"Men like Frederick never let affection get in the way of their grand schemes. He was already on his way here. He needed to put Sebastian in his place and maintain control of Chalice of Blood."

"I guess it's time for me to go now," I said.

"No running away anymore, Young Lady," Edna ordered. "You sit right here and wait."

So I sat and thought about all that I'd been through since that night at Kathleen's party. I'd wanted to be seen as a deep and sincere person, I'd wanted to write, and I'd wanted a serious relationship. Despite my clear goals, I had lost my apartment, all my possessions, my part-time nursery job, and Nancy's friendship. I'd had an affair with a decadent vampire and a one-night stand with a philandering one. I'd let my psychotic old flame grope me. I'd ruined Winnie's life and made Tessie miserable. I had a morbid zombie story and a useless ability to forge historical letters.

I was beginning to regret turning down Hugo's offer to move into the basement of his mother's house with him, when everyone showed up. Oswald, Gabriel, and Sam came from the conference room, and Mercedes and Winnie arrived with a motorcycle Previous Topescort provided by Pepper.

Edna's grandsons rushed to her, hugging her and covering her with kisses. Then Oswald saw me. He took me in his arms and, while I stood stock still in astonishment, he tried to kiss me right in front of everyone.

I shoved him away. "What are you doing?"

"You know I don't meddle in others' affairs," Edna said. "But you may want to know, Young Lady, that Winnie is just fine."

Winnie came over and took my hands in her own. "You shouldn't have left. Sam and I are together. I'm pregnant with his baby and we're getting married and it's all because of you, you and your precision clock-like influence."

When I recovered from the news, my heart rose with hope. Oswald put his arm around me and then everyone began chattering. I was giddy with happiness as I introduced Mercedes to everyone.

She was especially pleased to meet Gabriel. "Your hackers rock," she said. She had helped them solve the maze of CACA finances, including their illicit payments, bribes, and tax evasion.

"Did you do the skimming into Sebastian's accounts?" Gabriel asked.

"The classics are classics because they work," Mercedes said with a grin.

We didn't get back to the ranch until late. As we drove through town, we saw the media vans leaving. On the radio, we heard the sheriff's statement that a mountain cat responsible for the animal deaths had been captured. The mystery of the missing girl was also solved. Tiffany had called her parents from Las Vegas and said she was going to stay there and train to be a card dealer.

Once we were on the tree-lined drive, the dogs came barking to greet us. Ernie stood on the hood of a truck, waving and hollering. I was home.

I moved into the cottage with Oswald. Ian was right about the importance of privacy, but we had enough room for Daisy and my chicken, Petunia, too. "I loved you from the first moment I saw you," Oswald told me. "You were trying to act demure, trying to fit in, but you had this attitude, and I could see it whenever you looked around the room..."

"What kind of attitude?" I asked.

"Kind of a 'bite me!' attitude," he said.

Oswald had taken graduate classes in anatomy, but I had a degree in creative writing from F.U., and I think we both taught each other fabulous things. We also made each other laugh.

Dr. Winnie gave me a medical exam and confirmed that I had developed immunity to their condition. Well, Sebastian had said that my people had the ability to adapt and he was right. Arrangements were made for a few vials of my blood to be sent to Hugo's doctor for research purposes and the results showed nothing out of the ordinary: I was a common Mexican girl and that was exactly what I wanted to be.

The Beckett-Witherspoons paid a huge settlement to Hugo so that he wouldn't press charges against Sebastian. He bought a house of his own and a few fancy cars. The last time I phoned him, I couldn't hear a word he said over the squeals of girls attending his pool party.

Oswald decided that since I fulfilled his most important cravings, he could resist others. He told me that he'd stopped drinking blood altogether. Sometimes in the throes of passion, he nipped a little hard, but a swift slap to his taut bottom usually brought him under control. I wanted to be a trusting partner, so I tried not to be skeptical when he suddenly remembered an important question he needed to ask Ernie in the middle of the night.It seemed to me that the vampires had a fair amount of control over their blood drinking, and I foolishly suggested that they end this practice.

"Tradition is the basis of civilized behavior," Sam said with an awful lot of decorum, considering that he was defending siphoning blood from farm animals.

I responded that tradition is doing something just because it's been done before. The vampires were not swayed by my logic.

"We are what we are, Young Lady," Edna said. "Heaven knows I try to accept you."

"Are you referring specifically to my ethnicity?" I asked sharply.

"No, I'm referring generally to your nuttiness."

Winnie tried to make me feel better by telling me that there was a chance her baby would be born without the craving. So now I could look forward to evenings of babysitting while the nino's parental units sipped los cocteles de sangre.

We did what families do: learned to ignore those things you can't change. I would like to say that I had no disagreeable traits that the vampires had to endure.

One day I went outside and found a little green pickup truck with a big red bow on the hood and a bed filled with gardening tools. I set up a small garden consulting business that left me time to write.

Despite all my efforts, I couldn't find a living (or undead) soul interested in my novel, so I put it aside. Edna asked me to collaborate with her on a book, a guide to country life. I did the gardening chapters and she wrote the cooking sections. We found a publisher, and Spirit of Country Life is expected to have modest but respectable sales.

Sebastian was dispatched to a small private college in the hinterlands of Nebraska where he teaches creative writing. Chalice of Blood quietly disbanded CACA, but it is to be expected that the Chalice has already started forming another public group to promote their agenda.

Cornelia sent an enigmatic postcard to Winnie. It seems that she has decided to explore the United States. The postmark was from Nebraska, but everyone else seems to think it's just a coincidence. As for Ian, every now and then a package arrives for me from exotic locations. Inside I find lovely presents: ruby earrings, exquisite old books, smooth river stones, fountain pens...

There's always an unsigned note that says, "I can wait." I tear up the notes and hide the gifts in a corner of my closet.

Mercedes, who loves to ride, visits often and has become good friends with the family and Ernie. When she comes, we females commandeer the pool for night swims and conversation. Beautiful Winnie floats on the water, her belly as round as the moon above, and Edna reminisces about her family and children. Sometimes we can even get her to talk about all the men who fell at her feet.

Mercedes told me that Nancy had been asking after me, wanting to resume our friendship. She's even set back her wedding date. I need a little time, but I'll talk to her again. We all make mistakes and I miss her madly.

Every morning, I wake beside a fabulous man and love him more and more. The main house is filled with noise and laughter and family, and soon there will be a child, too. We are none of us alone anymore and the sky above us is endless.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank those who made writing this book even more fun. My wonderful agent, Julie Castiglia, was always available for advice and chat. Maggie Crawford, my brilliant editor, made rewriting a delight. Thanks to my brother, Mario, for helping me with ridiculous plot ideas. Dan Sonnier, MD, a scholar and a gentleman, provided me with medical terminology. I'll aways be grateful to columnist Leah Garchik for her kindness and encouragement.

Special thanks to the Gough family, who graciously invited me to spend time writing and relaxing at their ranch.

None of this would have been possible without my parents, who took me to the library.