Book Four: Chapter 217

“I appreciate it. I appreciate you.” Her shimmering brown eyes found his. “Look, if you don’t find it, I just want to let you know that I don’t blame you. I don’t want you to blame yourself, either. Real life isn’t like books, and that’s okay. Not everybody gets a happy ending.”

“Amymone, I—” He had no idea how he intended to finish the statement, and the dryad was now suddenly interested in the book she had been holding. How many years would she be stuck here, waiting to fade into nothingness? It was a problem with no good solution.

“Mike?” Yuki stood just inside the backdoor. Her head was turned away, as if hiding her face. “Can we go home?”

“Yeah, c’mon.”

He bid Amymone farewell again and escorted Yuki to the front yard where Cerberus waited. The ride home was largely silent, though between the random howls of wandering demons, he could hear the faint sound of sobbing from Yuki.

Once home, Cerberus turned into their human form and followed them throu