“If you are ready,” Roz prompted, pulling a hand mirror from the pocket of her lush coat.
Toni hugged them all hard, one right after the other, pressing kisses to their cheeks. “Be safe. When you find Cormac, tell him I love him, and that I’m happy. So happy.”
Toni stepped back then and whispered, “Merry Christmas,” smiling at Carl and the trio, their hair falling in wet clumps around their faces, their gorgeous gowns torn and soot-covered, tears glistening in their eyes. She waved, blowing them a kiss as Roz held up her hand mirror against one of the walls still standing in the ballroom.
“Mirror, mirror in my hand—send them home to their land!”
There was a second’s worth of a pause as Toni watched a spiral of green smoke twist upward and then a door appeared. A door that looked just like the door to the dressing room in the outlet store.
They each stepped over the threshold, with Nina last in line. Clinging to Marty’s hand, she turned back and gave Toni the thumbs-up sign and grinned before the door disappeared into the smoky mist and they were gone.
Iver pulled her close to his side as she let her cheek rest against his broad chest, tears spilling from her eyes. While she was thrilled to begin this adventure with her prince, she felt like a piece of her had just left.
“Don’t be sad, milady. For they will return and we shall throw them a ball the likes of which they’ve never seen. I shall see to it myself.”
Toni barked a laugh, drying her eyes with a torn piece of his shirt. “Hah! Bet Nina can’t wait to put on another ball gown.”
Tipping her chin up with his fingers, he whispered down at her, “You are one fierce opponent, milady. You saved Shamalot today. I burst with pride.”
She smiled up at him, loving the way she fit against his hard frame. “You saved me. You sacrificed yourself for me.”
“And I’d do it again and again. You and your safety, your happiness, will always be my first priority.” He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, making her warm all over.
When she pulled away, leaning back in his arms, she said, “So I guess we have some talking to do, huh, Prince Iver? Owner of a castle the size of Hoboken, wielder of the sword of wrath and, I’m assuming, richer than God?”
He grinned, lifting one eyebrow. “Was my heartfelt apology not enough?”
“I think you skipped some serious details, Reindeer Whisperer,” she teased.
“Maybe one or two,” he hedged on a chuckle.
“So here’s what I was thinking. Why don’t we get to know each other a little better while we clean up this mess?”
Iver looked around at the debris-filled ballroom and winced as frightened servants began to poke their heads into what was left of the entryway.
“I do not know if we possess a broom large enough in all of Shamalot, milady.”
Toni giggled, grasping his hand and pulling him over an enormous chunk of cracked marble. “Why don’t you show me your broom closet and we’ll see?”
But he stopped her and pulled her tight to him. “Is this a saucy euphemism from your land of Jersey for something other than cleaning the castle?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
“You wanna find out?” she teased, running her tongue over his lower lip, loving that he stiffened against her.
“Oh, indeed, milady. Indeed, I do,” he said, before stealing her breath and her heart by kissing her soundly.
And as Iver held her close, Antonia Vitali from the land of intor-nets and cars that went vroom-vroom, knew without a shadow of a doubt, she’d found her one true love.
And this storyteller is thrilled beyond words to tell you, the prince and the soon-to-be princess rode off into the broom closet to discover the joys of euphemisms from the land of Jersey.
Ahem.
And they lived happily-ever-after.
They really, really did!
Epilogue
Some time later in Shamalot time—and eleven and counting implausible paranormal accidents gone by—a not-so-vampire anymore vampire; a beautiful halfsie; a gorgeous blonde werewolf; a cuddly demon who’d discovered he had a kindred spirit in a blue ogre; a manservant who’d raised hell in the royal kitchens when he’d found out they knew nothing about garlic infusion; a sweet zombie who suddenly had the gift of a limited but thoughtful vocabulary; a blue ogre who was in the process of teaching his beloved princess the art of the sword; a king named Dick and his queen Jane; a former faux prince turned successful reindeer farming entrepreneur and his beautiful, expectant wife Resplendant; one very happily getting-to-know-her-prince, soon-to-be princess Antonia of the Fiery Hair; and one even happier, flawlessly gorgeous Prince Iver, all gathered at the under-construction Castle Beckett for a belated Christmas/Princess Party gathering…