Page 12 of Jade Lion and the Witch Boy (Haunted Hearts: Season of the Witch #5)

CLOAKED IN THE darkness of the night sky, I leap from treetop to treetop.

When a branch breaks, I land with the grace of a cat.

Fitting, considering I’m in my lion form.

After sniffing the dirt, I continue to run on two legs, then get down on all four limbs when I pick up speed.

My muscles stretch as I pounce on rocks and other trees in the heavy woods.

Birds and other creatures scurry away; they are lucky that I do not hunt wildlife.

I claw my way up a tall tree and gaze up at the moon.

Then, I howl without regard to any mortals who may be nearby.

None of that matters: the lion inside me is thrilled to be able to roam freely.

When I look down at my clawed hands, I flex them and channel magic into my wrists.

Glowing green circles of arcana swirl around my arms, and I use them to propel myself upward.

Above the trees, I recognize the Boysen House property a few miles away.

“Mate,” I grumble on instinct. I recall mere hours ago when Seb was attacked.

I felt him being threatened through several walls in the coffee shop.

That was what triggered my forced lion shift.

Protecting was the only thing that mattered in that moment, and my lion is stronger and faster.

I was seeing red—or green, in my case—and I needed to make his assailant suffer.

“Mate,” I repeat with a growl. My two arms burst with magic, and I propel myself forward, then descend back into the thick forest. I need to be with Seb. My lion has spent too much time roaming about, flexing his bestial muscles. I have to check in on my mate.

Why do I keep saying that in my head?

As I romp through the woods, a memory is unveiled in the back of my mind.

(Then)

The scent of tea and smoke fills the tiny den where I sit, cross-legged, at a low table. The room is dark, save for the six candles placed on various shelves around us. “Right here?” I ask in my native tongue.

The old woman seated before me nods. The tray on the table between us holds a small bowl of liquid. Witchcraft is not my forte, but she is the strongest divination witch in Hong Kong, so I need to trust her process. I have no choice.

I pull back my long hair, then raise my left palm out. With my right hand, I shift one finger into a claw, then puncture my wrist. Blood drips down in the bowl, and we watch as the red liquid disperses.

I lean back and cover my wound with a cloth while the witch peers into the bowl. “You have many journeys ahead of you. As the Jade Lion, you will turn the tide of battles against chaos.”

“Yes, yes.” I nod impatiently. “But what of my mate?”

She squints her eyes and studies the bowl. After four long seconds, she sits back with a disappointed frown.

“I am sorry,” she says as I huff.

“Just tell me what you found.”

“You have a mate. Someone who will love you. A man, in fact.”

I wave my hand, beckoning her to continue. “I know I desire men. That is not new. Where is my mate?”

“He is far from here. You will find him.” Using her wooden cane for balance, she stands up. “But he will not be born for several decades.”

“Unbelievable,” I mutter with a frown. After I stand up, I adjust my silk shirt so the sleeves are back to their full length. “This is the same cryptic answer you gave me last full moon.”

“And it would seem I will give you that answer again next full moon.” The woman hobbles over to her small kitchen area. She lights the stove with a match, then places a black teapot on the fire. “Destiny is written.”

“But you told me the future is not permanent,” I say in a frustrated tone. I am aware how disrespectful I’m being, but anyone in my situation might be. “That it is mine to change.”

“The future can shift, yes.” She gazes up at me with her weary eyes. As an elder divination witch, she must have seen more than I can even imagine. “But you keep asking me the question, and the answer remains.”

I huff and look around. “Maybe I did not use enough blood. Here, try my other hand.” I begin to pull up my sleeve when she touches my hand.

“Child, please,” she says. She is certainly not my family, but considering how whiny I am, I understand why she is calling me that, despite being a twenty-six-year-old man.

“Stop fighting this side of your fate. I have divined it, and the next full moon, it may stay the same or change. But your future is so much bigger than finding a man to lie with. You will help defeat evils in this world and the next. That is what you ought to focus on.”

My throat turns to sandpaper. I have known for years, even before I began coming to her, that I might fight dark forces in the magical world. But still, I need to find my love. I know I am desperate, but I have reason to be. She has no idea how badly my inner lion wants to find my fated mate.

She seems to sense the worry on my face and nods. “For the record, child, you will find this perfect man. Just not for one hundred years.”

I huff. “Great. I will find my fated mate when I’m too old to even enjoy him.” I stride out of her house like a petulant child. As annoyed as I may be, I know that during the next full moon, I will be willing to give her all of my blood simply to see if my future has changed.

(Now)

Seb’s body rises and falls as he softly breathes in bed.

My senses are more attuned in my lion form, and the window is open several centimeters.

His eyes are closed, and he’s wearing a white t-shirt under the blanket.

I listen to his heartbeat from outside the house.

I should have returned hours ago, and now the witches I live with are all asleep.

Including the handsome man I’m watching.

I always pictured my fated mate to be a Chinese wizard, like the men I studied with back in my time.

I could not have foreseen how globalization in the twentieth century would weave a tapestry of colors and ethnicities in all nations, especially here in America.

I did not think I would end up in America at all.

And I certainly did not think I would fall for a witch.

But my inner lion yearns for him. And everything in me believes Seb to be my fated mate. But I was banished by who-knows-what for one hundred years, and I’m a mage out of time. Can my instincts be trusted? And better yet, can he ever grow to trust me? Our lives are so different.

Seb wakes up, pulling me out of my thoughts. He smiles, and I freeze. He approaches the window, then lifts it up. “Hey, you’re back.”

I bow and step forward. “Yes,” I reply in my deep tone. Gazing at my clawed hands, I remember that I’m currently in my lion form.

“Well, come in, come in, lost kitty.” He steps back, and I leap through the small opening. There is, fortunately, enough space in the room for me to land on all four of my feline paws.

“You can shift back to human. If you, uh, want to.”

I stand up, then gaze at him in the dark bedroom. Seb studies me with a mixture of nervousness and hope. As a human, I am somewhat taller than him, but in this form, I tower over him. “Does this shape not trouble you?”

“The lion?” He claps his hands together. “Nope.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

I gaze down at myself and recall that by human standards, I am nude. The fur covers most of my groin area, but if I were to get aroused…

I clear my throat and stand up straight.

With a flick of my wrist, I summon my floor bed, this time closer to Seb’s bed.

Seb sits on his mattress while I curl on my cot, my furry back facing his bed.

After a few moments, Seb settles into going back to sleep, and I notice his body is much closer to mine.

My inner lion finds peace with him so close.

“Where did you go this evening?” he asks quietly.

“I needed to allow my lion side to freely roam. To run through the woods.”

“Ah. Blow off some steam. I get it.”

I do not know what steam he is referring to, but I do not question it. Instead, in the quiet of the night, I listen to Seb breathe again.

“You had to let your beast free. It makes sense.”

“Yes.” His words remind me of how violent I was tonight. I clear my throat, and my cheeks warm with shame. “Listen, Sebastian, about earlier…I am sorry.”

“What? Why?”

“I was…reckless and vicious with my magic.”

“Dude, you saved me.” He chuckles and continues, “Kevin almost assaulted me, but you did a number on him. I ought to thank you.”

He laughs, but I suppress a growl. If I ever see Kevin again, I might not refrain from clawing at his body. My amnesia spell should have worked, but still, he is a monster masquerading as a man.

“But I’m fine. And I’m not freaked out by you.”

“You are not?” I ask.

“No.” I feel him get close to the edge of his bed. If I turned over, I would be able to put my paw on his arm. “You protected me. And even if you hadn’t, Kai. You’re…my friend.”

My spine prickles when I feel a hand on my head. Seb is carding his hands through my mane. “Jade Lion or not, I trust you, Kai,” he says in an almost whisper.

Between his words and his comforting scratches on my scalp, I shut my eyes, overwhelmed with emotion. I purr in his hold and relax even further. My inner lion feels a comfort I have never known.

Perhaps I don’t need my memories. Maybe I will be okay forgetting the past as long as Sebastian Suarez is part of my future.