Dragon Magic, page 22
part #4 of Ever Witch Series
“He was damned good at hiding.”
“He?”
Slade nodded at my question. “Boy and a girl. They’re with their mom, who I’m sure would love to see you both.”
“No, we don’t want to intrude.” Tank suddenly looked unsure of himself. Of everything, really.
“You’re kidding me, right? Why do you think I’m out here? Everest wanted me to see if you made it back, so get your asses in there and see my twins.” He blanched then burst out laughing. “Twins. God, I have twins.”
I left the boys in the doorway and walked inside to find Everest propped up on a pile of pillows with two small bundles tucked in her arms. Sweat beaded her forehead, and she looked tired as hell, but she was grinning.
“You made it.”
“How could I not?” The babies looked at their mom with wide eyes, cooing and gurgling. “They’re beautiful. You sure you’re ready for twins?”
“You ready to babysit twins?”
“You have a point.” I couldn’t stop smiling at the babies. “You’ll be alright. You’ve got Slade.”
She smiled as Slade returned to her side. He kissed the top of her head.
Selma told Everest she was going to see if Mahlia and Aiden arrived yet and left the room.
“Do you have names yet?” I asked.
Slade gently picked up his daughter. He nodded as he tucked the small babe in his arms. “I think we do. Pierce Tank for our son,” he said.
Tank cursed.
“And for our little girl here, Amelia Leora.”
Tears burned in my eyes. “What? No, you can’t do that.”
“Why the hell not?” Everest chuckled. “You two have been through hell with the both of us. If we didn’t have you, I’m not sure where we would’ve ended up. Besides, they’re your namesakes now, which means I can blame all their bad behaviors on you two.”
I hugged Everest the best I could, without squishing little Pierce.
“Once I’ve had a couple hours of sleep, you’ll have to catch us up on what you two were up to.”
“It makes one hell of a story,” I promised.
Tank and I took turns holding Pierce and Amelia. He looked terrified he was going to break one of the babies simply by holding it. Our eyes met as he rocked Amelia. A vision of what my future could be like with Tank appeared in my mind and damned if it didn’t look almost perfect. I could see us years from now, still being happy with each other. Having a family of our own maybe. The depth of emotion in his eyes slammed into me, and I wiped a tear from my eye.
We stayed with Everest and Slade until Mahlia and Aiden arrived. After a brief greeting, we took our leave, letting the family be alone. In the hallway, my hand slipped easily into Tank’s, and we walked.
There was no real purpose to where we went, just letting our feet go where they wanted. As we reached the grounds, we eventually found ourselves standing on the bridge, under creaking branches that dropped leaves around us with each gust of wind.
We leaned, shoulder-to-shoulder, watching the leaves fall, listening to the bubbling water race around the rocks. Whinnying drew my gaze to the herd of unicorns. We’d been through so much. To be standing here with Tank in such a beautiful setting seemed too good to be real. But it was real.
As if reading my mind, his arm wrapped around my shoulders and he rested his cheek on my head.
“You know,” I murmured after a while, “I think I’m ready to go home.”
“Me, too.”
“I don’t mean my house. I mean the land and farm we talked about. I want to start building as soon as we get back. No waiting. No doubts. Just you and me and a ton of land.”
He breathed in deep then let it out. “Hmm.”
“What?” Was he second guessing everything now? Had I read the signs wrong? I shifted so I could see his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Not sure I trust you on a tractor.”
I chuckled as he broke into a wolfish grin.
“Not sure I trust myself on a tractor. There’s so much work to do. The house, a greenhouse, a workshop, barn… you think we’ll have enough time to get it all done?”
“We have all the time in the world.” He kissed me as he added, “And I plan on spending every last minute of it with you.”
I smiled against his lips as he lifted me up, so I was seated on the railing.
We stayed out there for hours, talking and kissing, making plans for when we got back to the valley.
Three years ago, I thought I’d found my happy ending.
Now I knew I had.
Epilogue
Tank
I carved the last eye on the pumpkin—now a proper Jack O' Lantern—and smiled. “Done.”
“What? No, you’re a cheater,” Slade argued.
“You’re just slow.”
Everest cackled from her chair, two sleeping one-year-old babies beside her in their stroller. “That’s what I said. I beat him last night, too. He’s just a sore loser.”
“Am not.” He dropped his carving knife. “And you did cheat last night.”
“How?” I asked then I saw the look they gave each other and held up my hands. “Never mind, I don’t want to know. Keep the details to yourselves.” I brushed the rest of the pumpkin rind from the face of my Jack O' Lantern and nodded, happy with the result.
The farmhouse, barn, workshop, greenhouse—hell, everything—was finally completed a couple of days ago. It had been a long, hard year, but we now had our home. Together. Amelie surprised me with how much she wanted to do. We built everything by hand. Well, for the most part. I wanted to do it by hand, but she snuck a few magic tricks in when I wasn’t looking. The white farmhouse sat behind me, decked out with bales of hay, more pumpkins—carved and uncarved—along with gourds, all of which we’d grown. Dried cornstalks decorated the porch. Torches lined the path from the gravel drive to the barn, where we were waiting for the rest of our guests to arrive.
Halloween seemed the perfect night to celebrate our farm officially being a farm.
“Where is Amelie?” Everest asked as she pushed the stroller back and forth when baby Amelia started fussing.
“In the kitchen. She said she had to finish up some desserts.”
“I’ll go check on her. Slade?”
“Got it. Baby duty.” He took her seat and resumed moving the stroller as she’d been.
I set my pumpkin aside after placing a candle in it.
“What’s that look about?”
“Nothing. Just you, being a dad. Suits you.”
“Thanks, I think. First few months were rough, but we’re getting the hang of it. Sort of.” He picked up his glass.
“You seem to be doing just fine. When’s baby number three coming?” I stepped to the side as Slade spewed his mouthful of drink.
“Not funny. Two is plenty.”
“For now.”
“Just you wait. I give you and Amelie another few years, and you’ll be rocking your own baby Tanks to sleep.”
“Speaking of that,” I said then realized what I said as Slade’s eyes widened. “Not the baby part, but the being together part.” I took a long look around to ensure Amelie wasn’t anywhere nearby and reached into my pocket. “What do you think?”
Slade whistled at the ring in the small, black box. “I think she’ll love it. Just make sure you get the drop on her.”
“You’re still upset about that?”
“I had it all planned. So yeah, still upset.” He said it, but he was smiling. Probably reminiscing about the night Everest proposed to him before he could get the question out. That was not going to happen to me. Amelie had no idea because I hadn’t let this ring out of my sight.
“She is up to something,” I mused as I tucked the ring in my pocket, setting the box aside. “She’s been extremely chipper the last few days.”
“Chipper?”
“That’s the only way I can think to describe it. Chipper.”
“Tank.”
I turned at the sound of my sister’s voice.
“Cara.”
I hurried to meet her on the drive, wrapping her up in a hug as I kissed her cheek. “Glad to see you made it. Darren.” I shook his hand, squeezing extra hard. Eventually, Amelie told me I’d have to stop playing the big bad brother act, but the look on his face every time was priceless. Honestly, he took good care of Cara. Their small village in the Rockies was flourishing. Slade, Everest, and the babies had gone for an official visit, and the celebration had lasted for weeks. Cara came to visit every other month and Amelie, and I made it out there when we could. Getting the farm built had taken a lot of time, but we made it work.
“This place looks amazing. Where’s Amelie so I can tell her?”
“Inside, with Everest. See what they’re up to. Everyone else should be getting here soon.”
Cara waved at me over her shoulder as I motioned for Darren to join Slade and me.
Darren caught the can Slade tossed him. “How are the little ones?”
“Doing good for the moment.”
“Now you jinxed it,” I warned, glancing toward the house.
When Cara opened the back door, laughter came out. A lot of laughter. What was Amelie up to? I was about to go check on her when more people arrive.
Jenny and Preston were here, carting tons of food and drinks.
Davis was right behind them, along with half the valley. I shook hands with every single Shadowguard, witch and warlock who arrived.
Music played. Someone had lit all the candles in the pumpkins. Their grinning faces surrounded the wooden dance floor Slade, Mason, and I built over the weekend.
Everest and Cara carried food out of the house.
Others went inside to help.
But there was no sign of Amelie.
“Tank, this is wonderful,” Mahlia said after she and Aiden tracked me down.
Mason wasn’t with them.
“He’s at home.”
“Is he alright?”
“Feeling a bit under the weather. Think it’s a cold.”
A cold. I doubted it was a cold.
Over the last year, Mason had continued to come to me and Slade, asking us questions, talking to us about what he was feeling. We both tried, again and again, to get him to talk to Everest or his parents, but he brushed it off. Said he was fine. I worried there was something wrong with him, beyond latent powers trying to break free, but we promised we’d keep it to ourselves.
“Where is Amelie?” Mahlia asked.
I noticed the garment bag in her hands. “Inside, I think. What is that for?”
“This? Oh, it’s nothing.” Mahlia was a worse liar than Everest and Amelie.
“Aiden?”
“I’m as lost as you are,” he said, patting me on the shoulder as his wife went inside. “Now then, where’s Preston? I could use a beer. You look like you could use one, too.”
“One, two. Or someone to tell me what my girlfriend’s up to.”
Aiden barked a laugh as we weaved through the gathering. “Women. You can never hope to understand anything they’re up to. Just safer to nod and smile.”
I touched the ring in my pocket, watching the back door.
Still no sign of Amelie.
As I drank a beer and listened to Slade talk to his father-in-law about the babies, I reflected on my time with Amelie.
When we first got the land, we chose the location for each building then slowly, bought materials and went to work. Amelie gave her old house to a Shadowguard family who came from the village in the Rockies. Every day brought a new adventure, and a comforting sensation filled me as I remembered every single one.
Yeah, I was more than ready to put a ring on her finger and tell her how much I loved her. How much I looked forward to spending the rest of our lives together.
“Tank, Amelie said you need to meet her on the roof of her workshop,” Everest announced as she hustled over, not smiling. “I think something’s wrong.”
“Wrong? Is she alright?” I handed off my drink, already making my way to the shop.
“Not sure. She just said you needed to get up there.”
Cursing about difficult women, I ran the rest of the way to the shop, in the door, and charged up the stone steps leading to the roof. “Amelie?”
“Over here.”
I stepped outside, but it was too dark to see much of anything.
I waited for my eyes to adjust when Amelie snapped her fingers and candles burst to life all around the roof.
I squinted at the sudden brightness. The candles were on the floor, the tables, on the ledges of the roof and behind me over the door.
“What’s all this for?” I took a couple of steps away from the door then finally looked up and froze.
Amelie stood at the edge of the roof, wearing a form-fitting black dress with a jagged hem, bell lace sleeves, beaded in rubies and onyx stones. She looked beyond amazing, but it was the rest of the get up that had me laughing so hard, tears slipped from my eyes.
“What, you don’t like it?”
She modeled her outfit for me, pointing her left toe to show off her lace-up black boots. A black cat was perched on her shoulders, one of the many we’d adopted over the last year. Boo was the name of this latest addition to our growing feline family. He meowed happily as he leapt into my arms then climbed on my shoulders, purring and nuzzling my neck.
Amelie’s outfit was complete, with a black pointed hat. Then I noticed the black and silver broom off to the side.
“You just had to do it, huh.” I kissed her as she held her hat on her head, so it didn’t fall off.
“You put the idea in my head. I think this is a good look for me. I should wear this all the time.”
“Might be hard to garden in that dress.”
“Hmm. Good point.”
We glanced below us as the party maneuvered to the base of the workshop.
Amelie waved at them, and they toasted and cheered. I had meant to ask her in private, but since she dragged my ass up here, she was going to have an audience.
I reached into my flannel pocket and cleared my throat of a lump that had suddenly formed. I had everything planned out in my head, but the crowd threw me off.
Damn it, Slade. It had to be him. He was the only one who knew I was doing this tonight.
“Tank, what’s going on?” Amelie tugged on my sleeve. “Something’s up. What is it?”
“I, uh, I was hoping to catch you alone, but it looks like that’s not going to happen.”
“Catch me alone for what?”
I pulled the ring from my pocket. The emeralds caught the light from the candles and gleamed. “The last year has been probably the best of my life, and I’m ready to see what happens next.” I got down on one knee. “Marry me? See what other trouble we can get into together?”
Her jaw dropped. She stared at me.
When she took too long to respond, Everest yelled from below, “Are you going to make him wait all night long?”
Amelie shook her head then smiled, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Yes. Yes!”
I slipped the ring on her finger, and she dove into my arms, kissing me as those below erupted in cheers and applause. I rose, holding her in my arms as I deepened the kiss.
Boo jumped down from my shoulders, rubbing between our legs.
“Well, this calls for a celebration,” Amelie said and reached for the broom. “You ready?”
“Ready for… on that?”
“You thought it was just a prop.”
“Yeah, I did. That twig is not going to hold me up. Besides, I have wings.”
“You do,” she agreed, holding the broom out to me, “but tonight it’s my turn. Don’t you trust me?”
I trusted Amelie with my life. The broom was another story. She climbed on and waited for me to straddle it behind her. I hesitated, then figured what the hell. Once I was on, I wrapped my arms around her waist.
“Hold on.”
“You’re going to take it slow, right?”
She laughed then kicked off the rooftop.
We shot into the night sky, wind whipping past us as I held onto her and watched those below fall further and further away.
Amelie let out an excited yell.
Slightly. When we hovered in front of the moon, she sat sideways, the broom surprisingly stable, and leaned into me.
“You sure you’re ready for what comes next?”
“With you, I’m ready for anything.” I cupped her cheek and kissed her.
I would never get tired of life with Amelie. Finally, I was where I belonged, where we both belonged.
And nothing was going to take us away from each other. I’d found my happy ending, and it was right here with this incredible, beautiful witch smiling back at me.
We stayed in the sky, floating aimlessly on the broom, watching the stars as the party carried on below.
Keep reading for an excerpt from the next book in the Ever Witch Series.
Dragon Shadow Excerpt
Mysterious dragons. Fierce witches. Secret councils. Forbidden alliances. The Ever Witch Saga is just starting.
Emry’s life is a living nightmare. No, really. Her only consolation is a nightly visitor who saves her from the hell she’s in, trapped in a cage.
Just recovering from a mysterious illness, Mason’s bound for college. Until. Yeah, until a mysterious girl comes to him every night.
A dragon enters his life that brings mysteries and dangers. And now, Mason’s falling for the mysterious girl who seems to be intertwined with the dragon.
Beware: Cliffhangers, violence can be found in this serial series of swicked action-packed fantasy, hot dragons, and fierce witches.
Chapter 1
Emry
I didn’t want to be here anymore. The chanting hurt my ears, made my skin itch until I wanted to tear it off. I didn’t want to be here. I couldn’t be here. I tilted my head to the side, trying to block out the noises, the screaming, but it never worked.
Curled up in the bottom of my cage, shadows passed over me, and I scooted back as far as I could into the corner. How long had I been here? I didn’t know what month it was. Or even what year. I dug my nails into the palm of my hand, trying to drown out the pain in my throbbing head, but all that did was make my hands bleed. I remembered nothing except this cage. I had a life before; I know I did. Right?
