by A. J. Macey
“We’ve been so worried about you. I’m so happy to see you all in one piece. And what you did for the Mixtas was so admirable,” she gushed, her bright green eyes meeting mine.
“I was one of them my entire life, so it wasn’t completely selfless,” I said, giving her a sheepish shrug.
“Humble, too, I can appreciate that,” Vidarr said, giving me a wink. Before I could relax, I felt a hand on my back and turned to see Drayce smiling at me, two people standing behind him.
“Hey, Angel, look who’s here,” he whispered, his eyes glassy as he looked back at his parents. “My mom, Emery, and dad, Marcel.”
“Hello, Aris,” they both said, giving a slight bow. It was a much more formal introduction than the Kerseys’, but they were nice all the same.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” I said, giving them a slight bow in return, then taking Drayce’s hand for support.
“Did you know our parents would be here?” he asked, eyes dancing happily.
“Not at all,” I said, smiling as his pure, genuine happiness started to rub off on me. He looked behind me and waved, and Caspian walked up next, sliding easily between us despite our locked hands. Drayce let go and wrapped an arm around Caspian’s shoulders.
“This is our boyfriend, Caspian Kersey,” Drayce said, completely oblivious to the slight widening of his parents’ eyes as he pointed out Kye, Torryn, and Xan in turn.
“Nice to meet you,” Caspian choked out, giving me a worried look.
“It’s a pleasure,” Drayce’s mom finally said, her smile looking real, although her eyes were a little strained. I got it… in our society, dating our entire coven like this wasn’t the norm, but it also wasn’t unheard of.
“I see your families found you,” Prime Minister Gennady’s voice interrupted the moment as he joined us, gesturing to my guys’ families. I couldn’t blame the man for being relaxed and having fun. The last two weeks had been intense, and there were likely more trials to come.
“Thank you so much for inviting them,” Caspian said, his voice choking with emotion a bit as he looked back at his family. As I glanced around at all of my men and their parents, including Xan and Kye, I didn’t even feel a pang of sadness, not having mine here. They’d lost me long ago.
“You all have earned a nice evening, and that’s what we’ll have,” he said proudly, his voice growing loud enough to address the other witches in the room. “So, let’s get these festivities going, shall we?”
Everyone shifted toward their seats, the chatter around the room slowly quieting as we moved. When we were finally seated, the talking was low enough, I realized there was soft holiday music filtering through the air.
“I want to thank everyone for coming tonight, our honored guests, families, and our dedicated and wonderful staff,” the Prime Minister addressed the room, standing proudly at his chair to my left. My guys and I had been given seats at the head table, along with Olive, Allain, Brynn, Sebastian, and Kye’s and Xan’s parents. The others who had been a part of Olive’s vlog had been invited but decided to decline because they had previous Yule plans.
“I have one more surprise before dinner is served…” Gennady’s statement pulled me from my internal musings, but when he trailed off, his brows furrowed at the sound of the main doors opening. I heard a grumble next to me, my eyes falling on my men before I could see who was entering the room. From the matching looks of disgust and horror on Drayce and Caspian’s faces, I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like whoever was striding into the room.
Hells bells and tarot tells, I cursed when I heard a familiar voice.
“There’s my Aris!”
My parents... oh, broomsticks.
“Mother,” I exclaimed, whipping my head to look at them, and to my horror, it wasn’t just my parents, but my two brothers and sister—Jorah, Jedidiah, and Astrid.
“There’s our late bloomer,” my father boomed proudly.
“Yeah, we knew you’d come around to the Calisto legacy, eventually,” Jorah said, his teasing tone barely covering the sneer hidden underneath. Every word out of their mouths made my cheeks burn hotter. Not only had they shown up to the invite-only Yule feast in the council building, they also had the balls to come in after the event had started and interrupt Prime Minister Gennady.
How fucking embarrassing. Once again, my family, only thinking about themselves.
“Ah, you must be Ignis Councilman Calisto,” Gennady stated, his tone flat and unimpressed as he eyed my father and the rest of my family.
“I am, Prime Minister, it is quite an honor to see you again. We wanted to see our precious daughter—”
“Excuse me?” I snapped, finally having had enough of the facade of pleasantries. “Precious? You did not just come waltzing in here, pretending to be a loving, proud family.” Each word I spoke grew harder, my body starting to buzz with pent up magic as anger filled me. “You’ve always treated me as the Calisto dirty little secret that should be silenced and swept under the rug. Never once was I good enough to stand with my siblings or with either of you at any event or even a family get together.”
I hadn’t realized that as I was talking my feet had moved, taking me around the table to stand before my so-called family. The room was silent, seemingly falling away when I finally reached them. Prestigious, proper, and fake as hellsticks—that was my family. They didn’t deserve the attention or power that came with their name. They were the witches who kept Akasha and its population from truly thriving.
But not anymore.
“Aris,” my father tried to reprimand me, his gray eyes sparking in anger, and once upon a time, I would have bowed my head and quieted.
“No! You don’t get to silence me. You denounced me the first chance you got, smeared my name because you hoped it would gain you power, and you can’t even pretend to deny it because your faces and lies were plastered and blared all over the city!” I shouted. “I’m not your daughter! I never was. A Calisto? That was something I never was. Now, I’m a Kersey, a Nodin, a Tanan, and an Eideann.” Every name was emphasized as I took a small step forward, staring up at my father’s beet-red face and burning eyes. “I would be ashamed to be a Calisto, and you should, too.”
With those words, he raised his hand, no doubt reaching the end of his very short fuse, but I was faster. Throwing my arms straight out, a gust of wind shoved them back, leaving my family sprawled out on the shiny floor of the council’s dining hall. Silence reigned for a moment longer, everyone watching with wide eyes and gaping jaws, but all I did was straighten.
“I don’t care who you pretend to be back home, but you won’t lie and cheat your way to more power with me as your pawn. That was the old council’s mistake,” I stated with a brow raise, knowing it was only a matter of time before my family decided to say something. Only, they never got a chance.
“Calisto family,” Gennady boomed, “you are a disgrace to not only your family name but Ignis and Akasha as a whole. You practically disowned your daughter for what you believed she could or couldn’t do, for your belief certain witches are superior to others. That is not what Akasha stands for, nor is that what the council of each territory should stand for. I hereby strip you of your title and position of councilman, Mr. Calisto. Your wealth and lands given as part of being a council member will be given to your daughter, Aris, to do with as she sees fit.”
I stood there, completely stunned, but tried my best to keep my face smooth and blank.
No need to let my family know how surprised I was by the Prime Minister’s bellowed command.
“You… you…” my father stuttered, his eyes wide as he stared at me in horror. Glancing back, I looked at Gennady, wondering if I had truly heard what I did.
“What would you like to do, Aris?” Gennady asked me, his voice softer but still firm, his disgust-filled expression still trained on my father. Swallowing the sudden lump in my throat, I looked back to my siblings and parents.
“They can keep their house,�
�� I told them, and the relief in their faces was almost comical, but I didn’t do it because I cared. I wouldn’t let them suffer on the streets of Ignis. “But the taxes and tariffs they kept from the Ignis citizens, and the rest of their wealth, I want to be used to restore the abandoned museum and research restoration center in the Volcanic Forest. The people of Ignis and the rest of Akasha should be able to visit and see the different territories and cultures, and what better way to start than with the one place that offered us a safe haven?”
“You can’t!” Astrid shrieked, her lips pursing when I cocked a brow at her.
“What about the summer home?” Jedidiah hissed under his breath to our father.
“That will be given to Aris,” Gennady made an executive decision. “She’s allowed you to keep your current home and your possessions. That’s more than you should be granted for how you’ve treated your fellow witches, but I will respect her decisions as you will mine.” The thought of keeping the summer home made me happy. It had been a reprieve for the guys, and I couldn’t wait to make new memories there.
“Aris, you can’t let them do this!” my mother balked. “We’re your family, and family takes care of each other!”
“We’re not family because I renounce the Calisto name,” I told her simply before looking at Gennady. “That’s all I have to say to them.”
“Guards, please escort the Calistos from the building. They are more than welcome to celebrate their Yule anywhere but here.”
The room was eerily quiet as they escorted my former family from the room. I stood there for a few moments, casting a quick glance at the guys. They shared an odd look that didn’t seem to fit the moment, but I was too flustered to think about it. It was probably just about my parents and their pompous behavior.
As the doors closed with a resounding thud, the room erupted in cheers and applause. Now that the fight was draining out of me, I just wanted to sit down and drink a Witches Brew… or three. When I turned to go back to our table, I nearly ran into the guys, who were all standing in a line behind me. The fact they all came to stand behind me and support me made me so happy.
This is what a family should be like.
Caspian took a small step forward, his expression soft.
“Aris, from the moment I met you, I knew you were special. Each day we’ve spent together, you made me happier than I ever knew I could be. Not only did you become my best friend, but you made me a stronger person. I love you, Cupcake.”
I thought he was just being sweet and started to step forward to hug him, but he moved away with a sly grin.
When he was back in their line, Torryn moved forward. His green eyes locked onto my confused gaze, the look of pure love and adoration in his expression, making my knees weak.
“From the moment you started my class, all smiles and sassy comments, I was a goner. You’ve brought so much sunshine into my life, but it goes so much deeper than that. There’s this way you look at people like you’re seeing them as they want to be seen, and it draws everyone to you like moths to a flame. You’re selfless in so many ways, always putting us and even other people first. Not only did you give me my brother back, you gave Mixtas new hope, and gave up your time at Aether to make things right in our world.”
My eyes were burning with tears at their words, but I still didn’t get what was going on. Did they think my parents got to me this much? Glancing behind them, I could see Olive wiping tears from her eyes.
They’ve all lost it.
Drayce and Torryn switched places, going down the line.
“I’m so lucky to be able to call you mine. I’ve never felt as loved and accepted as I do within our coven, and it all boils down to you. You and your beautiful soul always make me want to be a strong and capable witch, to be the best version of myself, and to give you everything you could ever want and more. You deserve it all, Angel. And we want to give it to you.”
At this point, I was no longer blinking away tears, I was freely crying. If they were trying to kill me with feels, it was working.
“I’m not much for words, Sweets, but for you, I’ll try… though it might be a bit shorter than these guys,” Kye teased, giving me a wink. “Despite my initial shock at our bond, I knew in my heart and soul, you were the one and only for me because let’s be real, who could resist such a beautiful witch who’s as sweet as they come?”
When he finished, Kye stepped back at the same time that Xan shifted, moving in time with one another. Brushing his fingers over my cheek in the gentlest caress, Xan wiped my tears away as he spoke.
“Not many people in my life let me feel as if I can be myself. Except you. You took a boring, stuffy witch and showed him what life is really about. I found my muse in you, and I want to show you every day of my life that you’re incredible, breathtaking, and worthy,”
Xan finished, tears streaming down my face as all of their words hit me. When he fell back into their line, they all dropped to their knees as a communal gasp echoed in the room. My heart pounded in my chest as it fully registered what they were doing.
“We’re in agreement, Aris. You’re it for us, and we can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives getting to know you. Will you marry us?” Torryn asked for the group, all five of them pulling out matching pink jewelry boxes. When they popped them open, each had a matching, thin rose gold band. In the front of the band was a small, simple stone that represented the color of their element—green for Tor, red for Xan, purple for Kye, yellow for Drayce, and blue for Caspian. In Torryn’s box was a second band, this one with a slightly bigger pink stone, that I knew represented me.
“Hellsticks, yes!” I said, blinking rapidly as they jumped up and crushed me in a hug. Cheers erupted around us for what felt like the tenth time tonight, but within our bubble, it was just us. “I love you guys.”
“And we love you,” Caspian promised, taking my hand and sliding his ring on, followed by Torryn sliding on our two rings, then Drayce, Kye, and finally Xan. I gasped as the final ring clicked in place, the metal binding together into one twisted band, the pink stone in the center with the other five smaller stones around it. It was gorgeous, glinting in the light as I held up my hand to inspect it closer, loving that the ring was a perfect blend of each of us.
“Enough of these feels, time to eat,” Kye said gruffly, wrapping a hand around my shoulders and pulling me in, placing a kiss on my temple. We moved back to our table as the room started to calm. A clinking of glass had us looking up to see the Prime Minister standing in the center of the room.
“Well, since we are trying to keep our good news going, we have a few more announcements. First, I would like to announce that the council and I will be overseeing the academies and their boards, meaning all final decisions will go through us. We will be meeting in the coming months on what classes to offer and at which schools, and we would like to create a focus group from a few chosen Mixtas, as well as the coven that made this all possible.”
“This is huge,” I hissed at the guys, balancing on the edge of my seat as I listened.
“Which leads me to my next task at hand. Xanthius Eideann, we would like to extend an offer for you to join the council as a council member once you’ve completed your final semester at Aether Academy,” Gennady said, giving Xan a proud smile. My eyes roamed the room, locking on Josephina and Edmund, who looked proud. Knowing Xan had earned the spot all on his own made me even happier.
Xan stood, clearing his throat, looking at the Prime Minister. My breath caught in my throat as I waited. His answer could change the course of our future… a future we hadn’t had a chance to discuss since everything happened.
“I’m truly humbled by the offer, but I would prefer to stay with my coven. We’ve been through enough separation. Besides, I think my heart lies with my art, not with politics,” Xan explained, shocking the hex out of his dad, whose face had gone pale at the news, but then turned to a proud smile.
“Well, in that case, we can offer a spot in the new
museum your fiancée is helping restore, to display those wonderful pieces. Until then, I’d like your entire coven to work with us—when you can, of course—to help ensure the proper changes are happening. This extends to Olive and her coven as well. Speaking of which, we’d like to speak to Olive separately about her future in magical media,” he said, throwing a wink her way.
“This is crazy!” I squeaked out. The good news felt like it was piling on, one after the other, and I didn’t know how to keep up.
“Aether is now missing a headmaster and a history teacher,” he started, giving a sly wink to Torryn, who looked stricken at first, then confused. “Torryn Callahan, we would like you to step up as headmaster of Aether Academy. You can finish the year as the history professor with Drayce Nodin as your teaching assistant, then when the new term begins, Mr. Nodin can take over your role.” I wasn’t sure who was more stunned, Tor or Drayce since both stared at Gennady with open mouths. I stood up and let out a loud whistle before cheering, not caring one bit that I was acting like a fool as I cheered on my men.
“We would also like to welcome two new council members, Brynn and Sebastian, who will be assets moving forward,” he finished, giving them a slight bow. “And that wraps up announcements.”
“Let’s eat!” I called out, clapping for all the news he’d just dropped, the room following suit. The prime minister let out a booming laugh before calling out to the servers, who swept in with trays in hand.
The next hour was a flourish of delicious gourmet food, drinks, and dancing. The guys spun me around the dance floor and spoiled me the entire night, making me feel like a queen.
How did I get so lucky?
December 22nd
Sunday Night
Aris
“You have a good night, Miss I’m-Engaged-to-be-Married!” Olive shouted down the hall with a wink before dragging Allain into their room by the lapel of his jacket. The thud of their door shutting was loud but quickly lost among the laugh that bubbled out of Drayce and Caspian at something Kye said.
