Page 11 of Jade Lion and the Witch Boy (Haunted Hearts: Season of the Witch #5)

THE STREETLIGHTS AGAINST the night sky stream through the windows at Brew-Ha.

I’m putting up chairs, going through the closing time routine alone, the way I’ve done dozens of times.

When a figure appears at the door, I walk over, ready to tell them we’re not open.

When I see who’s on the other side, my lips curve.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, unlocking the door.

Kai walks in with an almost bashful smile. “Lisbeth instructed me to come here. She claimed that if I walked with you home, I might unlock more memories?”

I snicker and close the door. “Weird. I guess she wants you to watch me clean?”

He shrugs, and we walk over to a table. “I was, as you say, bored…of always reading. I would be happy to assist you.”

We share a smile, and I wipe down the wooden surface before me. “Many hands make less work. But I think we’ll need to get you on payroll if you’re going to keep coming to the coffee shop.”

And I hope he does.

For the past four days, we’ve been getting into a groove.

In the mornings, Lisbeth drives us to work, and I escort Kai to the library.

After my shift, the two of us practice magic outside for a few hours.

I fail miserably, but I’m fascinated by the way arcana moves through Kai’s fingertips.

At night, he conjures up supper for the whole house.

I ask him all about the classical Chinese recipes as we chow down on various noodles and seafood.

Kai doesn’t get bored or annoyed by all my questions, and we fall asleep in comfortable silence.

I’ve never been one to share my personal space, even a mattress on my bedroom floor, but the Jade Lion is a welcome presence.

Boysen House feels like a six-person coven now, a new normal already. Hanging out with Kai makes me smile more than I have in years.

Kai takes a rag and mirrors what I’m doing to another table.

The two of us work side by side, getting Brew-Ha polished for another day.

We chat about whichever books he’s taken out, and I regale him with customer stories.

Chatting with him makes the work go by, and I selfishly wish for him to work with me for years to come.

I take out the lone pastry from our baked goods rack. “Want to split a croissant? I have to throw it away, so I usually just eat as much as I can. The perks of working closing.”

He laughs softly and leans on the counter beside me. “I do not wish to waste food. I feel in my memory that before my powers came in, food was a rare commodity.”

“It still is.” I split the pastry and hand him half. “I never want to get to the point where I waste food so flippantly.”

“Indeed,” he replies.

“So, any other memories today?”

“No.” He chews on the pastry, and my heart sinks. I would love for him to be a permanent fixture at Boysen House, but I also want him to remember his past life.

“Maybe tomorrow you’ll read something that will trigger another flashback.”

“Perhaps.” He focuses on the croissant and flicks his tongue around his lips. I track the way he licks crumbs into his mouth, and I feel my heart rate pick up. I wonder what his mouth tastes like? His neck and jawline are testaments to masculinity.

Cauldrons, why does he have to be so tempting? Here in the dark coffee shop, all alone, it’s almost too romantic. So, I dart up and toss the rest of the croissant into my mouth. “Um, I’m gonna go throw out the trash,” I say with a full mouth. “Be back real quick.”

I power walk out of there before Kai can stop me. I need to be away from this Chinese hunk’s presence. Garbage bags in hand, I stride through the kitchen out the back door. The alleyway is dark and smelly, a perfect place for me to cool my hormones.

When I toss the trash into the huge metal receptacle, the back door closes, and I startle. Looking around, I spot a person in the dark alley with his hand on the door.

“Kevin?”

My ex approaches me with his signature cocky grin, but his eyes gleam with a more sinister expression.

“Hey, my sweet baby.”

I roll my eyes, then stand up straight when I recall that we’re alone. There are no coworkers or customers to get in his way. It’s just him, me, and a dumpster in an alleyway. Apparently, he’s been waiting for me.

“What do you want?”

“I just wanna chat.” When he gets close, I step to the side. “Where you going?” He swerves to my right, cutting me off.

I ought to push forward with my grimy, trashy hands on his expensive blazer. But I’m not a violent person. I step to the other side, and he blocks me again. “I have work,” I mutter.

“No, you don’t. It’s just you and me. Like old times, my sweet baby.”

When I quickly dart to the side again, I feel pressure on my arm. The next moment, I’m twirled around and pushed against the wall of the coffee shop. Then, Kevin’s face is all I can see.

This asshole has me pinned in place. My pulse begins to race as I realize I’m trapped with his arms on both sides of me. When I try to move underneath one arm to get some space, he grabs my shoulders.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Let go of me, asshat!” I mutter through gritted teeth.

“No one walks away from my love,” he says in a gravelly voice. I know a threatening tone when I hear one. Before I can pull away, he squeezes my shoulder and, with one hand, reaches down to my front. He pulls on the button of my trousers, and panic rises in my throat.

Kevin is trying to assault me? He’s not even that much bigger than me.

Wait, that’s true, he’s not much taller or stronger than me. So, before he can pull my zipper down, I thrust my knee into his groin.

“Oof!” He doubles over, and I pull out of his grip. I try to open the door, but it’s locked. By the time I decide to run down the alley, he catches up to me and spins me around again.

“I do love a good chase. Because deep down you want me, Seb.” He’s out of his mind. I stare in horror at his wild eyes as he grips my shoulders again.

“Why the hell do you keep harassing me?” I shout as I attempt to push him off.

“Because no one walks away from a man like me. You should just give in.” He reaches for my trousers again. “Let me just show you what I can…”

His words stop mid-sentence, and I notice the low light of the alleyway dims on his face. Kevin stares up behind me, and I feel a presence at my back. When I turn around, the faraway streetlights are blocked by the silhouette inches in front of me.

A massive beast man stands, cloaked in darkness. I can barely see his face, but his wild mane, with green and black streaks, is unmistakable. Kai is here, in his lion form, breathing heavily before me. When he utters a small growl, fear crawls up my spine.

“Wha…what the…?” Kevin mutters. I turn back to see my shitty ex-boyfriend with fear in his eyes. Kevin dashes off, but stops after two steps when several bricks fly, from left and right, in front of his face.

Kai takes three steps to stand in front of me, and one furry arm reaches out.

Glowing emerald circles thrum around his clawed wrist. He waves his hand, and in an instant, the floating bricks bind Kevin, like a blanket made of clay, to the wall.

Judging by the holes in both walls, I can tell that Kai transmuted the bricks to be malleable and float at his command. Such skilled magic…

“What is happening?” Kevin whimpers. In the dark, it’s hard to tell, but I believe Kevin has just soiled himself. I’m too stunned to say a word as the lion shifter steps closer to him.

“Tell me, Kevin,” Kai says. His voice is deep, raspy, and bestial, all at once. “You enjoy forcing fear in others. But what do you fear the most?”

“Wha…what?” His voice is strained, like he’s in tears. Meanwhile, I’m overwhelmed and speechless; I’m stunned that the most powerful mage I’ve ever met is using arcana out here in the alleyway behind my job.

“Be it lions…or snakes?” Kai waves his other arm, and more bricks move around Kevin. The clay shapes into cobras, and they hiss and move, just like real animals.

Kevin is trembling as the rock snakes slither in front of him, and I can’t even breathe at the awful sight. Except he’s the one being tortured, not me.

“Or how about scarabs?” Kai waves his left hand, and the snakes morph into at least a dozen bugs over his body.

“Oh god,” he whines, as the mystical insects go up his face and down his chest.

“Tell me what you really fear,” Kai says in his gravelly tone. He puts down one arm, and the bugs go back inside the wall. When Kai taps Kevin’s head, a small flare of green emanates from between his eyebrows.

“I…I’m afraid of being alone and forgotten.” Kevin spits up, sobbing and shivering. “I…I’m scared of emotional rejection. I don’t want anyone to forget me, so I string boys along. I know it’s not nice, but I’m afraid of being turned down.” He coughs, and the green glow on his face subsides.

When the Jade Lion puts his claws on Kevin’s face, I snap out of it before he can touch him again. “Kai, stop it.”

Kai turns to me, and I gaze at his angry bestial face in the glow of his own arcana. He’s majestic, powerful, all-mighty, and terrifying. Right now, he needs to dial it back. “Please, let him go.”

Kai doesn’t react, and Kevin looks like he’s half unconscious. I step forward and put my hand above Kai’s shoulder, but forbear from touching him. “I know he’s awful, but you shouldn’t use magic against mortals. Please let him go.”

After a long pause, Kai makes a circle in the air, and the clay dissipates from Kevin. He slumps down, and the bricks return into the walls. Before I can check up on him, Kevin wakes up and runs away.

As if sensing my concern, Kai says, “He will not remember this. I made sure of it.”

My shoulders sag in relief; we don’t need non-magical folks blabbing about magic.

Kevin is gone, but my heart still thrums with adrenaline.

The past twenty minutes have been the most stressful of my life.

When I turn to Kai, I notice his demeanor still seems angry.

He has pent-up rage, and I don’t know what to do about it.

“Kai, I’m okay.” I slowly step toward him and gaze up into his dark eyes. “I’m alright.” I put my hand up, but before I can touch him, he steps back.

Kai keels over and, on his knees, he roars upward. In the next moment, he’s sprinting forward on all fours. The Jade Lion leaps up several feet and lands on a fire escape, then leaps higher onto the roof. He bounds away, and in a moment, the beast man is gone.

I gaze up at the stars on this clear October night. Is someone going to witness the Jade Lion running around town? Did Kevin really forget this whole ordeal?

And most importantly, is Kai okay?