Page 30 of Jade Lion and the Witch Boy (Haunted Hearts: Season of the Witch #5)

ONE WOULD THINK a super-secret wizard meeting room would have, like, torches and statues, with maybe an old book in the center. But no, those are gross stereotypes. A witch boy like me should know better.

I’m here, seated in a plain boardroom at the very top of the Union building.

To my right, the High Council, AKA the three bigwigs of the wizard world, sit at one long mahogany table.

The rest of us have our own table. Across from me are dozens of older wizards of varying ethnicities.

Among them are Luther and other agents from their sorcery protection special ops group.

To my far left are the rest of my coven—the ones who didn’t hypnotize Kai and try to kill anyone, anyway.

And in the seat to my left is my fated mate.

Kai and I discreetly hold hands under the table, a quiet assurance that we’re here for each other.

For the past three days I’ve been recovering well enough.

Anika’s plant magic must be working, but having Kai dote on me helps.

Him sleeping near me, like the big kitty he is, and rubbing on his giant, fluffy mane also makes the recovery process better.

If I’m not well enough to have sex, it’s the next best thing.

When Kai smiles at me, his curved eyes shining in the daylight, I know that our love is strong. We have all the time in the world.

“I call this meeting to order.” The booming voice of the man in the center of the High Council causes a quiet to descend on us. We all turn to the three of them, a triumvirate that commands respect.

“We would like to outline the events that occurred five days ago. We’d like to put the rumors to rest.”

The man to his left nods at the wizards I don’t know. He says, “That is why we called all of you, representatives of your respective covens, trusted members of our Union of Mages, to attend today. We want you to know about what occurred and what this means about our future.”

The woman on the right, the final member, lifts her hand. “To start, just know that the source of geo arcanum is safe. Part of it was destroyed, but there is still enough for us for generations. And that is in thanks to the individuals you see before you.”

The wizards all turn to us. I squirm in my seat, but when Kai squeezes my hand, I relax.

“We have done a thorough investigation, and here is what transpired,” the councilman in the center announces. “A witch used dark blood magic, a forbidden hex, to control and weaponize one of our own.”

The wizards murmur and look around. I squeeze Kai’s hand even tighter. The man continues by saying, “By our own, I mean, the Jade Lion. He is here.”

Kai waves sheepishly, and the wizards buzz in shock and awe.

“Silence, please.” The councilman only has to say it once for the wizards to shut up.

“As you all know, that offense is unforgivable. She had the intent to destroy the geo arcanum, steal the power, and harm our community. She injured a few of our officers, but thanks to these heroic individuals, there were no casualties. Fortunately for us, she rendered herself powerless when she used too much geo arcanum. We have worked carefully to forge documents to put her in an asylum in the mortal community. Right now, she is barely talking, and we will be monitoring her closely. Currently, she is no threat.”

The councilwoman clears her throat. “And that was all in discussion with her coven leader. I would like to introduce the witches before you. Yes, they are witches.” She points to us, and I give a feeble wave.

I wish I could say the wizards were comfortable with this bombshell, but their raised eyebrows say otherwise. The only one politely smiling is Luther.

“The Boysen House coven is the reason we still have geo arcanum,” the third council member says. “They saved our precious resource and our lives. As such, we owe them a debt.”

The man in the center nods at the people on his right and left. “Therefore, starting immediately, the Union of Mages will lift its ban on witches. We will allow membership, starting with this coven, the ones who saved us.”

If they were perplexed before, the wizards are outraged at this announcement. They all talk over each other in shock and controversy, and point at the High Council. Luther looks just as disturbed as the others.

“Silence, silence please,” the three council members say in unison. When they lift up their hands, everyone shuts up. While I’m glad to have them on our side, it still feels like the five of us are in the hot seat.

“We have been discussing this for years,” the man in the center says. “We do not take this lightly.”

“It is not simply because of the violent events that transpired, but that is a huge part of it. These witches saved the geo arcanum and our lives,” the man on the left says.

“The initial purpose of the Union of Mages was to protect sorcery and strengthen the magical community,” the woman on the right says.

“That is why the original name was never Union of Wizards. We want to accept all who can contribute to the magical community and keep us safe from the threats of the Other Side. As well as those of warlocks and dark magic users.”

“The witches will have to go through the morality and competency tests,” the man in the center says.

He points to us and adds, “Which every member must go through. So when we give them access to geo arcanum, we will know how they use it. But that standard is held to all mages, whether they draw their power from the Sun or the Moon.”

I exchange a surprised smile with Lisbeth, then turn back to the High Council.

“The world has changed,” the man on the left says.

“The discrimination of the past is based on harmful stereotypes and won’t be accepted any longer.

That intolerance is why we lost the Jade Lion, the most powerful mage of all, for years.

” I squeeze Kai’s hand, and he gives me an almost resigned smile.

The wizard continues, “If we had been more tolerant, then last week’s atrocity would not have occurred.

We do not want to sow the seeds of resentment in witches any longer. ”

“And witches can help us with divination, a practice that has long been lost by wizards,” the woman on the right adds. “The stars know my son needs help with his psychic abilities.” The others laugh, but I don’t get it. I guess I’ll be meeting them all soon?

“Diversity in the magical community makes us stronger,” the man in the center says.

“We’re here to support, train, and invest in the future generations of spellcasters.

Our duty is to protect and cultivate sorcery around the world.

We will gradually begin outreach and integration of witches next week. ”

The three council members stand up. “And if anyone has a problem with that, you can resign from the Union,” the man in the center says definitively. “Meeting dismissed.”

While the wizards file out, I walk up to Lisbeth and pat her on the shoulder. The nasty looks some of the wizards give me aren’t lost upon me, but how can I care? We’re accepted now!

“That was amazing!” I whisper.

“Haunted hearts, we’re actually going to be part of the Union!” Taina says.

“We are joining, right?” Anika whispers.

“This is…all so new,” Lisbeth says. She glances at Kai, who huddles with us. “But yes, cauldrons, yes, I want to have solo magic, for real.”

We all laugh, and the High Council approaches us. “We welcome you to the Union,” the center man says to Kai. He looks at Lisbeth and adds, “All of you.”

“Um, High Council?” We turn to see Luther with nervousness written on his face. “Are you sure about this?”

“Yes, we meant every word we said,” the councilman says.

“But, Dad, shouldn’t we…” Luther clears his throat and adjusts his tie. “I mean…councilman, shouldn’t we think this over?”

“We are finished thinking things over, son.” He turns back to us and smiles. “It’s about time we support all mages.”

I shake his hand and say, “Thank you.” When I turn to Luther, he shoots me a soft smile. “We’re more than happy to work with you. We’ll see you around Cosmo?”

Luther smiles and shrugs. “I guess you will.”

“Agent, please take them downstairs to expedite their registration for geo arcanum,” the councilwoman says.

“But of course.” Luther beckons us, and the rest of my coven flocks to him. They walk forward, leaving Kai and me behind.

“So, you live in Cosmo?” Anika asks Luther.

“How would you like a free drink at Brew-Ha?” Lisbeth asks, taking his arm.

“I’d be happy to scry for you,” Taina adds.

Luther looks distressed by all the attention, and I laugh. He’s a good-looking man, so I get it. If my witch girls were scary when they hated wizards, they might be more frightening now that they like them.

Kai puts his arm around me, and we walk out slowly. “You okay?” he asks.

“I’m great. Got all my blood back, so I’m feeling virile.” We both laugh, and he rubs my arm.

“I meant with the announcement.”

“I’m ecstatic. This was kind of what we at Boysen House always wanted. I’m thrilled they accept us now. I wish it didn’t require Ashley to turn traitor and almost die, but…”

“I will always protect you,” he says, gravely. He stops and puts his arms around my shoulders. “No matter which coven we are part of, I am here for you, Sebastian.”

I grin and lean into him. “Right back at you, Jade Lion.” I peck his lips. “The only coven I care about is you and me. Because our love is magic. It always has been.”

He smiles and kisses me again, slower this time. His lips taste like promises of forever. Kai truly is the one I’m meant to be with.

With that, hand in hand, we walk downstairs, surrounded by wizards going about their day. We’re part of a much bigger coven now, and there’s a lot to learn and get used to. But with Zhou Kai, I’m ready to handle anything.