CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
Aurora opened the door to the guest house. “As I said, you’re both welcome to stay here as long as you want. The clan is happy to have you here for as long as you want to be here.”
“Thank you for everything, Aurora. I’m sorry I doubted that you were telling me the truth. And for any of the other bad thoughts, I had about you.”
“It’s completely understandable. Here take these. They belong to you now.” Aurora said, handing her the envelope filled with photographs.
“Thank you!” Joy leaned in and gave her a hug, grateful for the pictures of her mom.
“Thank you for healing me and saving her,” Adam said.
“Oh, before I forget. I have something for you also. There is a note in here for you to read later.” She slipped a small box into the palm of his hand.
Once they settled in, Adam built a fire while Joy found blankets and made the bed. Remembering the little box in his pocket, he opened it and removed the letter. He also found a simple gold ring with a solitary diamond inside the box. It was more beautiful than he could have ever imagined.
This ring belonged to Joy’s mother. It was her wedding ring from Joy’s polar bear father. Before she left for Florida, she gave it to me after I had foretold her future. Now the circle is nearly complete.
Adam slipped both items into his pocket and smiled when he saw Joy already sound asleep on the bed. She’d been through a lot up on the North Slope. He decided it was time for them to return to Polar Point and try for yet another fresh start. He just had a few phone calls to make first.
* * *
“Good morning,doll. How about we get out of here?” he asked, having already been awake for some time. He was ready to get out of North Slope though he no longer harbored the resentment he used to.
“Do you have any particular place in mind?” she asked with a long stretch.
“Oh, I was thinking we could go back to Polar Point and beg for our jobs back.”
“As long as it doesn’t involve any more shape-shifting. It’s painful and wears me out.” She scrunched up her face at the thought of shifting again.
“It gets easier. I promise. The key is allowing the magic to overwhelm you instead of fighting it. Once you learn to do that, it will never hurt again. I can shift now in a full sprint and barely miss a step.”
“Good for you. You have to take it easy on newbies like me. Anyway, are you in a hurry to leave? I maybe owe you an apology. I could make it up to you,” she said with a wink.
“Oh? For thinking I was tricking you into becoming a bear against your will?” he said with a teasing voice. Her words and accusations had hurt. There was no denying it, but he knew that wasn’t the real Joy. His Joy.
Her words and her hate came from thinking he had betrayed her. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing he needed to forgive because he had blown it off when it happened. Her reaction was natural and completely expected, given how everything had come about.
“Nah, for all the awful names I was calling you when I walked away.”
“Hmm. I think I’ll make you wait for it. Besides, we have to be in Polar Point before evening. I have a hot date lined up,” he teased.
“Hmm. A hot date? Anyone I know?”
“I suppose you can tag along. Now let’s get on that plane and get out of here. Don’t worry, we’ll come back to visit soon. I no longer dread coming here, and I think it would be good for both of us to accept and officially join our clan.”
Landing back in Polar Point gave them both a feeling of belonging. Not only that, it felt like a true fresh start was, in fact, on the horizon. It was something they needed as a couple.
“This feels good, doesn’t it?” he asked.
“I think so. All the secrets have been dragged into the open. I’ve reconciled myself with the fact that I am a paranormal creature. That I was born one. Oh, and the evil archenemy who wanted me dead has been defeated by my one true love. And I’m not even in a straitjacket over it all! Did I miss anything?” She laughed.
“Just one more thing.”
“And what’s that?”
“The Fates will reveal it soon enough,” he said with a wink.
“Oh, gosh! How could I have forgotten about them?” she exclaimed.