I would be ready and waiting when my unnatural powers filled all the way back up again, whether it took hours or days. But in the meantime, for the first time in over a year, I felt no fear of what might happen to my family without them.

My home was as big as this whole town now, and it was packed full of those who would protect it—and those who would dare to journey into danger on our behalf.

Sighing, Leander turned away from the impenetrable shadows in which the Countess and Eliza had disappeared together. “I’m afraid I really do need to go home now,” he said. “I left all of the minions inside earlier—they would have followed me otherwise and got themselves attacked. They’ll be desperate for exercise by now, though, and it would be cruel not to allow it. With luck, they won’t scare any of the townsfolk too badly.”

I shrugged. “Our neighbors can reassure them.” Leander’s minions weren’t dangerous to any creatures larger than a mouse or squirrel. Our own neighbors had formed a bad habit of leaving treats out for them to make friends. I would have rolled my eyes at that tactic if it hadn’t worked so well on me, too.

My first neighbors had taught me to fear company and conceal my own truths for the sake of my family’s safety. My new neighbors had tricked me into socializing with tea and metalwork and interesting conversations about things I actually cared about—and had taught me that company could be tolerated after all if only it was fierce enough.

Now, surrounded by necromancers, wolves, wildcats, skeletal beasts, winged girls, fae-folk, and respectable people alike, I smiled up at my most sinister-looking neighbor of all, the one who had changed everything for me in the first place. Moving forward as Dad let go of my shoulder, I linked my hands behind the cool white skin of Leander’s neck and prepared to step out of my final hiding place for good.

“Let’s go home together,” I said to Leander. “I want to get started on my new workshop.”

~The End~

Afterword

Thank you so much for reading Good Neighbors! I hope you enjoyed Mia and Leander’s story. It is finished, at least for now - but I am contemplating at least one spin-off novella (and I’ll bet you can guess which two heroines would star in that one)!

Visibility matters hugely, especially for fun, quirky projects like this that can fly under the radar, so I would absolutely love it if you could take the time to honestly review it. Even a one-line review makes a huge difference!