Epilogue
Ten weeks later
Wojtec and I had to fight to get George to let her stay with you. If the Board hadn’t voted to hold Gardner solely responsible for the Grimoire fiasco, George would’ve had the power to keep you and her from seeing each other ever again, period. But with us as short-staffed as we are, he didn’t have much of a choice but to utilize you. It also helped when I pointed out that your mother may use a wheelchair now, but she sure as fuck can still use magic.
You’re welcome. Don’t fuck this up, Adamis.
The message from Tierra’s burner phone was curt and emotionless, but Kay couldn’t keep from grinning as she read it over and over again. It had arrived three days prior, right before George had called to announce one of Kay’s new assignments: keeping an eye on Nadia as she readjusted to civilian life. Kay’s new cabin in the forests of southern Michigan wasn’t an ideal location, but apparently it was the best option Maywitch had. Maybe the absurd distance from civilization was a selling point.
She stared out the front window and sat up straighter when she saw movement at the edge of the clearing around the cabin. “Mom, I think it’s them,” she called, knowing that Bailey would probably sense the approach of other mages.
“I figured!” Bailey shouted from the other room. “And I meant what I said about tearing George apart if there’s a scratch on her!”
Kay sighed. Even with her mother’s newly-limited mobility, she was still more than capable of tearing someone’s limbs off. As a black sedan trundled into the sunlit clearing, Kay stepped over to the door and unlocked it, her fingers shaking slightly as they fumbled with the deadbolt.
Nervous, excited, worried – all the jumbled things going on inside her head would be over in a few minutes. She would get the answer to her question when Nadia walked in.
The car stopped, and after a few seconds, one of the rear doors opened. Nadia emerged, her silhouette unchanged, though her hair was uncharacteristically wet and limp. The burns over the right side of her face and neck had faded, but pale pink scar tissue lay in their place. Darker, almost spiderweb-like patterns lay against the scar tissue, their muted raspberry shades almost invisible from the distance Kay was at.
Well, Kay thought sullenly, the only scratches on her seem to be the ones I left. She folded her arms and stared out the door window, waiting for Nadia to make eye contact.
Nadia fetched her own luggage from the trunk; Kay was tempted to go help her, but she had been given clear instructions to not approach the car. Instead, she opened the front door and reached out a hand.
“I’ll help you get it up the steps,” she called.
“I got it,” Nadia replied as she swung her backpack over one shoulder.
Kay’s heart flip-flopped at the tepid response, but she reminded herself that Nadia would deliberately act as calm as possible as long as anyone from Maywitch was around. She was an actress and a diplomat to the core.
Nadia waved to the driver as she lugged her suitcase and duffel bag to the door. Kay reached for the duffel bag, and Nadia handed it over after a moment’s hesitation. When they were inside, Kay closed the door and opened her mouth to greet Nadia properly.
Nadia’s forehead furrowed before she threw her arms around Kay’s neck. “I’m here,” she murmured. “I thought they’d change their mind; they haven’t let me out of their sight for so long.”
“Are you okay?” Kay asked as she carefully wrapped her arms around Nadia’s waist.
“I’ll be fine.”
Kay’s prior tension faded and was replaced by rage. She couldn’t imagine the relief Nadia had to be feeling – as well as the pain at having been treated like a rabid animal for the past three months. Tierra hadn’t given her day-to-day updates on Nadia’s status, and for a long while, Kay was grateful she was being spared the details.
Now she was starting to wish she did know.
“Maybe I should’ve done more,” she murmured, resting her cheek against Nadia’s wet hair. “I’m sorry, Nadia. If I would’ve known it would be so long and terrible…”
“What the hell else were you supposed to do? If you fought them on it, they wouldn’t have let you be a bounty hunter, and they would’ve blacklisted you for good.”
“Yeah, but…”
“It’s – it was a nightmare, but it could’ve ended with me being sent somewhere random and having to check in with some jerkoff who doesn’t give a rat’s ass about me. This is much better.” Nadia pulled away and took a deep breath, avoiding Kay’s gaze. “How’s Bailey?”
“Good. She’s resting at the moment. Wore herself out with physical therapy exercises earlier.”
Nadia grinned. “Typical.”
“Kay, bring her here, please,” her mother’s voice called from down the hall.
“Right. I’m taking her stuff upstairs so it’s out of your way,” Kay called back as she grabbed Nadia’s suitcase.
Nadia made a soft noise of protest and set a hand on Kay’s arm, and Kay grinned as she turned around again. “I got it. The stairs are a little narrow.”
“But, I wanted to—” Nadia stopped and pulled her hand away.
Kay stared back, her heart racing. “What?”
“Are you really okay with me being here?” Nadia had dropped her volume to a low whisper, and she searched Kay’s expression as if scouring a book for answers.
“Of course,” Kay said. She realized too late that her tone came out slightly exasperated, and she tried to counteract it by waving her free hand and smiling. “Of course I wanted you here—”
She fell silent as she noticed Nadia’s flushed cheeks. Nadia seemed to notice her gaze, closed her eyes, and moved in for a kiss, closing the space between them in an instant.
Kay leaned in and let her lips be claimed. The warmth was both reassuring and paralyzing. She let go of the suitcase and pulled Nadia close again, running clumsy fingers over the small of Nadia’s back. She felt hands slide up to rest on the slopes above her collarbones, a light, enticing touch almost lost behind the fabric of her turtleneck.
It was everything Kay had hoped for after three long months. She couldn’t help but smile, but the motion broke off the kiss. She heard a soft breath of laughter, and when she opened her eyes, Nadia had glanced away with a smile on her lips as well.
“Why do you keep doing that?” Kay asked, her voice low.
For several seconds, Nadia gaped like a fish out of water, her face slowly turning pink. “That – that? Sorry, I mean, if you don’t want me to, I—”
“Wait, wait,” Kay said, grinning and waving a hand. “I guess I phrased that kinda shitty.”
“Maybe you did!”
“I just…” Kay trailed off as she searched Nadia’s shocked expression. Nadia pulled her hands away and folded them in front of her, still refusing to meet Kay’s eyes.
Great, Kay thought. Now she had to be the first one to say it. “I like you a lot,” she mumbled, jamming her hands in her pockets. “And – I dunno.”
“Well, I like you a lot too. Does that answer your question?”
Nadia glanced up, her eyes shimmering in the pale yellow glow of the front room. Before Kay could even slow down and think, she rested a finger under Nadia’s chin and kissed her firmly, praying that they could stay like that for a long time – forever, if possible.
The floorboards down the hall squeaked in warning. It sounded like Bailey had hauled herself into her wheelchair and headed out to investigate what was taking so long.
Typical, Kay thought as she pulled away and rested her hand on Nadia’s suitcase again. “Lemme take these upstairs, okay? More room for Mom’s wheelchair that way.”
“Thanks. I should greet Bailey properly, but lemme get some water first,” Nadia mumbled as she took a deep breath. Her face was darker red than Kay had ever seen it, and she quickly crossed the room to the sink as Kay hauled the suitcase toward the stairs.
The scene was oddly serene: Nadia, her hair short yet messy, stood at the sink in
a worn t-shirt and yoga pants with bangle bracelets clinking against each other as she poured a glass of water. It almost felt like they were playing house again, Kay thought.
Maybe the peace and quiet would actually last this time.
# # #
For more Maywitch stories, check out Hazeltown, a web serial on Wattpad and Tablo!
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