by Kali Harper
“She… she can stay?” Darby asked, choking back her tears.
“Yes. Sadly, she has no magical abilities of her own. I’m sorry, but not even I can change that, though I wish I could.”
Darby’s face lit up as she dropped to her knees, throwing her arms around Morpheus before crying into his fur. “Thank you. Thank you so much. I won’t ever ask for her to have magic ever again.”
“And you,” Morpheus continued, looking to Sammy whose chest was puffed out so far, I could’ve sworn he’d put on another twenty pounds. “Keep a sharp eye on that one there. She’ll do great things one of these days.”
“About her trial,” Lucy cut in, speaking before I could stop her. “If it wouldn’t be too much to ask—”
“Far as I’m concerned, the first trial’s already done. She can have her broom so long as she promises to use it responsibly.”
“Which means no flying after hunters,” Lance said with a laugh.
“Hey, I wasn’t chasing anyone. I was running away,” I told them, crossing my arms over my chest.
Lance shrugged and dismissed my comment altogether as he turned to leave. “Come by my office later. I have something for you.”
Heat rose into my cheeks. As I watched him go, I couldn’t help the butterflies in my stomach. It could be anything, Astrid, I chided myself, not realizing I’d projected again, and this time, Lance heard it.
“Don’t worry,” Sammy said. “We’ll get it under control.”
“That you will,” Morpheus agreed, “and if you aren’t too busy, I can place a temporary lock on your thoughts until you do. It would only take a moment and is quite painless.”
“You can’t tell me why they’re happening?” I asked him as he slowly padded away from the group.
Once we were out of earshot, he continued. “Your magic’s evolving. It might not seem like it now, but your projections along with the link you have to Sammy’s mind is a gift. You’ll understand in time once you get a handle on them. That said, trying to shield your thoughts with conjuration spells will only leave you drained and more likely to do it in the future.
I can teach you, but not now. For now, rest and be with your family. You’ll be able to help Maggie soon enough.” He laughed. “I may put a lock on your thoughts, but I can still hear them. Your intentions are in the right place, Astrid, but don’t push yourself too hard. You’ll get there eventually, one step at a time.”
“You wouldn’t happen to have a time frame for me, would you?”
“Soon,” was all he said, turning away before heading back toward The Magician’s Closet.
As the group slowly dispersed, I couldn’t shake the feeling everything was about to change. We’d found a way to get Morpheus back, Izzy’s memory was safe, and according to Lance, Darien took over as the new mayor.
With the Celestials back where they belonged, it seemed as though everything was falling back into place.
Without realizing it, Morpheus had placed a lock on my mind, keeping my projections under control until I could do it myself. I knew this because I couldn’t hear Sammy’s thoughts, let alone talk to him mind-to-mind.
I never thought I’d say this, but I already missed having him in my head. We had a connection, and while may have been maddening at times, hearing him behind my own thoughts always gave me a sense calm I couldn’t reach otherwise.
“I don’t know about you,” Sammy said, stretching out his front paws with a yawn, “but I could go for a nap.”
I took him in my arms and followed after Morpheus. Lucy already had a portal open, holding it open for Maggie as she walked through. I’d have to catch up with her later once I got home.
Home.
A month ago, calling Maggie’s place my home wasn’t something I could do. The house belonged to her. Even if she’d left it to me, I felt terribly out of place the first two weeks I was there.
But after all we’d been through, there was no other place I’d rather be. Maggie’s house had a warmth to it that made me feel safe, probably because of the wards Sammy always had in place. Then again, having Maggie’s ghost around didn’t hurt, either.
“Do you have everything you need?” Lucy asked, pulling me from my thoughts as she adjusted the strap on her purse.
“And more,” I told her, watching Darby and Izzy as they spoke amongst themselves. Seeing them together put a smile on my face, and as they embraced one another, I knew there was a lot more than a budding friendship between them. “I’ll meet you at home. Lance asked me to drop by his office, first.”
“He’s going to ask you out,” Izzy said, giggling when Darby elbowed her in the side. “What?”
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” I told her. “Lance and I are friends.”
“If you say so.” She didn’t sound convinced, and after looking from her to Darby and Lucy, she obviously wasn’t the only one.
“Not another word,” I told them, hugging Sammy close to my chest as I neared the portal. “You either, Sam.”
“I didn’t say anything,” he purred as I crossed over to the other side.
By the time I reached the station, most of the other officers had gone home for the day. Sammy squirmed in my arms, giving me his patented death glare when I finally set him on the ground. His fur was all out of sorts, and as he started to groom whatever I’d put out of place, I entered the station.
Lance’s office was in the back, behind the collection of desks and reams of paper. Like always, he had his head down as he scribbled inside a large folder. He passed me a warm smile when I knocked on his open door, then waved me in and adjusted his glasses. Lance closed the file before standing from his chair.
“I’m sorry if I kept you waiting,” I said, taking my place across from him on the other side of his desk. “When Lucy gets on a roll, it’s hard for her to stop.”
“No problem at all. Coffee?” He was already making his way over to a tiny red coffee maker, a new one, I realized, as I’d never seen it before.
Remembering how terrible his coffee was the few times I was here, I politely declined. “I’ll pass, but thank you for the offer. You wanted to see me?” Alone with Lance in his office, I was starting to feel as though I’d been sent to the principle’s office. Every breath I took shook with nerves. My hands weren’t any better, and when I thought he might notice, I tucked them under my arms.
“I wanted to give you this,” he said, removing the back of a police sticker that looked a lot like a detective’s badge before placing it on my chest. “Much better. Welcome to the fold, Deputy.”
“Deputy?” I glanced at the sticker he’d probably passed out to kids visiting the station. It was a silly thing to do, but it made me smile all the same. “What about leaving the detective work to the professionals?”
He shrugged and leaned against his desk. “Seeing as you won’t listen to me anyway, I figured it would be better to have you working the cases without trying to hide everything from me.”
“I didn’t hide much at all from you this time,” I reminded him. “Only the bit about Caleb and Richard, but that’s because everything happened so fast, I didn’t get the chance. By the way, how did you get to me as quickly as you did?”
“Sammy’s portal.”
Oh. “Well, I should probably get going. Lucy’s throwing this big dinner tonight for the girls and Mark. I think we’ll finally get to meet him.”
“Elusive, isn’t he?” Lance asked with a laugh.
“It doesn’t help that Lucy refuses to share any pictures of him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this happy.”
“And what about you? Are you happy?” he asked, casually crossing his arms in front of his chest.
“For them?” I shrugged. “I guess. I’m just glad this is all over.”
“Now you can get back to that garden of yours,” he teased, pushing off the edge of his desk.
“I think I prefer baking,” I admitted, my face growing hot when he met my gaze. “Was there anything else you need
ed me for?”
“Actually, yes.” His voice cracked at the end and… did he just blush?
You’re seeing things. Thank goodness my projections were under control.
“I was wondering if you’d like to have coffee sometime,” he said, oblivious to my thoughts or the nerves knotting in my stomach. When I studied his coffee maker, he continued. “Real coffee. A nice place where we can sit down and talk.”
“We are talking,” I pointed out.
“Whenever I see you, it’s always behind a counter, desk, or when you’re chasing down clues. I haven’t had the chance to know you—the real you—and I’d really like it if I could.”
“Lance Barker, are you asking me out on a date?”
“I suppose I am, unless you refuse,” he said, passing me a coy smile.
Oh my god. Oh. My. God. I knew this was going to happen. I warned Maggie, and now look at me. My heart beat so hard, it practically burst through my chest. I expected to pass out. Perhaps Lance’s coffee proposal was part of an elaborate dream.
Or maybe I didn’t escape the witch hunters after all.
Was I still breathing?
I checked my pulse.
Yup, still breathing.
“Maybe you should sit down,” Lance said when I didn’t answer him.
I waved my hand, dismissing his comment altogether. I was fine, really. I just needed a drink.
Excusing myself, I stepped over to the water cooler outside his office, filled one of the cups, then downed the entire thing.
“If that’s how you drink water, I’d hate to see what you do in a bar,” he laughed, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder.
“I don’t drink,” I told him between large gulps. “Not much, anyway.”
“Does this mean I can put you down as a yes?” He was teasing me and having way too much with it.
“Coffee,” I managed to say. “Coffee’s good.”
“Then it’s settled.” He removed his coat from the back of his chair and turned off the light to his office, leaving us in a dimly lit station with the soft glow of street lamps to see by. “I’ll pick you up on Friday around seven?”
“Seven would be great,” I said, coughing to force the air from my lungs as I floated above the ground.
“I could give you a ride if you like.” He locked up the station as he spoke, pocketing his keys once he’d finished.
“That’s okay. I like to walk.” At this point, I needed the fresh air.
“Then I guess this is goodnight.”
“I guess it is.”
Lance waved goodbye, then got in his car and turned on the ignition, but not before sending my blood pressure through the roof with another one of his adorable smiles. Adorable? Bad choice of words, but those dimples!
“What was that all about?” Sammy asked once he’d gone.
“He asked me out.” I still couldn’t believe it. Each step I took was lighter than the one before it.
“On a date?”
“What’s with the tone? I can date, can’t I?” He’d never told me there was a rule against it.
“Sure, but Lance?”
“I’m not going to discuss this with you.”
“And the sticker?” Sammy gave me an incredulous look, but no amount of death glares could wipe the smile off my face.
“I’m his deputy,” I told him.
If cats could roll their eyes, I’m sure Sammy would’ve done just that. “Wait until Maggie gets a load of this.”
“You’re only saying that because you’re jealous.”
“Am not.”
I wasn’t convinced but decided not to tease him about it. With Sammy by my side, there was only one last thing for me to do.
“Let’s go home.”
Epilogue
When Lucy throws a party, she goes all out, from the balloons tied to the mailbox to the banners and streamers taped all along the walls. In the span of a few hours, she and Mark had transformed my living room into a banquet hall, covering the coffee table and others they’d borrowed around town with clean linens. Darby and Izzy had claimed the sofa and held a pair of tall plastic glasses in their hands.
“I sure hope that’s soda and not champagne,” I said, looking at Lucy who was in the process of making another trip into the kitchen.
She must’ve borrowed Ida’s makeup or found one of the old compacts Maggie hid under the sink because she was all gussied up, her cheeks pink with rouge.
“What’s the special occasion?” Looking around the room at the odd assortment of things, it was hard to tell. Some balloons had Happy Birthday written on them, whereas the banners looked more like we were about to have a baby shower. “Who’s pregnant?”
Oh god, please tell me it isn’t you. Or worse, one of the girls.
Lucy giggled, smiling when the girls joined in. Was I projecting again? I thought for sure Morpheus had it under control.
“It’s all I could find in the time we had,” Lucy admitted, “but you should’ve seen the look on your face. Me, pregnant? Could you imagine?”
She was avoiding my question. “What are we celebrating exactly?”
“Everything,” she said, throwing her arms in the arm before pulling me in for a long hug. “I finally have all my loves in one place. I’ve got you, Darby, our new bestie Izzy, and Mark.”
“Speaking of… where is he?” I asked, smiling at the thought of finally getting to meet him. I wondered then if he’d ever had a chance to pop the question but dismissed the thought altogether when Lucy dangled her hand in front of me. “He proposed?”
I squealed. I actually squealed.
“After we set everything up.” She beamed. “It’s why he couldn’t join us in Fairmount Square this morning. He told me it was so he could do all of this, but then he dropped to one knee and… you can see what happened next.”
“That is good news,” Sammy purred, swishing his tail from side to side as he sidled in from outside. “Maybe you and Astrid could double date.”
“Sammy!” I exclaimed.
“What? They’re going to find out eventually,” he said, excusing himself as he made his way into the kitchen. Leave it to Sammy to drop a bomb and get as far away from it before the aftermath could set it.
“It’s just coffee,” I called after him. My cheeks burned hot.
“Lance asked you out?” Lucy asked, placing her hand on mine.
“I knew it, I knew it!” Izzy chanted behind us as she jumped up from the sofa. “I predicted it, didn’t I? Maybe I have magic after all. I could be the best witch—no, the greatest witch!”
“It wasn’t hard to tell,” Darby insisted.
“Oh, honey, you weren’t the first one to make that prediction,” Lucy cut in, smiling right at me. “The way you spoke about him on the phone, I knew it was only a matter of time.”
“But he’s just a friend,” I told them, wishing I’d made a hasty retreat once Sammy entered the room.
“And what’s this?” Lucy poked at the sticker Lance gave me earlier.
“I got a promotion,” I giggled, still remembering how he looked at me once he’d put it on.
“I think it’s adorable!” Lucy clasped her hands in front of her.
“If you’re five,” Sammy argued, rejoining the group before stepping back outside again.
“I swear he does that on purpose,” I said, watching him go.
“He’s such a tease. So, when is this historic event?” Lucy took my hands in hers and sat me on the love seat, facing me when she did the same.
“Friday.”
“Which gives us a few days to prepare.”
Oh no. “Lucy, it’s just coffee.”
“It’s never just coffee,” she said, repeating something I’d said days ago. “So, what’re you going to wear?”
“I was thinking my nightgown and bunny slippers might be nice. That way we can slip into bed together and—”
“Astrid!”
“What? I’m going to wear the same thing
I always do. Can we please not make a big deal out of this?” I asked her, leaning my head back on the sofa. “We should be planning your wedding.”
When I looked at her then, she stood and turned away from me. “There isn’t going to be a wedding.”
“Wait, how come? You have to have a wedding.”
“Could you imagine me walking down the aisle?” she asked. “White isn’t my color.”
“Why not wear red? If you ask me, wedding dresses are overrated.” I stood and joined her, holding her hands between us. “I, for one, think you’d make a lovely bride.”
“I agree,” a man said, walking in from the kitchen.
He was tall and leggy, but I knew without a doubt the man I saw in my living room was the elusive Mark. He was a few years younger than Lucy and his salt and peppered curls framed his face perfectly. He had a clean shave and stormy gray eyes, made even better by the dashing suit he wore.
“You must be Astrid,” he said. “I’m sorry it’s taken us this long to finally meet.”
I accepted his hand when he offered it to me. “I was starting to think you were imaginary after how Lucy went on about you but refused to share a picture.”
“Oh, I don’t take photos,” Mark said, running a hand through his hair. “They’re always so forced. I’ve never cared for them, not even as a child.”
“I have a photo of him in an old wrestling outfit,” Lucy interrupted us, her sheepish grin melting under Mark’s hard gaze. “Come now, I think you look cute.”
“Not another word.” To me, he said, “Thank you for looking after Darby. I’m not sure what I would’ve done if anything ever happened—”
“It’s okay. I actually should be the one thanking her. Without her help, we never would’ve escaped the hunters. She has a gift and will make a fine witch someday.” I offered her a smile I hoped didn’t look as fake as it felt. “I’d love for her to visit us again, but I also know she’d make an amazing stylist.”
