Page 50 of Taken By the Ripper
“Thank you,” Mazie sniffed. “I only wanted out of this terrible city. I don’t know what to do now.”
Claude stepped forward in his ragged clothing, exhaustion boring a hole into his entire demeanor from the dark circles under his eyes to the slump in his shoulders. “I believe I can help with that. You and Norma will come to live with me and Clara in Paris.” He turned to Clara and clasped her hands between each of his. “If you will have me.”
“I’m not going anywhere without you,” she replied in a breathy whisper. “Perhaps I’ll get a real shot at becoming a doctor. One with an actual degree.”
He laughed and kissed each of her hands. “A bit of warning, dove. The deal comes with a ghoul on the side.”
She grinned. “Even better.”
“Claws, tail, and sharp teeth included.”
She enjoyed the thrill of the warning. “I look forward to it.”
“And a bit of monster hunting with the detective career.”
She tugged only one hand away to place it on her hip. “Are you trying to scare me away? Because it’s not working.”
“I’m only trying to see how far you will go for me.”
“All the way.”
“All the way,” he murmured disbelievingly before tugging on her hand and pulling her into a kiss.
She instinctively melted against him, the heat of his kiss both smoldering with heat and icy with pure relief. She was glad he was safe. She was relieved they’d all made it out of this situation alive, even if it wasn’t the outcome she’d expected. Now that mysteries were revealed, and pieces of the puzzles put together, her decision was easy.
Yes, she would go wherever he did. Two people joined body and soul. Her mate. Her rock. Her heart’s desire. Her Claude.
“I think I’ll just…” Mazie hummed awkwardly. “Umm…make myself scarce.”
She and Claude broke the kiss to laugh as Mazie crossed the room to observe something on the wall with an overly intense expression.
“Does this mean you remember everything?” Clara asked, searching the blue of Claude’s eyes.
He nodded. “I remember everything. Even in this form now. The moment Ferdinand turned to ash, I remembered.”
“This was not how I envisioned things panning out. She ran a hand down the length of Claude’s arm.
He grinned, his “kiss with a demon” pulling his mouth on one side. “No. It’s better.”
And then he pulled her into another kiss, and she knew without a doubt… This was where she always wanted to be.
I
t was brighter in Paris.
It was almost as if a fog had lifted from the skies, as if the darkness that had plagued Whitechapel no longer held her within its grasp. Paris had afforded her opportunities she’d never thought possible, especially with Claude as her source of constant support. He’d believed in her. And now?
The fruits of her labor stood before her as she stared at her new clinic bathed in sunset gold, surrounded by colorful trees beginning to transition to red and yellow with the turn of the autumn weather.
After a couple of years of schooling at Faculté de Médecine de Paris, she was now officially able to call herself a doctor, all thanks to Claude, who had graciously paid for her education. His generosity had opened opportunities she’d only dreamed of her entire life. Although she had been one of the few women attending, she looked forward to proving that a woman could also receive the same education as a man and forge a path in the medical world.
Just like her father.
Oh, she truly hoped he was proud of her, smiling down at her from heaven.
Now, she was a doctor with a clinic of her own. A clinic with a catch…
A grin stretched across her face as she glanced first at Mazie and then at Claude as they gazed at the structure before them in awe. A real clinic with beds and equipment and plenty of space for patients.
