Page 24 of The Seven Rings
She threw open her balcony doors, let the wind whip. Wrapped in it, she watched the storm lash and slash over the sea.
The angry sky hurled lightning so the air snapped. The lightning called the thunder that roared—a pack of lions—over sea and land. Rain drummed in a mad rhythm outdone only by the crash of waves on the rocky shore.
“It’s beautiful, and it’s terrible.” Because he trembled a little, she picked Yoda up to cuddle. “And it’s real power.”
She kissed his nose. “Let’s go put the new mood board together. And don’t you worry. The manor’s stood against countless storms.”
She glanced up as she carried the dog out with her.
“And it’s going to keep standing.”
In contrast to the afternoon storms, the evening moved smooth and quiet. And ended with laughter and sighs as the credits rolled on a clever and frothy rom-com.
Comfortable in pj’s, Sonya let out one more sigh. “Just what I needed. How about you?”
“Bull’s-eye. I love men, and I’m especially fond of the two who come around here. But there’s just nothing like a girls’ night. This one hit all the marks.”
“One more left to hit.” Sonya reached for the wine bottle and poured the last of it into their two glasses. “How about we take this wine, our faithful companions, and have ourselves a walk around outside?”
“The perfect nightcap.”
Yoda scrambled up when they switched off the TV, then raced down the steps from the second floor of the library. Danced in a circle.
Pyewacket took her time. She stretched, she considered, then poured herself off the couch like water from a jar.
When they reached the front door, the dog shot out like a cannonball while the cat slunk out and into the shadows.
Sonya breathed in the night.
“Everything’s so clear now. We’ve got the moon, the stars, the sea.”
“And our own little stars with our fairy lights. They bring the joy. We’ve had a good day, Son,” Cleo added as they began to walk.
“Damn good day. We hold on to good days, and we’re going to keep piling them up. I like knowing we’ve got that box of photos for Clarice Poole to go through, and one for the Doyles.”
“It’s fun going through them. Looking at the hairstyles, the clothes. You know what’d be nice? If when we really start digging through—trunks, drawers, closets—we found some photos of the staff who’ve worked here.”
“Oh! We’d put them in the gallery! There’s bound to be at least a few somewhere. The manor wouldn’t be the manor without them. We’ll start looking.”
When they reached the back, Sonya stopped. “Speaking of looking.”
Lights sparkled on the pergola; solar lanterns and lamps glowed.
“We did good work here, Son. We had a hell of a foundation, but we added to it.”
“In all my dreams about living in a big old house, I never imagined I’d have the ocean out front and all this back here.”
“It’s a jewel, and we’re going to keep polishing it.”
Yoda let out a growl, a snarl. At Cleo’s feet, Pye arched her back, hissed.
Out of the shadow of the house it came, eyes glinting red.
“Sweet Jesus.” Cleo grabbed for Sonya’s hand. “Is that a wolf?”
Dark as the night, it stood between them and the manor. The pretty lights glinted on fangs, long and sharp.
“It’s not real,” Sonya managed, because she wanted to believe it.
