“Har-har.”
After a few more quiet minutes, the car slowed and pulled to a stop. “A moment, Sentinel.”
The weight in the car shifted, and the door shut. A moment later, my door opened and he touched my arm. “I’m here, Sentinel. Let me help you out.”
I put my hand in his, turned to put my feet on the ground, and stood. I took in a breath, trying to scent out where I was, but got nothing unusual. “Time to take this off?”
“Not yet,” he said, closing the car door, and situating himself on my right-hand side, tucking my arm into his. “A bit farther to go first. Just hold on to me.”
Not having a better choice—I’d long ago decided to trust him—I took careful steps, one hand wrapped around his biceps, the other out and feeling for any obstacles in my way. That was how I knew we’d passed through a door and traveled down a hallway before emerging into a larger room. A few more steps, and he came to a stop.
“I’m going to take the blindfold off now.”
I nodded while he unknotted the silk, then blinked when he revealed only darkness.
There was a buzz of sound . . . and then the lights came on.
“Dear God,” I said, eyes wide and staring. We weren’t in a room, big or otherwise.
We were in the middle of Wrigley Field.
I turned in a long, slow circle.
Because my last try had gone so horribly wrong, I hadn’t actually been inside Wrigley since becoming a vampire. I hadn’t seen the bleachers, the scoreboard, the Wrigley rooftops where fans outside the stadium watched the games. None of it since I’d gotten fangs, which didn’t explain why I was here now.
I looked back at Ethan, found his gaze on me, his expression indecipherable. “What are we doing here?”
“Last week, Logan took this from you—this experience at Wrigley. But I took this from you more generally one year ago when I made you a vampire. I took from you things that you won’t get back, including afternoon baseball.” Ethan took my hand. “So I mean to give you back what I can.”
s stubborn and arrogant, domineering and imperious. He was brave and honorable, and he was mine. There was no one else. Had never really been anyone else, even before I knew he’d been waiting for me. And if I said yes, there would never be.
“Of course I will.”
The crowd erupted again with screams and hoots and applause as Ethan Sullivan, my former enemy, jumped to his feet and kissed me deeply, winding his hands into my hair.
“I love you,” he said, pulling back to gaze down at me. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” I cleared my throat. “At the risk of asking an ungracious question . . . ,” I began, when he smiled down at me, and I smiled back.
“Don’t worry, Sentinel. There’s a ring. I just hadn’t anticipated there’d be a moment quite this perfect.” He let his gaze slip across the crowd that watched and cheered around us. “Or a location.”
Forever, he said silently, just for me. And for an eternity after that.
Forever, I agreed.
EPILOGUE
TROMPE L’OEIL
Green had been her signature color. Orange most definitely was not. But it was oh so satisfying to see Sorcha and Adrien Reed stripped of expensive clothes and jewelry.