Epilogue
Two months later,
the Winter Solstice
“ Y ou look amazing,” Izzy said.
She adjusted the wreath of roses and hemlock she’d placed on Stella’s head—roses for their magical properties of love and spiritual connection; hemlock for its feminine energies and association with water. Ethan was a water witch, after all.
Stella studied her reflection in the gilded full-length mirror that George and Ethan had hauled up to Broomstix’s second-floor meeting room the night before.
The normally empty room was now crowded with witches, a table spread with refreshments and some of Marietta’s restorative potions, and a clothes rack with three carmine-red bridesmaid dresses.
Antoinette was already dressed and painting her nails.
Abby was sweeping her long brown hair up into a complicated arrangement, secured with millions of pins.
“Thanks, Iz,” Stella whispered as a rabble of butterflies rushed through her stomach. “It does look good.”
She slid her hands over her belly, feeling the cool slide of winter-white silk. The floor-length dress was wide-necked, elegant but mostly unembellished, accented only by a dark green velvet sash tied around her waist.
“But maybe just…” Izzy pulled down a few auburn tendrils to frame Stella’s face, then stepped back to admire her handiwork. “ Hmmm . I think you need more glitter. One sec.”
Jade rushed into the room. She waved a small stack of envelopes excitedly over her head. “Who wants an early wedding present?”
“It’s not exactly early ,” Marietta said, pausing in her lipstick application. “They’ll be married in less than an hour.”
“Okay,” Jade said, her eyes bright and twinkling. “Who wants a right-on-time present?”
“What is it?” Stella asked.
“You tell me,” Jade said coyly, and she handed Stella the stack of mail.
The card on top had a British stamp and the name Alastair McTavish scrawled in the top-left corner. Stella slid her finger under the seal, removed the greeting card, and read the congratulatory message.
Wishing my favorite lad and lassie all my best on this most auspicious occasion.
With undying love and gratitude,
Alastair
Stella’s heart warmed, picturing the octogenarian at his writing desk.
The next three envelopes in the stack were thank-you notes from families who’d lost people to the Collector’s demented schemes and received some of the gold as restitution. It didn’t bring their loved ones back, but at least it acknowledged what they’d suffered.
The final two envelopes bore the bank’s logo. One contained a Satisfaction of Mortgage. The other was the final statement for her business loan, showing a zero balance.
Stella’s shoulders relaxed as if the weight of the world had finally lifted.
“Good news, right?” Jade asked.
“The best,” Stella said, and she smiled.
“Okay, ladies,” Marietta said. “If you’re not already dressed, it’s time to do so.”
Izzy quickly brushed glitter make-up over Stella’s collarbones, then ran to the dress rack. So did Jade and Abby. Antoinette blew on her nails.
“Is everyone in place down there?” Stella asked, giving herself one last glance in the mirror.
“Yep,” Jade said. “Even Ethan. You know…just in case you were worried he might get cold feet and bail.”
Stella hadn’t been worried. Of all the things in her life, Ethan Mather was the most reliable. Who would’ve guessed?
“Though…” Jade said. “Someone is missing. Darren seems to have escaped his terrarium.”
Great, Stella thought, closing her eyes. If a certain red chicken hadn’t already prepared to make a scene in the middle of the ceremony, an indigo snake would find a way.
“Knock, knock,” George said, cracking the door open a couple inches. “Everyone decent?”
“Dressed and ready,” Marietta said.
George opened the door all the way, took one look at Stella, and burst into tears.
“Oh boy…” Jade said, fluffing out her curls. “Not a great start.”
“You look so beautiful, honey,” George said.
Stella laughed despite the tears pricking her own eyes. “So do you. Very handsome.”
George tugged at the bottom or his tuxedo jacket. “It doesn’t fit too badly, does it?”
“Perfect,” she said.
“Ready to do this?” he asked.
“Absolutely.”
“Wait,” Marietta said. “I need to get to my seat.”
George stepped out of the way to let his wife hustle by.
A few seconds later, a Celtic fiddle tune began to play, the music lilting up the stairs from Broomstix below.
“That’s my cue,” Antoinette said, and she strode out of the room with her head held high.
After a couple beats, Abby followed her out, then Izzy and Jade.
“Last but not least,” George offered Stella his arm and guided her out into the hallway.
At the top of the stairs, Stella’s feet stuttered to a stop. She pulled back on George’s elbow.
“Everything all right?” he asked, sounding worried.
“More than all right,” Stella said, and she squeezed George’s arm. “It’s perfect.”
Her store was dark, lit by hundreds of real candles. Their flames danced and swayed, illuminating the faces of all the guests: Marietta; Roman and his mate, Bonnie; Hawk, Stryker, and Dylan; Max and Chelsea; Goodwife Joan Wright; Jun, his wife, and three young daughters; Anne Crisp and the Sparrow twins; all five Bly siblings; and even Linda, Judith’s non-magical widow.
The guests had created a center aisle between them, and Stella’s four bridesmaids stood to the left of an archway that was decorated with roses, hemlock, and holly.
Behind it, beyond the store’s two big windows, a soft snow was falling.
Catherine Mather stood at the center of the arch. For the ceremony, she was acting as high priestess. It made the most sense that she be the officiant; she’d missed so many of Ethan’s prior big moments.
And then there was Ethan.
He waited to the right of the arch beside a very excited and very proud best man, Magnus Moseby. They both wore tuxedos; Magnus’s included a cape.
Ethan smiled up at Stella, where she stood at the top of the stairs. The moisture in his navy-blue eyes sparkled in the candlelight.
“Then let’s do this,” George said, and he led her down the stairs in time to the music.
The whole time, Ethan’s eyes never left hers, not even when George kissed her cheek or unwrapped her fingers from his elbow and placed her hand in Ethan’s.
Ethan closed his fingers around Stella’s, and their magic surged. Blue ribbons of magic unfurled from her heart and wove together with the red ribbons that swirled around Ethan’s tall, confident form.
“Mom,” Ethan said, turning slightly toward her but keeping his eyes on Stella. “Let’s begin.”
“Of course. Is there anything you’d like to say first, honey?”
Ethan cleared his throat and turned to address their friends. “To all of you, thank you for coming. To Stella…” He turned to face her. “To Stella Aldren. The first time I saw you, I was drawn to you like a magnet. I didn’t understand it then. I do now. You are the reason I’m alive. The reason I breathe. You’re the last person I want to see when the sun goes down, and the first person I want to see when it comes up. Thank you for being my love. My partner. For allowing us to become the most perfect pair.”
Stella swallowed down the lump in her throat. They hadn’t talked about vows, and she didn’t know what to say in response. The emotions were too big. They defied mere words.
But she had to try.
“The first time I saw you,” she said, her voice breaking, “I never imagined that, one day, I’d be standing right here. What I did imagine was that there was another witch in the ballroom. A witch who was stalking me. I could feel the magic. It made a knocking sound in my head. I tried so hard to keep you out. Thank you for not giving up on me.”
“Red,” he said, stroking his thumb over the wetness on her cheek. “Thank you for opening the door.”
Catherine made a small, emotional choking sound, then wrapped a strip of embroidered linen around Stella and Ethan’s joined hands.
She knotted it securely before looking up at Ethan, her eyes filled with pride. “My son in spirit—and in body—may this knot remain tied for as long as love shall endure.”
She turned to Stella. “My daughter in spirit, may the promises you’ve made to each other persevere.”
Catherine laid her hand over Stella and Ethan’s wrapped hands and finished. “Hold tight to one another. Grow in power and in strength. Grow in trust and understanding. In this joining of your hands and the creation of this knot, so are your lives now bound to one another.”
Alice clucked approvingly, and there were a few sentimental murmurings from the crowd.
Catherine leaned in, whispering to Ethan, “Honey, I think this is the part where you kiss your bride.”
Stella looked deep into Ethan’s eyes, then bit her lip and turned toward their guests.
“Red?” he asked.
“One second.” She raised her unbound hand and said, “ Glacio .”
The whole crowd, including Catherine, froze in place. Some of them had their hands raised, preparing to clap. Others were turned toward each other, their lips pursed and ready to let out a celebratory whoop.
Magnus was rocked back on his heels, and he teetered there, barely balanced.
Marietta and George clung to each other with tears in their eyes.
Ethan chuckled as he took in the scene. “Was that necessary?”
“Are you going to kiss me?” Stella asked.
Ethan’s gaze swung back to her, and something in his expression turned hungry. “You better believe it.”
“Then I want some privacy.”
Ethan’s navy-blue eyes glinted. “I’ll make your spell worth the effort.”
“You better,” she said in challenge.
Ethan dipped Stella low, arching her across his arm. His full, soft, perfect lips met hers, and the physical contact caused aether to bloom between them in a magical bouquet of power that spread up to the ceiling and consumed the store.
Hundreds of candle flames shot two feet into the air, blazing like torches fueled by the aether. The heat was intense, and it could have easily gotten out of hand if Ethan hadn’t applied his water magic to the sprinkler system.
Stella’s hair and dress were instantly soaked. The water rushed over her face and into her mouth as Ethan deepened the kiss.
Between the fire and the water, she had a moment of panic for her books. But she now had the means to replace anything that got ruined, and she trusted Ethan to keep everything under control.
Besides, Stella wasn’t likely to protest when she was enjoying the hottest , not to mention wettest kiss two paired witches ever shared.
She was way too smart for that.
The End