ILONA ANDREWS

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Chapter 2

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The cake rested in the springform.  The meringue topping it was blush and slightly crispy.  It crackled a little, which undoubtfully would get a side eye from Orro, but I didn’t care.

I reached out and poked the springform.  Barely warm. Okay.

A familiar presence crossed the inn’s boundary.  The magic of the inn shifted in response.  If Gertrude Hunt was a dog, it would’ve raised its head and wagged its tail. 

Sean was home.

Another presence followed, creeping up our driveway.  I motioned to the inn, and it produced a screen for me and tossed the feed from the side cameras onto it.  Sean’s truck had driven up and parked in front of the garage. Behind it, a massive white tri-axe with a black dump bed filled with firewood slowly backed its way up the gentle slope of the driveway and around the house.

I took a long knife and carefully worked it around the perimeter of the springform, slicing through the meringue. If you tried to open the pan without it, half of the meringue would come off.

Sean got out of his truck. He was tall and corded with hard, lean muscle.  You could tell just by looking at him that he was both strong and fast, but there was more to it.  Sean looked ready. He projected a kind of calm but alert assurance, and you knew with a deep, instinctual understanding that if a threat appeared, he would respond instantly and with devastating power.

People sensed it and felt the need to label it.  Since we lived in Texas, most of the time they ended up asking him if he played football, because somehow saying “that guy played football” provided a reasonable explanation for Sean’s combat readiness.

Beast took off, out through the doggie door, and straight to Sean, dancing around his feet and wagging her tail.  He bent down to pet her.

I unlocked the latch on the pan and gently eased it up and over the cake. Perfect.

I dropped the springform into the sink, set the coffee pot to brew some decaf, and went outside, just in time to watch the dump truck unload a huge pile of firewood onto our grass.  I came to stand next to Sean.  He smiled at me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I leaned against him and felt him relax.

You made it home, honey.  It’s all good.

The driver, a middle-aged heavy-set man with a ruddy face and short salt-and-pepper hair, got out and eyeballed it.

“Seven cords,” he told me proudly.

“Looks great,” I told him.

“Your husband didn’t pay for stacking,” the driver reported. “He said he needs the exercise.”

I smiled at Sean. He wasn’t my husband, but there was no reason to point that out. “We’ll take care of it.”

The driver winked at us. “You two are a cute couple. Say, were you a linebacker in high school?”

“Yeah,” Sean lied with straight face.

He had done all sorts of sports in his childhood, but none through his schools. He was too good and too physically gifted, and his parents wanted to avoid attention. Most of his high school extracurricular activities had been split between several martial arts schools with carefully vetted teachers. He had an easier time blending in while in the Army.  High school sports prioritized individual achievement and stardom, while the Army emphasized teamwork.

“Thought so,” the driver said. “Well, you folks have a good one.”

“Take care.” Sean raised his hand.

The driver got into his truck and started down the driveway.  The grass around the wood pile shivered.

“Not yet,” Sean said.

The lawn became still.

The dump truck rolled to the end of the driveway, sat there, letting the traffic pass, turned left, and sped down the road.

“Okay,” Sean said. “Take it.”

The lawn split, opening a black pit under the firewood. Gertrude Hunt gulped the whole seven cords in a single swallow, and I felt the impact roll through it. The lawn knitted together, as if zippered.  No sign of the wood pile remained.

Sean raised his head, and his lips stretched into a slow, lazy smile.  “Mmmm, apple cake.”

Surprising a werewolf with food was a lost cause.  “We have a visitor.”

“I know.  I smelled her by the garage.  What does she want?”

“To talk to you.”

He sighed. “Fine.  Let’s get it over with.”

We walked over to the garage.  The door slid open, and the werewolf woman blinked against the sudden sunlight and saw Sean.  Her shoulders straightened.  She tossed her hair back with a strategically impatient jerk of her head.

Here comes the speech.

“So that’s what you look like.” She’d pitched her voice lower, into a smooth, seductive soprano. “Not bad.”

No reaction.

“A man like you stuck in a place like this. What a waste.”

Sean said nothing.

“Wilmos is missing,” she said.

Wilmos was a first generation werewolf, a veteran, one of the oldest survivors of Auul. The werewolfism kept him spry, but he was an adult when Sean’s parents were born, and he had a hand in creating their alpha strain. Wilmos made his name as a mercenary and a shop owner at Baha-char, the galactic bazar. He was less a mercenary now and more a go-between for mercenaries and the people who needed them.  And he thought Sean walked on water. We met by chance, and when Sean decided he wanted to see the universe for himself, Wilmos showed him the ropes. He was the one who got him into that Nexus mess, and I would never forgive him for that. Ever.  

Wilmos was also responsible for our current enthusiastic suitor problem. Nexus was a hellish place, where three factions, the Merchant Clan of Nuan, the otrokar Hope Crushing Horde, and the vampire Holy Anocracy had clashed in a never-ending war.  Time worked differently there, and space distortion anomalies made technological warfare impossible, so the war was fought in grueling melee battles. The Horde and the Anocracy had the advantage in numbers and quality of their soldiers.  The Merchants had Turan Adin, an unkillable, undefeatable general who led their mercenaries. No matter how badly he was hurt, Turan Adin always rose to fight again.

In reality Turan Adins dropped like flies.  Clan Nuan had gotten a hold of some exceptional armor that adjusted to its wearer, and when one mercenary general died, the next hireling put the armor on, and the Turan Adin was reborn. Sean became the latest Turan Adin and the last. The combined forces of the vampire knights and otrokar warriors failed to kill him for over 18 months.

When that war ended, Sean came back and stayed with me because he loved me. His identity as Turan Adin was supposed to have been locked away never to be revealed. However, Wilmos couldn’t keep his mouth shut.  He was bursting at the seams with pride and little by little he let that cat out of the bag one secret conversation at a time.  The werewolves knew.

When I asked Wilmos about it, he just made some apologetic noises, then changed the subject. I viewed him as that funny charming uncle who came to dinner and cracked jokes, always well-meaning, and if you followed his lead, someone would end up in a tree, drinking a beer and chain-sawing through the branch they were sitting on.

The werewolf woman narrowed her eyes at Sean. “Word is, Wilmos asked you for help and you turned him down because you were too busy playing house with a human girl. People say you’re a coward. That you’ve gone soft. The wolf who subdued otrokars and vampire knights, reduced to a mere shadow of himself. So, I came to see for myself what happened to the hero of Nexus. You used to be somebody. What’s that like? To just give up and turn your back on a friend?”

She leaned forward as much as restraints would allow, focused on him. She’d challenged him in his territory, and now she expected him to react.  She would’ve liked if he hauled her upright, slammed her against the wall, and growled in her face. It would be a display of dominance she could understand. She would submit, and then they would go to search for Wilmos together, without me, so she could prove to him how much more awesome she was as a potential mate.

Sean opened his mouth. “I don’t know you.”

The werewolf woman blinked.

He held his hand out. His broom landed into his fingers, except for him it was always a spear, a sturdy shaft tipped with a razor-sharp blade.

“Your welcome is withdrawn.” He tapped the butt of his spear on the floor.

The inn opened, walls and rooms flying out of the way, revealing a hallway leading to a distant door. It snapped open, and the bright golden sunshine of Baha-char flooded through it.

The tendril binding the werewolf woman jerked her off the floor.

“Wait!” she screamed.

The tendril shot toward the door and tossed her out, into the light.  The door slammed shut. The normal architecture of the inn reasserted itself. Beast let out a satisfied bark.

“A little rough,” I said.

“She’ll land on her feet.  This is getting tiresome. They need to get the message.”

We started toward the kitchen.

“What was that about Wilmos?” I asked.

Sean shrugged. “No idea.”

“Liar. You big fat liar. Did he ask you for help?”

“He always asks me for help.”

That was true.  From Wilmos’ point of view, every job could benefit from Sean’s presence.  He visited the inn at least once a month, and Sean always stopped by his store when we went shopping. I couldn’t recall a single time the conversation didn’t end with, “I’ve got this little project I’m working on.”

“You think he might be in trouble?” I asked.

“Last I checked, Wilmos was fully grown.  He is well-armed, well-connected, and able to take care of himself. Just like he’s done for fifty years before he met me.”

We walked into the kitchen. Sean sighted the cake and went straight for it.

I took a plate out of the cabinet, added a fork, and handed it to him. He took a knife from the butcher block, cut a quarter of the cake off, slid it on the plate, and looked at me, his eyes hopeful. “Coffee?”

“Just brewed.”

I poured him a mug of decaf, added some creamer, and brought it over to him. Sean took a sip of his coffee, then a bite of his cake, and sighed happily.

“The cake is delicious,” he said. “Thank you.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

I cut my own slice and sat down across from him. He reached out.  I took his hand.  He squeezed my fingers, smiled, and ate another piece of cake.

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Comments

    • Well it is based in Texas and I hear they do like their football. 😁 says someone who was saddened to hear of John Madden’s passing this past week.

      • There may have been some tears shed here (Raiders fan). My husband sometimes wonders how to reconcile his book loving, IA obsessed, comic book reading, nerdy wife with the woman who watches 7 hours of Redzone on Sundays!

  8. I am so happy for the new snippets. So happy, I could sing, so, with apologies to James Taylor: “Howl Sweep it is to be loved by Auul”

    (Couldn’t help it. It fits so perfectly)

    • Right? 😀

      But I wonder – just how exactly does it work? Can anyone with magic become an innkeeper?

      And how does the spouse/other half get to be become an innkeeper? Just because the inn senses that their innkeeper loves the other person?

      What if the other half didn’t have magic – would they still be an innkeeper then?

      Lol, if Dina had gotten together with Arland …would there be a vampire innkeeper? XD

      • It’s explained in the previous book. Every being has some amount of magic in them. It’s more a matter of awareness. Like Marias.

        • Had forgotten that bit.
          Then that means your regular human could also become an innkeeper…🤔

            • Dina’s father was not a regular human. He was deeply involved in magic before he met his wife-to-be.

              • How do you know that? 🙂 May I please have a quote where this is stated, that he is not a regular human because he is “heavily involved with magic”? Not that being “involved with magic” would make someone less human, since all humans have magic. It’s just a matter of them connecting with it.

            • This actually feeds into one of my questions. If everyone has magic, does this mean that a guest could take over an Inn from an Innkeeper if that guest had a ton of magic/awareness of how to use an Inn? Or does an Inn form a type of pact with its Innkeeper that makes a specific person supreme? I recall that Maud and Helen were able to make their own rooms in the Inn, but Dina generally makes the rooms for her guests. If Maud had the inclination to be an Innkeeper, could she have taken Gertrude Hunt away from Dina, either while Dina was out of it after the death of the Inn seed or during normal times? Could Mr. Rodriguez steal the Inn from Dina since he’s more experienced? (Sidenote: I know that Maud would never do this because Maud is THE BEST, and Mr. Rodriquez seems like a good guy, but my question is whether they COULD, hypothetically.)

      • It’s been a while since I read the Helen/Gerald story…but in that it seemed like Helen maybe didn’t know about Inns and was just looking for a safe place to land on her feet with her two kids and Gerald and the Inn liked her so didn’t spook her out. Dina also mentioned something about her grandfather to Soren when he was asking about Maude’s line (he was in a uniform, either military or fireman). Gerald also wasn’t an Innkeeper originally but was tied to the Inn when he got trapped. I’ve always wondered if there was something special about Dina’s connection to the Inns since her father was literally trapped in an Inn for decades (centuries?), that seems rather unique and like it could breed some significant potential.

  11. Thank you! This was so awesome to read at 3am on the first day of 2022.

    Happy New Year from the future to House Andrews, Mod R, and fellow BDH!

  12. It had to be Wilmos. While waiting for this chapter, I was thinking of reasons to be late. Wilmos was the reason in three out of the five I made up. Another one involved the Armored Division at Fort Hood making a mistake and blowing up Stillhouse reservoir. The Stillhouse flooded and that caused Sean to be late. The other one isn’t meant to be put in print.

    Well done, thank you for this chapter.

  13. What a wonderful New Year’s Eve gift (also a Friday!). Love domestic Sean and Dina :D. Clearly Wilmos feels entitled to using Sean because he helped “create” him, they might need to set some boundaries (literally) and how perfect when you have a sentient inn. Happy New Year House Andrews. 🙂

  16. Wilmos is getting on my nerves, seriously. It may be interesting to read, but a little part of me thinks “good riddance” and let Dina and Sean have peace without his encroaching.

      • I will not willingly harm another, but somebody that selfish digging his own grave and later asking for help after harming a loved one? I am not sure I’ll be able to be that generous 😕

        • It’s a complicated relationship, to be sure.
          But he means something to Sean and a lot to werewolves survivors and vets.

          • The thing about family, as I understand it in my middle years, the kind you’re born into and the kind you pick, is that there is no square, no even. If home is the place where they have to take you in, family are the people you have to help when they need it. Even when it’s inconvenient or you feel you’ve done enough. That’s just my opinion, might be different for others.

            • Why am I sure that this time Wilmos is in real, real trouble and Dina and Sean will dig him out?

              Thank you; I have been looking forward to Innkeeper all day!

              Happy new year to you all!

            • That’s mostly true, I think. In cases of serious, repeated abuse, you’re excused. And if the help you’re willing to give isn’t accepted because the person who needs it doesn’t recognize their true need, well, you tried. Voice of 60+ years experience. Sometimes you can help, and sometimes you can’t, and it’s not always in your power to choose.

              • Until fairly recently, it’s mostly been my kith rather than my kin who were there for me. And I feel so tremendously lucky, because a bunch of people did give me help, of various kinds, when I needed it. Whether that help was showing me what a functional family looked like, or giving me a place to stay when a relative was threatening me.

                This isn’t to say that I don’t recognize that there is a special bond of blood… just that it doesn’t magically make people good or safe. (And my standards are pretty relaxed on both of those.)

                  • I was extremely fortunate. And while I was thinking of my teen years and earlier, even then, doing what I could for my siblings far outstripped any loyalty to my parents.

                    • I know people who are alive today because they had friends/found family who stepped in when blood family wouldn’t or couldn’t.

                      Your family sounds like mine in terms of who was helpful to whom, at least once we were out of elementary school. I have friends who can’t depend on their siblings either though, and that’s really sad.

            • +1

              summarizes my feelings exactly. Sometimes you get lucky with really great friends, but when shit hits the fan it’s family that’ll help you.

            • As long as “help” means doing things, arranging things, I agree. Maybe even letting them stay over for a few nights (preferably not, but, well, family)
              As soon as it means “giving money to bail them out of a self created mess” (and it always is self created) I’m out. Been there, done that, got 1.000+ T-shirts.

              • But you did it the first thousand times. And you’re still doing things for them, smarter things. You sound like great family.

            • What about Sean’s parents? They aren’t happy with Wilmos either. So if his parent … as you say, complicated.

            • Gordon,
              well said. Balance is a myth when it comes to family. We can only decided what we want to live with – openness and vulnerability or walling them out.

        • Is it Wilmos being selfish or just oblivious. He is important in the werewolf community, and Sean is special, and special to him.

          A lovely way to end 2021. Happy New Year.

      • I love the peek at Sean The Innkeeper. Of course his broom is a spear lol! I don’t think Wilmos is bad-you know evil villain bad- but he definitely needs clear boundaries lol. So who else is down for a wedding? I bet Orro already has his menu lol!

  19. Happy New Year House Andrews 🥳
    It’s already New Year’s Day here, so from one New Year’s baby to another, happy birthday Ilona 🎂

  21. Thank you for an amazing year of stories and laughter. My partner and I got COVID for Christmas so I ordered some of the Fortnam and Mason Tea mentioned previously and am working my way through the Witcher 3. Bonus Innkeeper is lovely.

    • The amount of times I have asked “Wait, what day is it?” this week is ridinculous. The days between Christmas and New Years are always null-time.

      • When I was in jr. high and high school, the days between Christmas and New Years were my baking marathon days. Always amused my mom that there was a crazy kid making a daily mess (always cleaned up before dinner) in the kitchen. Desserts prepared for a week, and my dad and siblings were always on hand to volunteer for “taste testing”.

    • Same here. I checked the blog this morning but must have been before this posted. Got go get back to the furious Friday refreshing of the browser habit.

  27. thank you!! I appreciate the uncle reference – I think we all have a relative like that. Happiest of New Years – here is to an interesting 2022…..

    • Hehe, I think we’ve all had enough of living in interesting times 😅. Happy New Year, Nichole!

  30. Awwwww. So sweet. Fresh cake and coffee after an outing where we have to adult and navigate people sounds like heaven.

  36. *happy sigh* Sean has his own broom now. So romantic. Dina is awesome…other werewolves don’t even stand a chance.

  40. Whoa, I was not expecting Wilmos to be missing. It’s always nice to be surprised. Happy New Year!

  41. Such a wholesome ending!! ❤ Shame it’ll come to an end soon for the sake of drama 😅

    Thank you for the chapter!!

  42. Thank you for this treat. At least no one in the Holy Anocracy was at the Inn when Dina and Sean had their coffee. The dance of the naked vampire among the apple trees does not need to be reinacted. 🤣

    It’s cool how Gertrude Hunt responds to Sean. Wood swallow, staff/spear showing, door to Baha-Char opening…what else can he do? Hmmm…more to come from the next installment of Sweep of the Heart!

    Happy New Year everyone! 🥳🎆✨🎉

    • But if Officer Marais collected her in town, how did that girlie werewolf get to Red Dear, Texas?

    • Sean is a full Innkeeper 🙂 and has been since Sweep with Me. He is omnipotent within the boundaries of the Inn, but ofc there is a learning curve 🙂

  45. I’ve now read Chapter 1 over a dozen times, and Chapter 2 three times already. By the time this thing is published I’ll have it memorized word for word.

    I am having SO MUCH fun!! Thank you!!!

  47. I love the visual of “if the house was a dog” lol!! “It would be sitting up and wagging its tail” at Sean !! And the grass waiting on Sean to give permission to take the wood. AND, then Sean has his own BROOM!! Such good stuff!! Love it all.

  50. New Year’s is my favorite holiday. I love the idea of starting everything fresh. This year I get to have a fresh Innkeeper installment to get my imagination going! Thank you!

  51. Thank you! Came home from a lovely hike to this. It’s a good way for this year to go out! (As long as it *does* go out!)

  52. Heehee! Another suitor foiled. Loved this muchos. Especially the spear. I had wondered what Sean’s “broom” would look like. Thanks!!

    • Agreed! I was just thinking this. I know he can morph its shape to suit his needs, but what is its base line? Color? Type of wood? Who designed the original? Sean, Dina, the inn? Did it just appear when the inn thought he was ready for it/needed it?
      So fun reuniting with these old friends!! 💗
      Happy New Year!

  53. I love it. What I’m intrigued about is why they need so much wood. Are there expansions going on? Maybe they are improving the bat cave. (Big Eyes!)

      • Haha patience … when has the BDH EVER had patience?!?!?!

        We like to pretend we do when in reality come Friday morning,we are pacing back and fourth, salivating at the computer screen, clicking refresh every 30 seconds!

  54. Thank you and Happy New Year ☺️🎉🎉💕

    What does the inn needs the wood “in worst way” for? Any ideas 🤔

  55. Happy sigh.

    My particular favorites are that Sean’s broom is always a spear and how easily he communicates with Gertrude Hunt.

    So good.

    Happy New Year to House Andrews, ModR, and all the BDH. May it be healthy and prosperous.

  56. I agree with Gordon. Family is everything. They are the people you can count on and the ones you must forgive. You may not like them or trust them but there is a lasting bond. Some people relate to us and are family.

    • So I was wrong…
      when my father called from jail (non payment of child support to his 3rd ex-wife) asking me to sue him for the child support he didn’t pay for me and the sibs so that he could get out of jail free..
      I told him that if he wanted to be jailed on my account for the earlier offenses I’d do it, but would not let him weasel out of his responsibilities. I would not be his method of evading his son’s needs. He could face the current difficulties after he’d caught up on the money he still owed my mom. He didn’t try that again.

      If you are fortunate enough to have family that actually cares about you celebrate. Recognize the leaches and try not to enter that swamp. The mud is deep and stinky.

      • I am so sorry you went through that, Robin.
        I hope you and your siblings are in a safe and loving place now.
        No one has the formula for wrong/right when it comes to family unfortunately. We can only do our best and surround ourselves with people who care for us.

        Happy New Year!

  58. Well, Wilmos did help the Inn against the fighting foul. And I think Sean and Dina got his shop all shot up. So maybe they still owe him.

  59. Aw, Sean is so adept at being an innkeeper now! I am bouncing up and down cause I know it’s going to be good.

    Apple Meringue Cake ::rubs hands::

  62. Thank you! Great way to end the year! Wishing you both “So mbeirimid beo Ar An Am seo arís = That we may be alive this time again!

  63. Thank for the new serial. I have been stuck inside the house since Christmas – snow and below freezing temperatures in Seattle. Warm up happening this weekend so excited to get out of the house.

    Question: Do we know what happened to the suit worn by Turan Adin? Did the Merchant clan get it back?

    • “An hour ago Sean and Nuan Cee had walked out into the dark night. I watched as the armor melted off Sean Evans and his body slimmed down to his human form. He took a deep breath, looked at the moon, handed his armor to the Merchant, and walked away.”

      Andrews, Ilona. Sweep in Peace, Innkeeper Chronicles 2. NYLA Publishing, 2015. Kindle edition, Chapter 16, 98% progress

      Hope this helps 🙂

  64. Thank you …
    I didn’t realise how much I missed reading your weekly series.
    Rereading your books is great as I seem to find something new each time … but a new storyline – yes please. 🤓

    Happy 2022 & may it bring peace to many.

  66. Thank you so much for this lovely New Year’s Eve gift!

    Get safely into the new year and may it be the best yet for you and yours! <3

  71. Thank you for this. Best wishes for 2022, and Hope you have a great birthday Ilona. Spear, well I guess a sword would be to obvious, and not have the reach. Thanks again

  72. Lovely way to end off this hideous year (especially since it took our beloved Betty White)

    Thank you kindly and I wish House Andrews and Mod R the happiest of the new year.

    • oh my god didn’t realize she passed away! what a shock… just felt like she would outlast us all…

      • So sad. Saw a cartoon online that said “It says so much about your life and legacy if people think you died too soon at age 99”

        I want to be Betty White when I grow up!

  76. Thank you. I have missed the tantalizing previews. Now will settle in and anticipate good things for the new year. Happy New Year to you all.

  77. Absolutely love this new Innkeeper. Dina and Sean are wonderful together. Beast is terrific and the Inn… How is it possible to love an Inn? But I do.

  78. I have missed Dina and the gang, thank you so much for the snip-its of a new story. So greatly appreciated! Today is my birthday, and this was the best gift ever!

  82. Happy new year! And it’s so neat to see how Sean adjusted to innkeeperdom. Made me smile it’s always a spear for him!

  83. Happy New Year to all!

    And, thank you for this serial gift. This week a co-worker lost her son and another lost her brother, and I am laid up on my back. Innkeeper visitation is exactly what I need.

  85. Love it! I really like how they are allowed to be an absolutely strong and loyal couple, without the angst/insecurities that feature in so many stories by other authors. A refreshing change!

    Also so great to see Sean doing Innkeeper things/comfortable with Innkeeper powers – reminds me of that moment in Wonder Woman when Chris Pine yells “Shield!” and literally supports Diana in a battle strategy learned from her people. Most romantic thing I’ve ever seen on film…

  87. I love Innkeeper soooooo much. I may have to go into seclusion when you finish the series (not soon … please not soon).

    Wilmos — you’d think he could keep a secret, given what he is and his background. But nooooooo. I loved what you said with the beer and the chainsaw. Perfect imagery.

    This was wonderful. Thank you.

  94. Thank you House Andrews for the lovely New Year’s Eve Present!

    I hope that 2022 is a wonderful year with far less COVID and an opportunity to reconnect with friends and family face to face!

  95. First, thank you!

    Second, I am seriously disappointed in the human race. There seem to be just as many idiots and rule breakers out in the universe as there are here on earth.

    In all the time that inns have been here how has humanity NOT figured out that the universe is out there and visiting? I mean in a big way, not just the individual abductees, UFO hunters, etc.

    • Hi Kate,

      If you read the Innkeeper Chronicles series, you will discover that there is a Cosmic Treaty in place which keeps Earth safe, for its strategical position- the most important provision of the treaty is that the existence of alien life remain a secret under all circumstances.

      You will see this being enacted several times throughout the books, with more or less peaceful methods. Any who deliberately risk it receive severe punishments. I recommend you start with Clean Sweep 🙂 https://ilona-andrews.com/innkeeper-chronicles-books/#clean

      “This galaxy’s interactions with Earth are governed by a treaty of the Cosmic Senate,” George said. “Lady Dina, what is the most important provision in it?”

      “The existence of other intelligent life in the galaxy must remain secret,” I answered.”

      Andrews, Ilona. Sweep in Peace. Innkeeper Chronicles 2. NYLA Publishing, 2015. Kindle edition, Chapter 5, 32% progress

      • I know, but there seem to be so many idiots who flagrantly violate the spirit of the treaty:
        The dahaka who slaughtered dogs, cows and a farmer and sent one of his stalkers into Costco
        House Vorga, who entered the inn by the front door
        Hardwir who made a space car for Officer Morales
        Wing, who decided to joy ride a boost bike through Texas
        The Draziri, who also flagrantly exposed themselves
        Qoros with his inaccurate normalizer.

        They all worked out in the end but if this is jus a small sampling of the universe’s scofflaws I’m still surprised that the general population has not caught on. Maybe they have a Men in Black flashy thingy? or some equivalent.

  98. Love Sean’s reaction to his visitor and his appreciation for the cake and coffee. A big thank you for the recipe, by the way, can’t wait to try it! Love the Innkeeper series, thank you!

  102. Happy New Year to all. Thanks so much for an enchanting place to spend some time in a pretty disenchanting year.

  106. Thank you! This made my day. I’m in bed with my 2 Australian Shepherds watching TV, trying to drown out the fire works that are scaring them.

      • They are so pitiful when they are scared and don’t understand where the noise is coming from. Hope yours will be over soon. Happy New Year!

  108. I think they will help, but I love what Sean did. He basically let every werewolf know that disrespecting Dina is not the way to get his attention. If the werewolves want help, they’re going to have to ask nicely.

  109. Ahhh! You’ve made cake epic! And you made me sooo happy. Thanks. Wishing you and yours a great New Year.

  111. Happy New Year! Thank you very much for doing a serial again. It will make the upcoming winter months less dreary. I look forward to the next installment whenever it is ready. ❤️❤️👏👏👏😊

  114. Yay, loved this installment!

    Question: why decaffeinated coffee? Is this a new development or is this what they keep on hand in case Arland pops in?

    Wilmos: I want to be mad at Wilmos, but I think he is just so dang proud that Sean exists. If I remember correctly, he didn’t think Sean’s parents or that generation would survive. Is Sean truly a unicorn? Are his parents the only two werewolves to get together and have a child?

  120. Happy Birthday to Lady Ilona and a Happy, Healthy New Year to House Andrews, Mod R, daughters, SOs, pets and my fellow BDH!!!! And anybody I missed.
    What a lovely way to end one year and start another.

  122. Goddess, I love these! Thank you so much for another serial book! I knew there was going to have to be a reckoning of Sean’s princehood. (Alpha-Alpha?)

  124. *happy sigh* That’s about the most romantic thing I’ve ever read.

    May 2022 be in all ways better than the year just finished!

  126. Thank you House Andrews for the lovely gift.

    Do the vampires know that Sean was Turan Adin? That could cause conflict between Arland and Sean.

    Happy New Year to all. Here’s hoping it’s better than the last two.

    • Arland suspects since they went and got Maud and Helen out… because of the way Sean piloted the spaceship.

  127. Thank you for Innkeeper; it always makes Fridays so much better. I did made the cake and it looked and tasted great but had to use other apples which didn’t cook through. Will have to try Granny Smiths next time. Happy Birthday and Happy New Year! PS Kay. I love the Sea Dragon

  129. Thank you!

    “I don’t know you” – such a great way to puncture pretention of all kinds, love it!

  133. What a great New Years gift 🙂

    I am just re-listening to the series, currently on book 2, and checked here to see if anything new was happening on the Innkeeper front.

    Looks like things are about to get exciting for Dina and Sean.

    Thanks for this and Happy New Year to You and yours

  135. Thank you!! I forgot it was Friday yesterday so this was a wonderful surprise this morning.

    I read all the Innkeeper books again to prepare myself for the serial. I did *try* to read other books too, but I would start Chapter 1 of a new book and think,”this won’t be as good as Innkeeper.” So I finished all the books last week. I’m excited for a new story with Dina and Sean 🙂

  138. I love all of House Andrews’ books, but Innkeeper is my emotional support read 😊 Thankyou once again and Happy New Year BDH – in 2022 may all you needs be met, and some wants as well; may every hurt be healed; may you overcome every challenge and keep growing learning and be a better you by years end ♥️♥️♥️

  140. Read it twice and it got better the second time. I love how Gertrude Hunt responds to Sean so easily. Great installment!

  141. Thank you so much! For this, as well as all your blog posts, which have often cheered me up during these crazy times.

    Happy new year 🥂

  142. It sound like we will eventually find out what the inn needs all that wood for, so I have a different stray question. Are there inns anywhere else in the universe? Or are they all on earth?

    • Kate, I have thought about that many times, and I believe it would not be necessary to have inns unless the planet they lived on was like Dina’s Earth, which had several assets that assist intergalactic travel.

      The werewolves, vampires and otrakors are all human. Helen, the granddaughter, is “all human” with vampire characteristics and she can manipulate an inn. Sean has enough magic to manipulate an inn.

    • I am wondering if the Inn is going to produce a seed. There was an influx of magic during Adira’s battle. Now the Inn is ‘hungry’ for wood. Previously I think it is mentioned that the Inn can synthesize wood and other building materials, but it uses a lot of magic, so better to provide the raw materials for the Inn to adapt. So, with a large magic influx, and wanting raw material, maybe an Inn seed is on the way?

  149. What a truly fun way to start a New Year. Thank you so much for your continuing care of the BDH. Happy New Year to all. Ellen

  150. This is so my experience with some of my family: I viewed him as that funny charming uncle who came to dinner and cracked jokes, always well-meaning, and if you followed his lead, someone would end up in a tree, drinking a beer and chain-sawing through the branch they were sitting on.
    And there actually was a time at a birthday party when the Jumpy didn’t quite fit…

  152. Unrelated but..wandering net looking for adult rescue to adopt and discover this meme of Truth of Dog!

  153. What a wonderful way to set the tone for 2022, reading another new chapter from my favorite authors! Thank you (and Happy New Year, all!) 😁

  154. Can’t think of a more delightful way to ring in the new year!! I’m already having fun trying to figure out what’s gonna happen next.

    Thanks so much for your generous support of the pandemic-battered BDH last year, and may it return to you a thousandfold.

    Cheers, Faith

  155. Happy Birthday, Ilona. Happy New Year to House Andrews, ModR, and the BDH.

    I’m thrilled to have a new Innkeeper serial – love the anticipation of this format. It’s good to see Sean at peace after going through hell as Turan Adin. And I love how the inn has accepted Sean as an innkeeper. It’s a beautiful thing.

    Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2022.

    Deb

  156. Thank you for the chapter! Happy New Year.
    Ha, likening Wilmos to that funny uncle (of which I’ve only imaginary ones) sounds entertaining indeed.
    How much space, in a regular wood pile, would 7 cords of wood occupy? 🧐
    The cake description sound delicious.

  157. Happy birthday and happy New Year! I hope it is the best yet. Or at least marginally better than the last 2.

    Thank you for the story. I’m trying to get up the nerve to make apple cake. But going to the store for apples and unearthing a springform pan seems daunting today.

  159. Thank you for another Innkeeper! I know it is not your best-selling series, but I consistently find it your best.

  161. Happy new year and happy birthday Ilona. I wish you better year then the last has been for all of us. Lots of love,good health and happiness

  163. Thank you for a lovely start to 2022.

    May it be the most boring, uneventful year ever.

    (No “interesting times”, please)

  164. My guess as to why Gertrude Hunt needs wood… she is effectively pregnant. The wood is needed to feed her as she builds/generates/gestates the next seedling.

    • I was wondering if she was “leveling up” like in video games and needed more wood to “grow” almost like a growth spurt. I like the seedling idea a lot though. I know it has been mentioned in the series that seedlings are rare but I wonder if there is a certain age or situation that would make a particular Inn produce a seed? Dina and Sean are very powerful individuals. So I am not sure if that is a factor in whether an Inn produces a seed

  165. Happy New Year Everyone! Thank you for the new chapter! Here’s to a happier and healthier year! I hope everyone that is sick gets well soon.

  167. I read this on New Year’s Day, because … what a way to start the year! My response at the end was a heartfelt sigh of satisfaction. Thank you, House Andrews, for starting off the new year RIGHT!

  168. I liked where this is headed. But, I hope we are going to get another book with Maud and Arland.

  171. WOW!!! Wonderful!
    Now this, this is just a fantastic present for the New Year.
    It makes my day.
    THANK YOU and a Happy New Year.

  172. Oh, so much speculation! So much fun! Love the slice of domesticity and can’t wait to find out what pot Wilmos has stirred to boiling. This is gonna be fun! Now, hold my beer while I get my chainsaw… ;D

    Wishes for the best 2022 possible to all.

  173. Thank you. Great way to start 2022. May this show a promise for beautiful things ahead for us in the BRH.

  174. I wonder if Sean’s would-be suitors kidnapped Wilmos in the hope Sean would come to rescue him thus giving them the opportunity to present themselves as a better choice of mate!? Or perhaps this is the beginning of another grand adventure! When shall we get to know more about Klaus? Thank you for every crumb you give us regardless and hoping your holidays were bright and that your new year will be joyous.

  175. Well! Didn’t see that coming. But it makes a kind of sense. Now, can’t wait for the next installment! I’ll be ready to read it when it arrives.

  176. Thank you! Can really feel the tension building. Is it the sunhoard? Has Willmos made Sean and Dina a target??

  178. Thank you so much for sharing this with us! I am so excited to see where this leads 🙂
    Happy New Year to House Andrews and the BDH. I hope this new year is filled with health, love, and joy for you all.

  184. Thank you, Ilona Andrews, for the post about Camille — The Boss— and this snippet.

    Well it was just a matter of time before Wilmos got into need help trouble. There is Family either by blood or choice in my book. I think Wilmos might fall into extended choice Family category for Sean.

    Kind of like my uncle who is an interesting character whom I wouldn’t borrow a cup of sugar or anything else from and would look very closely at gift horses teeth. 😇. We will have to wait and see.

  188. Thank you for the installment – a great way to start a new year! Happy New Year – best of everything to you.

  190. Just wow … Looking forward to the next part and once it’s released I will buy it to read often
    Thank you 😊❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️

  191. Thank you, I’m really excited for a new story (any new Andrews story is a treat).

    However.. I think this requires me to do a re-read of the Inn Keepers series. Woo Hoo! ~goofy smile with fist pump~

    Happy New Year!

  192. That was gorgeous in every way! Thank you so much! I absolutely needed that and appreciate your time and effort. Happy new year!

  193. Happy New Year! A weekly wander into Sweep of the Heart definitely makes for a wonderful start to a new year. Thank you!

  194. I love the Clean Sweep series – I have every one. Am enjoying this one. I hope you end up having it printed in book form as I don’t have an eReader. I live in the land of Oz and thank you for your ongoing blogs.

  195. Been pondering this since I read it yesterday (THANK YOU SO MUCH -btw) and I continue in my undying need to know why on earth the Inn needs THAT much wood! For the entire summit, it took one small load of wood and stone from Home Depot. What Are They Doing That They Need THAT MUCH Wood?!?!

  199. When you asked us what we wanted to read next, I thought to myself, how can I choose? Whatever you write is so satisfying. Now I am thinking, this!, this is what I want to read.

  200. Thank you so much for the story. I am loving it and it is just what I need to get me through a tough time. Happy New Year to House Andrews!

  201. Thank you so much for this snippet/chapter. I really enjoy Sean and Dina! Well, truly I enjoy all your books. I hope you and your family had a beautiful Christmas and New Year’s Day. There will be Many beautiful blessed days to come in the future!! Thank you! Cheryl

  203. A couple of little queries that I’m sure have been suggested already (computer incompetent)…

    Marriage ceremony for both or either Maud and Dina?

    Story behind father Gerald?

    Just wondering. In the meantime, a better new year and happy appliances😘😇

  204. I really enjoy the inn keeper series and the excerpts are appreciated.
    Always fun to visit the inn.

  205. Oh, my! I thought it will be one or two chapters, a little short story, but a real serial! That is a wanderfull surprise! Thank you! You are great!

  207. Thank you! 3rd reading now and just love it. My favorite line is “your welcome is removed.” She wasn’t as able to resist as Sean was! 🤣🤣🤣

  208. That’s a lovely chapter !
    And Sean lives to disapoint little nobodies 🤣
    Thanks and Happy New Year !!!!

    ***Pyrane***

  209. Thank you! Thank you! Omg that was amazing as always! So will they investigate what happened to Wilmos?

  211. Excellent – looking forward to more (and in time a whole book)
    But this was an excellent appetizer and a good start for the new year (didn’t get around to reading this till 02. Jan 2022 🙂

  213. Thank you! I see the Inn is now giving Sean access to Baha Char. Can’t wait for the next installment.

  220. HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY ILONA!
    AND
    HAPPY NEW YEAR TO HOUSE ANDREWS!

    May we ALL have a Blessed, Healthy and Joy Filled Year 😀

    Thank You for Sharing Your GENIUS with Us!!!!

  221. Thank you for the new Innkeeper installment! It’s like a breath of fresh air (without covid). I am looking forward to the next installment and I don’t think we have seen the last of that werewolf, maybe she can help find Vilmos. Since he helped make the strain Shawn is, she could end up interested in him? Happy New Year everyone, may this one be an improvement over the last one.

  223. Love it!! I love seeing Sean and Dina! It’s like catching up with beloved old friends, thank you!!

  224. Happy belated New Year- I forgot that the snippet came out on Friday and as usual my notifications for the twitter feed (though I follow) is oddly glitchy. So while they’re is never any how of me being first 🙃- I bet the delayed gratification down pat – plus all the fun of reading the comments too 😁

  226. Thank you. A new Innkeeper serial is a wonderful start to 2022. Hopefully more good things (and increased normality overall) will follow.
    Happy New Year!

  227. Oh my goodness, reading that chapter was like a massive hug followed by cake and a cup of tea. In other words simply the best 😍
    In these challenging times this kind of escapism is so needed!

  228. This is soooo Awesome thankyou for this, you have made my existence better, and happier!

    I hope Wilmos is ok.

  230. Debbie-a friend who is now a convert to IA spend much time lamenting why so few authors grab us and transport us into their stories. A favorite mystery author of mine, Deborah Crombie received a negative review ‘too little mystery story too much character. Eureka. In spite of the darkness and wars, the characters and supporting cast have become beloved and any mention of those like Orro, Helen and all the others make us happy and hopeful. Thanks

  232. Wilmos hadn’t seemed the needy type before – can werewolves become senile? Am sure a journey and many hijinks are coming up to solve this puzzle. Very enjoyable as always!

  235. At the beginning of this new year I want to express my thanks for the GREAT moderators on this site. For several years I was in a similar position with another top selling author and I know what it is, for example, to get a call from the author asking if I remembered which of her books had the witch who did so and so! She knew I had read the books so many times I knew just where said witch would be found! It is NOT an easy job, so thanks for your effort moderators, and all your help!

  237. I recently saw a video of a mansion for sale. It had at least 4 kitchens. One for the family, a chef’s kitchen for large events, a staff kitchen and a guest wing kitchen. There was also a mini kitchen in the games room, and another in the indoor pool room, as well as two outdoor bbq kitchens. Dina could make a “family” kitchen as part of the bedroom suite. For minute snacks. And apple cakes baked with love. 🙂

  238. Not related, but I wanted to let everyone know that Fated Blades is a 99p Kindle Daily Deal in the UK (4/1).

  239. I’m confused. Why was her welcome withdrawn? She was never welcomed, she was captured by Officer Marais who took her to the Inn where she was bound by Dina and held prisoner pending a decision on her fate. I wouldn’t have thought that would constitute a welcome.

    • She was allowed on Inn premises, pending resolution of her situation, whether you think that is a welcome or not 🙂. “Your welcome is withdrawn” from an Innkeeper is the phrase that ejects someone from Inn land:

      “He didn’t deserve a warning, but I gave him one anyway. “I’ve had about enough. I’m serious, Sean. Leave or there will be consequences.”

      “Give me your best shot.”

      Fine. “Your welcome is withdrawn.”

      Magic smashed into Sean. He went airborne. The side door swung open just in time and he flew through it and into the orchard.”
      Andrews, Ilona. Clean Sweep, Innkeeper Chronicles 1. NYLA Publishing, 2013, Kindle edition, page 70

      I hope that helps with your confusion.

  240. I just discovered a book called Emerald Blaze. Can’t wait to read every book of yours in the library. Best wishes for a great New Year

  251. Oh how lovely! Thank you for the chapter!

    I remember reading the line in One Fell Sweep about the werewolves watching Sean “with those odd longing expressions on their faces” and thinking, uh-oh, that’s gonna be a problem at some point, isn’t it? You’ve got a displaced people who are romantics (or at least poets) at heart, and then you add in the innate put-Sean-in-charge vibes the guy’s got going, I can’t blame them for wanting more stanzas to the ballad, I guess! Really, really enjoyed seeing Sean and Dina’s reactions to the situation. Absolutely tickled pink by Sean’s spear-broom dismissal! 😊

    Wilmos too. Dina’s description is too funny, especially when you consider Sean’s in contrast. That’s a sweep of ‘harmless/funny until it actually happens’ to ‘deadly and dangerous’ isn’t it? I’m not sure I trust him or his intentions entirely, but I do think his affection for Sean as a person is genuine, even if maybe his hopes for Sean as a werewolf (/work sample? 😅) aren’t aligned to Sean’s own. And he has helped them! Excited to see if there’s more he’s tangled up in or not, though.

    I always wondered about him reviewing The Gertrude Hunt without having actually stayed there and if I was reading too much into it or not.

  253. It is this time of the year again: 6 hours to go and it will be friday (over here 🙂 ) I just became aware that I am looking forward to sit down tomorrow – or whenever the next installment is ready – with a cup of coffee and enjoy a few quiet moments with innkeeper. Can’t tell why but it feels like I will walk over to Gertrude Hunt for that coffee. Seems to be the wonderful magic of your words…

  254. 1) The darn random wolves better not try to assassinate Dina (yes I know she can take care of herself and IA would not let them kill her)

    2) If Sean is getting these courtship requests I wonder if wolves are showing up at his parents to “ask permission/put in a good word for them”

    3) Sean is in a complicated situation. How will he stop the random wolves in a way that will actually stop them without impressing them even more and getting even more courtship requests?

  255. You have made me so anxious, I have no choice except to wait. The waiting is difficult. I am so looking forward to your next books. I won’t hold my breath, I might suffocate first. I await more magic words.

  257. Love this! And a tip for removing the springform – I put my springform on a glass or jar so that when I open it I can drop it straight down to the bench rather than lifting it over the top of my creation – usually a cheesecake

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