Chapter 52 The Witching Hour #2
I’d had a few Magiks come up and ask me for more of the sordid details of my experience, gossip-hungry jerks who couldn’t take the hint that the reason I hadn’t done any interviews was because I didn’t want to talk about it.
But it wasn’t a nosy stranger. It was a face I knew.
“Morgana!”
I practically leapt at the alpha witch who had first helped me escape, wrapping my arms around her neck and accidentally pushing poor Vesper off. He cawed his surprise and landed on my shoulder with a flap and a hop, nudging me with his beak.
“Hey, kiddo,” she laughed, hugging me back. “Sorry I haven’t stopped by yet; I’ve been a little busy recently. Plus, I’m pretty sure if I see that mate of yours, I’ll punch him in the face.”
“And I’m pretty sure he’d be the first to say he deserved it,” I chuckled, still not ready to let her go.
I’d gotten in touch with her and Selene once I’d left Ignareth to let them know I was safe, and that the bounty hunter who’d sold his soul to find me was actually my mate.
Selene found it hilariously ironic, and offered us a free drink the next time we stopped by the bar, while Morgana was… a little less amused.
“Fucking bounty hunter…”
She took a step back, holding me by the shoulders and pushing back the hood of the cloak so she could get a better look at my face. Failing to find any hint of mistreatment, she sighed with a smile. “You look healthy.”
“That’s goat milk for you.”
“And freedom. How are you doing? Really?”
I didn’t blame her for still being a little skeptical about Ronan. My dad might never fully like the poor demon, either. But I knew she meant beyond my mate.
“I’m good. Some days are better than others, but the time between the bad ones is getting longer.”
She smoothed her hand down my hair, her nails running through my curls. “That’s a relief. I haven’t stopped worrying about you since I first picked you up in Noctis. Not even when I left you alone at Selene’s. Not sure I’ll ever stop, to be honest. Witches aren’t meant to be alone.”
Vesper hopped off and poofed into his other form, towering beside us. “She won’t be so alone after tonight, though.”
My eyes misted, my lips quivering. “A-are you sure?”
“Did you ever stop wanting your familiar?” he asked.
When I shook my head, he smiled. “Then rest assured, your familiar has never stopped wanting you, either.”
Morgana tutted softly and wiped the tears that fell down my cheeks. “Hey now, no need to cry. This is one of the best nights of a witch’s life. I’m just glad I could be here to make sure you were doing okay, and to wish you a happy bonding.”
Priestesses entered the room, chanting low, and the witches lined up for the procession.
Morgana gave me one more quick hug. “Can’t wait to meet them.”
She and Vesper left, along with the other guests who’d come to see their friends, siblings, partners, and children off.
Ronan had wanted to come, but this was a witches only event. Not even mates got to enter the Temple tonight.
Instead, he was busy cooking up a feast at the house, preparing a little bit of everything—meat if the familiar was a carnivore, salads if they were an herbivore, and pasta for me because I couldn’t get enough carbs.
The doors creaked open, and the procession began.
The Covenant Woods were behind the Temple, and after circling the building thirteen times, the priestesses led us to the entrance.
Two of them stepped forward. One held a book, the sacred texts of the goddess, while the other read the passage.
“When Hecara’s soul sprang from the earth, it was whole, yet torn. For within her, a second half lay hidden, waiting through the cycles of moon and star.”
I trembled beneath the cloak, wondering if it was the excitement, the priestess’s words, or the strange cool air that blew towards us from the woods that was making me erupt into goosebumps.
Maybe I should have opted for a dress.
“On the new moon after her twenty-sixth year, she found it: Leveryn, small and trembling, a creature of her own spirit, yet its own being. And there, in that joining, the first bond was made, and no witch would ever walk alone again.”
The book closed with a heavy thud, and the priestess who had spoken raised her hands before us.
“And now, like our Goddess, you will enter the Covenant Woods as incomplete souls, and emerge with another, joined as one.”
Some witches full-on sprinted, laughing and smiling, while others tried to play it cool, clearly excited but struggling to walk at a normal pace.
I gave myself a few moments, then took a deep breath, and ran.
We’d waited long enough.
* * *
Witches had always been secretive about what the Covenant Woods were like. I’d thought it was because they just enjoyed torturing those too young and impatient to wait, but once my feet crossed the threshold, everyone else around me disappeared, and the air thickened.
This was a holy place, and I would not speak of it.
Sound somehow became both amplified and muffled. My breaths and heartbeats were thunderous, while the snapping of a twig was barely audible.
I felt like I was walking through a dream, and stopped to wave my fingers in front of my face, gasping and giggling as the colors seemed to bleed behind them, ribbons trailing in the darkness.
This was way better than bruum.
That was when I felt it. A pulse. A heartbeat.
Like mine.
Pale green light flashed, small at first, getting larger and brighter as I stepped towards it.
I stepped again, and then broke into another run, leaving tears and laughter in my wake.
“I’m coming!” I cried. “I’m sorry I was late, but I’m here now!”
“Sage…”
Light exploded, and I threw up my arm, shielding my eyes from the blinding brightness.
“Sage… you don’t ever have to apologize to me.”
My chest seized, hearing her voice for the first time as I finally gathered the courage to put down my arm.
Bathed in shadow, my familiar sat in front of me.
A black panther, her eyes as green as mine. Her fur, sleek and drinking in the night, rippled over lean, powerful muscles. Elegance and restraint coiled under her skin.
She was magnificent.
Her name sprang from my tongue, as though it had always been there.
“Kala… Kala, you’re beautiful.”
And just as suddenly as the panther appeared, so did she change into her other form.
Kala was only an inch or two taller than me, all soft lines and feline grace. Her smooth skin nearly the same onyx hue as her panther fur, but with a warmer undertone that shimmered in the light. Her hair, neatly braided, fell down her back in a beautiful waterfall.
She opened her arms in preparation for the hug we both needed.
“I’m sorry it took me so long,” I said on a choked sob. “I got held up, I—”
“Shh, my witch. I know. Leveryn told me that you would be late, but that you would find me when you had the strength. When you were ready for me.”
I was full on crying now, Kala holding me tightly, joining me in my tears. “My sweet witch,” she purred, wiping a tear from her cheek. “Come, let’s get back to your mate. I believe he’s waiting for us.”
For us.
Sniffing, I took the cloak off, and Kala stood still so I could put it over her shoulders.
“I give you this first covering, that you may know me and be known. In this moment, our souls are no longer apart.”
Kala grabbed my hands and looked into my eyes.
“I wear your gift, and in wearing it, I wear your soul beside mine. Together, we are whole.”
* * *
Ronan was trying so hard not to be obvious, but Kala and I spotted him peeking out of the windows well before he saw us, waiting anxiously for us to get back.
My mate and my familiar. My soul and heart were full.
My body was safe.
And my mind was at peace.
“What do you think?” Kala asked, her voice smooth as the silk cloak she now wore. “As I am now? Or shifted?”
I grinned. “Oh, animal for sure. Give him a good scare.”
She licked her lips. “With pleasure.”
She shifted before I could stop smiling, darkness pouring into shape and muscle, bursting through the front door. Somewhere inside the house I heard a roar, furniture toppling, and Ronan yelp, releasing a string of curse words.
I laughed, really laughed, and followed her home.