Page 48 of Malum Discordiae

He laughed ruefully. “Not at all. Bad tires and a snow-slick road did me in.”

“So, it really was just an accident?”

He nodded. “It’s been so wonderful seeing you, Paxton. I’m so very proud of you. Never let anyone, even your father, tell you that what you did was wrong. You saved that child’s life. He would have died had you not intervened. And if you had waited for the Vatican to give you permission, it may have been too late. I’m sorry that it cost you so much, but . . .” He looked down at Sky, and a smile stretched his face. “Then again, seems God had other plans.” He looked back up at me. “Do you love her?”

I took a deep breath, whispering so only he could hear me. “I think I do. I think I’ve been falling for years without realizing it. Almost losing her during this investigation just made me face it. But she’s nowhere near ready to hear that, and I’m not entirely sure I’m ready to tell her. But, yeah, I think I do.” I nodded.

“I wish I could hug you. I’ll just have to settle for saying congratulations. When the time is right, you’ll tell her. And you’ll see what she has to say about that.”

I smiled.

Dev walked up to me and addressed Grandda. “Father.”

“Hello, Deveraux.”

“Thank you for everything you did to help.”

Grandda inclined his head. “Of course.”

“Is there anything we can do for you? Do you need me to reach out to Papa Legba to ferry you home?”

“Not necessary, my child. But thank you for the offer. I think my ride just arrived.” As he said that, a bright light appeared from all around us. It was so brilliant, so beautiful, it was hard to look away, even though it was so searing. The fear of blindness was real.

A disembodied, “God be with you,” surrounded us, and then the light disappeared, along with my grandfather.

“And also with you,” I whispered, looking down at Sky, just as she opened her eyes.

“Pax?” she breathed, looking confused.

“I’m here, Sky.”

“What the actual fuck just happened?”

I laughed. This would be a very interesting story to tell.

CHAPTER24

~Schuyler~

It had been a couple of weeks since the events at the Lamour Mansion, and I was finally starting to feel like myself again. I still had a hard time swallowing what Pax and the team had told me had happened, but I couldn’t refute the proof. Our cameras and microphones had caught everything, and I’d watched it all back, feeling as if I were viewing one of the horror movies I loved so much, not my real life.

It helped a little that we had been able to debunksomeof the things that had gone on outside of that. The front door window shattering had a logical explanation—there was an oak tree in the side yard, and there had been a storm that day—we’d gotten the results of the samples I’d sent in, and there was indeed some mold in the home, and the estate had some ground wire issues, which could definitely explain some of the high electromagnetic frequency readings. Not to mention, Dev did uncover that two ley lines intersected under the property. Knowing all that—even though I didn’t know much about ley lines—settled a small piece of my mind. The one that wanted to hold tight to absolutes and not get sucked into the things that defied explanation.

I’d also been doing some video sessions with Harper to work through some stuff, and it was really helping. We’d discussed everything that had been uncovered about my past and talked about how to deal with it moving forward with my parents and just my life in general. We’d even unpacked a bit of the coincidence of me getting a tattoo that tied back to my original name. I’d just felt really drawn to the design and couldn’t shake it until I saved up enough money to get it. Momdidtell me recently that the blanket I’d been wrapped in when Pax’s grandfather delivered me to them had had an apple tree embroidered in the corner. I vaguely remembered using it for my dolls as a kid. Maybe that’s where the subliminal suggestion had come from. Who knew?

As for the show, the network had gone crazy for the episode after everything had been edited and gave us all raises and a promise for another extension.The Lamour Afflictionwent live last night and got the highest ratings we’d ever had. I couldn’t bring myself to watch it. Living through it was enough. Reviewing it after the team caught me up on what’d happened was more than enough. Seeing it all again, even with careful editing and creative license—and Hanlen said that Van and Lennie did some spectacular things to make it all flow smoothly since for most of it we were in the fight of our lives and not actively investigating—well, that was beyond what my mind could handle.

I’d actually asked Dev if I could take a little sabbatical. I needed to think over everything that’d happened in my life, how things had changed, and come to terms with it all. He’d easily agreed, and so, here I was, on vacation for the first time in forever. Actually, the entire team was taking a break. Not too much, as we had a huge compound in the Ninth Ward to investigate, but we were all due some R&R after so many back-to-back-to-back filmings, and such a long stretch without any time off—not to mention everything that had happened with the team. Deaths. A kidnapping. Murder. Betrayal. Turnover. We all needed some personal time to process. It would be good for everyone andHaunted New Orleansfor us to reset.

From my cozy spot on the porch, I looked around at the wilderness around me—the still lake glistening like a jewel in the barely risen sun, the lush trees surrounding the area like a gorgeous, natural fence, and the majestic mountains in the distance standing like silent sentinels with watchful eyes. It was breathtaking. I’d never considered myself a nature-y kind of girl—until I was in it. Now, I wasn’t sure I wanted to leave. I should probably be concerned at yet another change to my personality, but cut a girl a break. A lot of shit had happened. At least I wasn’t still oppressed and acting like a lunatic.

A mug dropped down in front of my face, and I gratefully accepted it with a smile, turning my head to take in the bearer of the mana. Yes, I was getting used to drinking my coffee hot. Stranger things had happened.

“Good morning,” Pax said, leaning down to give me a thorough kiss and swiping his fingers down the now-bright-pink streak I had in my jet-black hair, tucking it behind an ear and making me shiver. I’d finally gotten the fashion color pop I’d always wanted. It’d only taken me being possessed and almost dying to turn it white enough that I could.

I glanced over at Paxton next to me, watching him take a sip of his black brew. Damn the man was hot. I’d never tire of thinking it. And he’d literally put his life—and if you asked him, hissoul—on the line for me. What more could a girl ask for?

“It is a good morning, isn’t it?” I said, looking back out at the scene before us. “I’m really glad you had Hanlen dig into your grandfather’s estate. This gorgeous place was just sitting here going to waste.” I looked back at Pax. “I can’t believe your dad didn’t tell you that Dougal left you this.”

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