Epilogue
After only thinking about it for a little over a day, I turn in all of the needed paperwork so that I’m now an official member of the FOHVA Paranormal Investigations team, or FOHVA PI as I like to say – lends to a little more mystery about what we do.
The bonus money came in handy, and I can now claim to be debt-free. No more collectors calling me, and I can rightfully say that my education has been paid in full. With the money that I’ll be making with FOHVA, I can afford a much nicer apartment in a better part of the town that is Rowan.
Yes, I moved to Rowan since the FOHVA offices are based there. My mom was not happy that I’m not returning to Huntington, but I promised to visit as often as possible. I’m still learning my way around the town and meeting some of the locals. Thankfully I’ve been more accepted than the other members of the team. Being from West Virginia seems to be a huge benefit with my new job. People seem to feel more comfortable talking to me. Anytime we need to investigate anything in the Mountain State, I will be taking the lead.
The newly formed team does include Rick, Bree and Abe. I’m not sure how I feel about working with Bree, but I look forward to working more with Rick and getting to know Abe better. Hopefully Bree won’t spoil any fun we try to have while doing serious work. She can definitely be the vampire version of a buzz-kill.
Since we’re both staying in Rowan, Rick insisted on renting an apartment in the same duplex as me. No one has seen or heard from Tucker, but Rick still thinks he’s a threat. He even suggested that we live together, but my libido and dignity just couldn’t handle the thought.
Speaking of Tucker, I have to admit that I still sometimes look over my shoulder thinking that he might still be in Rowan. Given that no one has seen him and his apartment is empty, I’m pretty sure that he went back to New York. Well, pretty sure. Let’s just say that I continue to hold my breath whenever I come home, even if I do live in a different apartment.
Having paid off my debts, my stress level has decreased and I’m sleeping better at night…or day…or whenever I can get seven hours in. Definitely not sleeping like a vampire, but it’s better than before. Regardless, I’m still haunted by the images of the child vampire and still struggle with what I did during ALL of the experiments, not just the last one. I don’t think my thoughts will interfere with my work. If anything, it will make me better because I know that I won’t be the type to proverbially jump the gun and strike out at someone until we know all of the facts. This is how I will add balance to Bree’s shoot-and-ask-questions-later attitude.
It will be interesting to see how we all work together. Two vampires who are as opposite as can be and two humans who are probably more alike than we realize. One thing is for sure, humans and all others won’t see us coming.
About the author
J.B. Stilwell is a novelist of paranormal romance/thrillers. “The Source” is her debut novel in the upcoming collection The Mountain State vampire series.
She was born and raised in the foothills of Appalachia and currently resides in the Seattle metropolitan area with her husband and daughter.
She is eclectic, having diverse interests that show in her writing. She has a degree in Sociology in which her studies focused on crime/deviant behavior for undergrad and race/gender relations in post-grad. She loves to travel, particularly to India, and her varied experiences around the world are woven into her stories.
Aside from writing, she loves to read, listen to music, watch good TV/movies, crochet and above all else, spend time with family and friends.
To get the most updated information on J.B. Stilwell, visit http://jbstilwellauthor.com/
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