her hand out. The silver rings on her fingers shimmered in the sunlight and the crystal stones sparkled. A brown bag sat in her palm that had not just been there. “Here you go.”
“Oh, thank you!” Myrtle grabbed it and then spun and skipped into the open courtyard in front of us.
“All right, circle up,” Tennessee yelled out. He wrapped his arm around Tegan’s shoulders and they followed after Myrtle.
As the entire Coven, and their few extra tagalongs, joined Myrtle, I realized she was drawing a circle in the green grass in salt. For our soulmate ceremony.
Is this really happening? Or are mine eyes fooling me? Did I slip into a dream?
Because this was my dream, my fantasy, even when I never thought it possible to occur.
As Myrtle cast a wide salt circle in the courtyard with the late afternoon sun shining down on us I felt the need to pinch myself. The Coven fell into line behind her, forming a circle of their own around the perimeter of the salt ring. Keltie and Leyka stood opposite us, at the far edge of the circle, holding hands and grinning. Tennessee and Tegan clung to each other from the left-hand side of the circle opening, watching us with happy smiles.
Saraphina gripped my hand and a strange little happy sound came out of her.
This is happening.
Finally. After all this time.
Bettina stopped a few feet over from Tennessee. She grinned over at us and gestured to the opening of the circle. “After you.”
I tugged on Saraphina’s hand and marched for the circle. If this was going to happen I wasn’t going to risk it getting interrupted. She giggled at my side but did not try to slow me down. Part of me wanted to run but I kept my composure. When we got to the center, I stopped and turned to face Saraphina.
The smile on her face made my heart skip. She took both of my hands in hers and leaned into me. Her lavender eyes were big and wide as she blinked up. “Have you ever seen one of these?”
I nodded. “I would be lying if I said I’d never imagined this day for us.”
“Oh good, then you won’t mind if I do this…”
She winked, then stepped back and pulled one hand free of my grip, wiggling her fingers in the air. Golden glitter coiled around us. When it faded, my heart stopped and my jaw dropped. Saraphina stood before me in a pale colored gown that hugged her bodice tight and fell in a long, loose flare to the ground. The sleeves were long and wide but the collar dipped down on her chest.
Butterflies danced in my stomach. Warmth wrapped around my body. Her lavender eyes danced as she ran her gaze over me. I glanced down and my eyes widened. I was back in the garments typical for men in the seventeenth century, with the trousers to the knees and a waistcoat. I had not missed the garment style. It was itchy and too hot in the heat.
And then it hit me.
These were the garments we wore when we met.
That late snowy night in 1691.
A hot lump formed in my throat and tears rushed to the surface but I held them in. I had to. I had controlled mine own emotions for this long, I could hold on a while longer until we were alone.
I held one hand out to the side and pushed my magic out. A thick ring of yellow roses made out of crystals formed a circle in the grass directly around us. Saraphina gasped and glanced all around with wide eyes. She giggled and it sent my pulse flying. I pulled my hand in and rubbed my fingers together…and a real yellow rose materialized in my hand. Summoning flowers were never my suit, but I’d learned long ago how to make one.
Just for my Saraphina. Yellow roses were her favorite.
She looked up and our eyes met. I reached up and tucked the stem of the yellow rose behind her ear, letting the wild red strands fall around it.
For a moment, I let myself get lost in the lavender of her eyes.
“Okay…” Myrtle said softly. “Press your right palms to each other’s chests.”
I pressed my right palm to her chest, my fingers grazing her collarbone. Saraphina’s cheeks flushed a brilliant pink and her eyes shimmered. Her petite hand landed on my chest and heat radiated out of her and through the thick wool of my coat.