Page 25 of Witch

Epilogue

SORA SCAMPERED AHEAD of Kana, pushing open the door to Kana’s witch room and vanishing inside. Mika was in his cat form, content to stay draped across Kana’s shoulders. Kana followed Sora into the room but stopped short in the doorway to take it in again: the beautiful black chalkboard paint over every surface, the shelving along one wall for all his materials and books, and the cat tree in one corner—and not one speck of dust anywhere.

Kana hadn’t been able to visit his witch room in the many weeks since fighting the warlock. Only in the last week and a half had he actually had the strength to leave the suite of rooms he shared with Ember, and he had only gone to the dining hall a couple of times in order to reassure the pack he was healing. He had also enjoyed the sense of normality going to get his food—rather than having someone deliver it to him—brought. Today, though, Kana felt strong enough to try a bit of magic and had come here instead.

His magic stores weren’t back to 100 percent, but his magic channels were healed enough that Sora and Mika could shift into any form they liked, and Kana wanted to feel that final bit of normalcy by being a witch again.

And the room, despite his absence, was immaculate. But then, Ember did like to do little things like this for Kana. From building the room in the first place, to keeping it clean when Kana wasn’t able, Ember always found surprisingly intimate ways of showing his love.

Sora brought over a fresh stick of white chalk and gave Mika a sharp look.

Fine, Mika said with a sigh. He hopped down from Kana’s shoulders, and when his feet hit the ground, he was in human form. He went over to the shelves to pull down a smudge bowl. Sora vanished into the kitchen where the herbs were stored in Kana’s pantry.

Kana left them to it and crouched in the center of the room. He touched the chalk to the floor and spun on the balls of his feet, a perfect circle forming around him. Kana switched his stance, and a few slashes of chalk formed the pentagram with exact angles. He hadn’t lost his touch, and he grinned as he studied his work to find any imperfections. The runes for health and prosperity fit in the empty spaces on either side between the lines and the circle.

Witches weren’t capable of healing, but this small spell would buoy him. Kana settled cross-legged in the middle of the circle. Mika placed the smudge bowl in front of him, and Sora dropped a small herb bundle into the bowl. They both shifted back into their cat forms and settled on either side of Kana within the circle. Kana placed his hands on their backs, let out a breath, and called on his magic.

The magic flowed a touch sluggishly, but it came, and the circle lit up, glowing softly in the dim room. Kana sent a breath of magic into the bowl, igniting the herbs. The light floral scent of lavender and chamomile filled the circle, mixing with the glow as the runes shone.

Kana kept the magic flowing as the herbs burned, breathing in the scented air and feeling the soft fur of Mika and Sora under his fingers. Once the scent began to fade as the herbs smoldered down to coals, Kana let the spell dissolve. The chalk was gone and the bowl empty, and when Kana let out another breath, he felt as if his lungs had opened up and a weight had lifted off his shoulders.

“Beautiful,” Ember called.

Kana was too relaxed to jump in surprise, but he did turn to look and found Ember standing just inside the closed door. He must have come in while Kana was distracted.

“Feeling better?” Ember added, one of his lovely half smiles growing as he looked at Kana.

“Getting there,” Kana replied with his own grin. “What’s up?”

Ember walked farther into the room and held out a hand to help Kana climb to his feet. Kana took it, glad for the help. He grabbed his smudge bowl and put it away, and when he turned back to Ember, Sora was settling across the back of Ember’s shoulders. Mika meowed pointedly at Kana, who laughed and picked Mika up so Mika could emulate Sora as Kana’s neck warmer.

“I’m heading out to the other pack house for a few hours. Did you want to join me?” Ember asked.

A chance to get out of the house, even if it was only a short car ride straight to another house, sounded lovely.

“Let’s go,” Kana answered. He held out his hand again, and Ember took it. Hand in hand, with Mika and Sora purring contentedly, Kana and Ember left Kana’s witch room, heading into the house and onward to wherever their lives would take them together.