A Wish Upon the Stars (Tales From Verania 4)

It was like I was eleven years old.

It was like I was eleven years old, standing in an alleyway in the slums, just having turned a group of teenage douchebags to stone.

Because he said, “Well, this certainly is a surprise.”

I closed my eyes and breathed and breathed and breathed. “I like your shoes.”

He said, “Thank you, little one. I made them out of the tears of a succubus and a lightning-struck tree stump I found under the Winter Moon. I like your face.”

My tears spilled over. “Thank you, big one. My parents made it when they got married. I was a honeymoon baby, whatever that means.”

There came a deep chuckle that I’d missed very much. “Sam, look at me.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know if I can.”

“Why?”

“I’m scared.”

“Of?”

“This being nothing but a dream.”

A pair of warm hands cupped my face. I squeezed my eyes shut tighter. “It’s real,” he said. “The Star Dragon told me of your wish. That it came from the depths of your heart. And I… I was given a choice.”

I tried to smile, but it trembled and broke. “You were?”

“Yes, little one.”

“And what did you choose?”

“You, Sam. Always you.”

I opened my eyes.

And there, with a quiet smile on his face, was Morgan of Shadows.

Epilogue: A Wish Upon the Stars

“AND NOW I will tell you about my brilliant plans to bring Verania to its knees,” the evil centaur and total douchebag Jeffrey said with a cackle.

“I blame you for all of this,” Gary said irritably.

“Me?” I snapped. “How is this my fault?”

“You’re the reason we’re here in the first place!”

“Um, excuse you? If you’ll recall, you’re the one who said that you needed me to go with you in order to suss out a potential partner for you and Kevin to have your weird three-way sex with. How was I to know that he was going to turn out to be this asshole?”

“Um,” Jeffrey said. “I’m standing right here.”

“Oh please,” Gary sneered. “Just because you believe in complete monogamy doesn’t mean that you can look down upon those who are into a more fluid lifestyle.”

“Hey! I don’t judge! You do you, you know? But did it have to be today of all days? You said it’d be quick.”

“You did say that,” Tiggy said, looking extraordinarily grumpy at having been restrained with some type of vermilion root that I’d never seen before. In fact, we all were, and it even somehow inhibited Gary’s magic. His horn was useless.

“If it makes you feel any better,” Jeffrey said, “I did plan on having sex with you. It wasn’t until I realized who you were that I came up with this plan.”