“I was going to tell you, but you got mad at us about the leak,” Lizzie said. “I want Tabby to know too. Ariel is helping me research how to start my own clothing line. I showed her my sketches from the clothes I intended to make for me, and she thinks I could start my own business.”
I’d been telling Lizzie that for years, but we both knew it would never happen without money. Lizzie had that now and a mad genius sister to help her get started. I got up and threw my arms around Ariel. The kid probably thought I was weird as hell and she hardly knew me, but I owed her for everything she had done.
“Kid, promise me when you get out of college, you run for president or work for the NSA or something. You’re going to do great things.”
Ariel turned purple and bowed her head. I didn’t mean to make her uncomfortable. Lizzie let a few more things slip because the entire room had gone silent now that I made shit weird with the runt.
“Now that Drake and Mattan are gone, all the powers we had as witnesses are gone. I can’t blow fire or smoke anymore.”
“Well, I want both of you to have normal lives,” Odelia said, hugging Lizzie.
Lizzie sniffed. “I can live a normal life with superpowers. Dragon breath is way more effective than mace, and I was working on how to blow I love you in smoke to impress Natalia.”
Bash put his huge hand over Lizzie’s. “Then you’re going to have to find another way to tell her that’s just as impressive. Come on, everyone. The apocalypse is over. Ariel brought down some Incels, and Lizzie is in love. Why are we looking for drama?”
“Because it’s weird not having something to fight for. It’s always been food and money, creepers, or making rent. Then we get here, and it’s the apocalypse. What am I supposed to do when I don’t have to worry about all that?” Lizzie asked.
Odelia’s eyes watered. “You just learn to be happy. You too, Tabby. You focus on living now. Lizzie, you have your clothing line, and you and Natalia are adorable together. Just be happy. Please?”
I had the same dilemma. I didn’t know how to be happy, but I thought I knew how to start after last night. The Horsemen could show me. Lizzie was on the right track too, and she just couldn’t see it.
“Your mother is right, Lizzie. I’ll be here to help. We can both help each other, like always.”
“I think you got some feelings on you, Tabby,” Lizzie drawled.
“Are they infecting like cooties?” I asked, grinning at her.
“Yeah, I think I’m catching your feelings. I thought we always agreed on no feelings?”
“Since we all have the feels, we decided on your new nickname, Tabby,” Zed grinned.
“If it’s Sugar Tits or Sweetheart, I’m going to be upset. I’m a weapon now, remember? I need a badass name. Don’t forget my boot up your ass.”
“You seem to have forgotten your boots today. We’ve decided you’re the fifth Horseman. The secret Horseman no one has written about. You’re going to be the Horseman of Retribution. Zed can make a room in hell and Bash can kill them to send them there. But you, Tabitha, you can blow someone to the Lake or a personal hell while they are still alive. You’ll be able to do something none of us can do. You can send a beast of the apocalypse back to hell, and you can use that power to stop the Antichrist,” Chase said.
“Is Retribution a badass enough nickname for a badass girl?” Gideon said, smiling at me.
Retribution was actually perfect. I could be a vindictive little shit sometimes. I was going to have to rein that in if heaven was going to be my new boss. I was grinning like a total idiot at everyone in the room.
“I think she likes it,” Bash said, elbowing Zed in the ribs.
“I could have told you that,” Lizzie snorted. “Tabby is going to own that shit. Why didn’t you consult the best friend for honorary nickname purposes?”
“Um, it was after Tabitha had gone to sleep.”
“You finally got your fivesome?” Lizzie squealed. “I want details.”
“Lizzie!” Odelia shrieked. “Not in front of your sister! All of you keep forgetting she’s a minor.”
“Mom, seriously, that ship has passed,” Ariel said, rolling her eyes. “No one has said anything in front of me that hasn’t been said by one of your stupid friends at a party or I’ve read about before.”
“After watching my Oma get drunk and body surf at the party last night, really, anything could have been said in front of Ariel,” I pointed out.
“The rest of you don’t have to go out of your way to say anything further. I’m going to take Ariel home. I need to ground her for a little while because of what she did. Lizzie, dear, will you be home soon?”
“I’m going to hang out with Tabby for a while, and then I’ll be home. Natalia and I are going to a movie tonight, so I’ll be leaving after dinner.”
The Horsemen liked Lizzie. It was more than just her being a witness. They treated her like she was their sister too. I had no memories of my parents, and I sent my brother to the Lake of Fire. My birth father was a horrible person, but the people I pulled close to me once I ended up in Salem were my family. Only two of them were my blood, but it didn’t matter.
I had my soul family, and I was bonded to the Horsemen on a deep level. All I had left to do from here was have a totally normal life before my destiny kicked in again and I waited to be called upon for the next time the Antichrist walked the Earth.
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Other works
Literary/Psychological
Midnight’s Sonata
Feet of Clay
Bette, Unscripted: A Dark Psychological Drama
Crow Girl
The Flight of Crow Girl
Paranormal/Science Fiction
Flash-A Death Story (The Usas Book 1)
The Usas Bellum Justum-The Just War (The Usas Book 2)
Lilith
Romance
Salome-A Modern Retelling
Fugitive (Misty)-A Contemporary Reverse Harem Series
Her Cop (Casey) A Contemporary Reverse Harem Series
Her Artist (Aiden)-A Contemporary Reverse Harem Series
Her Guard (Gareth)-A Contemporary Reverse Harem Series
The Sapphire Scythe (Aria)-The Order of the Red Shadow Book 1
Lethal Shadow-The Order of the Red Shadow Book 2
My Cat is the Antichrist
Humor
Attack of the Lesbian Farmers
So Your Cat is Trying to Kill You
Special Agent Mauve-Origins (Book 1)
Special Agent Mauve-Mission: Naughty Horace (Book 2)
The Neighbors-A Totally True Parody
Fantasy
The Spirus (Book 1)
The Spirus-Belisarus’ Diary (Book 2)
The Spirus-The Lord’s Uprising (Book 3)
The Spirus-The Gifted Child (Book 4)
Child of Fire, Child of Ice-A Sci-fi Romance (The Waljan Chronicles Book 1)
Escape to Ragnis Crystal (The Waljan Chronicles Book 2)
The Dysdaimon’s Revenge (The Waljan Chronicles Book 3)
The Waljan Crucible (The Waljan Chronicles Book 4)
The Fall of Autrikxia (The Waljan Chronicles Book 5)
Coming Soon
The Rook Takes Their Queen-A Contemporary Reverse Harem Romance
Special Agent Mauve-Mission: Scorpion
Siren (Ship of the Damned)
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37