⚠️ Bluesky is now blocked in my state. ⚠️ Using a temporary VPN to access it now, but wanted to let you know I'm moving back to twitter! Updates will continue there!

I went back into the hospital on Thursday 😫 Letting you know not to expect updates this week ❤️

As he walked toward the kitchen, Ren had to ask himself, was this a step towards healing? She was up, moving around, not raging or wailing. But somehow… somehow this coldness felt worse…

She was better. He could see that. But what worried him was feeling the wall she’d slammed up between them. He knew that wall well, he’d spent years chipping away at it. “You need to eat. Let me make you something.” She nodded, holding herself tightly.

Without another word, they moved around the apartment, gathering and putting all of them into the bathtub with the others. When done, Ren moved to her. She took a step back. Worried he’d spook her, he took a step back as well.

“I heard a noise, wanted to see if you were okay.” “Tossed the bedroom dampeners into the tub.” “Okay. Do you want me to help you take down the rest?” “Yeah.”

She went around the room picking up every dampener before tossing them into her tub. She’d destroy them later, after she collected the rest from the house. She went downstairs and saw Ren moving toward her. He stopped, and they stared at one another for a long moment.

Her mom left yesterday, the demands of life pulling her away. Good. One less person to deal with. The power of the dampeners had her frowning. Her head was clearer today, more than usual, and feeling the oppression of her magic was an itchy agitation beneath the skin.

She emerged from the bathroom and looked around the room. Empty. Quiet. Alone. Her familiars were not allowed out these days, she couldn’t handle them. And Ren was doing his best to give her space, while never leaving her alone.

[Three months later] Elsie woke up, looked over to see darkness outside, and closed her eyes tightly as the pain in her chest squeezed harder. She hated being awake. Hated consciousness, but her body demanded she get up.

Poppy dealt with a similar problem. Her world was international problems, and considering she was rarely home for any length of time, the murder of her friend slowly slid down the list of priorities. Not that she cared any less, but life has a way of taking over.

Crispin was glad to leave Elsie’s side. The immense pain she felt was overwhelming for him. He didn’t know how to handle it. His plan was to solve this, but the council interfered. Mundane problems were forbidden. He was given an ultimatum, and in the end, abandoned the quest.

He was surprised to see Kira around during this time. The woman was there the second they returned to the city, and was now living at Elsie’s. For once, the famous ambassador did not complain about the many magical artifacts placed in the home, she knew they were there to help subdue magic.

But as the days and weeks passed, Crispen began to wonder if the woman he knew would ever surface again. She was inconsolable. And her magic was in such a state of chaos that the council ordered her put in a magical lockdown, for the safety of everyone.

“I want everything you got from the cops.” Poppy. “Same, Elsie will want it when she…” She what? Recovers? Will she recover? “Yeah. She’ll get it together. And Watcher help the fucker who did this when she does.”

“Not sure Elsie will recover from this.” He agreed, but said nothing. “Not sure if any of us will.” “Did you get in touch with the fiancé?” Crispin couldn’t remember the guy's name. “Yeah. He’s on his way.” They watched the silent ambulance drive away.

Poppy came up beside him. She did the same kind of work he and Elsie did, but for the mundanes. Her eyes were red from crying, but she was too much of a professional to show any other outward sign of pain and distress.

Fuck. He stood to the side, watching the young girl’s body being taken away. He knew what she meant to Elsie, knew what she meant to all of them. He’d spent a lot of time with Harper during their high school days, and his own heart was aching.

He also knew, that if the girls had known murders were taking place in Crestnut Ridge, they would not have come. As wild as Elsie appeared on the outside, he knew she was always cautious and checked things out before traveling. Their training ingrained that behavior in them.

This was the third assault and murder this year. They were trying to keep it quiet, keep the panic down. But as news vehicles pulled up, Crispen knew that was now an impossibility.

With Elsie safe in Ren’s care, Crispen gritted his teeth and got to work. He may not be a mundane cop, but in the supernatural world, this was not uncommon work for him. The police were resistant at first, which he had no time for. A quick spell later, and they were spilling everything.

The cops could do nothing with her being in this uncontrollable state. She wasn’t letting anyone near the body, trying to protect what no longer needed protection.

The guys arrived quickly, and Ren was rushing toward her flame-coated body without a single drop of fear. She wept. She beat his chest. And when it got to be too much, Crispin stepped forward. Hand on the back of her head, he sent her under.

Poppy called Crispin to get Ren here immediately. Elsie was losing her mind. Screaming one moment, on her knees sobbing another, and then, the scariest, was when her entire body would light up with flames.

And for the second time in Elsie’s life, her world shattered.

The man looked up at their group exiting, “Help!” Elsie frowned, “Need me to call someone for you?” “Body.” They pointed behind him, “Body.”

She was gone enough as it was with her demanding job, but at least she could teleport back home as soon as possible. The girls made it around the corner, unable to find the bride-to-be in the bar. Someone at the corner of the building was bent over, throwing up. Best to bypass them!

It was crazy how she was slowly becoming a homebody. The longer they were together, the more attached they became. She was even going on some of his business trips lately, a thing she’d never done before. But the thought of him being away for longer than a workday seemed too much.

She let a flame rise in her hand. The man left so fast that he tripped a little on the way out. They managed to get Tiara up, and drag Poppy away from the guy she’d chosen for the night. Now to find Harper, who was probably hiding in a corner, and Elsie could get back home to Ren.

“And riding a cowboy should be an act of service for all the hard work I do.” Elsie snorted at the guy. Heiress, totally wasted, was nodding her head in agreement with the man. “You’re right. He’s right, Elsie, he needs me.” “Riiiight, what he needs is to get lost before I set him on fire.”

Heiress was making out with a cowboy, good thing the girl was on a break from her long-time on-again-off-again boyfriend. Elsie tugged her hair. “Come on, time to head out.” “But he’s so pretty. And a cowboy, Els!”

The biggest downside to this, was always having to be the responsible one with her mundane friends. What a downer that was. She checked the time, 2am. They’d been here since eight, so she guessed it was as good a time as any to start rounding everyone up.

Two hours later, Elsie found Tiara passed out on a bench. Elsie was, unfortunately, already sobering up. Even with some magical help, normal alcohol simply did not stay in her system for long.

Another laugh from her, then she was being pulled away by Poppy & Mia, “Gotta go, love you!” His reply was lost in a sea of girl yells and music.

“You get me drunk every time I see you.” A little sigh escaped at that admission, “I love getting lost in your eyes and your touch and your arms and your everything.” “I’m installing a bar in every room of the house.”

Her phone rang, she grinned down at his picture that popped up. “Heyyyy!” “I think you should teleport home. Right now.” She laughed loudly, “Oh no, I would never make it that easy for you!” He made a little growly sound that had her giggling. “I need to get you drunk more often.”

Whoa, she was definitely wasted if she was comparing Ren to the cosmos. Which meant she escaped with her phone, texting him the mushiest, most embarrassing things in the entire world. He would never let her live this down, but in the moment, she had not one care!

“Ha! Not a chance, vampy, besides, I’m the one who likes to do the biting.” She winked at him as she took the drink tray and walked back to her girls. As if anyone could ever compare to her Ren! He was the moon and stars of her life, the sun, the light of her world!

“Soulmate? Literally or figuratively?” Her sloshy brain took a moment to sort those two words, “Literally, siren blood.” A cocked brow, “I’d bet my soul that one bite from me would make you forget any kind of mate.” Her order arrived as she looked at him with drunken amusement.

Elsie fell against the bar, still laughing and smiling, as she ordered another round of drinks for them all. A vampire came lean next to her. “What can I do to convince you to leave your girls for a while?” She laughed again, “I have a soulmate, so not a single thing!”

An extra shot later, and Harper was getting down with the group! The girls laughter was so full of hope and excitement. This was the beginning of something beautiful… none of them felt the sinister eyes watching…

Harper rolled her eyes toward Elsie, knowing it was hopeless to convince their money-obsessed friend any differently. She grabbed her best friends hand, “Come on, Harp, time to dance!” “Nooo, Els! You know I don’t dance!” “You do tonight!”

Drinks were the first order of business, Elsie tipping in her usual magic concoction in to help the alcohol affect her spellcaster physiology. “To Harper! The luckiest woofum we know!” Harper shook her head, laughing, at Heiress, “His money is not why I’m lucky!” “Sure, babe. Sure.”

They arrived at their destination in Crestnut Ridge after a quick trip on Ren’s plane. This would be a night that none of them would ever forget…

“I never knew how hot I could look dressed as a cowgirl.” Elsie smirked at Mia, “Wait till you see the cowboys.” Heiress squealed, “Best idea, ever, Els!” Yeah, a western themed bachelorette party was just the fun they needed!

None of them knew it, but this would be the last time they ever spent a happy evening together…

Poppy hopped onto the coffee table as the evening wound down, “A toast! To the best bitches I’ve ever known!” Hugs, a few tears from Harper and Tiara, and the group said their goodbyes.