This Wicked Game (23 page)

She breathed in the smell of him, the feel of him. “I’ve missed you.”

His arms snaked around her waist, pulling her tight against him. “I’ve missed you, too.”

There were still things she didn’t know.

She didn’t know what she believed. If she had really saved the firstborns—and if they had really saved her. If she had really seen the loas rise into the night sky to protect them or if it had been a product of her imagination and the massive blood loss she’d endured. If she would grow into her place in the Guild or travel another path entirely.

But she knew that she wasn’t alone. That there were people who loved her, who would come to her aid if she needed them. That she was part of something honored and true. Something worth holding on to.

Most of all, she knew that she loved Xander.

That she believed in him. In them.

And as he took her hand and turned to his parents with a smile, she knew that was what mattered.

Everything else, she would figure out along the way.

Acknowledgments

First thanks, always, go to Steven Malk, who is the finest agent anyone could ever ask for.

Thanks also to Nancy Conescu for advocating tirelessly on my behalf; to Jessica Shoffel, who might just be the most kickass publicist in the history of publicists; and to everyone at Penguin/Dial for giving my work a home.

Thank you to all the people who gave me up close and personal information about what it’s like to live in and love Louisiana and the city of New Orleans, including Lisa Conescu, Stephanie Pellegrin, Owen Pellegrin, Kate Bass, Rachel Bellavia, Jacqueline Goff, Katy Davison Monnot, and Andrea Northrop. Your comments, memories, and observations are woven through every word of this book.

Much gratitude to cherished friends and colleagues Saundra Mitchell, Stacey Jay, Carrie Ryan, Tonya Hurley, Ellen Hopkins, Tamora Pearce, Lisa Mantchev, Georgia McBride, and Jennifer Draeger.

Heartfelt appreciation to every reader who supports my work, spreads the word, keeps me company online, and encourages me in so many ways, big and small. I like to think you know who you are.

Thanks to my mother, Claudia Baker; my father, Michael St. James; and to Morgan Doyle, Anthony Galazzo, Eileen Cole, and all the people who support and believe in me on a daily basis.

Finally, my deepest gratitude goes to Kenneth, Rebekah, Andrew, and Caroline for all that you do and all that you are. You are my guiding lights.

MICHELLE ZINK
(michellezink.com) is a mother of four, living in Pine Bush, New York. She is the author of the Prophecy of the Sisters trilogy and
A Temptation of Angels.