that mean?”

“I acquire abandoned buildings around New Chicago and work to restore them. Some are for affordable housing, others are retail. Some of them had horrible back stories, and those just get leveled to the ground and rebuilt into something that just makes the city . . . I don’t know . . . better. No one needs a reminder of what happened in some of these places.” He paused when the barista was ready for us to order.

There was a quiet confidence about him and the more we talked, the more intrigued I became. By the time we reached the counter and he paid for my coffee, I had to admit that I was embarrassingly captivated by this stranger.

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